Not everyone is a natural project manager, which makes finding the best project managers a challenge. On paper, it’s difficult to identify if individuals have the right soft and hard skills to be successful in your business.
Not only do you need to find someone who is a natural leader, but you also need someone who fits in with your company culture and can understand the ins and outs of your business.
With the internet and social media taking over the way we source and recruit new talent, it’s never been more difficult to read between the lines of the traditional CV. Information overload is a genuine concern for many organisations looking to hire and retain the best talent. If you’re looking for your next superstar project manager, follow these steps to success.
Look in the right places
Even the most well-planned advert will perform poorly if it’s posted in the wrong place. Sharing your considered and detailed job description on a free job posting site is likely to attract a deluge of unqualified individuals taking the copy and paste approach to finding a job.
While you might have one or two good prospects amongst the hundreds of unqualified individuals, who wants to have to sort the wheat from the chaff? By posting your job advert in the right place, such as LinkedIn or specialist project management job boards, you’ll be much more likely to attract multiple qualified prospects.
Read between the lines
Everyone defaults to the same sort of language on their CV, and ultimately they often end up saying very little about their motivations and passions. Learn to read between the lines and connect the dots between their experience and education. For example, someone who has trained in project management independently with a course provider will clearly be passionate about project management. Likewise, someone who has had on-the-job training might just have a natural affinity for the role. Once you’ve read between the lines of their CV, you’ll be better positioned to ask them the right questions in an interview.
Interview challenge
It’s becoming increasingly popular to offer an interview challenge, or “homework” after the first interview. This can help you to understand how an individual works on the job and if they have the right level of skills required. It doesn’t have to be a huge task, but something like asking them to provide feedback on a risk analysis or to review a budget for a fake project. This is a great way to understand more about how the individual works and if their style will fit with your company.
Don’t ignore culture fit
Project managers sit in a unique position in the company as they reach across so many different departments. For this reason, you need to ensure they fit the existing company culture and will feel comfortable at work. Some people don’t adapt well to overly-formal environments while others feel uncomfortable in casual settings.
Finding the right culture fit isn’t necessarily about hiring someone who is similar to the rest of the team, but about finding someone who will be happy, comfortable and challenged while working with you. If there isn’t a clear progression path, you might find it difficult to hang on to the best talent.
Extensive onboarding
Once you have chosen your ideal project management professional, the hiring process doesn’t stop there. The onboarding process should be as meticulous as the hiring process, as this is the only way you will be able to empower your new hire to do their best work. There is a common misconception that finding someone who can “hit the ground running” is a good thing. If you want someone to truly thrive in your organisation, you need to invest the time and resources into ensuring they can do their best work.
Regular reviews
Creating a framework for regular professional reviews is the best way to ensure that they have a place to voice concerns and ask for feedback. It’s difficult to progress effectively in a role if you are just “left to it”, so it’s down to the employer to provide regular feedback and set new goals for the months ahead. This will help your new project manager to understand their purpose in the business and give them a much higher job satisfaction.
