6 Key Strengths and Qualifications to Look for When Hiring a Project Manager

The right project manager can have a transformational impact on your business, and so it’s important to take care to whittle down the field effectively during recruitment.

So what attributes and assets should be on your wish list when picking between project management candidates? Here’s an overview of the main qualities to seek out.

PgMP certification

Lots of industries and professions have particular certificates and accreditations that are widely respected and recognized, giving you an instant indication that an applicant meets a minimum set of standards in terms of training.

Project management is no different, and the Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification is the flagship qualification to acquire.

As such, if a prospective hire has completed this PgMP training course and got the certificate to prove it, you’ll instantly know that they take their career seriously and have got a good grounding in managing projects of many kinds.

Interpersonal & communication capabilities

Every management role requires regular interactions with team members and colleagues from different departments.

This is where developing and demonstrating interpersonal skills will stand candidates in good stead. They will be responsible for greasing the wheels of important projects, and so they need to be great communicators, which not only means getting their points across clearly, but also listening well.

Time management skills

Scheduling and time management are the bread and butter of project management, and so new hires not only have to show that they are successful in wrangling their own diaries but also capable of orchestrating the schedules of entire teams.

There are plenty of tools to help out in this regard, but good time management also comes down to balancing priorities, setting realistic deadlines, and consistently hitting targets time and again.

Applicants who have got lots of examples from their prior roles of bringing projects in on time, and can talk about how they achieved this, will be good additions to your business.

Budgeting abilities

A project manager can have many fine qualities, but if they are not on top of money matters, then their usefulness will be limited.

Building a budget and being conscious of costs throughout the course of a project is a strength worth seeking out.

This is also a skill that can be acquired through training and experience, so if you are willing to support and progress a relative newcomer to the project management profession, it could pay dividends in the long run.

Proficiency when it comes to delegation

Project management involves keeping lots of plates spinning in unison, but that doesn’t mean it suits people with a tendency to micromanage every single element. Instead, good managers will not only know how to delegate tasks but also have confidence in their team members to fulfill their assigned responsibilities.

There is a balance to be struck here as well, and savvy managers must adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of the teams they are working with, rather than using the same approach for every scenario and project.

Leadership & decision-making prowess

Ultimately, a project manager has to be confident in their own skills and thus be capable of making key decisions at many points along the journey to the completion of the initiatives they oversee.
This is part and parcel of the leadership skills which are needed to manage myriad projects across every type of business.

Some of these skills are ones that you can sense innately when you meet applicants and conduct interviews. But having evidence of their abilities, in the form of a recognized qualification, is definitely useful as well.

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