Junior PM Interview

[fishdisco]

Thanks. don't sign? I basically have to or I don't carry on with the job. The amount of stress it has caused me over the last fortnight, it's beginning to seem like it just is not worth it. I speak to the project board on a daily basis, they are just not listening to what I'm saying. I am basically doing the job of 3-4 people myself. The money is good, but the mental stress is not. The culture is bad at this company. This day I walked out after an argument with the project board. My admin 'support' refuses to carry out simple tasks. There are no skilled technicians....I seriously need advice. I even moved down to this new town for the job. Companies don't care about sacrifices you make.

[TheFaQQer]

Thanks. don't sign? I basically have to or I don't carry on with the job. The amount of stress it has caused me over the last fortnight, it's beginning to seem like it just is not worth it. I speak to the project board on a daily basis, they are just not listening to what I'm saying. I am basically doing the job of 3-4 people myself. The money is good, but the mental stress is not. The culture is bad at this company. This day I walked out after an argument with the project board. My admin 'support' refuses to carry out simple tasks. There are no skilled technicians....I seriously need advice. I even moved down to this new town for the job. Companies don't care about sacrifices you make.

Walk. Find another job somewhere else, it's not worth the grief.

[cojak]

Thanks. don't sign? I basically have to or I don't carry on with the job.

So why did you ask?

Look, I don't mean to be rude just for the sake of it but it looks to me as if you're a BA (a PM writing process charts??) who's bitten off more than they can chew.

There really are only 3 things you can do:

1) Accept that this contract isn’t for you and leave,
2) Change your attititude from being a frustrated victim to a can-do/assertive PM and learn a whole lot about man-management very quickly
3) Influence those who are making your life hell (part of 2).

Go back and read Old Greg’s post carefully because it’s excellent advice. Malvolio says this for ITIL and it still the case for Project Management: PM is more than going on a P2 course and knowing how to use M$ Project. It’s about people and getting the best out of them.

[Gonzo]

So why did you ask?

Look, I don't mean to be rude just for the sake of it but it looks to me as if you're a BA (a PM writing process charts??) who's bitten off more than they can chew.

There really are only 3 things you can do:

1) Accept that this contract isn’t for you and leave,
2) Change your attititude from being a frustrated victim to a can-do/assertive PM and learn a whole lot about man-management very quickly
3) Influence those who are making your life hell (part of 2).

Go back and read Old Greg’s post carefully because it’s excellent advice. Malvolio says this for ITIL and it still the case for Project Management: PM is more than going on a P2 course and knowing how to use M$ Project. It’s about people and getting the best out of them.

Don't encourage him.

I have had enough of working for PMs that don't really know what they are doing but manage to wing it by knowing the right things to say to the senior management.

If you are the one trying to keep the project hanging together when the PM has omitted to actually do any planning it is not a good place to be.

I have worked for really good PMs which was always a pleasure, and I have worked for PMs that were only experts in making sure that their own arses were covered no matter how badly t1ts up their project was going. Those should be eliminated, in my opinion.

[shoes]

I have had enough of working for PMs that don't really know what they are doing but manage to wing it by knowing the right things to say to the senior management.

I can honestly say that I have never ever come across any other kind. I just think of it as normal these days, I lap up the inevitable contract extensions as the project overruns and leave the site when the project is finally abandoned with a smile on my face and a fat bank account.

Perhaps I have just been lucky?

[Mrspondooli]

How much do you know about Project Management - that's a question for now, not the interview! Then we might be able to offer some suggestions...

is it me or are most people just arrogant on this board. The guy has asked a question and you give this cocky answer..............or dont you know is probably the real answer....tit

[Ardesco]

is it me or are most people just arrogant on this board. The guy has asked a question and you give this cocky answer..............or dont you know is probably the real answer....tit

It's not a cocky answer, it is entirely relevant to answering the question. If the guy knows nothing about being a PM throwing a load of acronyms and PM speak that he won't understand at him is not going to be at all helpful. Secondly if he is a very experianced PM spoon feeding him the basics will again be unhelpful because he will have heard it all before.

Just because you don't like the question, it doesn't make it an arrogant one and if you are really going to get upset over such a little thing you rea.lly need to grow some thicker skin to survive in the contracting world....

[malvolio]

is it me or are most people just arrogant on this board. The guy has asked a question and you give this cocky answer..............or dont you know is probably the real answer....tit

What Aredesco said. In spades.

Put it this way, I recruit PMs fairly regularly, and I have a bit of a clue as to what I want to see in one. Any nerd can learn the books, doesn't mean they understand risk or conflict management, does it? We always give advice, but it helps to know what kind of advice would actually help.

[Peter Loew]

For the record I did answer the questions, but didn't get much back after that!

Malvolio do you work in a PMO?

[malvolio]

Nope, Programme or Project Management with the occasional foray into pure consultancy. Way more important then PMO, honest!