I Am Now a Project Management Graduate, What Next?

If you are graduating soon or have just graduated, you might be thinking “What next?” If you do not already have a career plan, it can sometimes be hard to figure out what you should do immediately after university. But if you are confused and do not know where or how to start, do not panic! You are not the first and you definitely won’t be the last.

Many project management graduates take time to find their career path, and sometimes it is hard to work out what kind of job or career is right for you. Here are some handy tips to help you on your road to success:

Create Your CV: Take some time to develop your CV. Make it relevant towards the position you would like to be chosen for. If you feel you are lacking experience in an area, add as much relevant work, skills and educational experience as possible. After brushing up your CV, there are online recruitment, human resources and talent management agencies where you can submit your CV or fill in your resume. Some of these agencies have got a wide reach and cover most of the major sectors and industries.

Get Work Experience Through Volunteering: Volunteering, though it is an unpaid work, is one of surest ways of landing your dream jobs. Many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training which gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. It can also help you make new friends, expand your network, get experience in your area of interest and meet professionals in the field. Eyitayo Ogunmola, Founder of PM Hub Nigeria, in a story with Biodun Awosusi, said that he built his project management skills through volunteering for HACEY Initiative, Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development Initiative (YALDA), Students Economic Development Initiative and Project Management Institute.

Build Your Online Presence: Do you have a LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter account? The social media is having a huge impact on the world of recruitment. It is changing the way companies hire employees. LinkedIn and Google+ are high impact professional social networks. You want to make yourself available for prospective recruiters or employers to contact you while also presenting yourself as a top quality candidate. Setting up these social media accounts will make sure your one step ahead of your competition. After setting your accounts, you need to search and follow the right people and the companies that are interesting to your career. Also, you can utilise job search engines such LinkUp®, TwitJobSearch and CareerBuilder to search for jobs on the web.

Start Networking: Never underestimate the power of networking because it is one of the widely and most accepted ways of finding a job. Search and join relevant groups and companies pages on social media. These social media groups allow you to get connected with people who could make a difference in your professional life. Frequently contribute to relevant discussions and never underestimate what you can learn from these discussions or the connections you can make, they tend to open a lot of doors. If you are interested in building your career in project management, you can join our Project Management Nigeria group on Google+ and Facebook, and follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with trends in the project management industry.

Further Your Studies: If you are not ready for the transition from being a student to the world of work or your chosen area of work requires an additional qualification, you might consider doing a further study such as getting a masters degree or obtaining a professional certification. Professional certificates that Project Managers can obtain to boost their CV include the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certificate, the PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2)® certificate, and the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) certificate. In terms of employability, many graduate employers do value additional qualifications.

Which ever path or combination of paths you choose to follow depends on your career plan. Do not allow uncertainty about what career you ultimately want to pursue prevent you from taking action now.

LinkUp® is a registered trademark of JobDig, Inc.

PMP® is a registered certification mark and trademark of the Project Management Institute Inc.

PRINCE2® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS limited.

To stay current on all projects and project management news and updates in Nigeria, follow @Project_Nigeria on Twitter, and join our social media groups on Facebook and Google+.

I Am Now a Project Management Graduate, What Next?
Project Management Career, Project Management Graduate, Project Management Job