Archive for July, 2010

Project Management For Dummies

So what is project management?

Project management is the application of knowledge skills tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of the particular project. A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to achieve a particular aim.

The Latin word projectum means “to throw something forward.” Project Management is all about making things happen and moving forward and has existed for thousands of years. For example the Great Pyramid of Giza 2550 B.C the Great Wall of China 221 B.C. 206 B.C or the Roman Coliseum 80 A.D. all used project management techniques.

Project Management is as much a way of thinking as it is an approach that can be applied to any initiative large or small that must deliver within a certain timeframe and cost in order to meet specific objectives.

Recognised as an essential capability for organisations to maximise value and reduce costs Project Management has developed considerably in the past 20 years. Today Project Management is a professional discipline with a body of knowledge a set of skills and competencies and professional certification bodies listed at the end of this article.

The Basic Principles

There are a number of significant principles which determine success in any project. These are simple and well known principles however they are difficult to apply and are quite frequently ignored in practice.

1. Precise Business Needs

Successful projects are business driven. This represents the ‘why’ of the project and it is important because it provides the basis for all decision making.

2. Defined Benefits

Projects are about translating the business need into the business benefit. In addition to the business need the ‘bottom line’ benefits must also be well defined in terms of source timing and quantity.

3. Explicit Plans

Effective planning allows people to work together in a coordinated way in order to achieve the project objectives. Effective planning is dependent on being at an appropriate level of detail and being presented in an appropriate way.

4. Agreed Deliverables

Quite simply a ‘deliverable’ is an unambiguous way of defining responsibilities in terms of outputs rather than inputs. Each phase area and task within the project plan should have a tangible deliverable associated with it ie. something that one can see touch or otherwise validate.

5. ProActive Decision Making

Project work has little momentum of its own unlike routine work. All parties involved are therefore required to take the initiative and actively look for ways of driving and improving the project outcome.

6. Single Point Responsibility

In business tasks are only completed successfully when people have unambiguous accountabilities. ‘Single point responsibility’ for results is of the very essence. The Project Manager is ultimately responsible for making the project happen and must ensure that every staff member receives the right amount of project management training accordingly.

7. Active FollowUp

Plans have practical value only when they are used to help people do their daily work. They are similarly used as a means of identifying problems while there is still time to overcome them. Plans must therefore be used throughout the entire project in order to allocate tasks and monitor achievement.

8. Open Communications

Time must be invested in communication as it is the key to a successful project. By effectively communicating the project and issues everyone involved has the opportunity to take the initiative and contribute fully with ideas and decisions.

9. Good Teamwork

Teamwork in projects is absolutely critical but does not happen automatically. Project work involves people from different parts of the organisation often with competing priorities and different perspectives which can make teamwork all the more difficult to achieve. Teams must therefore be actively developed by the Project Manager.

10. Strong Leadership

Successful projects are usually led by an individual who is committed to the project objectives and who has a completely clear view of where the project is going and how they intend to get there. The leadership qualities of the Project Manager are as important as their technical management skills.

Benefits of Project Management

In order to apply project management principles it takes time and effort disciplines and techniques. The results are there for the taking if you are prepared to make the effort.

Applying a project management approach is not easy. At the start of a project the project management approach may not necessarily show immediate results. But the investment always pays off in the long run.

Project management adds value in quite a number of ways some of which are detailed below:

1. maximises the benefits of the project by focusing the efforts of everyone involved on the business need while working to improve the value of the result.

2. advances the benefits by minimising the time taken for the project and wherever possible achieving a phased delivery of business results.

3. optimises resources by ensuring that everyone knows what they have to do.

4. minimises costs by ensuring that only essential work is completed and that work does not have to be redone.

5. avoids wasted time simply by communicating extensively and running effective meetings which result in agreed actions which are completed.

By using project management principles and practices millions of dollars can be saved on projects. It can dramatically accelerate the introduction of beneficial change and greatly increase the satisfaction of everyone involved alleviating enormous frustration usually involved in projects.

When applied with sensitivity and adjustment the benefits of project management far outweigh the time and energy invested.

About the writer:  Article by PMPartners project management training professionals.

Sample Interview Questions With Answers

Sample interview questions of the common type are listed below. Answers are included. But perhaps suggestions for tailoring your responses is a better way to put it since specific answers are impossible to provide. Practice answering these sample interview questions out loud to yourself or ask a friend or relative to help you.

Don’t feel that you have to answer right away. Interviewers know that you’re nervous and expect you to think a bit so do think carefully before you answer. But don’t hesitate too long or it’ll appear that you’re stalling. Interviewers will ask openended questions to see where you’ll go with them so try not to ramble while you’re thinking of a real answer.

Q.
Tell me about yourself.
A.
This is the dreaded classic openended interview question and likely to be among the first. It’s your chance to introduce your qualifications good work habits etc. Keep it mostly work and career related.

Q.
Why do you want to leave your current job? Why did you leave your last job?
A.
Be careful with this. Avoid trashing other employers and making statements like “I need more money.” Instead make generic statements such as “It’s a career move.”

Q.
What are your strengths?
A.
Point out your positive attributes related to the job.

Q.
What are your weaknesses?
A.
Everybody has weaknesses but don’t spend too much time on this one and keep it work related. Along with a minor weakness or two try to point out a couple of weaknesses that the interviewer might see as strengths such as sometimes being a little too meticulous about the quality of your work. Avoid saying “I work too hard.” It’s a predictable common answer. For every weakness offer a strength that compensates for it.

Q.
Which adjectives would you use to describe yourself?
A.
Answer with positive workoriented adjectives such as conscientious hardworking honest and courteous plus a brief description or example of why each fits you well.

Q.
What do you know about our company?
A.
To answer this one research the company before you interview.

Q.
Why do you want to work for us?
A.
Same as above. Research the company before you interview. Avoid the predictable such as “Because it’s a great company.” Say why you think it’s a great company.

Q.
Why should I hire you?
A.
Point out your positive attributes related to the job and the good job you’ve done in the past. Include any compliments you’ve received from management.

Q.
What past accomplishments gave you satisfaction?
A.
Briefly describe one to three work projects that made you proud or earned you pats on the back promotions raises etc. Focus more on achievement than reward.

Q.
What makes you want to work hard?
A.
Naturally material rewards such as perks salary and benefits come into play. But again focus more on achievement and the satisfaction you derive from it.

Q.
What type of work environment do you like best?
A.
Tailor your answer to the job. For example if in doing your job you’re required to lock the lab doors and work alone then indicate that you enjoy being a team player when needed but also enjoy working independently. If you’re required to attend regular project planning and status meetings then indicate that you’re a strong team player and like being part of a team.

Q.
Why do you want this job?
A.
To help you answer this and related questions study the job ad in advance. But a job ad alone may not be enough so it’s okay to ask questions about the job while you’re answering. Say what attracts you to the job. Avoid the obvious and meaningless such as “I need a job.”

Q.
How do you handle pressure and stress?
A.
This is sort of a double whammy because you’re likely already stressed from the interview and the interviewer can see if you’re handling it well or not. Everybody feels stress but the degree varies. Saying that you whine to your shrink kick your dog or slam down a fifth of Jack Daniels are not good answers. Exercising relaxing with a good book socializing with friends or turning stress into productive energy are more along the lines of the “correct” answers.

Q.
Explain how you overcame a major obstacle.
A.
The interviewer is likely looking for a particular example of your problemsolving skills and the pride you show for solving it.

Q.
Where do you see yourself five ten or fifteen years from now?
A.
Explain your careeradvancement goals that are in line with the job for which you are interviewing. Your interviewer is likely more interested in how he she or the company will benefit from you achieving your goals than what you’ll get from it but it goes hand in hand to a large degree. It’s not a good idea to tell your potential new boss that you’ll be going after his or her job but it’s okay to mention that you’d like to earn a senior or management position.

Q.
What qualifies you for this job?
A.
Tout your skills experience education and other qualifications especially those that match the job description well. Avoid just regurgitating your resume. Explain why.

Q.
Why did you choose your college major?
A.
The interviewer is likely fishing to see if you are interested in your field of work or just doing a job to get paid. Explain why you like it. Besides your personal interests include some rocksolid business reasons that show you have vision and business sense.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;David J. Clemen has over 8 years experience helping the general public find gainful employment. David has worked as a Career Counselor for organizations such as the State of Massachusetts Morgan Memorial Goodwill and Lincoln Technical Institute. He is currently an active contributor to http://www.jpcservicesinc.com an absolutely FREE online resource.

Straight Talk About Your Resume

Getting proper resume help is the one step in your job search over which you have total control. It is your personal career marketing document. Based upon the strength of that one or two pages of information you will either be selected for an interview from among potentially hundreds of other candidates or passed over.

The Resumes Function

The purpose of a Resume is not to get a job! Its purpose is to get an interview. And any candidate in today’s job market is up against very stiff competition.

Put yourself in a Human Resource Director’s shoes. The morning’s mail has just arrived and a stack of 100 or 200 Resumes have been dropped on your desk. Your first goal is going to be narrowing down that stack to perhaps 10 or 20 candidates. So the first function a Resume serves is to eliminate most candidates from consideration.

Job recruiters spend approximately 15 seconds looking at each Resume. In that short time they make a decision to place you in the yes pile or in the no pile. This decision can be based on the overall appearance of your Resume template the format and the three or four key selling points you have listed in your Qualifications Summary at the top of the Resume.

If you make it to the yes pile your Resume will receive a detailed reading. But again the recruiter is still looking for a reason to eliminate you as a candidate. From that initial pile of Resumes that come in the mail the recruiter’s goal might be to narrow the list to only five or ten candidates who will be called for an interview. So even if you survived the first screening and made it to the stack of 20 you still have a 50/50 chance of being cut from the final selection.

Remember this entire process happens solely on the strength of your Resume. Thats why your resume format is so important. And if you survive this process your Resume then becomes the basis for your interview. The recruiter will use your Resume as an outline to discuss your career history accomplishments and qualifications for the position she/he needs to fill at the company.

After the interview your Resume continues to represent you as your qualifications are weighed against those of other candidates who have also made it through this interview stage. Assume that only the five or ten best and most qualified candidates were interviewed. Now the company has to make a choice. How do they do that? The people involved in the decision sit down at a conference table and discuss those final five or ten Resumes…again. Looking for reasons to eliminate all but one applicant. Even here your Resume plays an important role in reminding the company of your qualifications the impression you made during the interview etc.

Should You Write Your Own Resume?

Probably not ndash; unless you are a skilled professional writer who can also honestly look at your own strengths and weaknesses objectively. While there are dozens of doityourself Resume books on the market the truth is that if you do your own Resume it is being prepared by an amateur.

Does it make sense to spend four years and 40000 to earn a college degree and then market that investment to employers with a doityourself Resume? Or to have solid credentials and a salary level of 30000 60000 or 100000… and use a less than professional Resume to represent you?

Think of a company like CocaCola. The executives who work for CocaCola probably know that product better than anyone else. Yet CocaCola uses a professional advertising agency to create the messages that are designed to sell us on buying CocaCola.

The Professional Resume Writer

Hiring a professional Resume writer serves the same purpose in selling you to a potential employer as CocaCola’s advertising agency in selling their products to consumers. You’re getting the benefit of an expert who writes Resumes every day and who knows how to present a client’s background and credentials to best advantage.

For example there are three standard Resume formats: The Chronological Functional and Modified which is a combination of Chronological and Functional. Deciding which format will best present your career history is a critical strategic decision before the first word is ever written on paper.

Most job candidates also fall into one of three categories that are detrimental to the success of a doityourself Resume:

1. Those who are reluctant to brag about their past accomplishments and successes and tend to underplay the specific information an employer wants to see in the Resume. Sometimes a candidate simply doesn’t realize how important some detail of his/her past performance would be to a future employer.

2. Sometimes the candidate says too much. Even though the candidate would be perfectly qualified for the available position she/he can appear to be overqualified or a threat to the hiring manager or too narrowly focused in one aspect of the job instead of being a generalist.

3. Finally there may be some aspect of a candidate’s past that can be difficult to present on the Resume: frequent job changes a long period of unemployment lack of a college degree normally required for a particular position or the lack of any actual work experience in this particular field career change graduating students military personnel returning to civilian job market etc.

A professional Resume writer is an objective third party with the expertise to draw out relevant information from your work history tone down the extent of your achievements if necessary and provide strategies for overcoming any difficult or negative aspects in your job search.

Choosing a Resume Professional

ResumeHelp.com offers a number of professional resume writers. Every company has been screened by the owners and their qualifications checked. Our policy is not to recommend anyone that we wouldnt use ourselves. If we are uncertain of a companies ability to perform we simply wont recommend them.

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About the writer:  provides uptodate information for people looking for a job change careers and lots of other help in these strange trying times. Our articles are current and up to date and we even have a listing of companies currently hiring and as we find more they will be posted. Visit our site today: Owner Leslie Kearney