From Initiate to Closeout

Gene Waldenmaier, PMP

A Project Management Approach to the Job Search

• On most any list of life stressors one will find job loss, job search and/or job change.

• For PMs, who generally strive for planning and control, the job search can be particularly stressful.

Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale• Score of 300+: At risk of illness.• Score of 150-299: Risk of illness is

moderate (reduced by 30% from the above risk).

• Score <150: Only have a slight risk of illness.

The Job Search

Order Life event Life change units

1 Death of a spouse 1002 Divorce 738 Dismissal from work 4712 Pregnancy 4013 Sexual difficulties 3914 Gain a new family member 3915 Business readjustment 3916 Change in financial state 3817 Death of a close friend 3718 Change to different line of work 3621 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30

24 Change in responsibilities at work 29

25 Outstanding personal achievement 2826 Spouse starts or stops work 2628 Change in living conditions 25

Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale

• Project management is the application of processes, methods, knowledge, skills and experience to achieve the project objectives.

• A project is a unique, transient endeavor, undertaken to achieve planned objectives, which could be defined in terms of outputs, outcomes or benefits.

• Project Management should be ideally suited for the job search… Then why all the stress?

The Job Search Project

• Well….. A Project Manager generally manages and leads a group…• Initiate – SoW? Charter?• Plan - What are the processes and methods?• Execute - Who has the knowledge, skills and experience?• Monitoring – What are we measuring?• Close out – Ahhh, Negotiations and New Job….

Why all the Stress?

• What is the Charter?• Who is the sponsor?• Who generates the SoW?

• Who are the Stakeholders?• Obvious – The Job Searcher and family• How about• Head hunters?• Perspective Employers?• Employment coaches?• Network?• Extended Network?

Initiate

• As with every project, planning is the difference between success and failure.

• Some Inputs, Tools, Techniques and Outputs (ITTOs) are obvious. Others need to be thought through.• Many tools are available – Web Based• Many job boards provide site-specific tools for tracking• These tools are only as good as the Processes and Discipline of the

Project Manager

Planning – When the rubber meets the road…

• WBS and WBS Definition are derived from the SoW/Requirements:• Type of work – Project Management vs Technical vs Logistical vs

Sales vs…• Skills assessment - PMP necessary? ITILv3? Security Clearance?• Geography – Relocation?• Pay grade – What is the market paying?

• As with any project, the better you can define the requirements, the easier execution will become.• Don’t waste your time pursuing, “why not? that may be

interesting…”• Focus, focus, focus…• If you do not know what you want, how do you know if you got it?

• WBS Definition will drive the:• Job Description• Elevator Speech• Resume

Planning – Scope Management

• Finding work is an exercise of Marketing. Product Mix aka, The 4 P’s • Product – what you have to offer to employer – Resume,

Elevator Speech, Cover Letter

• Placement – where, when, with whom and how you want to work

• Promotion –Networking, Networking, Networking

• Price - Negotiations

• The WBS and WBS dictionary breaks down the 4P’s into the work packages with Milestones defined in “Planning - Time Management”

• To guide Scope WBS Definition/Work Packages, one should keep in mind some milestones…

Planning – Scope Management

• Time Management is difficult in the job search – project completion is open ended, isn’t it?

• Milestones associated with a process can be put in place:1. Professional Environment: Know where your profession and

industry are heading, what trends are shaping the future, and how those trends impact your job search.

2. Professional Objective: You can clearly tell people what you're looking for, in one sentence.

3. Communications Strategy: You can promote yourself to potential employers and others, using your resume, online profiles and more.

4. Target Market: You know who you're going to go after to seek suitable employment, where, and why.

5. Marketplace Information: You accelerate your industry and prospect intelligence efforts, and you're applying the results to your search.

Planning – Time Management

6. Get Message Out: At this point, you're having conversations or exchanging emails useful to your search (e.g. 20 to 30 people per week).

7. Talk With Hiring Managers: Now you're having meaningful conversations with at least hiring managers (e.g. 2 per week), and you're asking and answering questions well.

8. Other Methods of Search: In addition to direct approaches, you respond to online postings, job boards and other ads. You also work your program with recruiters.

9. Interview, Offers and Negotiate: You have located, negotiated, and accepted the position that you want.

10. Transition into a New Position: You close out your search, get off to a good start in your new position, and retain your network for future use.

Planning – Time Management (Cont’d)

• Costs consist of direct and indirect.• Direct costs for a job search are generally rather low

• Outplacement services?• Professional coach?• Lunches?• Miscellaneous

• Indirect costs for a job search can be huge, if unemployed.• “The electric company does not care if you have a job”• Life goes on• It is imperative to have a budget in place

Cost Management

• How will Quality be measured?• What are the KPIs?

• The Raw Search• Viewed Jobs• Saved Jobs• Jobs Applied For • . . .

• Networking• Number of people to hear Elevator Speech• Number of Hiring Managers Talked to• . . .

• Results• Number of Interviews• Number of Offers• . . .

Planning – Quality Management

• Generally speaking, the Job Search is a one person project• Help from outplacement services (if applicable) are more in-line

with Procurement Management

• Support of the Home Front is very helpful

Human Resource Management

• Network, Network, Network!

• If you are out of work, get the word out!• Men’s Groups, Church Groups, Professional Groups, Civic

Groups, Charities, Gyms, Alumni Associations• Wherever there are people, let them know you are looking

• Volunteer, if possible• You may have some time, make your presence known.

• Evaluate your contacts (LinkedIn), affiliations and wherever you meet people

• Develop the Communications Plan!

Communications Management

• Risk Management?• Are there risks that need to be mitigated in the job

search?

• Fall back plans?• What are they? Do you need them?• If so, what are the triggers?

Planning – Risk Management

• Outplacement Services (if applicable)• Manage these services as if they are services that

your project is procuring• Because they are services that the project is

procuring!

• Other services to be procured? If so, treat them as a contractor! • Resume and Collateral Development• Professional Coaching• Outsourced Contact Management

Procurement Management

• Stakeholders consist of:• The Job Searcher and family• Head hunters?• Perspective Employers?• Employment coaches?• Network?• Extended Network?

• As with all Stakeholder management, each stakeholder has different needs and requirements for information. • Proper management of each stakeholder group is

critical.

Stakeholders

• I know of no single integrated on-line Job Search Planning Tool• Keeping track of emails, job boards, contacts, etc is currently

fractured without any form of central Job Seeker “ERP”• What is needed is a “Trivago” for job seekers

• What are the Tools?• Customer Resource Management (e.g. Insightly, Salesforce, etc)• The job boards (e.g. Indeed, Dice, careerhq.pmi.org, etc) all have good

tracking tools for the jobs on their boards…• But who uses only one board?• What about other contacts?

• Email reminders (e.g. Boomerang)• Miscellaneous Spread Sheets

Planning – Note on Tools

• Now it is time to manage the Human Resources (ahm, you)!• Scope Management

• Validate the Scope (Resume, Elevator Speech)• Control the Scope (Job Description)

• Control Schedule• Daily/weekly/monthly metrics

• Track and Control Contacts• Social Media• CRM

• Communications• How many contacts? How many Face-2-Face?

Execute and Monitor!

• Congratulations! You have your new job!• Do not forget to document your lessons learned• Close out the procurements (recurring costs, if any,

are a drag)

• But, is the job search ever really done?• By definition of the project and customer sign-off, Yes!• It may go into a new phase!

• Once again, Congratulations!

Closing