Many professionals who want to take up project managers as a career ask if there are any benefits of getting the certification. If you are one of them, you may be wondering, “Can I get a job with the PMP Certification?”
There is certainly a big demand for project managers in the corporate market. Think of the certification as an investment of money and time. If you get qualified you will have a good likelihood of being recruited for a project management position. This is because the PMI certification requires practical experience and thorough knowledge of scoping, running and completing projects. When you apply for the project manager position with the certificate on your resume, you will immediately increase your chance of being hired.
Project Management Opportunities
Market job estimates suggest that there will be around 15.7 million new jobs in the Project Management industry in the next 2 – 5 years. Experts say that the total project management industry will grow to a size of $6.3 trillion by the same year.
The project-intensive industries will experience an increase of 37% in their output. The main industries that make use of project management include construction, manufacturing, research, oil and gas, finance, entertainment, IT and hospitality.
As far as income is concerned, project managers will do quite well in this area as well. The mean household income in the United States is around $56,500. Project Management Professionals and Certified PMPs are expected to earn an average salary of $92,000 to $110,400. This is almost twice the average salary earned by the majority of U.S. households.
Consider these numbers for a moment. They suggest a very promising future for project managers in the next few years.
Here are four reasons why project management will help you get a great job in the future.
1. Makes Your Resume Stand Out
The PMI certification is not easy to achieve. Business managers and corporations realize that an individual with the PMP certificate has gone through vigorous training and knows how to initiate and complete projects.
Projects are short-term endeavors that are meant to improve business processes. Every organization needs people who are capable of starting and leading projects to foster a culture of continuous improvement and positive change.
Suppose a company’s hiring managers have two resumes in front of them and they must pick one candidate for their organization. The resumes of the two candidates are more or less identical but one of the candidates has also completed a certification from PMI with practical experience of working on projects.
The decision would be quite easy. The management would always pick the applicant with PMP certificate listed on their resume. This is because the applicant has the experience of starting and managing projects which makes them uniquely talented and more useful for the organization. Even when compared to another applicant with more experience, the PMI-certified candidate is the better choice.
2. Global Acceptance for the Certificate
PMI certification is a globally recognized qualification that is accepted all over the world. It is accepted in Europe, Asia and the whole of North America. The certificate will improve your job prospects in the U.S. and also give you proficiency in the global standards for project management.
PMI professionals are present all around the world and working at very important positions in global corporations. International organizations value the qualification very highly. If you are planning to work for a multi-national organization and see yourself working abroad in the future, then PMP certificate is the right qualification for you.
The PMP training provides knowledge and skills in specific segments of a project such as project scoping, project organization, and project reporting. These are skills that a professional would find difficult to acquire. You learn all-rounder skills such as setting up project goals, allocation of necessary resources, project assumptions calculation, risk assessment, and management of any constraints.
PMP training builds a solid and time-tested base for professionals that will help their career no matter where they work. Once a candidate has gained the ability to identify and solve project related problems, they automatically become more preferable to an international employer.
3. Great Networking Opportunities
To qualify as a project manager, a candidate needs to become a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) first. Membership will introduce them to a world of qualified project managers from all over the world. The annual report from PMI noted that there were more than 800,000 PMP members spread all over the world. The number continues to grow each year.
The Institute holds frequent meetings for members in many cities, giving professionals an opportunity to build a network and learn more about the Project Management industry. The member meetings are set up to help qualified professionals earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) that are mandatory to keep their memberships.
During these meetings, you will come across many opportunities for finding out about new employment opportunities from other members who may be looking for fellow PMP professionals. PMP qualified professionals are encouraged to introduce vacancies from their existing organizations at these meetings and networking is a key to success.
4. Practical Experience of Managing Projects
As noted previously, the PMP exam requires candidates to complete a number of prerequisites before they can be certified. These prerequisites are highly desired by employers.
For instance, candidates have to complete thousands of hours of practical work and gain a high level of experience in project management. At least 60 months of experience is required to be eligible for the exam for people with an associate’s degree. A person with a bachelor’s degree is required to show experience of at least 36 months.
The institute carries out a rigorous audit process, post-exam to ensure that candidates have been honest about their experiences. The certificate is only awarded after it is clear that everything is in order.
This is precisely why potential employers hold PMP professionals in high regard. They understand that the professional has worked very hard to acquire the certificate and has many years of quality work experience that validates their skills.