Managing an IT team is no easy job! In order to manage the IT team, managers are required to have sound knowledge of their domain. It involves managing, planning, and organizing everyone's tasks toward getting the desired software code written.
Not only that but also, but they are also responsible for meeting deadlines, budget, and scope requirements and failing to meet expectations.
However, appointing a good IT project manager is not easy. In fact, a study conducted by the Project Management Institute1 found that 12% of all resources within an organization are wasted each year due to ineffective project management.
That is a lot of money and time that teams could use better!
That is why in order to break down a project into more manageable pieces, companies need good IT project managers. However, finding and hiring IT project managers is not easy.
Thus, in this article, we'll help you outline the right recruitment process to hire an IT project manager, identify which skills to look for in prospective project managers and equip you with additional knowledge that will prove valuable when hiring.
So, let's get started!
What are the main activities of a Project Manager?
(Source)
The main activities of a Project Manager are as follows:
- Develops specific goals and plans and define the resources needed for achieving the goal.
- He assigns the roles to be done to all the individuals and also defines how results will be measured.
- He needs to coordinate with team members, including software specialists and administrative staff, to satisfy the user, who may be an internal or external customer.
- Scheduling the various activities and allocating the necessary resources to enable the tasks to be completed on time.
- Recruiting, training, counseling, and motivating employees also fall into their purview. He is constantly developing the skills of his team.
- Any project would typically be divided into different phases, and managing each stage is a major task.
- Besides managing the tasks, the project manager also plays a strategic role in understanding the challenges and planning how to meet these challenges.
- The ultimate responsibility of delivering a quality job within a time frame and budget is of the Project Managers.
How to develop a hiring strategy to hire an IT project manager?
- Define the needs of the company
Whether you are hiring your first IT project manager or fifth, you need to have a definite process in place for recruiting. If you have a standard procedure, your hiring strategy will be more streamlined and hassle-free.
That is why the first step you need to take while hiring project managers is defining the company's needs. You can begin by thoroughly analyzing the need of the role.
Getting a complete understanding of the expectations, needs, and demands is essential when contemplating hiring.
Look for what qualifications you expected the new member to possess. Additionally, outline the desired experience, background, and desirable candidates' aspirations.
Before you start recruiting, you should define these facts to know what you are looking for.
Requirements and fundamental responsibilities associated with a role are significant.
You would also need to distinguish preferences from the "must-haves" to inform the candidates and job seekers properly and to help recruiters focus on what matters the most.
- Create a job description
Once you have defined the need of the company, create a detailed job description clearly describing the desired roles, responsibilities, day-to-day activities, and critical skills.
For example,
1. Create a list of what you would want the project manager to be responsible for.
2. Determine what type of experience you want the project manager you hire to have.
- Determine the salary range
(Source)
After creating the detailed job description, the next step is to set a salary range for your IT project manager.
In order to determine whether you are offering a lucrative package or not, evaluate the job market to know what package other companies are offering to individuals of the same position.
You can also conduct an internal discussion with the respective stakeholder to understand what salary range you can offer the individuals with respect to your company's budget.
- Choose Between Local and Remote Talent
Once you are through with your expectations, requirements, package, and more, choose between local, remote, or hybrid talent when you hire an IT project manager.
If you plan to go ahead with local talent, you will be able to interact with them face-to-face and build a strong relationship with them. IT project managers can also better understand the culture to manifest it within the team.
However, if you are thinking of going ahead with remote talent, you can access a larger talent pool. Moreover, you'll also be able to connect with more specialized skills and expertise. Hiring remote talent can also save your office space and infrastructure cost.
Apart from that, you can also choose to go ahead with hybrid talent.
- Define the key skills and qualifications required
If you are still confused about how to evaluate a project manager, then consider the skills and qualifications listed below
Non-Technical Skills
- Communication Skills
Communication skills are necessary for an IT project manager since he/she is required to communicate with the team as well as the users of the software code. The project manager is also responsible for maintaining good coordination with the team to ensure a successful outcome.
Suppose you're concerned about how to evaluate applicants' communication abilities. Take a look at iMocha's AI-English Pro assessments.
- Leadership Skills
The Project Managers are required to be good leaders. It is how they are going to manage the team that comes with different skill sets and backgrounds, as only a good leader knows how to utilize their team's efforts optimally. That is why you should look for leadership skills while hiring IT project managers.
- Organizing skills
Essentially, the Project Manager must be a good organizer with the ability to get work done from others within the specified time frame and within the specified budget.
- Delivery Focused
While hiring a project manager, check their discipline skills. It will enable you to comprehend whether they are going to be punctual about deadlines or not.
- Motivating team members
Managers are liable for getting cooperation from all stakeholders, and ensuring that everyone is highly motivated and working towards the common goal is vital. That is the reason motivation plays a crucial role in defining the soft skills of IT managers.
Evaluate skills with people management test.
- Daily Tracking of Multiple activities
Since various activities will occur simultaneously, the project manager needs to track each and motivate all team leaders to adhere to time schedules without compromising on quality standards. Evaluate skills with monitoring & controlling skills test.
- Problem Solver
Any project will invariably face obstacles and roadblocks. Project managers must possess the ability to anticipate problems, identify their causes, and also be able to solve the issues.
Technical Skills
- IT infrastructure and Architecture
IT project managers are required to have a thorough understanding of IT infrastructure and architecture. This includes knowledge of hardware, software, networking, and more.
- Programming Languages
A working knowledge of programming languages, such as Java, C#, and Python, as well as web development languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Database Management
Managing and maintaining databases is essential for IT project managers—for example, database concepts, normalization, and query optimization.
- System Administration
IT project managers should know about system administration tasks, such as user account management, security, and software installation.
- Networking
They are required to have working knowledge of the fundamentals of computer networking, including topologies, protocols, and security.
- Cloud Computing
An understanding of cloud computing fundamentals such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
| Measure all the above skills with comprehensive Project Management Assessments, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation of your candidates' capabilities |
How to source Project Manager?
Once you have identified a project manager's key roles and responsibilities and created a compelling job description, the next step to hiring a project manager is finding the best-fit candidate for your organization.
In order to do so, you can utilize various modes, such as:
- Job Listing Portals
Many job listing portals are available in the market that help you get in touch which potential candidates who are looking for better job opportunities. Some common job listing portals are Monster, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and more.
- Sourcing Tools
You can also utilize many sourcing tools to find the best-fit candidates for your company. These tools enable you to highlight key responsibilities, skills, and experience. You can narrow down candidates based on particular organizations or technologies using these tools.
- Recruitment Agencies
At times organizations find it challenging to find potential candidates to fulfill the role. That is where recruitment agencies come into the picture. They enable companies to locate qualified candidates easily. They have an extensive database of potential candidates and can quickly match employers with the right person for the job
- Networking
It is also believed that maintaining a network of IT professionals benefits tech recruiters, as many skilled candidates are passive job seekers.
How to assess Project Manager skills?
Sourcing the right candidates from the massive influx of resumes alone is nothing without finding quality candidates.
Thus, the only way to ensure you hire skilled candidates from the batch is by assessing their project management skills.
But how to do so?
Don't worry! Many skill assessment portals in the market are specially made to make your hiring journey seamless.
Tools like iMocha enable you to make skill intelligent decisions by helping you assess their technical and non-technical skills in a single assessment. Based on the performance of the candidates, this tool also allows you to determine their proficiency level in a data-driven format.
There are various other capabilities this tool offer, which you can utilize to hire the best IT project managers, such as:
- Skill library of 2500+ skills to help you assess skills like C++, C#, communication skills, and many more.
- Option to custom-create your test according to the individual requirement of your company.
- Tools like Coding simulators, Take-home Projects, AI-Logic Box, and live coding interviews to assess candidates' coding skills.
- Automated video interview functions, One-way video interview questions to assess the capabilities of candidates in real-time.
- Detailed test analytics, 6-level setting cheating prevention protocols, Setting re-take attempts, and more to maintain the integrity of candidates during the assessment and offer reliable test results.
Things to avoid while hiring Project Manager
If you are thinking about how to hire a project manager who performs exceptionally within the organization, then avoid the list of things mentioned below:
1. Refrain from employing a candidate who lacks relevant experience or credentials.
2. Avoid considering someone who lacks excellent organizational and communication abilities.
3. Refrain from hiring someone who does not fully comprehend the project's scope and precise objectives.
4. Avoid hiring an individual who is incapable of effectively managing a team and its resources.
5. Avoid hiring individuals who are uninitiated in the newest methods and technology.
6. Refrain from hiring anyone who is unfamiliar with the software development life cycle.
7. Refrain from employing a candidate who isn't open to innovation and taking chances.
Conclusion
Overall, hiring a project manager is not an easy task. It requires recruiters to make important decisions at various stages of the hiring process that require careful consideration.
When hiring potential IT Project Managers, be sure to assess their technical expertise, leadership, and communication skills, as well as their ability to motivate teams and manage projects. You can even consider iMocha's online assessment software to assess and hire a Project Manager and make your hiring process easier, better, and faster.
FAQs
1. Why do you need to hire a Project Manager?
Companies need project managers because they enable organizations to work with multiple teams across departments and even with clients or users. They also allow their team to focus on the big-picture and employees instead of the daily problem-solving that comes with projects.
2. How much does it cost to hire a Project Manager?
According to Glassdoor, the average cost of hiring a project manager annually earns $71577 in the United States
3. What skills to look for when hiring an IT project manager?
While employing an IT project manager, consider the following technical and non-technical skills:
Technical
- IT infrastructure and Architecture
- Database Management
- System Administration
- Networking
- Cloud Computing
Non-Technical
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving
- Decision-making skills
- Excellent organizational
- Time management skills
- Strong negotiation
- Leadership skills
Reference
1 Pulse of the Profession 2020 Ahead of the Curve: Forging a Future Focused Culture https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/pmi-pulse-2020-final.pdf
