Career opportunities on job boards, especially the highly sought-after ones, have one thing in common: experience. Looking into contract project managers, for instance, they must have sufficient technical and operational skills and experience to ensure the success of projects and the people they manage. Project managers are paid much for a reason.
If you’re a project manager, you need impeccable attention to detail to make sure all facets of the job and delivery are polished throughout the contract. While technical skills are acquired through education and training, operational skills require groundwork, as experience can only be gained firsthand. This is also why most project managers prefer contract positions over full-time employment because they accumulate significant experience in shorter intervals.
In this article, we discuss further how contract jobs build the skills and experience of project managers like you.
One Project at a Time: Why Does It Work?
Slow and steady wins the race. With a study proving that multitasking is counterproductive, some project managers find it taxing to govern multiple different projects at once. Thus, it’s better for you as a project manager to gain experience, expertise, and incentives from one project at a time. Here are the reasons why.
- You can focus all your resources on one goal.
You can put all your effort into overseeing one project without having to worry if you have time for the next. You can exhaust all your creativity into managing one output rather than divide it across multiple projects. Anyone may turn your whole project upside down, but you’ll still remember every corner by heart because as a manager, you can be sure you have scrutinized every part of it.
- Non-office hours will be your rest time.
Work is more tedious for someone who manages people and projects of different natures. Without rest, you may find yourself giving out results with decreasing quality. A work-life balance allows for recuperation and finding one’s inspiration, so you can come back to work recharged and ready to outdo yourself more than last time.
- Your management skills get sharper before you switch to another industry.
Your management skills grow as the project progresses and reaches its peak as you have seen the project through. At the end, you will notice the parts where you excel, as well as the areas requiring more of your attention. This assessment as the end cements your experience and expertise. Once it is complete, you can be sure that you can bring more to the table as you switch to another contract job.
How Does Contract Work Build Managerial Skills and Experience?
Different contract work will teach you how to cope with a quickly changing workforce and in different industries with varying work setups. The section below briefly explains how these changes develop your management skills and add to your experiences.
1. Your awareness of marketplace trends grows.
As you move from one project to the next, you get to observe the products, projects, and industries continuously growing and those slowing down to a halt. With this knowledge, you can direct your steps as well as those who are under your leadership.
2. Knowing what employers want becomes second nature for you.
In contract work, you’ll learn how to advocate for your employees and their skills to employers before they do it themselves. You’ll do this countless times in countless projects, and as time passes, you’ll sense better what most employers like and dislike. So, you can do your duty much better in preparing your contract workers for what they will encounter before, during, and after a certain contract.
3. You learn how to find the right people for the right job.
You must meet their expectations, and then exceed them. This may be your first time leading a team in a specific field, or the first time leading inexperienced professionals. But this is not a reason to underwhelm your employer. Your team’s work ethics, educational background, and innate skills will be put to the test. It’s your task to ensure that the organization that will take your team will not regret their decision, even if only for a short time.
4. You learn how to find the right job for the right people.
While the requests of the employers are realized, the concerns of the workforce must also be heard, such as rest, complete compensation, and room for professional growth. If equipped with the right tools and driven towards the right goal and the right motivation, your team will be inspired to complete projects.
5. Employer-employee relationships continue to be one of your major priorities.
There are major factors ensuring the success of a contract work, and employer-employee is one of these crucial parts. One aspect of your job as a project manager is to be a middleman to facilitate the bridging of employer needs while ensuring the demands of the employer are met. Since contract work is more focused, you’d be able to address specific needs of both employers and employees.
6. It teaches you to encourage efficient work without compromising quality.
In a contract vs. full-time work scenario, one of the reasons why employees choose contract work is because of the incentives. Project management involves ensuring that these incentives are given correctly. If the contract workers under your wing produce high-quality work, they should be given the proper incentives for it. In turn, they will want more of those incentives, which will inspire them to create products or services that surpass the former. This is a cycle that if handled correctly by project managers, will yield great results for everyone involved
ACS PROFESSIONAL STAFFING WILL HELP YOU BUILD YOUR PROFESSIONAL PATH.
Contract work builds your managerial experience and skills because your small steps contribute to your bigger purpose. By covering one project at a time, and then moving to a different project after, you become better at handling people, projects, and situations—a skill that would take a longer time to master in full-time employment.
Entering a new job or a field of expertise can be daunting, but ACS Professional Staffing will help you build your work ethics, your resume, and most importantly, yourself, as you take part in contract work. This way, you get better and better as a contract project manager until you reach your dream job. With selections between direct hire and contract work agreements, let us help you find the job that will suit you. Connect with us today!