Welcome to the second edition of our Demystifying IT series. In our previous episode, we tapped into the insights of two industry leading Project Managers, Nigel Ellis and James Grieve, to give Hiring Managers a better understanding of Project Management. Whilst we touched on the notion of Agile Project Management there, in this episode we delve deeper into the topic to better equip you when hiring your next Agile Project Manager.
Agile Project Management Explained
We recently sat down with Mark Pinder, Senior Project Manager, with 20 years’ experience in the field of Project Management. In this e-learning episode, Mark discusses what he looks for when hiring Agile Project Managers.
Watch the video below to find out what you need to know as a Hiring Manager or Internal Recruiter, including the warning signs you should look out for and Mark’s opinion on preparing for this industry’s future.
Chapter 1 – Advice to Hiring Managers when interviewing candidates
You may have found an ideal candidate for your current role on paper, but how prepared are you to provoke them to reveal potentially hidden red flags? To help prepare you, this first chapter has been split into two sections, with the first focusing on some soft skills that Mark believes to be vital to this type of role, and the second highlighting some of the warning signs you should look out for when interviewing a candidate.
- Chapter 1.1 – What should you look for when hiring an Agile Project Manager?
- Chapter 1.2 – What are some of the warning signs you should look out for?
Chapter 2 – Testing candidates and which key skills to look for
Skills testing candidates on what’s required for an Agile Project Manager position is a great way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Mark comments that a person’s ability to learn and maintain relationships is one of the crucial key skills needed for the role. This chapter consists of these two sections:
- Chapter 2.1 – What are the key skills for this role?
- Chapter 2.2 – How should you test for these skills?
Chapter 3 – Qualifications or key skills, which is more important?
When there’s a great deal of focus on soft skills, as there is when hiring Agile Project Managers, are qualifications still as important? In this section Mark gives his opinion on the importance of qualifications versus key skills.
- Chapter 3.1 – How important are qualifications?
Chapter 4 – Preparing for the future
In the penultimate chapter, Mark covers what the future of the industry may hold and the core skills Hiring Managers should keep an eye out for when making their preparations.
- Chapter 4.1 – What could become some of the most in-demand roles?
- Chapter 4.2 – What are some of the core skills for future candidates?
Chapter 5 – Advice to Hiring Managers
In the final section of this e-learning episode, Mark provides his advice to Hiring Managers on where to start and what to focus on when recruiting for Agile Project Managers with the future in mind.
- Chapter 5.1 – Where should you start when sourcing talent?
We would like to thank Mark for being part of this series and sharing his valuable industry experience and insights into what he looks out for when hiring Agile Project Managers.
We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Demystifying IT. Stay tuned for more episodes in this series that will aim to break down other roles across the IT industry, including the Online Marketing space and Business Analysts within the finance sector.
If you would like to be featured in this blog series and share your knowledge on any roles in the IT industry, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.