Project manager jobs can be difficult to do well, however. Here are 10 signs that you are not cut out for project manager employment.
1. You don't make decisions well.Project manager jobs come with many decisions. These decisions mean siding against someone, whether that someone is your client or one of your employees. People who cannot make these decisions clearly cannot be effective project managers.
2. You don't confront people with ease.When you are a project manager, one of your unpleasant tasks will be to confront people who are not doing their job well. If you tend to shy away from confrontation out of fear of upsetting someone, then project management jobs will be constantly stressful situations for you.
3. You aren't tactful in your dealings with others.Telling the guy who always shows up to meetings 10 minutes late that he needs to be on time is necessary. Doing it by telling him that only disorganized slobs show up late won't get you far. An ability to offer constructive criticism without offending others is necessary for project management jobs.
4. You have trouble sticking to deadlines.The project manager's overall task is to keep the project on budget and on target. Sticking to deadlines is very important. If you're a constant procrastinator, then you may find keeping the project members on task to be a difficult job.
5. You aren't motivated to do a good job.Above anyone else, project managers should want to turn in an excellent finished product. You will need to be able to take your job seriously and take no shortcuts to getting the project completed.
6. You don't get along well with others.Project manager employment requires that you can work with people from all backgrounds. While the obvious personality clashes are to be avoided, project managers also need to understand the concerns of people from various departments working on a project. Software programmers will have different concerns from network security experts, for example, and the project manager needs to be able to deal with all of those people well.
7. You aren't familiar with all aspects of the project.While project managers cannot be expected to understand all of the technical details of a project, they should be familiar with the basic concepts required for each portion of the project. Otherwise, project managers will be unable to speak intelligently about the project. If you have no desire to get to know how all of the parts of the project work, then project manager jobs probably aren't for you.
8. You are disorganized.The project manager's job is to organize everyone. If you cannot find your notes from the last staff meeting, you can hardly be an effective leader.
9. You don't know how to support others working on your project.Sometimes employees will have bad days. They may be stressed about the project. They may have legitimate complaints about the client. As a project manager, you should be able to talk to these employees and make them feel at ease. If you have a difficult time being sensitive to others, then project management work could prove a challenge for you.
10. You cannot tell the client ''no.''Clients aren't the same as customers. Sometimes they are wrong and need to know it. Clients who change project requirements all the time or who demand unreasonable working hours or pay need to know that they've crossed a line. People who cannot tell the client when something cannot work are not good candidates for project manager employment.
