Build skills, gain experience, and land your first job in project management
Breaking into Project Management
Are you ready to dive into a career in project management? Prepare for a rewarding journey of leading teams to address a range of challenges, from tackling global issues like climate change to enhancing patient experiences at local healthcare facilities. Project management is not only fulfilling but also increasingly sought after. In fact, a 10-year employment trends report from the Project Management Institute (PMI) states, “The global economy needs 25 million new project professionals by 2030. To close the talent gap, 2.3 million people will need to enter PMOE [project management-oriented employment] every year just to keep up with demand.” Additionally, Oregon ranks among the top five states with the highest concentration of project management specialist jobs in the U.S., where project management professionals earn an average annual salary of $96,880, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For those just starting out in the field of project management, there are some steps to take in order to be considered for an entry-level project manager position. Once you’ve obtained an undergraduate degree, completed your training programs, and ultimately passed your Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification exam, you’ll be ready to find an entry-level project manager role—helping you gain the necessary skills to manage teams and lead projects to success.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to land your first entry-level project manager role—from building the necessary skills and gaining experience to tailoring your resume and discussing helpful tips for common interview questions.
What Are Entry-Level Project Management Roles?
For those just starting in project management, many entry-level roles require minimal experience and offer competitive starting salaries. Although considered junior roles, these positions provide direct support to project managers, allowing you to build essential project management skills such as leadership, team coordination, and risk assessment. This foundational experience prepares you for growth into project manager, senior project manager roles, and beyond.
Associate Project Manager
Perhaps the most similar to a project manager role, the associate project manager assists lead project managers in managing project scope and facilitating communication with team members and stakeholders.
- Average annual salary in the U.S.: $70,000/year
- Portland: $63,000
- Eugene: $92,000
- Bend: $114,000
- Main tasks and responsibilities include:
- Creating workflows
- Drafting project plans
- Risk assessment
- Tracking and reporting on project progress
Project Administrator
Reporting to project managers, project administrators will take leadership on more of the administrative tasks for project teams. They often handle smaller projects on a more granular level so that project managers can focus on the big picture.
- Average annual salary in the U.S.: $60,000/year
- Portland: $66,000
- Eugene: $55,000
- Bend: $66,000
- Main tasks and responsibilities include:
- Meeting scheduling and taking notes
- Task tracking to ensure deadlines are met
- Resource management and budget tracking
- Documentation and reporting on project progress
Project Coordinator
Reporting directly to a project manager, project coordinators are often called “junior project managers” due to the similarities in skills and responsibilities. Project coordinators are crucial in the successful delivery of projects from inception to completion.
- Average annual salary in the U.S.: $57,000
- Portland: $66,000
- Eugene: $63,000
- Bend: $59,000
- Main tasks and responsibilities include:
- Task coordination and project planning
- Communication management
- Forecasting and resource allocation
- Developing improvements
UO Continuing and Professional Education Project Management Certificate Course, in partnership with Ziplines Education, can help you gain the knowledge and experience needed to get started in the industry as an entry-level project manager. In just 10 weeks, you’ll gain real-world experience through mentor-led sessions and flexible, hands-on learning to create a Project Management Playbook you can present to future employers.
Essential Skills for Entry-Level Project Managers
Soft Skills
In order to be a successful entry-level project manager, you’ll need to develop and refine the following skills:
- Communication: As a vital point of contact for your team, clients, stakeholders, and others, you’ll play a key role in communicating essential updates and instructions, ensuring everyone remains aligned. Additionally, you’ll be responsible for delivering progress reports to both internal teams and external stakeholders, keeping all parties informed throughout the project’s lifecycle.
- Leadership: You’ll support and guide talented professionals within your team. Leveraging your leadership skills will be essential in keeping the team focused and motivated. When challenges or conflicts arise, you’ll take the lead in resolving them, helping to build a collaborative and unified team atmosphere.
- Time Management: Your team will be relying on you to make sure they’re keeping up with deadlines, so it will be your job to ensure the projects stay on track. Once you become well-versed in project management methodologies like agile, waterfall, and scrum, you’ll be well on your way to being your team’s time management expert.
- Planning: A significant aspect of your role will involve managing projects from initiation to completion. This includes defining project goals, establishing timelines, evaluating risks, and identifying key deliverables. Through the planning process, you’ll start developing the skills needed to anticipate obstacles and adjust strategies to ensure projects stay on course.
Business Skills
- Resource Management: As an entry-level project manager, you’ll often be in charge of resource allocation and management. To effectively track and manage team performance, you’ll use resource allocation strategies—using Gantt charts or other visual trackers—to manage how resources are allocated over a project timeline or task list.
- Budgeting: To showcase required skills and help support the lead project manager entry-level project managers will often handle the project budget. Tasks may include identifying strategies for effective cost management in addition to negotiating with vendors.
- Business Administration: Most of the skills required to be a successful business analyst overlap with the skills needed to be a proficient project coordinator and project manager. From data analytics and measuring business metrics to project planning and stakeholder analysis, entry-level project manager roles will require you to have a basic understanding of business administration to effectively and efficiently manage projects.
Technical Skills
- Project management methodologies: Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall will enhance your efficiency in leading teams and managing projects.
- Project management tools and AI software: Microsoft Project, Jira, Wrike, and Asana are the keys to demonstrating your ability to take the lead on projects.
Building Experience and Credentials
The best way to get your foot in the door and land an entry-level role in project management is through mentorship, internships, and volunteering. Yes, these methods are typically unpaid, but consider leveraging your current job; you’ll continue to earn a salary while getting hands-on experience in project management.
- Mentorship: Seek out a project manager at your company that you admire and ask to sit in on their project meetings. This is a great way to see a real-world example of how a lead project manager will manage projects and lead their team to success.
- Volunteering: Find different ways to volunteer on projects either with your current employer or elsewhere. This is one of the simplest ways to gain real-world experience in project management and enhance your resume.
- Internships: As a project management intern, you’ll gain work experience in project management with an entry-level position. Additionally, consider exploring sectors—like IT, construction, and health—that may be outside of your current field of expertise. This will showcase your adaptability and your ability to manage varied types of projects.
- Courses and certifications:
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®: This project management certification via the PMI (Project Management Institute) is the first step in getting certified in project management. It endorses that you have strong foundational knowledge and skills required to be a project management professional.
- Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification: Also administered by PMI, the PMP® certification is granted after you pass the PMP® exam. This certification demonstrates your advanced knowledge of project management aptitude—from basic principles and methodologies to advanced tools.
UO CPE Project Management Certificate Course, in partnership with Ziplines Education, features flexible, on-demand learning. In just 10 weeks, you’ll build and develop an effective project management plan using essential tools like Jira, Microsoft Project, and more. This mentor-led course prepares you for entry-level project management roles with hands-on learning opportunities—developing a Project Management Playbook that you can present to future employers.
Where to Find Entry-Level Project Management Jobs
In addition to volunteering and internships, there are several other strategies for finding entry-level project management positions. One approach is to explore your current employer’s job board for potential openings. Consider reaching out to internal contacts or emailing relevant departments to identify the hiring manager and arrange a formal or informal conversation about the role. If no entry-level project management roles are available within your current organization, other pathways can help you get started.
- LinkedIn / ZipRecruiter / PMI: Optimize your resume and profile using keywords in project management based on your ideal job description; link out to your portfolio; and upload your Project Management Playbook. From there, you’ll be ready to search for junior project manager roles.
- Networking: 85% of new jobs are filled through networking. So, how do you find a network? Outside of your social and family circles, there are a myriad of online project management forums, memberships, and local communities to join.
Creating a Winning Entry-Level Project Management Resume
As an entry-level candidate, it’s normal to have limited work experience—that’s expected! Resume Worded advises, “Highlight relevant coursework and certifications such as PMP, CAPM, or Agile methodologies that showcase your knowledge in project management principles and practices.” Make sure to spotlight any certifications and project management skills you have to demonstrate your experience in leadership and with project management tools.
Key Sections:
- Education
- Certifications
- Technical skills
- Soft skills
- Relevant Experience
Entry-level Project Management Resume Example:
Create an ATS-friendly resume: Remember that many employers now use Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to screen resumes before they reach HR or hiring managers. To ensure your resume makes it through the system, keep the format clean and straightforward. Resume experts advise avoiding tables or graphics, as these can disrupt the ATS. CV Compiler recommends, “Use a good balance of the keywords and phrases throughout your resume to show your fit for the role.”
UO Continuing and Professional Education offers a Project Management Certificate Course, in partnership with Ziplines Education, which provides personalized mentorship that will help advance your career. Throughout this 10-week program, you’ll not only learn project management basics, but you’ll also receive career coaching, group workshops, resume and cover letter tips, interview practice, and so much more from expert instructors and mentors.
Common Interview Questions for Entry-Level Project Managers
Take a look at these common interview questions and how to best prepare for and answer them.
| Tell me about yourself. | Describe yourself and your work experience in your own words. You can move through your past roles chronologically or focus on the most relevant roles that showcase projectmanagement experience and skills. |
| Tell me about a time when something went wrong in a project you were managing. | Highlight your risk management skills in youranswer and don’t forget to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. Identify the issue, what you were expected to do, what you ended up doing and how you did it, and lastly, what the outcome was. |
| How do you prioritize tasks in a project? | Showcase the importance of project deadlines by including the project goal, timelines, stakeholder needs, and tasks. From there, you can outline the most efficient and effective path forward based on project demands. |
| What was your most successful project? | Demonstrate your strengths with a real-world example of a project that you successfully delivered. While expressing pride about your success, include praise for fellow team members as well as key elements that drove that success. |
| What’s your experience with budget management? | Utilizing the STAR method, paint the picture of a situation where you effectively managed a project budget. If you don’t have experience in a workplace setting, feel free to use a personal example or two where you performed cost estimation, money allocation, and expense tracking. |
| How would you describe a project plan? | This is an excellent time to demonstrate your technical knowledge of project management fundamentals. Answer this by outlining the different aspects of a project plan (goal, tasks, milestones, etc.) and examples of how you’ve implemented them into a project plan in the past to achieve project success. |
Your Path to Success as an Entry-Level Project Manager
Starting out as an entry-level project manager can be challenging, but with persistence, motivation, and the right mix of training, certifications, skills, connections, and practical experience, a career in project management can be incredibly rewarding.
Jumpstart your journey in project management with the flexible, on-demand Project Management Certificate Course from UO CPE, in partnership with Ziplines Education. Our experienced mentors and instructors are here to offer tailored support to help you advance—from resume and cover letter guidance to interview preparation and career coaching. Discover a fulfilling and valued career in the innovative and high-demand field of project management.
