Project Management jobs

[Evanses]

Hi, could anyone give any up to date info on the job situation with regards to project management. My hubby is just completing his IT degree this year and project management is the area he will be looking for employment in. He will be getting a bit of experience here first but we are keen to know how in demand project managers are in NZ - we are looking at Christchurch.

In particular we are interested in knowing what the best type of certification to get is, if he went for more qualifications too. Have heard that Prince2 is not as popular as here in England. Also, how likely is it he will need to go to NZ for the interviews or is there a good chance he will get a job from here.

As yet he does not have work experience in PM directly but does have years of management experience in a production environment so we are hoping they will warm to the idea of employing him with this knowledge. Any advice gratefully received.

Helen X

[dusk]

There seems to be plenty of IT work about, so I can't imagine there will be anything other than demand for PM's too

The recruitment question is variable. Some people manage to get job offers after phone/video conference interviews, others swear by the "take a holiday and do interviews while you are there" approach. My best advice is to do some research on the net, there are job sites and recruitment agencies a plenty...

can't help you with the additional qualifications query.

[Lara Croft]

Hi.
I was lucky and came out for a job offer, with just a phone interview & video-con interview - this is not usual though. Like you, we wanted to go to C/Church, but there were more jobs in Welly - having said that, we love it here now!

I spoke to lots of agents, and they all asked about Prince certification - it seems to be a recognised qualification here. I'm not actually qualified yet, but I have worked to Prince2 metholodogy, and several others, and that was fine for my job.

Even though you will get points for your OH's degree, unless his employment experience is in the same field, I don't think you'll be able to claim the bonus points on your application, can anyone verify this?

Good luck,
J

[dusk]

I have claimed points for my (arts) degree as it's in an area of skill shortage, however it is absolutely nothing to do with my work experience or my job offer area of employment, I seem to have got the points for it though...

[KerryS]

Prince2 is recognised here, but more companies follow the PMP methodology from my experience.
A solid background in project management, with good results is the main key to obtaining a job.

[Flo jo]

They all seem to want the UK experience in PM if that is the job going for. Plus my hubby was told by immigration that he could only get the points for his degree if it was in the area he was working in .i.e. IT. As it wasn't we had no choice but to come out without a job & hope for the best. It all worked out. Hubby had lots of phone interviews in the UK but none of them would commit until he came to NZ. At first he was going to just come out for a holiday & do the interviews but they didn't really like the idea of that as apparently the companies/agents have been let down a lot in the past by people deciding at the last minute not to come out after they've been through the application process. Hubby had many years in PM under his belt, with Prince2 practitioner (which they liked) & just to make sure he also joined the PM Institute to build networks if nothing else. Huge shortage in Wellington, so choose some good agents, stay up late & give them a call. If you want to know the names of good ones i.e. honest, then give me a shout but they'll all be in Wellington. You may have to have a look at Wellington for the work & then move to Christchurch when he's got some NZ experience under his belt. And I bet if you do you'll never want to leave. I always said I'd never move to Wellington but so glad we did. Don't trust all the recruitment consultants as some of them esp in Auckland told hubby in the UK they had lots of jobs for him to come out to but when he arrived they went very quiet & that was a tad unnerving.

Good luck with it all.

[dharder]

Prince2 is recognised here, but more companies follow the PMP methodology from my experience.

Yes, that's been my (granted very limited) experience so far, more PMP than Prince2, but I think if you have either, you'll be okay. As posted above, experience in project management is the key.

Good luck,

Daniela

[Evanses]

Thanks for advice. Willl look into details of what exactly we can claim points for. We were looking more at Wellington to start off with and do like the look of it a lot. A few posts about the very windy weather put us off a bit plus house prices being a bit more expensive than some other areas but would certainly still consider it so any useful contacts would be great thanks. As my OH does not have experience directly in PM we were wondering about something like a project co-ordinator post first. Like I say he does have six years management experience but not in PM - certainly need to get in touch with some agencies and see how they respond. Helen x