Aside from the lucrative salary, a Technical Project Manager role is not only for those who are technically advanced but those with excellent people and communication skills.

Technical Project Managers are the backbone of every successful company. Typically, days are busy, tedious, but never dull.

If you are considering shifting careers or are on your way to becoming a technical PM, know these eleven traits successful, technical project managers have.

1. Strong Leadership Skills

You joined the team to step up and take responsibility. You are there to lead; therefore, everyone working on a project will adapt to how capable you are at leading them down the right path. If you lack in this area, the team will be a collection of individuals.

2. Be the Subject Matter Expert

You can quickly get up to speed on a variety of technical subjects. You might be assigned a project that you never had exposure to. Do your homework. You don’t need to be an expert, but you can quickly study on most technology to know where the project is leaning.

3. See the Big Picture

Step back a little on a project and see it as a big old puzzle. By looking at the project with that perspective, you will better determine what works and what needs to improve to have success.

4. Be the Project Priority Evaluator

Before any project starts, you have no idea about the outcome or the problems you will encounter. You should have the ability to set, stick, and re-evaluate project priorities. As a Technical Project Manager, you should be the one to set the requirements and figure the steps to be successful. Always be open and honest about what is working and what is not.

5. Excellent Listening Skills

As a Technical Project Manager, you should be able to listen as much as you speak. You must listen to other’s feedback to know what the business wants and what the team needs.

6. Great Communicator

You cannot work in technical project management without communication skills. You will be working with team members stationed locally and other working globally. You should be able to communicate clearly and concisely. Strong written communication skills are essential; as they say, if it isn’t written down, it doesn’t exist. Communicate what has been discussed and maintain consensus to minimize confusion.

7. Detailed Oriented

Cathing those minor details is very important to becoming a successful Project Manager. Please focus on the most critical aspects of your project as it will make or break success.

8. Organized

Technical Project Managers must be process-oriented. Utilize tools and techniques to organize critical information that can affect the delivery of a project.

9. Persuasive

You can build a consensus and dive an outcome while productively managing stakeholders. You are selling the project even when it’s completed successfully. You are the one to keep the fire burning within your team.

10. Proficient Connection Builder

As a Technical Project Manager, you must be skilled in building and maintaining informal networks. It would help if you were an influencer by getting feedback from groups, the team, or other stakeholders outside your network. You may never know all the ways people can help the project’s success.

11. Positive and Motivated

You will be responsible for ensuring that everyone is motivated. Always note that a toxic PM will make a project toxic. Ensure that the team is excited and empowered but still professional to know how to handle difficult situations.

Ever wonder how easy it can be to ace your Project Management Interview? In this article, you will learn six tips to not make it more difficult, and how to apply them to your Project Management interview.

1. Show your authentic and welcoming smile.

Your interviewer can determine whether or not you are wearing a fake or neutral smile. Being cheerful and authentic will lead to a more favorable job than those who showed a fake one. It helps if you show how serious you are in getting the job, but smile while remembering some of your experiences during your career will get a favorable response from your interviewer, leading you to be shortlisted.

2. Don’t oversell yourself.

They say that during an interview, you have to sell yourself. It is true, but overselling yourself is a major turn off and a red flag for the interviewer. Always present facts and figures, don’t paint a picture of someone you are not, and only provide information that your interviewer asks of you.

3. Showcase your skillsets.

A little background research about the company you’re applying with can help. If you can connect it to the skillsets you have developed as a Project Manager, you will wow your interviewer. Highlight more than success stories by discussing failures and how you picked yourself up and learned from them.

4. Evidence is better than generic answers.

Your hiring manager is somewhat skillful in terms of looking for a perfect candidate that has skills. Therefore, they are more interested in how you work rather than what you know. Present facts and figures that back up how you resolve specific issues instead.

5. Badmouthing your company is a No-No.

Whether the whole company or your previous boss, badmouthing must never occur, especially if the question is, “Why did you leave the company?” It is known to many that people leave managers. The hiring manager might be your future manager – she won’t want to be badmouthed in the future. Being honest is one thing, but you can manufacture a reason why leaving a job is worthwhile. A greener pasture, perhaps?

6. Highlight your different practices

The company you’re applying with may have a proprietary methodology they may need to train you on. You can mention if you have used Scrum, Waterfall, Six Sigma, Design Thinking, etc. to show your breadth in delivery techniques. It is best to know that you have applied what you have learned or earned credentials. This approach might give you a significant edge compared to other applicants. Show off your confidence level, and surely, you will ace your project management interview and you’ll be hired as a new Project Manager.

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