Looking Beyond Getting a PMP Certification
Obtaining PMP Certification demands dedication. From attending PMP training courses to passing the PMP tests a lot goes into becoming a PMP certified professional. However, looking beyond getting a PMP certification can also contribute towards your professional attributes as a project manager. Such as:
1. Developing Emotional Intelligence
An important trait of a project manager is emotional intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to communicate one's emotions in a pleasant manner, thereby handling interpersonal relationships tactfully. Without emotional intelligence, a person could act impulsively or overreact to situations. Such knee-jerk reactions could be detrimental to one's career and burn-bridges with colleagues and acquaintances. In order to avoid these situations, it is important that an aspiring project manager consciously practices the craft of emotional intelligence throughout his or her professional journey.
2. Honing Your Soft Skills
While going through your PMP Certification training, you can also invest time in improving your soft skills. Honing soft skills can help you conduct yourself well at formal occasions. For instance:
Conversational etiquette - avoid certain topics at formal gatherings. This includes personal problems, politics, religion, and other touchy issues that could harm beliefs and sentiments of those present at formal gatherings.
Sense of humor - have a healthy sense of humor. This goes a long way in establishing good professional relations. While you may be fun to be with, it is important to time your humor appropriately to make a good impression on your colleagues. When attempting humor, ensure that you adhere to cultural, religious, and political sensitivities and keep your humor lighthearted and in good taste to make a positive impression on your colleagues.
You can observe people in formal and social settings however, perfecting soft skills comes only with constant practice.
3. Being Well Informed
While a PMP training equips you with knowledge about core project management, it is important to be well-informed about all that's happening in the world around you. To stay abreast with latest news, you can adopt the following strategies:
- Talking to people from various cultures.
- Reading on local, national, and international issues.
- Subscribing to management-related magazines to keep pace with latest trends in your industry.
- Making use of social media to engage in healthy debates on key issues to gain more perspective.
- Having a constant thirst to know more.
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