I warn you, the article you are about to read is a cry from my heart that has been “wounded” in the recent couple of incidents…
Episode 1 – Conversation with a recruiter
R: (enthusiastically) Hi, Jamal! You have recently applied for a Senior Business Analyst position
Me: (also enthusiastically) Yes, I did!
R: (somewhat less eagerly) But your resume says “Project Manager/Requirements Analyst…
Me: Yes!
R: But the client is looking for a Business Analyst, not a Requirements Analyst
Me: But you see, titles like Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, Business Systems Analyst and Requirements Analyst are all synonyms and are used interchangeably depending on the industry and even the company…
R: (sternly) Oh no, unfortunately we can’t send your resume to them. They were very specific in their desire to hire a Business Analyst!
Me: (quietly banging my ahead on the table) Oh God, please take me now!
Episode 2 – Conversation with a different recruiter
R: (thoughtfully) So, Jamal, you are a Senior Project Manager, right?
Me: Yep!
R: (inquisitively) But do you have any experience with end-to-end implementations?
Me: Well, by definition, EVERY project is an end-to-end implementation… You have your Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Control and Close-out phases. So, every project that has been completed by default went through end-to-end implementation!
R: (confused) How come your resume doesn’t mention “end-to-end implementations"?
Me: (sighing heavily) Because it uses traditional project management lingo! We use words like “Planning” and “Execution”
R: (sternly) Oh no, unfortunately we can’t send your resume to them. They were very specific in their desire to hire a Project Manager with “end-to-end implementation” experience!
Me: (quietly banging my ahead on the table) Oh God, please take me now!
Do you, guys, have the same experiences or is it just me?
About the Author
Jamal Moustafaev, MBA, PMP – president and founder of Thinktank Consulting is an internationally acclaimed expert and speaker in the areas of project/portfolio management, scope definition, process improvement and corporate training. Jamal Moustafaev has done work for private-sector companies and government organizations in Canada, US, Asia, Europe and Middle East. Read Jamal’s Blog @ www.thinktankconsulting.ca
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Jamal is an author of three very popular books:
- Delivering Exceptional Project Results: A Practical Guide to Project Selection, Scoping, Estimation and Management
- Project Scope Management: A Practical Guide to Requirements for Engineering, Product, Construction, IT and Enterprise Projects
- Project Portfolio Management in Theory and Practice: Thirty Case Studies from around the World