Devex jobs: Career advice from a project management consultant

As a professional development consultant for project management, Carmen Demeter helps organizations and teams strengthen their management capabilities to implement projects more effectively. In her work, she focuses on talent development and building capacity within individuals to help people become adaptive managers. “I know that, indirectly, if I focus my work on talent development and performance, then I can see the impact. Investments in people matter; they do the demanding work to achieve that lasting impact,” Demeter said. Her career began as project coordinator for a training program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development in her native Romania. After more than two decades as a full-time employee in global development, Demeter is now an independent consultant. She solidified this transition amid the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she took an additional certification course in project management and gained more skills in information technology. Speaking to Devex, Demeter said that consulting does not come easily or without effort. She added that while self-employment is not suitable for everyone, she has been able to strike a healthy work-life balance for the first time. To get there, she credited the network and relationships she has built throughout her career. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How did you end up working in project management? In 1995, I was a young college graduate in Bucharest, Romania, at the time that we had just discovered Yahoo and the World Wide Web. I was not aware of the international development sector or how foreign assistance funding worked in Romania. But through networking, I was able to get a job as project coordinator for a USAID-funded training program in Romania. It was through this first position that I built my global professional connections, found excellent mentors, and kept my curiosity open about international development in Romania and abroad. But it wasn’t until 2012 — when I was in the United States and I took a formal certification course in project management for development — that I fully understood what my profession, role, and goal should be in international development. What does your day-to-day look like? After more than two decades as a full-time employee, I am now, for the first time, able to balance my work-life and experience. As such, I am more strategic and efficient with how I use my time and what type of work I choose to take on. While not as financially rewarding or secure, I am able to allocate the time I never had for learning, networking, self-development, and volunteering. LinkedIn has become my primary tool to connect, learn, and communicate with professionals globally. Consultancy does not come easy or effortless, and you need family support to pursue it. Self-employment is not suitable for everyone, and, in my case, I did not plan for it. However, I embraced the unexpected change and, in so doing, built my confidence and energy to take on new and even greater challenges. Today, my day-to-day is one where I have the time to do it right, think and reflect on my actions, and focus on quality, relationships, and results. How has your work changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? When I first heard about the virus in January 2020, while in the U.S., I was engaging in various international development activities. My husband and I were on standby for moving to Kampala, Uganda, for his new job with USAID. But then pandemic restrictions were in place globally, and our move to Uganda got delayed for a year. As such, I focused on restoring my professional network by taking time to reconnect with former colleagues and friends. I also made new professional relationships by participating — mostly virtually — in several conferences and learning events. I also focused on framing my strategy, while better understanding what clients need from consultants. What skill sets have you found to be most valuable, or what skills have you focused on building to progress in your career? Consistent curiosity and a safe learning environment are the best way to enhance any skill, whether it is building relationships, communications, or writing skills — all of which are essential to lay the foundation for building our leadership skills. And for project managers, I would add a few additional management and negotiation skills. These include areas of finance, resource, planning, program/portfolio oversight. If you balance these areas right, it will allow you to be a great manager — or as our community refers to it, an “adaptive” manager. Learn how to say “not now, but later” to work requests, and learn how to prioritize demands and address urgencies. But most importantly, respect and help people with the understanding that nobody knows the answers to everything. What kind of person is well suited to do this job? Those who have gained an understanding, or at least an appreciation, for what good project management is and what it takes to earn the respect of your colleagues as a leader and manager. This job is suited to people who like to be more of a generalist rather than a specialist, people who have basic management and leadership skills and who can help motivate teams towards a common vision, coaching, and an ability to “connect the dots” of the business within the larger industry. If you stay curious, motivated, and confident, you will find innovative ways to course-correct when needed. Remember, as a project manager, you are in the driver’s seat. What advice would you have for other professionals looking to work in this type of role? If you want to pursue a career in project management within international development, and if you haven’t already taken a certification course in project management, look for one to learn the foundations. Learning on the job is great, but you will get more out of each experience if you can fit it within the “big picture.” Unlike the world I started in, today there are many tools and platforms out there that offer free advice and courses. There are also many more opportunities to get international work experience that may start with volunteering or an internship. I also recommend to students to not jump directly into an advanced degree without first working for a few years to better understand what their strengths and interests are as a professional. I have heard this many times: “I did this master’s degree, but it is not what I actually want to do next.”