Eight (8) Interpersonal Skills Project Managers Should Have

• Leadership - ability to get things done through others.

• Team Building - helping a group of individuals to work interdependently with each other.

• Motivation - creating an environment that meets project objectives while offering maximum satisfaction to What every group member value most.

• Communication - identify various communication channels, what information should be provided to whom, when and how frequent.

• Influencing - a strategy of sharing power and getting others to cooperate towards common goals

• Decision Making - using the four basic decision styles (Command, Consultation, Consensus, Coin Flip) and considering the four major factors affecting any decision style (time constraints, trust, quality, acceptance), decisions are made either by the PM himself or by involving key project team members subject to some agreed upon decision making process.

• Political and Cultural Awareness - creating an environment of mutual trust and win-win atmosphere that would transcend geography, ethnic heritage, and disparate languages.

• Negotiation - a strategy of conferring with parties of shared or opposed interests with a view to compromise or reach an agreement.

How to make graphs in Excel 2007

Here's two videos that teaches how to make graphs in MS Excel 2007

• http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1004598/learn_to_make_graphs_in_excel_2007/

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B8kFVNzlQ8

(Interview) Questions for Project Managers

I chose the Teaching Associate program way back in 1998 for several reasons: (1) It's not a work in Manila (2) My father expects me to teach (3) I don't want to get corporate interviews!

Looking back 11 years and 7 employers, I admit interview session is where the real challenge lies. It's the best place to showcase yourself. Probably the reason why my wife and I have spent time sharing our job hunting experiences with graduating students of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics is because one needs to be prepared for an interview (with a little genius help is far better).

When I saw this post: http://pmstudent.com/project-manager-interview-questions/ I am deeply moved to write and share it with you. May we all find ourselves worthy of the answers we make on the below questions:

• Tell us about your experience in managing different projects and how this can contribute to our position.
• How do you handle non-productive team members?
• How do you motivate team members who are burned out, or bored?
• What have you learned from your failures?
• Give me an example of a win-win situation you have negotiated.
• Tell me about a tough decision you had to make.
• Describe how you recently managed a diverse project team towards a common goal.
• Describe the most complex project you have managed from start to finish.
• How do you handle team members who come to you with their personal problems?
• Give me an example of a stressful situation you have been in. How did you handle it?
• What are your career goals? How do you see this job affecting your goals?
• Why are you interested in this position?
• What do you believe qualifies you for this position?