Junior IT Project Manager Searching for job

How to Gain Experience as an IT Project Manager When No One Wants to Hire You?

Imagine that the doors to your dream career as an IT Project Manager are locked tight. You’re standing there clutching a stack of certificates, a diploma under your arm, and… you keep bouncing off every recruitment process like a football player who’s been training for years, but whose coach always says, “You first need to play a few matches with the starting eleven!” Sounds familiar?

If you’re looking for real answers to questions like: “Where can I get practical experience?”, “How do I break the vicious cycle of failed interviews?” or “Do all those student projects not count?” – you’re in the right place. I’ll not only help you find the window that can open the world of IT Project Management, but also show you how to open it wide and cross the threshold with confidence.

When the Doors Are Closed, It’s Time to Climb in Through the Window

You may want to start working as an IT Project Manager, but lack the required experience. Certificates or schools alone don’t seem to be enough? Do projects completed at school or university not count as meaningful experience?

IT Project Manager looks through the window

All these questions often haunt IT Project Manager candidates after every recruitment process. Perhaps you’ve already thought the Junior position should be fit for someone who has mostly theoretical rather than practical experience. However, even if that doesn’t solve the problem, recruiters still ask about non-academic projects at the interview. I am familiar with this challenge; not long ago, I faced it myself and solved it by adopting a project-based approach. How did I do it? You’ll find out in the following parts of this article.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Want to Hire a Beginner IT Project Manager?

The job market paradox is somewhat akin to a young footballer who hears from the coach: “I’d love to let you play, but you first need to play a few matches in the starting lineup.” Employers expect candidates to have already documented experience managing IT projects preferably diverse ones, completed both successfully and unsuccessfully (with lessons learned from failures). At the same time, those without experience have nowhere to gain it because no one wants to trust them with their first project.

IT Junior Project Manager driving car

There are several reasons for this. First, the IT Project Manager role today is crucial and challenging. It’s not just about being an organizer but also a leader and change agent. An IT Project Manager must handle pressure, constant technological changes, and stakeholder expectations. That’s why companies seek people who have already proven they can manage risk, resolve conflicts, and motivate teams. Few firms can afford to risk hiring a project manager with little experience right at the start.

On the other hand, there are many myths around. IT some believe it’s enough to know a few project management tools or how to build a schedule to start managing. In 2025, it’s just not that simple. As mentioned before, employers now expect much more: the ability to manage teams, deal with dynamic environments, learn quickly, and other skills that are not readily apparent at the beginning of a project.

On top of all this is the psychological “first match syndrome”, managers and teams are afraid of the risk of giving responsibility to someone without experience. They prefer someone who’s played at this level before, even if they weren’t a star. It’s a natural defense against uncertainty and potential losses, especially in an industry where mistakes can be costly and have significant consequences.

How to Gain Experience Without Formal Employment

Once you come to terms with the idea that getting a job as an IT Project Manager without proven project experience will be difficult, you can launch your own “Become an IT Project Manager” project.

IT Project manager searching for experience

Where to start? As with any good project, you should begin by asking a fundamental question: what value will the project deliver at the end, and how will you know it’s been successful? The answer to the second question is simple: you’ll get hired as an IT Project Manager. For the first—what value the project will bring—you need to answer that yourself, as the goal of this project is you, in the role of your ideal IT Project Manager.

In other words, you need to imagine what kind of IT Project Manager you want to become and then define the steps to reach that goal. Each step becomes a milestone in your project. Remember, at the start, you only need to determine what you want to achieve in the first milestone and your final vision. No need to plan every detail—that’s not practical and doesn’t fit with agile methodologies.

Let’s start with the MVP version—Junior IT Project Manager. What qualities and skills should such a person have? That’s where you need to identify your project’s first stakeholder: the potential employer. You can choose one specific company if you have a dream employer, or think broadly about general expectations.

In both cases, the first step is reviewing job requirements for Junior IT Project Manager roles published by potential employers. If you’re focused on a single employer, review only their posting. If you want to go broad, analyze several (or even dozens) of job ads and look for recurring themes. Fortunately, in 2025, we have AI to do this for us. That’s what I did, and here’s what I found:

Most frequently required competencies:

  • University degree (most often in computer science, management, economics, or related fields);
  • Experience in project management: a year or two, with internships or placements accepted;
  • Knowledge of basic project management tools and methodologies (PMI, PRINCE2, Agile, Jira, MS Project);
  • Organizational and time-management skills: planning, scheduling, prioritizing tasks;
  • Communication skills: both written and verbal, including the ability to relay technical information to non-technical recipients;
  • Ability to work in a team and collaborate with various stakeholders (including IT, business, and clients);
  • Basic technical knowledge: understanding IT processes, technologies, or the industry the company operates in;
  • Problem-solving and creative thinking ability;
  • Risk analysis and risk management skills;
  • Independence and initiative: willingness to take responsibility for tasks;
  • MS Office proficiency and familiarity with project management tools.

    As you can see, to reach the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), you’ll need to fulfill these eleven requirements. Some are pretty clear, such as education or certificates. Others include personality traits such as problem-solving ability, creative thinking, and teamwork skills. There’s also a part relating to actual project management experience.

    Here are some ideas for gaining project management experience—the list isn’t exhaustive and is meant to inspire you and point out ways to start your career:

    • Volunteering in IT projects (e.g., open source, NGOs);
    • Internships and placements (easiest to find during or right after your studies);
    • Your initiatives or local projects;
    • Participation in hackathons and industry competitions;
    • Cooperation with freelancers and startups.

    How did I gain the competencies and experience that allowed me to change careers?

    I started with postgraduate studies, during which I completed a course in project management using the PRINCE2 methodology. Now I’d go for Agile, but back when I started, PRINCE2 was the most popular PM framework.

    Then came project work at my job. I started with small projects that nobody else wanted or could deliver. I then worked as a Project Manager in startups, all while working full-time elsewhere. The startup work was on top, often unpaid, because I cared most about gaining experience. When I’d wrapped up a few projects, I started looking for a full-time Project Manager position and I landed one.

    How long did it take to land my first full-time Project Manager role?

    Seven years, counting from finishing my postgraduate studies. The long period was mainly because I couldn’t leave my job altogether, for example, to take on a full-time voluntary project or an unpaid gig. So, if you’re in a similar situation, patience is needed. But if you can afford to work on projects without a salary, you’ll gather the required experience much more quickly.

    How to Document and Present the Experience You Gain

    If your CV looks more like an empty football field than a trophy cabinet, don’t worry. Everybody starts somewhere. The key to success at the beginning of an IT Project Manager’s career is skillfully documenting and presenting even your smallest project achievements. Start by building your portfolio: describe the projects you participated in whether they were student initiatives, volunteering, hackathons, your apps, or support in startups. Focus on specifics: what were your tasks, which tools and methodologies did you use, how did you cooperate with the team, and importantly what results did you achieve?

    IT Project Manager Document and Present his Experience

    Please go through the list of most sought-after skills by employers (mentioned above) and jot down how you used tools in particular projects, how you organized your and your team’s work, what risks were present and how you managed them, and how you handled project changes. Please note that information shared during interviews cannot be considered confidential.

    Don’t be afraid to highlight your successes! If you managed to organize a team, resolve a conflict, accelerate deployment, or save the project from disaster, say it clearly and specifically. Conversely, if you faced any problems that couldn’t be solved, use them to your advantage at interviews. Every experienced IT Project Manager has both failures and successes. You can’t avoid the former, they’re part of the job. The most important thing is being able to say what you learned from those failures.

    If you’d like, you can use LinkedIn as your virtual trophy display. Many recruiters verify whether candidates have a profile and what information they share, so ensure yours is up to date, including project descriptions, references, and links to your portfolio. If you have open source projects or your tools, showcase them on GitHub—even if you’re not a developer, you can post project documentation, implementation plans, or instructions. Your website or Blog, in turn, is an excellent place for longer descriptions, case studies, and teamwork reflections.

    Can You Develop Soft and Technical IT Project Manager Skills?

    As I mentioned earlier, both soft and technical skills are core elements of an IT project manager’s skill set. This leads to two crucial questions:

    1. Can soft skills be learned?
    2. Does an IT Project Manager need technical knowledge?

    The answer to the first is simple: yes. We’re all born with natural soft skills, such as empathy, teamwork, negotiation, and conflict management. We learn these further simply by living and working with others, often unconsciously. When you realize that you can develop these skills, all that’s left is to start exercising them, just like anything else you want to learn. Some things will come easily, others will require more focus and commitment. But regardless of how long it takes, these skills can, and should be developed. Books, courses, and online resources can help. These days, finding materials isn’t a big challenge.

    The second answer isn’t as straightforward because it depends on the specific project. Generally, a basic level of knowledge about software development or the product life cycle is necessary, so you know what your project team is doing and when. You don’t have to be a coding master or know every software engineering practice. What matters most is that you understand what the team is working on and the value they’ll deliver within a specific timeframe.

    Networking: The Champions League of Connections

    An IT Project Manager is not only a specialist for complex tasks but also someone with an extensive contact list. At first, you may lack those connections. That’s why one goal of your “Become an IT Project Manager” project should be to expand your network. How? There are many ways. The most straightforward approach is to search for people in the IT field on social media. Another great option is attending events networking sessions are often organized, or you can use breaks to connect informally. Group training is also a great place to meet new people.

    IT Project Managers Networing

    If you’re wondering why you need a long contact list, here’s the answer: as an IT Project Manager, you often can’t perform specific tasks on your own, but if you know who to ask, you’re already halfway there. That’s the essence of your future job.

    Don’t Wait for a Call, Train Every Day!

    Starting a career as an IT Project Manager isn’t easy, but the great thing is, the very process of looking for a job can be your first project. This is crucial before you even start working, you’ll know whether this job is for you. There are a few professions you can “test-drive” before you take your first real position. I’m rooting for you and wish you exciting projects and success.

    Bonus: Useful Resources and Tools for Aspiring IT Project Managers

    If you’re looking for sources to learn about working as an IT Project Manager, here are some suggestions. Reviewing them isn’t mandatory, but it will help you better understand the role.

    Books Worth Reading:

    Online Courses for Beginners:

    Podcasts for Inspiration and Learning:

    Blogs and Sites Worth Following:

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