Words: Dan Strayer

The realities of a public sector freeze are coming, and both sides of the proposed spending cuts issue are rattling their sabres. From extravagant remuneration claims on the pro-cut side to a fear of union strikes amongst public sector workers on the anti-cut side, the time range and uncertainty of public sector growth could increase desires for a mass exodus to the suddenly (and seemingly) cosier prospects of the private sector.

Chancellor George Osborne’s pledge 29^th June to reduce public sector spending by 25% in the next five years (spearheaded by an expected cut of 600,000 jobs) is driving the uncertainty in public sector employment. Already within the public sector, organisations have started their redundancy programmes or at the very least imposed hiring freezes[1]. Freezes on all pay over £21,000 have both sides of this issue contemplating how much is enough and how much could be too much for effective project delivery. The great fear for public sector project managers? Projects under way or in planning prior to the Coalition Government’s arrival at No. 10 are now more likely to be abandoned, or still delivered but with decreased resources.

Are you looking to make the move from public to private sector? Do you know what you could be facing in the marketplace? Breaking things down as simply as possible, let’s compare and contrast employment in the public sector and the private sector to get the best possible view of the issues that will matter when making a change.

Crossing Sectors Means Eliminating Stereotypes

As the Telegraph reported in June, some private sector firms (especially those in finance) are not keen on hiring public sector staff due to a supposed “lack of a ‘cut and thrust’ attitude.” Other stereotypes of entitlement and poor accountability (“a culture of blame and buck-passing”, “they have it easier”) are creating an unfair stigma on public sector employees, according to CMI Chief Executive Ruth Spellman.

Although this is just one sector talking, it’s clear that you are going to need to transcend these stereotypes with your approach. Namely, you have got to highlight those skills that are not only transferrable but are also skills that the private sector will find hard to turn down. The ability to lead and manage teams and resources efficiently, on time and on budget will be expected of course but does nothing to help you stand out from your competition. of other project managers all chasing the same job. The second article in the newsletter focuses on this; read on for more details.

It can’t just be your CV where change in your approach is visible: your mentality must essentially privatise as well. Once you’ve pulled the CV into shape, what happens at the interview stage if you can’t speak on their wavelength? In an interview with a private sector employer, you’re suddenly in the presence of for-profit people, so how does that NHS project for your public sector stakeholders cut the mustard?. You will have to change your focus when describing  what you delivered; how your own performance cut through the bureaucracy and red tape; the benefits the project delivered to stakeholders; and focusing on specific figures (£££!) that drive home your commercial awareness and understanding

Adaptation: Developing New Skills

The Darwinian philosophy of “adapt, for only the strong survive” is one that has caught fire in the midst of the downturn. Those who can quickly develop new skills in the public sector as resources are downsized can assume new responsibilities within a shrinking project team.

It’s sound theory, but is it practical? To an extent it is. Those who’ve have always paid attention to their own ongoing skills development through continuous professional development - could really see that investment pay off now.

In a Guardian careers forum chat earlier this year, Owen Morgan, commercial director of HR consultancy Penna, encouraged candidates to be flexible for the sake of their own livelihoods.

“Teams are drawn together and disbanded at a faster rate than ever before as we look to match up our capabilities towards the objectives we have been set,” he said in the June forum. “There are fewer of us so we need to think laterally around how we might address challenging situations diffferently (sic).

“All organisations, whether in the public or private sector need a workforce that is willing to take accountability, to challenge the norm, to be creative and collaborative with regard to the problems we all face. If individuals can hold that thought in their mind then they'll be perceived as someone that an organisation is likely to want to keep hold of. For those that retreat into ‘that's not my job’ territory, watch out, it may not be your job soon!”

Adaptation: Specialists Have the Upper-Hand

The bottom line in the move from public to private is this: having a specialty = better prospects. In a recent Financial Times article, recruiters admitted that tailorable specialist skills and experience was highly valued in an increasingly competitive marketplace. By contrast, recruiters fear that general/middle management types without such specialism will struggle. And with a reduction in the public service head count overall, the inside knowledge a middle manager in the public sector can provide private firms is in smaller demand.

What can project managers derive from this? Simple: they have a specialist skill set already in their repertoire! It is needed in times when resources need stronger managing, when risk must be given due attention, when budgets need be met. The information listed above reveals to us that the project manager already has a significant step up on fellow public sector job hunters - they’ve earned it. Certainly it makes the private sector sell all the more important at the interview phase, but that’s still a leg up on the middle manager waiting for a phone call.

Whether or not you’re looking to switch from one sector to the other, project management job candidates owe it to themselves to realise that the addition of at least one more new skill may enhance your capabilities in an increasingly specialist-targeted market. This kind of market requires job candidates to offer a strong capability in specific areas: strengthen that speciality, and you subsequently strengthen your re-employability in an uncertain economy.

Words: Lindsay Scott

As spending cuts start to bite and future spending plans become clearer in some areas of the Public sector we have started to see an increase in the number of registrations from project management practitioners in this sector looking for new roles. Some are looking to move within sector whilst a significant number are looking to make the transition to the Private sector. So what specific challenges do these candidates face?

As we have previously discussed, the level of challenge and potential frustration increases exponentially for most job hunters when looking to make a sector switch (something that can be true when trying to move either way). Fairly or unfairly, candidates can find that their “product” has been stereotyped in the market place and their worth is undermined by others’ perceptions.

Let’s start by looking at some of the common perceptions found in the private sector when considering the suitability of public sector candidates:

• They are not used to making decisions
• They are not commercially aware
• They are not customer focused
• They are not dynamic
• They are risk averse
• There’s no real pressure and deadlines to their work
• Everything is run by committee

Not a pretty list and for many project management practitioners probably not even near the truth, however that is part of the frustration in the job hunting process: perception often goes before reality. So like any good marketer, it is imperative that the product manager (You) understands the perceptions held by decision makers (Recruiters, HR People & Hiring Managers) and devises a plan of action to overcome them!

The key to making your job searching tools private sector ready is all down to the way you choose to convey your skills and experiences, how you make them relevant to a new audience and most importantly how you make yourself stand out from the crowd.  

As a starting point you need to research and understand the market you wish to penetrate, the private sector is a big space and within it experienced practitioners can still struggle to change roles across disciplines. Think about:

• Who are typical employers in this sector?
• What skills do they typically look for?
• What experience is seen as a differentiator?
• What do I have to offer?
• Do I have a USP? (Unique Selling Point)

Next comes the hard part; you need to read through your current CV and analyse how it addresses the perceptions that may be held, how does it position you against your research? Are you putting yourself in a potentially winning position? Is it balanced when describing your skills and experiences along with your achievements, emphasising what you did rather than where you did it?

The key to changing the CV and making it more attractive to a different market is all down to relevancy. If you have previous experience of delivering public projects related to IT, capital works, business transformation etc the key to becoming more attractive to potential employers is to major on the ins and outs of the project delivery.

Take the following example, an atypical public sector focused project manager covering their current role:
 

Project Manager - Ministry of xxx

Her Majesty's xx Service (xxxx) is an Executive Agency of the Ministry of xxxx. I joined the organisation in July 2006 on the XXX Programme reporting to the Programme Manager who in turn reported to the Director of Resources as the programme sponsor. The aim of the programme was to modernise the way courts across England and Wales handle money. Approximately £xxxm a year is collected in fee income wholly through traditional payment methods (cash / cheque) via traditional channels (over the court counter or by post). A further £xxxm is collected in fines, fixed penalties and confiscations. In phase 1 of the programme, national contracts for a number of standard payment methods (and channels) were introduced and implemented across the criminal courts. The success of phase 1 is now being replicated in phase 2 through the development of a fee accounting solution and centralisation of fee processing from county courts to regional business centres.

My achievements in this role are outlined below.
  * Delivered year on year savings of £xxxK through rationalisation and standardisation of charges for local cash collection contracts across the business. This was achieved by transferring cost ineffective services to a national contract operated by our shared services supplier;
  * Achieved quick win savings of £xxxK per year through re-negotiation of local merchant acquirer contracts with 4 banks and implemented standard merchant charges whilst managing the procurement process for putting national contracts in place for these services;
  * Negotiated a standard charging mechanism for the supply of `drop boxes' in Magistrates Courts for accepting fine payments by cash and cheque in addition to terminating cost ineffective maintenance contracts in relation to these machines delivering a £xxxK year-on-year saving;
  * Managed the procurement work stream for awarding 3 national contracts for payment of fees, fines and fixed penalties, including stakeholder engagement to identify business requirements and managing the OJEU process for one national contract and the award of two contracts under OGC government framework agreements;
 

 The introduction to the role alone is too focused on the department; the structure of the reporting lines; the aims and background of the programme. It fails to actually position the project manger within the programme or identify what they were specifically responsible for!

In the achievements we can see outcomes (programme or personal?) but there is very little about the skills, capabilities and competencies used by the project manager to achieve these. We get hints at skills in procurement, cash management processes, negotiation of major contracts but again no real feel of how the candidate contributed as the project manager.

Overall on reading this section I am left with more questions than answers about this candidate and would find it hard to draw any conclusions about what they have to offer any new employer. The candidate is not helping me, the reader but expecting me to draw my own conclusions and paint myself a picture!

The CV of course is only the starting point, the first foot in the door of the job search. The perceptions held by private sector organisations will also come through with the choice of interview questions and you need to be ready to counter any concerns that may be explored. The preparation is the same for any role you go for, however do your homework on the organisation; try to find current employees to give you an insight into the culture; take the job description and make notes about your active role in decision making; financial control; commercial management etc.

Finally, think about how you can turn the negative perceptions into positives! Many practitioners with a background in the public sector have a breadth of experience that their private sector counterparts do not have which are very transferable in the right environment;

• Used to working in highly structured environments (red tape)
• Complex stakeholder management
• Formally trained, know the ropes inside and out of my role
• Possess niche or specialist skills, knowledge or experience which a future employer could leverage off
• Have had the opportunity to work on some high profile, big budget projects (or programmes and portfolios) which peers in the private sector can only look on with a little of the green eyed monster.

So in conclusion, the journey may be tough, some obstacles may be set high but candidates with the right approach have that opportunity to impress. Understanding the reality of your position, researching the needs of the market and then pitching yourself against this will give you the opportunity to overcome perceptions.

Author: Duncan Bury & Jane Buick
Publisher: Management Books 2000 Ltd.
Size: 200 pages

Reviewed by Stanislav Yanakiev, PMP

Project Managers who have been involved in organizational change initiatives may realize some of the deficiencies of the traditional approach to change in the fast pacing and evolving business environment of the 21^st century. Changes are difficult, slow, uncertain, and often regress to the initial state or remain only on paper.

Duncan Bury and Jane Buick are directors of the Edinburgh consulting firm Miascape that helps organizations get through change. Observing that "most change initiatives failed to deliver what was expected", five years ago they set out on a mission to find out why. 

Their book "Thinking Harder" is the result of the authors’ socio-anthropological observations and presents their bespoke approach to transformation. The central theme of the book is that transformation in an organization occurs not when you change behavior but when thinking transforms. The book reveals the limitations posed by mental models and the importance of individual context that dictates everyone’s reaction to transformation. Bury & Buick explain psychology of transformation process and its four phases: reaction to the change; reframing of strategies to deal with change; alignment to the new circumstances; and finally the embedding of the new models.

The book challenges several dogmas in the traditional business management theory. People do not resist change; they just react to it. Emotions that traditional management and leadership styles regard as a weakness are in fact very important and vital for the success of every endeavor. There is no such thing as "right" or "wrong" reaction. Inputs from "negative" people can be extremely valuable, as they are full of passion and their reactions are usually based on past experience. Language is elusive and words have different meanings to different people. It is simply not enough that management just "tell" people what to do.

‘Think harder’ is not an easy call. Most of us involved in transformation projects are probably convinced we think hard enough already. Is there a sense to put yet more efforts? The book answers this question by explaining what means to think at a deeper level as opposed to today’s culture of "quick-fire decision-making". Bury & Buick's approach to transformation does not promise to be easy: it takes effort to adopt and apply. But, on the other hand, doing the right things and doing them right is much more productive and frees up time: "the best leaders we know come across as having all the time in the world".

"Thinking Harder" is a book written with a sense of humor and in an easy to read style. It is based of real life stories and examples from the authors’ own experience. The book will be very useful for people leading transformation initiatives. It suggests new ways of doing things and is easy and fun to read.

ABOUT OUR REVIEWER: Stanislav (Stan) Yanakiev, PMP, has around 9 years of IT project management experience in software and business transformation projects. He is a member of PMI Bulgaria Chapter and founder of the software company Semanit.

DO YOU WANT TO REVIEW A BOOK FOR TIPOFFS? Contact us today.

"I currently work for a private sector organisation (in healthcare systems) and I’ve been approached to take a new job in the public sector; I’m unsure about the stability of the market and whether it is wise to consider moving into the public sector at the moment. What advice can you give?" - Amanda, London

Lindsay Scott of Arras People says: By the time the newsletter has gone to press we should know the outcome of the Spending Review and the full extent of the impact across the public sector, but it seems to me that you have a background in a service area which will be required for some years to come in the healthcare public sector.

I’ll make some assumptions that you are concern about the longevity of the new role (is any job a job for life anymore?), the pay (will it be affected by cutbacks?), and your professional currency (will it be difficult to get back into the private sector at a later date?). These are all areas that any job seeker should take into account regardless of the situation they are in. A good old fashioned answer to your question is to draw up a pros and cons list; only you can really start to understand the real concerns you have. Of course it would be great to have a crystal ball and see the future of the UK marketplace to see how this change could impact you, but without that a little decision theory work might help resolve these concerns. Taking the Rumsfeld quote;

There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns; there are things we do not know we don’t know.

With the potential job offer on the table for you, how many “known knowns” are there that can be thought about and how many “known unknowns” can you find answers for? Asking questions at this stage may help you to understand the positives this job move could offer you.

Good luck with the soul searching!

If you would like to put a question to Lindsay or any of our other project management consultants, contact us and it could end up in a future edition of the Tipoffs Q&A. Also, be sure to check out our Project Management Careers clinic / Project Management Careers Advice pages for more advice related to project management careers.

Got a question for us? Contact us today.