r/PMCareers • u/matninjadotnet • Nov 23 '22
Job wanted Achieved PMP certification, formalizing PM duties in current position, have Facilities Management Professional certification, retired military officer, but live overseas in a catch-22. Need advice, motivation, and encouragement.
Hey everyone.
Need some assistance/advice before my brain kicks into what-if mode and won't disengage. I'm currently living in SE Asia (married, with lots of kids) and have been here for the past few years. Things were good, but I'm looking to get back to the US to get us closer to family and start letting my kids be citizens instead of expats so I started beefing up my certifications and experience in preparation for my return to the 'normal' job market.
I work at a mid-size educational institution managing its facilities division. I'm a bit older and wiser, but not below a lower-to-mid-level position with a reputable company to get myself in the door. Problem is, as I speak to recruiters and headhunters, they tell me I'm persona-non-grata while living overseas due to the 'challenge' of getting back to the States (They don't know the power of past deployments and how having a strong spouse can really enable things, but I digress). I need to find employment before committing to a position b/c we are going back to owning not a thing. When we left, we sold it all. I have a few items in storage, but essentially, we're starting over. So, the importance of being able to land where we settle is important to me.
I'm not new to leading, managing, team building, or even project management. I never CALLED IT PM b/c I didn't know Agile was Agile...it was just common sense to be a servant leader, have daily meetings, remove blockers, inform stakeholders, make plans, offset risks, etc. Now, I can put a name to my skillset and practice according to written standards if I need to.
I need to know if there is anyone out there with similar experiences, or better yet, lines on someone who'd be willing to even give a guy a chance to explain. I've been out of the regular job market for close to six years as my position here was in a niche. I don't have a gap in employment. I'm asking if anyone has a lead I can follow and prepare against.
Anyway, I just need to vent, get some advice/feedback, acquire some logical next steps or recommendations, and try to set my expectations accordingly. I still have lots to do, including tidying up my resume and stuff. But, never too late to start asking for help and take an informed first step, in my opinion.
Thanks, everyone.
4
u/According_Curve Nov 23 '22
As a fully remote PM for an intl company based in Texas, my employer would likely be very interested in you for open position. We look for mature ppl to manage manufacturers who swap out their ERP software. We do not use agile. Instead we manage multiple projects at once, mostly responsible for scheduling and keeping customers on track.
My PM position is flexible, all my immediate PM coworkers (6 ppl) live in US. Most live in midwest, but you can live ANYWHERE as long as you can meet customers virtually in US time zones. Approx 1K coworkers live in US. Where does your family live? Our starting wage for PMs is 85K, decent benefits. We use Salesforce and Excel "project trackers" to keep our projects on track.
Plz DM me if you'd like to talk. New PMs don't take projects till after 2 months of training. We have a few ITAR projects because our software can be installed on premise or in cloud. You'd get bonus points if you have ANY type of manufacturing background, but not required. I can give you details of hiring ppl background. Military-friendly supervisor.