How do I become a manager if I have never had a "Manager" title before? (employees, applying)

[complady]

I have 15 years of experience in my profession (which falls under HR) and want to become a manager and eventually a director. I am looking for a new job but also trying to get promoted at work. It is really hard because my current title is "analyst" and in my career my titles have been either "consultant" or "analyst" (not even a senior analyst!) Recruiters repeatedly call me about analyst level or sr. analyst level jobs. Anytime I apply to anything higher level than that I get no response. It is really frustrating because I have the skills and knowledge...just have never managed people. I have managed projects and processes and this is highlighted in my resume as well. I think recruiters just look at current title and not the actual work being performed!

Does anyone have any advice? I feel like the only way for me to achieve this goal is to get promoted to a Manager in my current job, otherwise I will never be considered for Manager roles. Budgets are SO tight at work and there are major shake-ups going on so I don't think a promotion is feasible. Plus they recently implemented a new pay structure and I know that getting promoted (if it happens at all) will not mean a better title.

[tx09]

start your own company, hire people, and manage them?

[charlygal]

Make sure your resume highlights your experience managing people in whatever capacity you have in the past. Do some volunteer work where you have to lead people.

[timberline742]

A management degree may help, it helped me.

Taking on projects where you are leading a small team is always a good start (I started with event planning).

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by timberline742

A management degree may help, it helped me.

Taking on projects where you are leading a small team is always a good start (I started with event planning).

Even a good class in supervision would help, if added to your resume. Most managers come from a supervisory role, where they learn a lot about handling people, such as training, performance evaluation, discrimination and harassment law, ADA and FMLA law, scheduling and making assignments, group dynamics and more. Coming from an HR job you are probably exposed to much of this but having a formal class to verify your knowledge can make the difference. For the managerial positions you are applying for, there are probably many other applicants with experience, you have to tey and even the odds.

[MTSilvertip]

One thing you could do is volunteer for some civic project or club project. Management is usually very little about HR, but everything about knowing how to read people.

If you try to get a bunch of volunteers to do anything in a cohesive manner, or even work together for a short period, you will learn management.

The best analogies I have are either running a day care or trying to herd cats. You will never believe the pettiness and vindictiveness of people until you are in a management position and folks start trying to game you to hurt someone else.

The laws are the laws, but they don't have much bearing on actually working with people who hate your guts because you are in the job they wanted.

I have been in management for probably 20 years now, cumulatively. Not something I wanted, I despise most of the HR issues that clutter up my day and destroy productivity, but the trick is learning to get folks to work together without killing each other, and to avoid the pitfalls of saying something that would get you sued.

There is very little that is satisfying about management, the money isn't that much better, the stress levels can be unbearable, you can't talk to anyone because you can't show favoritism or let something slip that will be misinterpreted and get back to one of the others so you have a whole new HR issue.

I do it because I have been asked to, and I am good at it, not because I like it.

I must do it pretty good because it was just mentioned to me I am in line for my boss's position. I was nominated for the position by the head of the business, so the promotion will probably go through.

I will do the job, but in your position, I would simply enjoy where I am at.

I understand wanting more money, maybe authority, perhaps position or a big title, but really, if you want to jump off the deep end of the pool, first learn to handle people where it doesn't effect your paycheck. Everyone needs to learn the skills, and volunteer organizations are always looking for people to take on projects.

Do that for a while, (I ended up as Captain of a Volunteer Fire Department for a while), and it will either teach you the skills you need, or cure your obsession.

If it is something you want, noting that you have that experience will only help you in your quest.

Good Luck, Oh yeah, and grow a very thick skin.

[Cerebrator]

I am in a management position. I just happened to fall into a management position four years ago because the two interviewers had faith in me.

So here's my advice. Send out resumes, interview, and pray that there will be some good people out there in this now bastardized, crass, callous, and heartless world who will take a chance on you as they did with me!

There is no clear cut way to get ahead these days with all the heartless and cold bastards out there now.

[flynavyj]

I've been in a first line supervisor position for about 1 year with my company. A tip one of my mentors mentioned was that I should have at least two different resumes, one for technical positions and one for management positions. This particular mentor has about 30 years with the company, and has risen through the ranks from analyst, lead, supervisor, 2nd level supervisor, and now manager.

What I've noticed switching from an analytical position to a supervisory position is that my responsibilities are at a cross-roads. I have to ensure that the team's work is able to be accomplished, and need to understand (at least to a working knowledge) the business process, but also have to ensure the employees have the tools necessary to successfully complete their job. You also find that you're a filter between the employees you represent, and your management team.

I was lucky in that my previous job field (aviation) nearly guaranteed you some 1st level supervisory/mentoring experience when you pinned on your Captain wings. This resulted in my being able to write some leadership/management experience into my resume. The other piece was identifying times I'd taken on additional responsibilities that would include leading a team.

I'd imagine that as a project lead, you'll be able to highlight some key projects where you had the lead a team towards the completion of goals. Once you've added enough of those projects together, you'll have a resume with some management "mustard" attached.

[complady]

Wow great advice from some experienced managers! Thank you!

I hadn't thought about volunteering - that may work. And true, why not try it out in a place separate from work that won't affect my current paycheck. That makes a lot of sense to me.

I am sure managing people takes a very different skill set and one that I likely need to develop. Working in HR I have seen how other Directors and our VP have handled HR issues. Dealing with people crying in their office, lying to them, complaining about coworkers, etc. It doesn't sound pleasant at all. The only reason I want to 'climb the corporate ladder' is for higher pay and advancement. When I was younger I NEVER wanted to manage people, for the reasons mentioned in this thread, I just wanted to go in, do my work, and go home. Now I have a very different attitude and am more ambitious. In my current role I am priced out of my pay range and frozen in pay. The bonus I was offered when I was hired was also taken away because they are tightening up the program to only include those in management. It is very frustrating! I never cared in my life about something so silly as a title but now I see the adverse impact is has had on my career and now it is all I want.

Good idea about having a manager resume and a technical one. I recently added a summary to my resume at the top that identifies me as an "HR project manager" but maybe I need to go back and edit each job to show where I managed projects.

For now, I am just trying to network like crazy and hopefully someone will take a chance on me if things don't work out where I am.

[Suncc49]

Well to manage you have to really know on the ground operations and I have usually found that HR is very bad at this.