I have roughly 9 years of IT experience. I’m applying for a director position (with probably 3-4 managers reporting to me, each with 4-8 people reporting to them). This would definitely be a big step up in responsibility for me, but I feel I’m ready for the challenge.
I’ve been largely a technical lead in the past. I’ve handled interviews and budgeting, but I’m concerned that since I have’t been "strictly a manager" for 5+ years, that I won’t be considered.
According to the job requirements, they want a "big picture thinker", and all the other traits fit me perfect. However, I know I’m skinny on the pure management piece, which is supposedly 20% of the job.
I don’t want to exaggerate my resume, but I want to make sure I phrase information about my team and project leadership in a way that makes me seem as experienced in management as possible.
Any tips?
Not to bust your bubble, but I probably wouldn’t hire someone for a director role of this scope who hadn’t had a significant amount of management experience. However, my job is to assist you, not evaluate you, so here are some ideas.
-Mention your involvement in any type of team projects – if you were a leader on the project, that is essentially a "management" function.
-Do you interface with team members in remote locations? There is a certain amount of management involved in matrix-managing remote resources
-Of course mention any sort of previous management experience you have, putting it toward the front of your resume points.
-Any leadership/management classes or school coursework that you could list? Seminars you’ve attended? Anything will help here…
Good luck.