Project Manager
(Male, Age 28) from Silver Spring, MD
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 28 who works as a Project Manager in Silver Spring, MD. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Project Manager |
|---|---|
| Salary | $65,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Silver Spring, MD |
| Years Experience | 4 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
The Food and Drug Administraion, 9000 employees
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Set up Panel Meetings for Cardiovascular devices, maintain the Division budget for travel and training, act as a liason between the government and industry.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Healthcare, dental
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I love working with others on projects
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Office, I like having my own office
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 4
Hours: 8
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 1
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 5
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Drive to work. |
| 8am to 9am | Check and respond to e-mails (this is a ongoing process through out the day). Check phone messages, return calls. |
| 9am to 10am | Meet with Division Director to discuss future and planned panel meetings. These meetings include gathering outside clinical/statistical expertise to review data about a certain application for a cardiovascular device that is being reviewed by our division. |
| 10am to 11am | Meet with Deputy Director concerning budget issues for the division, go back to my office to make updates. |
| 11am to 12pm | Panel related activities. Send updates concerning panels and budget to all neccessary employess/managers. Make any phone calls to Special Government employees. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch, check e-mails. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Meet with Panel Director to discuss any details about the upcoming Panel meetings, make appropriate changes to the timeline, contact Commitee Managent and ethics concerning any neccessary details. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Back in my office returning phone calls and e-mails, answering questions from industry concerning any Cardiovascular issues. Dealing with budget needs for the division. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Back in my office returning phone calls and e-mails, answering questions from industry concerning any Cardiovascular issues. Dealing with budget needs for the division, answering any quesions that any employees need about their travel arrangements. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Take the last few hours at work to set up meetings that I did not have time to do earlier in the day, finish any waivers that need to be written. Go over timelines and make sure everyone is on the same page for the meetings that I set up. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Same as above, this may change if I have a meeting set up at the end of the day. Finish up any work that I have to do in terms of device applications or miscellanea work given to me by management. I usually leave between 6 and 6:30pm. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Networking
What was the application process?
Submitted resume
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, The interview process included four interviews in one day (two were individual and one was with two supervisors).
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Technical questions about my background, how I work with people, how I deal with controversy…
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, in terms of explaining what was expected of me.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes, training in the regulatory field, open ended continuing education classes that we may choose. The first formal training session occurred much later after I initially started (6 months), so a lot of my training was on the job.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, you need a scientific mind to succeed here.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Apply early and be very pro-active about talking to their “future” boss and PR office.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You need a scientific background, with very good social skills to deal with all types of scientific minded professionals (PhDs, Mds, engineers, staticians and industry representatives). You also must be technically competant with computers and time management.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, a least a undergraduate degree.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be very proactive in talking with those around you when you are doing your work or if you have general questions. There is a lot of expertise in this network and they are good resources if used correctly.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, it is now. I can either stay here and make a career out of this or move on to industry.
What are your current career goals?
I want to attain an MBA or CPA within the next 5 years. I want to make $200,000 with in the next 10 years.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
The any 80 policy at the Government is a great idea, I think this makes up for some of the lack of monetary compensation.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Trainer/Physical Therapist Assistant | 3 years | 25000 | Personal Trainer, set up training regiments for clients and train them. As a physical therapist assistant I had to take patients through their exercise/rehab protocol. |
| Prior Job 2 | Student WOrker | 2 years | Intern | I had to take vitals in a health clinic for students planning to travel overseas. Also had administrative duties. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.5 | University of Maryland | Neurobiology and Physiology |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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