Career Spotlight

Sadaf Qadir – Creative Marketing Project Manager

Management is not easy. It heavily involves organizing people, their roles and responsibilities, and the outside forces that constrain their deliverables. It involves more soft skills than hard skills, things that are not easily taught or learned. Despite the inherent challenges, strong and effective management is necessary for a successful project in any industry. Sadaf Qadir is an individual who has the skillset and drive for project management. She specializes in creative and marketing projects, such as branding, social media, web design, and other related niches.

A project manager leads, organizes, and manages specific projects within an organization. “Project managers help bring people together to align goals, budget, scope, and deliverables,” through the use of project briefs, engagement exercises for goal refinement, assigning the right people to the right projects, and maintain open lines of communication with the appropriate stakeholders.

Project managers are available for nearly every industry. “Organizations can have a Project Management Officer and maintain a whole project management department (generally happens at larger organizations) or there can be one project manager hired on for a short duration on a project. Each department within a company can have a project manager and they often work together to align priorities.” It’s important to have a designated individual responsible for project deadlines and goals being met. These individuals have detailed understanding of a project, so they are best suited to identifying red flags and resolving issues others in the project may not be aware of.

The standard requirements for project management: “Excellent communication skills, organizational skills, and people management skills. Many companies also prefer PMP (project management professional certification) and even MBAs.”

“One misconception is that project managers are not real managers / don’t have authority.”

-Sadaf Qadir

Many people have seen Sadaf as an assistant, with the expectation that she would be handling the logistics for everything, including those outside of projects. When project managers are seen as “miscellaneous tasks manager,” they are given work that takes away from their actual talent and skillset. “Additionally, because project managers are so crucial to the completion of a project, leaders are often asking them for their inputs and judgement on next steps which often means we have more authority than people might believe.”

“Avoid roles in which you’re being asked to be a project manager AND a *insert another job title*.”

-Sadaf Qadir

There may be many other roles that require project management skills, but being a project manager is a full-time role. It requires a level of focus and commitment that are detracted from when also assigned to other tasks. There will of course be times where the project manager has to step in and do produce work, whether due to timing, workload mismanagement, sickness, etc. In those cases, it’s preferable for managers to have prior experience in production work. In general however, “if a company is looking for a true project manager role, it would be challenging to have someone be involved in production work heavily AND project management.”

“Expectations should be managed from the start.”

-Sadaf Qadir

“It’s okay for leaders to want a very project management ONLY focus project manager (in the creative / marketing space, sometimes this is called a traffic manager), but that should be clearly communicated during interview stages, so candidates understand what to expect. Similarly, if a candidate is looking for a role that allows them more flexibility and involvement in the production side of management, that should be communicated as well (or perhaps a different role may be a better fit). The grey areas in allowing the latter that leaders should think about before hiring are:

1) How would compensation change for a role where a project manager is being asked to also do production work? Is there a 50-50 divide of project work to production work? If not, what is that divide?

2) If a project manager is responsible for a project team as well as doing production work, who will they be responsible to for that work? How do you ensure fairness in work being assigned to other team members vs the project manager?

It’s not impossible to have such a role, but there are factors that need to be considered.”

“There are a surprising amount of paths someone could take to become a project manager and grow as a project manager, so it’s not linear.”

-Sadaf Qadir

The traditional path: Project Assistant (or intern) —> Project Coordinator —> Project manager —> Senior Project Manager —> Program Manager —> Portfolio Manager —> Director of Program Management—> Project Management Office

For someone without exposure to project management, a successful project manager often has the following skills: problem solving, people interaction, collaboration work, organized and detailed but able to easily look at the bigger picture as well, good at delegating, persuasive, and curious.

Sadaf’s favorite tip is “to look at the roles you’re applying to, make a list of characteristics they’re requiring or prefer and see which ones occur most often. The recurring qualifications are the ones that you will need to succeed. Then take your current work experience and find specific instances where you’ve demonstrated those qualities. Since a lot of project management involves have strong soft skills (eg. People skills, organizational skills, time management, etc) there is most likely a chance that you have applied that skill somewhere else. Then revising your resume to highlight those experiences.”

“Project management is a growing field and organizations are still learning what it means to have project managers around.”

-Sadaf Qadir

In the next ten years, Sadaf would like to see a more refined understanding of project management and project managers in general. She is also excited for the growth of AI, not as a replacement for people skills, but in its impact for the tools project managers use. If tasks such as note taking can be automated, it’ll be of great help, but someone would still need to be around to proofread the notes prior to distribution. She would also like to see more tools integrated and more networking opportunities for marketing project management.

As is common in many industries, new can be scary and slow for implementation. Likewise, Sadaf has heard multiple times, “this is just the way it is and we can’t really change it.” While frustrating and dejecting, this excites Sadaf as a challenge. “It’s how the organization is choosing to run and the existing members may not have power or feel comfortable changing it . . . The most important thing to me is establishing clarity on the current state (ie. Let’s talk about it out loud with everyone instead of just amongst your favorite coworkers) and expectation of the future state.”

Another common debate, working remotely in an industry with high interpersonal interactions. It’s harder to maintain engagement, enthusiasm, and communication. But to Sadaf, that just means she needs to be present and concise and clear with her expectations, while allowing others to be comfortable enough to reach out and ask questions or bring up issues.

“I think we are moving towards different management styles that are more people centered because we’re recognizing the value of treating people like they are people!”

-Sadaf Qadir

The challenge for Sadaf has been team building. One of her methods to mitigate this is taking some time for intentional small talk during meetings. By providing for a time to be open with her life, she provides the same to her team. “When you feel connected to your team members, it’s easier to trust them and when it’s easier to trust them, it’s easier to have honest and productive conversations about processes, due dates, projects, etc.” Recognizing the value of people includes the value of flexibility in work schedules, locations, and trust.

About Sadaf

When asked to describe herself, Sadaf selected the words organized, solutions-oriented, and considerate. Staying organized is a huge part of project management. Sadaf will spend her mornings making sure that her project boards are up-to-date, while maintaining them clear and concise. When she receives a new project, she will assist with the project briefing, alignment of goals, budget, and deliverables. She plans will include actionable items with attainable goals for measurement of successful outcomes.

“Some of my early successes were ‘small’ wins where I was allowed to work on new projects or learn a new skill.”

-Sadaf Qadir

Sadaf’s largest success to date was “being able to pivot into a role in a marketing department because it finally felt like [she] was on a true ‘path’.” Her ideal role would be a creative producer that works on video and digital projects. She also has a desire to mentor other project managers and coordinators, to help grow their careers alongside hers.

Project management is attractive to those interested in collaboration and working directly with people. Sadaf loves being able to interact with the various personalities, understand what drives them, and create an environment where they can thrive to do their best work.

Start

Project management was not on Sadaf’s radar until she’d already started her professional career. She’d started her undergraduate career at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) intending to pursue medical school and become a doctor. UCI was the school of choice as it was near her home and some of her lifelong friends had also decided to attend said school. While she feels that she could have been more proactive in applying for other schools, Sadaf does not regret her choice, and believes it to be one of her best decisions.

It was during her final year of college that she interned at a biotech company. She enjoyed the experience so much that she then worked full-time as a Coordinator upon graduation. In her work as a Coordinator, Sadaf slowly worked her way into handling various projects across multiple disciplines. When she started “dabbling into marketing, something felt like it immediately clicked.”

Medicine was Sadaf’s first love, but she found herself feeling stressed and overwhelmed with the thought of attending more school years and accumulating debt. Starting her professional career also made it harder to justify returning to school, especially when she’d grown to love what she did in her new career.

“Ultimately for me, it was regarding lifestyle, and I prefer the corporate lifestyle over the medicine lifestyle.”

-Sadaf Qadir

With some industry-based deviations, Sadaf defined corporate lifestyle to be built upon a specific type of routine. The days and tasks may change, but there is a set rhythm she appreciates.

“I fell into the change.”

-Sadaf Qadir

Sadaf’s first step into changing her career was experimenting with different projects for her company at the time. This led her to better understand her skills and interests. The experimenting was primarily initiated by Sadaf herself. Rather than waiting to be assigned to specific roles, if Sadaf saw a need, she’d bring it up to her boss. When she did, she would include a list of actionable items with a corresponding goal and volunteer to work on the list. As she was a part of a small team, she had greater flexibility to do so.

 “I’m not sure that I always felt what I was doing was strategic, but I was consistently trying to grow my knowledge and apply myself as much as I could.”

-Sadaf Qadir

Her first industry-related job was to collaborate with the internal departments to manage creative marketing requests. At her start, the organization did not have a lot of processes in place, so Sadaf helped in creating the process, creation of project briefs, and using project boards properly. “I learned more about project management as I became one and continued to grow as one.”

Connections

The knowledge we gain in life can be applicable to multiple areas of our life. When Sadaf made the decision to dabble in marketing, she found that her skillset was already applicable, and that the new was fun and exciting. Similarly, two of her favorite courses in college, Sadaf was able to integrate their lessons into her personal life and work life. With Intro to Nutrition, it was her first course that had real life applications that “myth-bust some common misconceptions that we have related to nutrition.” The course helped Sadaf to create health goals for herself. With Business Law, as Sadaf had also pursued a minor in business management, she developed skills in critical thinking and making compelling arguments.

“The most important skills in project management are not hard skills. They’re soft skills.”

-Sadaf Qadir

It was important for Sadaf to learn good communication techniques, as well as understand the various project needs in order to achieve successful outcomes. She learned to clearly communicate her expectations, while maintaining attention and actively listening to other team members and their problems, so that she could be a source of help.

Another avenue that Sadaf traveled down to become a source of help was her involvement with the Muslim Women Professionals organization. She joined the organization in the early stages of its inception, and takes pride in seeing the growth of both the organization and herself. She also had the opportunity to be a speaker with the organization.

Apart from her networking with the Muslim Women Professionals, Sadaf also volunteered with the following organizations to learn more about digital design and graphics arts: Morning Sign Out as a writer, editor, then editorial admin; Her Nexx Chapter as graphics creator for the platforms Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook; and California Reentry Institute where she developed a brand book and marketing strategy.

One other networking opportunity Sadaf wished she’d taken advantage of were her college resources and job fairs. She recommends attending job fairs as “you can meet people from companies and build your network . . . It’s also the easiest time to get an internship and just experiment in different jobs to figure out what you like doing.”

Transitions

Moving from the role of student to professional can be hard for many. For Sadaf, it was not the role change that was difficult, but the loss of a community. As a student, she was constantly surrounded by those of her age and interest. Leaving that community left a sense of being alone.

“For the first time, I was truly on my own as a person.”

-Sadaf Qadir

While Sadaf believes that she made the right decision to change careers, it was not an easy decision. For a time, she felt that time was wasted in pursing a degree that no longer applies to her work. “I also felt that everyone and everything was moving ahead without me and that I was the only person lost and confused.” But she wasn’t.

It’s a matter of looking outwards, rather than inwards. It’s by connecting with others, rather than comparing to others. It’s building a network for sharing experiences and knowledge.

“More companies should offer continuing education for marketing and project management.”

-Sadaf Qadir

In the companies Sadaf had worked with, she was fortunate enough to have managers who were willing to support her in learning new skills and programs. Continuing education helps both the individual and the company grow to streamline the work. The Project Management Institution offers multiple certifications and education opportunities. Google, through Coursera, also has a Project Management Certification course.

Sadaf has been actively posting on LinkedIn tips for project management. She does this to grow her network and provide mentorship to others. This post is one she recommends referring to those interested in project management. “If project management leaders spent time mentoring their teams or even people outside their teams on some key tips in early career, that could help reduce burn out in the industry and lead to more confident project managers.”

Some final quotes from Sadaf to our professionals.

“No organization is perfect; you have to find the organization where you know you’re with the right people who want to drive things towards progress vs keeping thing where they are at.”

“Look at what the competitive salary is for a role in your area to ensure you’re being paid fairly.”

“Since project manager is a high people interaction role with high stakes, it can quickly lead to burnout if work-life balance is not properly maintained.”

“Don’t be afraid to say no to things that no longer serve you. And always stay curious and open to learning new things!”

“Everything works out in the time it needs to happen. I understand this is so cliche to say but you can spend your youth constantly stressed and get to where you want OR you can spend your youth enjoying where you are at and still get to where you want to go. Perspective is a huge part of your experience no matter what you’re doing in life. And we can’t always control what happens in our lives so even with a plan, you might end up somewhere else! That’s part of the fun of growing as a person.”

Thank you Sadaf, for sharing your story with Emerge AEC!

Connect with Sadaf via the following platforms:

            Email: sadafqadir@gmail.com

            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadaf-qadir/

            Instagram: @octrailsandtreats