How to Become a Change Manager Without Experience
Want to become a change manager? The need for change managers increases as the organization’s culture, structure, and technology change. Without effective change management, an organization cannot adapt to new circumstances. Change management is popular as more organizations realize its importance in staying competitive.
A change manager is a professional who helps manage and oversee organizational changes. They work to ensure that changes meet the organization’s goals.
Learning the necessary skills takes time, effort, and dedication. However, with the proper training and experience, becoming a change manager is possible. This article will provide the tips and steps you need to take to become a change manager.
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Step 1: Get a Bachelor’s Degree or Certification
A change manager needs to learn the fundamentals of business and management. They need to know about various operations in a company and how they work together. The best way to do this is to get a bachelor’s in business administration, HR management, or a related field.
While completing your degree, you should take organizational behavior, human resources, psychology, and sociology courses. These courses will give you a solid foundation to build your change management knowledge.
Also, try to learn about marketing and logistics, as these can help understand how changes can impact different areas of a company. Following are some of the key details you must know about change management:
- What is change management?
- How does it work?
- Why is change management necessary?
- Steps involved in change management
- Benefits of change management
- Principles of change management
- Tools and software for effective change management
- Risk mitigation tactics
The above topics will help you understand and implement the change management process in your organization. They will also guide you on improving your skillset to excel in the change manager career path.
Acquiring a degree will help you familiarize yourself with the basic concepts of change management and allow you to apply those concepts in the real business world.
While focusing on business and human resource management skills, you also need a comprehensive understanding of project management principles. Project management practices and tools will help plan and execute organizational changes.
Step 2: Acquire a Change Management Certification
Once you have completed your degree and gained experience, consider getting a change management certification. A certification will help validate your skills and knowledge and make you more attractive to potential employers.
It will also reinforce your technical skills, making you more confident when implementing changes.
Various certifications are available in the change management field, so research and find a reputable one. Following are some of the most acknowledged change management certifications:
- Change Management Specialist (CMS)
- Prosci Change Management Certification
- Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP)
- Certified Problem and Change Manager (CPCM)
- AIM Change Management Certification
- Prosci Change Management Certification
- APGM Organizational Change Management Foundation
Check out our certified change manager course, which teaches all the essentials.
Step 3: Gain Experience
It’s best to have on-the-job experience in managing and implementing changes.
The experience will help you understand the challenges of implementing changes in a natural business environment. It will also allow you to try different change management techniques and tools and see what works best in various situations.
You can get the experience by working as a change management consultant or in-house change manager. Alternatively, you may also get involved in change management projects in your current job, even if it is not your primary responsibility.
Step 4: Create a Unique Resume
A resume and cover letter are essential tools when looking for a job. Your resume or cover letter is the first thing an employer will see, so it is crucial to make a good impression.
It depicts how you present yourself and your qualifications to a potential employer. It also shows your competence in the field.
To make your resume or cover letter more attractive and unique, summarize your change management experience and highlight any successful projects you have worked on. You should also list any relevant certifications or training you have completed.
Include any relevant coursework you have completed and any change management tools or techniques you know.
If you lack experience in change management, highlight technical skills, including programming languages, platforms, and software you are familiar with.
You can also list other relevant skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, or communication.
If you don’t have change management experience, you can still include other relevant experiences. For example, it would be beneficial to include experience leading teams or projects.
How to Become a Change Manager Without Experience?
Although having experience helps you start your change management career, you don’t need to have the experience to become a change manager.
If you have a degree in business or related fields, you can start by taking change management training programs. They will help you understand the basics of change management. You can also read books and articles on change management to learn more about the topic.
You can also become a change coordinator responsible for coordinating change management activities.
As you start working in these roles, keep adding your accomplishments to your resume. You should also look for opportunities to learn and grow in your roles. After gaining experience, you can apply for senior roles as change manager or change lead.
How to Prepare Yourself for Change Manager Role?
The change manager role involves complex responsibilities. You need to be prepared before taking on such a role. There are various ways to prepare yourself, which include:
1. Stay Up To Date With Advanced Tools and Software
Technology is evolving, and change management is no exception. To be a successful change manager, you must be familiar with the latest tools and software. It will enable you to manage changes effectively and efficiently.
Advanced change management tools and software enable you to automate various tasks, such as creating change requests, updating the CMDB, and generating reports. They also help you track and monitor changes easily, allowing you to manage and control changes effectively.
Some of the widespread change management tools and software include:
- Whatfix
- Hippo CMMS
- ServiceNow
- BMC Remedy
- CA Service Desk Manager
- Kaseya Traverse
- ServiceNow Change Management
- BMC Remedy Change Management
- CA Service Catalog
- IBM Maximo Asset Configuration Management
2. Soft Skills
In addition to technical skills, change managers also need to have soft skills. You can get these skills through training, experience, or education. By adopting these skills, you can perform your duties as a change manager.
Soft skills allow a change manager to efficiently deal with various stakeholders, such as business users, IT staff, and senior management. Change managers also have to deal with different types of people with diverse personalities.
They need to adapt their communication style according to the situation.
Expertise in soft skills enables a professional to disseminate information effectively, build relationships, and resolve conflicts. It allows them to persuade and influence people. Some of the essential soft skills for change managers include:
- Communication
- Interpersonal skills
- Organizational skills
- Problem-solving
- Decision-making
- Negotiation
- Leadership skills
3. Build Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of and understand emotions. It also involves the ability to control and express feelings. Change managers need emotional intelligence to deal with various stakeholders during a change.
Change managers need emotional intelligence to succeed in their roles. They need to understand and control their emotions and the feelings of others. Understanding emotional intelligence enables you to grasp the social complexities of an organization and navigate through them. Emotional intelligence is a crucial skill that can be improved with practice.
There are various ways to enhance emotional intelligence, which include:
- Identifying your emotions
- Understanding why you feel certain emotions
- Managing and regulating your emotions
- Handling relationships effectively
FAQs
Here’s a list of frequently asked questions regarding a change manager:
What qualifications do I need to be a change manager?
You can take various professional qualifications to improve your chances of becoming a change manager. These qualifications will make you more knowledgeable and skilled in change management. However, many change managers have a bachelor’s degree in business administration or management. Understanding business processes, management operations, and labor statistics can help you manage change effectively.
Some organizations may prefer candidates with a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) or a master’s degree in human resource management (MHRM) for senior management positions. However, having a higher degree is not a prerequisite for becoming a change manager.
Do you need a degree in change management?
You don’t need a degree in change management to become a change manager. However, pursuing a degree or certification in change management will make you more knowledgeable. It will also give you an edge over other candidates who don’t have a change management qualification.
How do I become a change management specialist?
You can become a change management specialist by taking on additional responsibilities related to change management practices in your organization. You can also pursue a master’s degree or certification in change management. Becoming a change management specialist will make you more knowledgeable and skilled in change management.
To become a specialist, you must have vast experience handling change management projects. You should also be familiar with the various tools and techniques used in change management. Moreover, you should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. These skills will enable you to manage different stakeholders during a change.
What makes a good change manager?
Success in change management requires hard work and personal growth. Change managers must develop effective change management strategies and support employees. Excellent communication is also crucial.
To be successful in their roles, change managers must also learn about time management. They need to be able to juggle multiple tasks and prioritize effectively. Being organized and detail-oriented are also essential qualities of a good change manager. Handling pressure in the most unfavorable conditions is another crucial requirement.
Change managers need to be able to persuasively sell the change to various stakeholders and get their buy-in. Additionally, they need to have strong emotional intelligence skills. They should be able to understand and control their emotions and the emotions of others.
How can I make changes as a manager?
There are various ways to make changes as a manager. You can start by developing a change plan. A comprehensive plan will help you map out the steps you need to implement the change. You need to communicate the change plan to all the stakeholders involved. It is vital to discuss the plan with them before implementing the changes. You should also involve them in the change process so that they can provide valuable input.
Once you have developed and communicated a plan to all the relevant stakeholders, you need to implement the changes. You should monitor the progress of the changes and make modifications as necessary. You must measure success metrics to ensure the changes have the desired effect.
As a manager, you must also be prepared for resistance to change. You should have strategies in place to deal with resistance. You should be open to feedback and willing to change the change plan based on feedback.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into a Change Manager’s role, we recommend taking our HR Management Course, where you will learn how to build your skill set in managing change, build your human resources network, craft a great change manager resume, and create a successful job search strategy in the change management field.
