Organizational Change Management Analyst: Key Skills & Q&A with Melissa Maines
Meet Melissa
Organizational Change Management (OCM) Analyst
Melissa works as an Organizational Change Management Analyst providing organizational change analysis, strategy, and communications to ensure successful user adoption. She creates content for the program’s communications hub, designs presentations for end users and executive leadership, and analyzes end user engagement results.
Melissa was recently recognized for her outstanding contributions with the 2024 Flywheel Award for her innovation and thoughtful, creative, and engaging support she provides for her client and team.
Top 5 OCM Skills
Melissa’s key skills that have lead to her success:
- Stakeholder Management
- Change Management
- Strategic Planning
- Communication
- Analysis
Q: What’s the most important skill in your role?
A: Communication. It’s the backbone that supports every other skill needed for this position. It’s imperative to know your audience, understand what information is important and valuable to share, anticipate potential questions, and determine how to best visually support the message, so your communications are engaging and effective.
Q: What’s something surprising about your job?
A: Visual creativity. It’s all in the details of how you present information to your audience, whether it is done graphically or in writing. Subtle enhancements, such as color choice/coordination, spacing, graphics, and placement all contribute to creating impactful documents, presentations, and website content.
Q: What’s a skill you use daily that people might not expect?
A: SharePoint intranet design. I created and continue to maintain an intranet site specifically for our program to serve as a one-stop-shop for our end users and other stakeholders to stay informed about the upcoming changes. It features a simple design, easy navigation and packs a punch to reinforce organizational change management elements (e.g., explains what is changing, why it is changing, benefits for users, transparency on system development progress, executive sponsor messaging).
Q: If someone is great at strategic thinking, why should they consider this career?
A: Organizational change management is fundamentally about people. There is a great deal of strategy needed to identify the best way to involve end users, make sure their needs are met, anticipate and manage resistance, evaluate progress, and ultimately bring end users along the path to adopt and embrace what is changing.
Q: What’s the best part about working at GovCIO?
A: Growth opportunities for non-managerial roles. Since joining GovCIO in 2019, I have leveraged multiple opportunities to expand my skill set, gain exposure to GovCIO teams outside of my contract, and grow professionally. In addition to obtaining certifications through the training program, I have also volunteered to assist in other VETS sector business activities (e.g., intranet updates, All Hands presentations, contract proposal reviews).
Q: Finally, what’s your “get stuff done” anthem?
A: There are so many songs from my favorite 80’s-90’s Music playlist that I want to choose for this answer! I’ll go with “Inside Out” by Eve 6 – such a good energy and vibe!
Recruiter Do’s and Don’ts
Looking to land an Organizational Change Management (OCM) role? Here’s what recruiters look for—and what to avoid—to make your resume shine!
Recruiters love a resume that tells a clear story of your ability to drive change, influence stakeholders, and create lasting impact. Keep it concise, relevant, and results-driven!
Apply today for a career at GovCIO.
DOs:
- Showcase Your Impact: Highlight past projects where you led change initiatives, improved adoption rates, or enhanced team engagement. Use metrics if possible (e.g., “Increased system adoption by 40% through targeted training and communication strategies”).
- Emphasize Soft Skills: OCM is all about people! Spotlight your ability to influence, communicate, and navigate resistance.
- Highlight Methodologies & Certifications: Mention experience with PROSCI, ADKAR, Lean, Agile, or Six Sigma, as well as any change management certifications.
- Include Cross-Functional Experience: If you’ve worked across departments (HR, IT, operations), make it known—OCM professionals need to collaborate at all levels.
- Tailor for Each Job Posting: Align the keywords you use in your resume with the keywords used in the job description for easier recruiter review of your resume.
DON’Ts:
- Be Too Vague: Instead of stating that you “managed change initiatives,” provide specifics about your role, challenges and results.
- Overload with Buzzwords: Words like “transformational leader” sound great, but without real examples, they lose impact.
- List Every Job Duty: Focus on key achievements rather than writing a laundry list of responsibilities.
- Forget to Show Adaptability: Change managers need to be flexible—highlight how you’ve successfully navigated shifting priorities.
- Ignore Formatting: Keep it clean and structured—bulleted lists, clear headings, and concise wording make your resume easier to read.
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