Trending Blogs

Fridays at Project Resource Partners: Empowering Teams Through Enhanced Communication

By Shae Demetriou • 13 Nov, 2023
Unleashing Communication Skills with a Deck of Cards

Generational Games ​– building a great cross-generational team.

31 Oct, 2023
​In today's diverse workforce, success often hinges on the ability to adapt and evolve. This was the focus in a recent discussion hosted by Wendy Born from Business Value Partners, to members of the National Electrical Communications Authority. Wendy was joined by our Directo r, Andrew Bath an d Senior Con sultant, Ella O’Connell . Collectively, Andrew and Ella bring over 25 years of experience in recruiting across diverse industries and successfully working with millennials and Gen Zs. ​During the discussion, they explored recruitment strategies, steps to creating thriving cross-generational teams, and the benefits Millennials and Gen Zs bring to the workplace. Below we have compiled three key takeaways from the discussion for your perusal. Dive in below! ​ ​What are the benefits of employing millennials and Gen Zs? There are a multitude of benefits that come along with employing millennials and Gen Zs within your business. Andrew and Ella discussed how younger generations are not just committed employees but also drivers of change. They challenge process, modernise business, and bring a fresh perspective that’s vital to stay relevant in today’s world. ​In Andrew’s words, “having the younger generation in our team brings diversity of thought and fresh knowledge. I get to learn different things and new technologies, and how they can add value to the business”.​

A Recruitment Internship: More than meets the eye at Project Resource Partners

By Austin Swamy and Sara Matar • 13 Jul, 2023
From a fancy office building to a simple phone call, the world of recruitment brings new experiences every day. Thanks to our internship, we were able to experience an industry that we were unaware of, but so glad we did! The recruitment industry is a niche yet important field, running to help organisations find the right person for the right job or vice versa. Specialist recruitment companies bridge the gap between client and candidate, building meaningful relationships to make sure everyone benefits. As interns, we had the privilege of experiencing this unique industry and understanding its ins and outs, which are built upon human connections. Recently, both of us were placed as interns at Project Resource Partners (PRP) and this was an interesting and eye-opening experience that allowed us both to learn and expand our understanding of the real workforce. Working almost behind the scenes, PRP are specialists in the recruitment industry focusing on business and technology transformation as well as change management. Putting the big words aside, PRP displayed their ability to act as the middleman between client and candidate and develop relations to ensure the right role finds the right person. The process of recruitment changes a business for the better, across various fields. Even though we had many preconceptions and initially felt anxious, these thoughts disappeared on our first day as we were welcomed with open arms. Being treated as real employees, we completed many of the same daily tasks our colleagues were carrying out, from candidate calling, meeting candidates and sorting through resumes! Speaking with candidates for certain active roles really allowed us to develop our communication skills in a professional setting, to build caring relationships. To add on, our technological skills improved by using certain software, and then assisting in the transfer of data to improved software which was a really exciting process. We applied our intern tasks into our own lives, by fixing up our CVs to be more eye-catching and straight to the point, and better understanding LinkedIn and Seek to use to our advantage. These responsibilities and tasks gave us tertiary students insight into what careers after our studies may entail. From this internship, our hands-on experience broadened our employability skills to make ourselves better employees for our own careers. Our placement was definitely a positive highlight, all thanks to the amazing team at PRP. They gave us the opportunity to learn and grow in a positive working environment, pushing us to improve and obtain skills which are more foreign to university students. However, we can definitely walk away feeling more accomplished and ready for the real working world. Thanks to PRP, we discovered that there is more to recruitment than meets the eye! By Sara Matar and Austin Swamy (Biomedical Science Students at Monash University)

PROJECT SPONSORSHIP AND SYMBIOSIS

Lydia Mc Williams • Feb 04, 2020

Given that you are reading this blog, I am going to assume that you work in projects (or maybe you want to transition into this space, or maybe you are flicking though LinkedIn over a well-deserved coffee). Whatever brought you here, welcome.


I met with a project manager recently who explained that over the past 18 months she had three different project sponsors due to restructures, redundancies and changes in management. We discussed how this can create an added layer of obstacles and hoops to jump through. And so this month, I thought I would discuss the importance of project sponsorship. 


Project managers and sponsors must have a symbiotic relationship to ensure project success. Hence it is important for both parties to ensure they have an open, transparent, professional and mutually beneficial relationship. Since as a project manager you do not get to choose your sponsor, it is crucial that you work towards building and fostering this relationship. 


Typically, a sponsor is already in place before a project is assigned to a project manager. Or sponsorship might change during the project and a new sponsor (who may have zero knowledge or experience of the organisation, or even of the industry for that matter) may come aboard onto your in-flight project. What strategies do you find work best in this scenario? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 


From conversations I have had, the consensus seems to be as follows:


If your sponsor does not understand their role or your project, you should organise a meeting with them to lay everything on the table and to discuss what you need from them to ensure smooth project delivery. Or else you may be the one that will be held responsible in the case that the project falls through (which we certainly do not want to happen!).


Trust, trust, trust. Engaging with the project sponsor is part of the working dynamic of all projects and the most important element on which to build that dynamic is trust. How do you build trust? Simple, by delivering on your promises. Easy right? It is also imperative to be clear and structured in your communication to meet the project sponsor’s expectations. 


Project sponsors need regular status updates and transparency. A project sponsor is undoubtedly the advocate of a project, and it’s her / his job to obtain commitment from stakeholders. They communicate the progress of the project to key stakeholders and senior management hence they need to be kept updated about project progress from regular talks with the project manager. So as a project manager you need to ensure that your sponsor is always updated and that they feel that they are part of the process.


While most project issues can be handled by a project manager, some of them are out of their scope. This is where a project sponsor steps in. The sponsor will have to resolve issues related to project risks, conflicting objectives, and so on, which are not under the project manager’s role of authority or supervision. So don’t hesitate to reach out to the sponsor even if you think you should just run with it yourself instead of bothering them. 


No matter how experienced you are in projects, a project sponsor acts as a mentor to a project manager. So do listen to them and take on-board their feedback given that they are the one responsible for taking strategic decisions. 


What have your experiences been with project sponsors and what challenges have you faced with sponsorship? I’d love to hear about your thoughts on this topic. 


I specialise in recruiting for business transformation, project services and change management for the Not-For-Profit, Health and Aged Care sector. If you would like to get an understanding as to what’s happening in the market and / or considering making your next career move, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a confidential chat.


Lydia Mc Williams

Consultant

Project Resource Partners

Level 7, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 

T +61 3 9949 8100 D +61 3 9949 8106

E lmcwilliams@projectresourcepartners.com.au

Share by: