One of the biggest hurdles we see in construction, is taking a step up in your career. For example, moving from a Contract Administrator into a Project Manager. Regardless of the roles, taking a step up in your career requires articulating and demonstrating that you are a safe bet is crucial.

From an employer’s perspective, with the size of projects in the mid and top tiers becoming larger and profit margins smaller, taking a chance on an inexperienced Project Manager is a roll of the dice and a step they consider very carefully. Instead, they’ll usually assign their larger projects to their most experienced Project Managers and leave you rubbing shoulders with a multitude of your peers looking to land your first gig on one of their smaller projects.

In this article, we will discuss transitioning from a Contract Administrator to a Project Manager role, and how you can prepare, gain the knowledge and experience that is needed to stand out from your peers when making this transition.

Understanding and talking with and assessing your current employer is paramount to your ability to secure a Project Manager role, or your next step in your career.

There is a notable number – 22 % - of employers who believe they do not have the talent required to achieve their organisational’s strategic objectives this financial year. The current climate in Australia is impacted by border closures, employers unable to benefit from interstate or overseas recruitment drives and they are facing new operational impacts of their organisation.

This sounds obvious, but ask questions to understand your opportunities, including:-

• What are the short and long term focus of your current employer’s business and projects;

• Has your employer previously promoted their Contract Administrators into Project Managers. If not, are they considering revising this position? 

• Do they have enough smaller projects or are they targeting enough smaller projects to allow you to make the transition?

• How competitive is the landscape of your business?

• Are you competing against a number of other Contract Administrators with the same career trajectory in mind?

Not every organisation you work in will be able to offer you the career progression you seek. The sooner you recognise that your employer won’t be able to support your development, the better.

Below are some suggestions to action in the scenario of stepping up from a Contract Administrator to a Project Manager, but the overall theory is the same for most career transitions:-

Knowledge is power. As a Project Manager, you will require an in-depth understanding of the construction process, beyond the commercial paper trail. The more you know about construction, design, programmes etc. outside of the commercial aspect, the better.

Learning what other people do on your project team do allows you to understand ‘who’ are the players, and the ‘why’ behind what’s happening on site. It also give you a thorough understanding of the culture of the organisation and what opportunities for you lie within it.

Participate as much as you can in your Project Manager’s day-to-day activities. Actively take what responsibilities you can away from them. That way, you can point to having already done that work when you’re looking to step up.

Some of the project management duties you can involve yourself with are:

o Stakeholder engagement – all communication between your team and the client.

o Design management.

o Programme management.

These are three essential project management tasks that you can assist with. And your Project Manager will recognise your initiative, which is generally information that goes up the chain!

 

Leadership and decision making is at the crux of what a Project Manager does, day in day out.

Demonstrate that you can make decisions about what’s happening on site, that you have critical thinking skills and the necessary leadership skills required. If not, undertake additional studies to enhance your current skillset.

The next time you come across a problem at work, don’t go to your Project Manager with the issue without also having a solution.

You may not have the final authority or a broad enough knowledge base to say what action to take. But the person who does will recognise that you’ve taken the initiative.

Add quantifiable examples throughout the work experience section of your CV to stand out. The trend of recent years to specialise in a particular area is reversing, with more employees today looking for candidates with a broad skillset who can assist colleagues in areas outside their job description. However, you must still be able to quantify every skill you list on your CV.

Finally – be vocal about your plans. Take an active approach to your career and put yourself on their radar!

Tell your managers you’re looking to progress. Don’t sit back on your laurels and hope a promotion will come your way. Share your goals, and be open to feedback. What is required for the next step. What gaps do they want you to fill. If you don’t have these conversations, you may be left in the position you’re current in.

If you decide the time is right to consider an external move to progress your career, a great place to start is updating your CV and sharing that with the team at Construction-Recruitment, so we can bring these opportunities to you directly, and help you with a strategy with your job search that values your time.

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