Since the kiteboarding accident that I had Christmas Day my life has changed a lot. I broke my pelvis, my nose and had muscle damage to many parts of my body, but they were nothing compared to the brain injury that happened to me as well. The first 3 weeks I was in a medically induced coma to help me survive from my kiteboarding accident. Originally in the medical team were saying that it would take 18months to 2yrs to recover. After the first 6 weeks they transferred me from the Gold Coast Hospital to the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) at the P.A. Hospital and I had my first great win. The medical staff said it would now take approximately 6 months for me to be out of the hospital instead of the 12 months plus which they originally estimated.

After week 11 at BIRU I had my next win when they told me it would now be 2 weeks before I was allowed to be an outpatient, a total of 13 weeks. I am now involved in the outpatient program and have a family review meeting on the 5^th June.

During the discussion that I have had with my treating team they believe that I will have passed the out-patient program and will be living normally. Well, close to normal. On celebrating the passing of the patient program I will be opening a nice bottle of bubbly. Non-alcoholic, that is, as I am not allowed to drink alcohol at the moment.

I would like to thank everyone for the help and support that I have received during this period, but would like to truly thank Kim Ritchie, Justine Eden and my Family, for all the support that I have received.

Jessica Scerri: As part of the ever-expanding IT Division, Jessica joins ERR as an IT Recruitment Consultant. Jessica’s previous position was Corporate Account Manager for a global telecommunications, responsible for the management of global and national accounts, corporate acquisition and growth.

After hours, Jess loves to cook, loves to shop, enjoys going to the beach and has a keen interest in the property market. Hailing from Adelaide’s Barossa Valley originally, Jess enjoys visiting her family there and enjoying the wine country.

Emma Durham: Emma joins ERR in the role of Client Relationship Manager. Emma wound up in IT Recruitment after a night out with friends somehow resulted in Emma getting interviewed for a job with an IT Recruiter. She left her job as a marketer for a top tier law firm and commenced her career in Recruitment. Prior to ERR, Emma was the HR, Talent & Engagement manager at a Software Development Company.

Outside the office, Emma’s life is ruled by her mini schnauzer, Zara Belle-Jolie. When Emma’s not hanging with her pooch, she’s in the gym, or out running, with the odd night out for special occasions.

Belinda Mulé: Belinda is ERR’s new Manager, Operations. Belinda’s background is in Management, in the Professional Services Industry – primarily the Accounting industry where she was 2IC for 5 years.  Belinda has experience in various industries, including Engineering, Property Development and the Construction Industry.

Away from the office, Belinda loves movies, celebrities, reality TV and everything Hollywood. She loves red wine and is trying to get back into fitness, but is having a hard time slotting it in between shopping or socializing (which is fair enough).

Tom Peard: Tom joins the IT Team as a Resourcer, coming to Eden Ritchie from a small recruitment company with a wealth of experience in IT Recruitment. Prior to recruitment, Tom had an eclectic mix of jobs including Store Coordinator for The Works Australia and working as a jackaroo in Roma.

Tom enjoys playing rugby and fishing (even if he doesn’t catch anything). He’s always good for a laugh and enjoys socialising with his friends.

Sue Torenbeek: Joins us in the role of Health Consultant, with 6 years+ in Queensland Health. In her previous role with Qld Health, Sue was a Senior Clinical Recruiter sourcing healthcare professionals from across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Prior to that, Sue worked in London, for London Deanery as a Recruitment Administrator.

Sue has a passion for travelling and has travelled extensively across Europe and Colombia, with another trip planned soon. She loves fishing and whale watching (complimented perfectly by her sea sickness) and her two dogs.

Katherine Melville: Katherine is a new addition to the IT team, joining us as an IT Resourcer. Katherine’s previous role was as a Contact Centre and Customer Service Recruitment Consultant with a global Recruitment company. Before that, Katherine spent over 5 years with an insurance company as a Commercial Insurance Specialist.

Katherine loves socialising with her friends, listening to music and has a passion for cars.

We at Eden Ritchie are extremely pleased to welcome these individuals to our team.

One day while casually trawling through job ads your spot your dream job… So you write a great application, get an interview; impress them enough in an hour to hire you and your referees stack up.

But that’s not the end of the process…..  Although for many it is.

No!  It’s only part way through the process.

Think about the last time you started a new job, how did you approach it? How did you plan, research? How clear were you on what you wanted to achieve in your first day?  First week?  First month?

Or did you just sit back and let on boarding take its course?  Ease through the first week and amble through your first month, hoping your team would like you and your boss would be impressed?

You only get a short time to make a strong first impression.  Coming new into a role and a new organization you have a unique opportunity to see things in perspective, you have an open mind and a higher level of energy and engagement.

This is not to say that you need to come into this with a level of aggression that will intimidate and aggravate your new work colleagues either.  There has to be a fine balance between energy, drive and questioning the status quo.

Do you consider the “unwritten ground rules” of this new team and organization?  Often these rules are subtle but the easiest damaged when you are new…

Often its not always what you do – its how you do it.  Actions speak louder than words and once you have built a perception of a person – it seldom changes.

How will you gain the respect of your team?  How do you ensure that you have the skills and capabilities on board to support you?

And how do you navigate through a new organization to determine who the key players are that you need to align your self with?

It’s a 2 way street both for the employer and the new employee.  On boarding is often an overlooked process by many employers, leading to lower performance and potentially disengagement of new recruits.

I’d be keen to hear your experiences – leave a comment in the box below telling us your story.

After discussions with a number of successful and senior Project Managers recently, there is a general agreement on the key attributes that successful project managers possess.

1) They understand the business! They have the patience and communication skills to listen to the key stakeholders and understand what the business is trying to achieve from the project. There is no point in delivering a product or service that will not fit the requirements of the organisation.

2) They are Problem solvers! Projects can vary in size and complexity and it is important that project managers are able to think outside the box to come up with solutions to overcome obstacles.

3) Flexibility! Some projects can change on almost a daily basis and thus, project managers need to be flexible when approaching a project. Project management methodologies are a great way to set the direction for the project but they are not strict procedures. Project Managers must have the flexibility to alter their approach to overcome any obstacles that arise.

4) They are delivery focussed! The reputations of project managers are made or broken on their ability to successfully deliver outcomes to the business. It is imperative that project managers liaise with key stakeholders to set the desired outcomes and do everything they can to achieve them!

5) Outstanding communication and leadership skills! Project managers must be able to engage with key stakeholders to get support from senior management. They also must be able to bring out the best in their teams. This means supporting and delegating to team members to make the most of project resources.

6) Ownership!! Project managers have to take complete ownership of their projects and have the drive and passion to do everything they can to ensure that the outcomes are achieved within time, budget and resource constraints. This is where project managers build their reputations as someone who will get the job done!

Do you have what it takes to be a great Project Manager? With so many large projects kicking off, the industry is booming in South East Queensland. It is certainly an exciting time to be involved in project management!!

Upon joining the project team, whether the project is at inception or already in progress, there are a number of things that Project Managers must do to set the groundwork for successful outcomes.

Firstly, they have to consult with the key stakeholders to best understand what outcomes are required from the project.

Secondly, the scope of the project needs to be agreed (including time frames, milestones, budget) as well as the most effective approach to achieve the desired outcomes. Project management methodologies such as Prince 2 will assist in setting the direction of what approach will be taken. Methodologies, however, are not strict procedures, they are simply there to facilitate the deliverables of the project.

Finally, it is important that Project Managers understand the environment and unwritten ground rules. This can take the form of policy and procedures that must be followed as well as the key stakeholders within and outside of the organisation. This can be particularly important within the government sector as many protocols differ from that of the private sector.

So what makes a project challenging for a Project Manager? Almost always, this will revolve around people, egos and agendas! Bringing team members together to form an effective team, gaining support and working with key stakeholders as well as dealing with processes and protocols. Therefore, it is imperative that Project Managers have excellent influencing, leadership, communication and negotiation skills as well as the ability to engage with people across all levels of the organisation.

Speaking to a Project Director recently, his most challenging project had revolved around coordinating the expectations of people at a variety of levels both externally and internally. Managing teams, stakeholders and multiple vendors is never easy task, but that is what separates the great Project Managers from the rest and a demonstrated track record in this respect is what organisations look for when recruiting.

So what makes a good Project Manager? Look out for next week’s edition when I discuss the attributes of great Project Managers and what allows them to deliver successful projects!

Despite all the talk over the past twelve months of companies letting people go and budgets being cut, there appears to be plenty of opportunities starting to take shape as many organisations kick-off major projects.

There is an abundance of projects in road infrastructure, gas and mining, healthcare and local government as both the government and private sectors seek to provide infrastructure to the ever-increasing population, particularly in South East Queensland.

An interesting topic that came up recently was how these projects are managed to ensure they are completed on time and within budget constraints.

Particularly as so many organisations are currently recruiting for Project Managers and Project Directors to lead major projects and considering that there have been so many people looking for project management roles.

So what separates the best from the rest?

The goal of a project is obviously to ensure that the deliverables are achieved within time and budget constraints. Considering so many project managers are brought on to manage a specific project, it must be a hard task to come in and understand the business and it’s requirements and then manage issues around people, budgets and timeframes.

Not an easy job at all!

What does it take to complete a project successfully? What are the most challenging aspects of successfully delivering projects? And what separates the really successful Project Managers from the rest? An interesting topic that I plan to explore over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned as I discuss some of the issues that project managers face and the attributes of a good project manager – straight from those who have successfully managed large-scale projects!!

Know who your best performers are, mentor, train and develop them, communicate and keep them informed of broader business strategies, get their feedback and input.  None of this costs a lot, but the pay back is guaranteed.

Employees are nervous about job security, they need to know how the business is tracking, they value hearing about the future plans and how that impacts on them.  If you want to keep your best people when the market turns, you need to invest in them NOW.

How you approach the market when you recruit new people is also a key aspect to building favourable impressions with employees.  With social networks booming, the world is getting better connected and information flows abundantly.  People readily share their impressions and gripes, with poor recruitment processes at the top of their list of complaints.

When you take a job to market – be READY.  This sounds silly, but we are seeing so many poor approaches to the current market.  Yes it’s an employers market, but your reputation is still important in any market!  Have the go ahead to actually recruit, update the PD, be able to put time aside to interview, be prepared to make a selection – don’t stall.  And induct!

All simple stuff, we know, but you’d be surprised at how many employers aren’t doing this!

You can read more about our company via the About Us link or by clicking through to our website.

Our blog won’t all be about recruitment – we’re going to delve into issues including talent retention, current hiring practices, redefing our role in the value chain and sharing interesting stories from our business, our customers, and our home town of Brisbane.