Career Focus
I studied a Bachelor of Business at Griffith University majoring in Management.
I work with the Accommodation Industry and the sub-sectors that I am keen to target include:
- Hotels and Serviced Apartments
- Student Accommodation
- Aged Care Facilities
- Remote & Mining Accommodation
- Government owed/operated Accommodation Facilities
Organizations i am currently working with include:
- Meriton Serviced Apartments
- Rydges Hotels
- Harvey Norman
- QLD Government
- Icon Constructions
Job Roles I have held include:
- Director
- General Manager
- Project & Logistics Manager
Duties I have performed include:
- Planning, managing and monitoring projects within a project management framework to achieve established goals and objectives.
- Prioritizing, scheduling and performing work to meet deadlines, commitments and service level agreements.
- Liaising and consulting with clients and stakeholders.
- Undertaking in-depth research and analysis
- Preparing and delivering high-level verbal and written advice
Skills & Attributes I have which help me perform my work include:
- Experience in planning, managing and monitoring projects
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Well developed research and analytical skills
- Proficient with information technology; keeping abreast with advances in technology
- Strong organizational skills
- Intermediate level Chinese language speaker (Mandarin)
- Regular practice of yoga and meditation keeps me calm and focused
- Committed to seeking engagement with and providing opportunities for Indigenous Australians
Interview / Personal Reflection
Interviewee: Lee Bermingham
Position: General Manager
Organization: Qantac / QCV
Phone: +61 409 778 134
Email address: lee.bermingham@qantac.com
I started my own hotel furniture business with two others last November 2015. I am also employed as General Manager of another small company doing kitchens, bathrooms and furniture packages. This assignment has made me reflect on whether I really love what I am doing and what I can do to further myself along my career path. I chose to interview Lee Bermingham because of our close working relationship and his many years of experience as a manager in a similar industry to mine (accommodation services) and, prior to that, his experience in politics. Mr Bermingham has over 40 years’ experience in government, public policy, major projects delivery, property development and construction management. Mr Bermingham is his company’s expert on local government approvals and liaisons with impacted stakeholders. He understands the importance of working with all stakeholders to identify opportunities for win-win outcomes, and has experience in the negotiation of Indigenous Land Use Agreements, Land Access and Compensation Agreements and infrastructure delivery offsets.
Lee was the Executive Director for Regional Economic Development, Queensland Government and a Special Advisor to the Queensland Government’s Minister for Business, Industry and Tourism in the 1990s. Between 2000 and 2009, Lee was Queensland Executive Manager for a national development company responsible for the delivery of over $500m of projects in residential, commercial and retail sectors. Since 2009 Lee has worked intimately with national solutions providers to deliver accommodation outcomes to support the Queensland resources and infrastructure sectors, driving approvals for temporary accommodation villages with over 10,000 beds across various sites. This work ensures he is intimately involved in the social and policy environments of major mining and gas regions primarily in Queensland.
Lee graduated from Modern Asian Studies, Griffith University with First Class Honours.
As I am well into my professional career, Lee’s advice for me was more about professional and personal development, rather than getting into employment. Firstly he believes that it’s very important that I finish my degree, not just for the information that is gained, but for the discipline that is gained throughout the process. That discipline is very important for anything that one may want to achieve. As a managing director, and one with a degree, this is a very valuable thing to my current and future prospects. Lee believes you’ve got to work smart rather than work hard. Using time productively is very important. Life is not about work, life is about enjoyment, fulfilment, creativity – we work to do these things. In Australia we have the problem of living to work rather than working to live (like they do in France).
Lee says it is important to know what you want to do, and suspects this assignment is mostly about that. He said that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. It’s easy to be energetic when you enjoy something. Don’t underestimate yourself, believe you can do more. Go for the jobs you really want, don’t settle for the base. Be prepared to do a lot of different jobs and roles, the workplace changes quickly these days.
Lee knows how many hours I put into work, and coupled with completing university, I’m incredibly busy at times. He tells me overwork is not good for your personal productivity, nor for that of your workers. Lee likes to have one at least one overseas holiday per year; it’s good for the soul.
When it comes to professional relationships, lee tells me it’s important to be nice/civil to people. In business sometimes people are never friends or enemies forever. Don’t burn your bridges.
Strive to stay up to date with developments in your industry. Lee is a member of several professional organizations and groups, which have proved excellent to stay up to date to developments in the industry, as well as fantastic networking opportunities. Lee says the ability to swim with the tide and “go with the flow” is important to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. Lastly, he says that in the modern world, it’s easy to work flexibly. If you can try to take advantage of this you can better find space to be creative and have a more fulfilling work/life balance.
Written Report
Challenges for employees seeking to develop their careers after graduating from University
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Globalisation
3. Automation
4. Professional Development
5. Networking
6. Social Networking
7. Conclusion
1. Introduction:
This report looks at challenges for employees seeking to develop their careers after graduating from University. Modern technology has provided the impetus for large changes in the way we do business. The phenomenon of globalisation has broken down traditional barriers in the work environment. We are operating in an increasingly borderless and interconnected space. The automation of many tasks can take the place of jobs previously done by humans. To remain competitive in an increasingly competitive market place, employees need to stay abreast of technological advancements and use them to their advantage. Ongoing professional development and robust social and business networks are critical to the success of the modern employee.
2. Globalisation:
Globalisation means the modern employee is not just competing with others from the same town or country, but against a global market place. Wage rates for workers from India or Brazil may be far below that of an Australian, and many tasks can be completed from anywhere in the world, provided you have a PC and Internet access. Employers are increasingly looking at advantages from outsourcing to lower wage rate countries with similar skill levels for some tasks, and large multinationals are even relocating whole operations to the most competitive market place. The core challenges a modern employee will face include increased competition, being able to work in multinational teams and having a broad understanding of different cultural backgrounds. Training required includes language skills, special competencies and the development of global leadership skills (Brian, 2013).
3. Automation:
Many companies are automating or computerising tasks previously performed by humans. For example, in the Australian mining industry, machinery such as trucks and excavators is now being operated by an automated computer system. The growing use of technology in sales is shown through the growing use of Sales Force Automation (SFA) products (Sinisalo, 2015). SFA technology collects and stores customer information such as purchasing history and demographics. From a managerial viewpoint, implementation of mobile SFA is found to improve sales force productivity by up to 150 per cent (Sinisalo, 2015). While this technology may have superseded a role previously done by a human, it can also present an opportunity to tech savvy employees who are able to use this automatically generated information to their advantage. While automation of marketing and sales can save central resources time and money, it does not mean you can sit back and let technology do all the work. The success of automated systems depends on the human input in understanding business and customer needs in the first place, and being able to react and adapt to changes (Bagshaw, 2015).
4. Professional Development
Employees need to stay up to date with developments in their industry. This can be done through ongoing education (either company or personal), joining professional groups and seeking mentors. Many workplaces offer employees training courses and opportunities for further their knowledge. However, when the employee rather than the workplace initiated professional development, results indicated that intrinsic benefits were most salient (Sankey, 2014). Professional and industry groups can also be of great benefit in keeping members up to date of changes, new technologies, opportunities and threats in their industry, as well as an excellent networking prospect. Ghosh (2012) makes the point that universities, and business schools in particular, have focused more on the development of class room skills rather than skills required in a professional environment. Mentors can share their wealth of experience with a mentee and can greatly assist in preparing a graduate student for the “real world” of business or work beyond academia. A good mentor not only assists with career development but with leadership and character development as well. These important characteristics go beyond the scope of traditional university course work but are no less important to the success of an individual.
5. Networking
Networking is a key skill for any employee looking to further their career. A challenge for employees is that it is a skill that will come naturally to some while others may have a personality type that is not as comfortable in social situations. Or given a person’s particular background, schooling and work history to date, this may affect the networking opportunities that are presented to them. While the Internet means we are more connected than ever, there is continuing growth in the occurrence of networking events (Mitchell, 2016). In particular, the value these events offer an individual are professional, learning, reputational, innovation as well as social, emotional, hedonic and relationship (Mitchell, 2016). Employees should make an effort to network inside their organisation as well as attend industry functions and networking events to enhance their future prospects.
6. Social Networking
Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are increasingly being used by both organisations undertaking recruitment and selection and job seekers alike. Employees should very conscious of posts made to your social network. Businesses are increasingly aware of the activities of their employees via social media. Human resources departments are not just using social networking sites to attract applicants, but also to screen them (Gaenor et al. 2014). This presents both a risk and opportunity to job seekers. Employees should be mindful of their posts to social media and can use these platforms to create an online profile that is desirable to your current or preferred employer.
7. Conclusion:
Modern employees seeking to develop their careers need to be mindful and engaged with the opportunities and threats presented by globalisation. Advances in technology need to be understood and used to their advantage if possible. Ongoing education in the employees industry is important, as is the membership of any applicable professional organisation and attendance at industry information and networking events. Networking is as important as ever; seeking and maintaining strong professional relationships either with mentors, colleagues or potential clients should be a key focus to any employee looking to succeed. Social networks are a large part of our modern personal and professional lives; employees should be careful not to blur the lines and understand that what they post in a personal setting may influence those in a professional situation.
References:
Bagshaw, Anthony, 2015 “What is Marketing Automation?” Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing PracticeVol. 17 Is. 2pp. 84-85.
Brian, J. Hurn (2013) "Response of managers to the challenges of globalisation” Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 45 Is. 6 pp.336 – 342
Gaenor Roberts & Sally Sambrook (2014) “Social networking and HRD” Human Resource Development International, Vol. 17 Is. 5 pp. 577-587
Ghosh, Rajashi, 2012 “Mentors Providing Challenge and Support: Integrating Concepts From Teacher Mentoring in Education and Organizational Mentoring in Business” Human Resource Development Review Vol. 12 Is. 2 pp. 144-176
Mitchell, Vincent-Wayne, 2016 “Why should I attend? The value of business networking events” Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 52 pp. 100-108
Sankey, Kim S. 2014 “Employee participation in non-mandatory professional development - the role of core proactive motivation processes” International Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 18 Is. 4 pp. 241-255
Sinisalo, Jaakko; Karjaluoto, Heikki; Saraniemi, Saila, 2015 “Barriers to the use of mobile sales force automation systems: a salesperson's perspective” Journal of Systems and Information Technology Vol. 17 Is. 2 pp. 121-140