About Christina
- Qualifications
- Favourite school subjects
- First full-time job
- What sparked your interest in a construction career?
Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours from UNSW.
I really liked maths and music and loved geography which was mostly to do with my amazing teachers.
My first full-time job was with Multiplex as a graduate straight out of university. Multiplex’s grad program runs for two to three years in total. Each rotation is about six months, so you get good exposure to all the different elements of the business and the possible career paths you can choose. I think it’s a great program and probably one of the best in the industry. It’s well-known and respected for being very comprehensive.
When I finished school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. So I fell into my career in construction and I also pretty much fell into my degree. A career adviser said, “You’re looking strong in maths and sciences, have you thought about applying for an engineering degree?” There seems to be many programs aimed at getting women into STEM now, but back then, not so much.
The first year of engineering at uni was all maths and physics subjects. In my second year at uni, when I started doing some actual work experience, I knew I’d made a good-for-me career choice and I never looked back.
"Getting more women into construction is a passion for most women in the industry. I’m a National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) member, and that’s one of the key aims, not only to get women in but encourage them to stay and promote policies and processes that will help that." - Christina on improving diversity in the construction industry.
Can you tell us about your current job?
As a design manager, I coordinate the consultants’ designs for a project, be it the architects, structural engineers, civil engineers, ensuring they share their deliverables on time to meet construction program dates. I’m also responsible for reviewing the design to ensure it’s done in accordance with the contract requirements, design briefs, that it is actually buildable and that details are robust.
My team and I also facilitate the BCA [Building Code of Australia], DDA [Disability Discrimination Act] reviews, and the like to ensure compliance.
It varies, and it’s probably changed throughout my career as well. I came through the company’s graduate program, then moved into a site engineer role, and onto a project engineer role, before becoming a design manager.
As a design manager, I’m wholly responsible for the design and entirely accountable for a project component. So ensuring it’s rolled out correctly, knowing that a misstep can drastically impact the overall build, is a lot of responsibility.
Being able to communicate clearly and effectively that’s a huge one. Another biggie is problem-solving—I probably spend 75 per cent of my day working on big and small ones.
Respect for others, no matter who they are or their role—we can all learn much from each other. I would say being organised because in my role, you’re managing a lot at once, and if you’re not organised, there’s a high likelihood of not handling it well—each to their own, but if I write it down, I know that it’s going to get done.
"I always say: “There’s no such thing as a stupid question”. I don’t like people feeling like they can’t ask a question because they’re worried that it will reflect poorly on them." - Christina on her work motto.
Why is the construction industry the one to be in?
It’s a rewarding space to work where you (literally) see the results of your work. The industry is fun, you’re dealing with many people in different roles, there can be a lot of banter and no one takes themselves too seriously. At the end of the day everyone is working towards a common goal.
I think the flexibility around hours and days worked is changing, it has changed a lot already since I’ve been in the industry and it will continue to change for the better.
The construction industry is an incredibly dynamic and rewarding industry to join. Everyday is different, and it’s very variable. You will find a positive culture, respect and opportunity and you get to speak and deal with many different people.
At the end of the day, you get a very physical outcome. You get to see the results of your work consistently throughout the entire project build. You will always be working as a part of a team, be it as a contractor, subcontractor, or consultant, and you will get to feel a real sense of team camaraderie as you work towards a common goal.
Yes, I do. One of our regional directors is my champion. I’m not sure if a formal term applies, but they check-in every couple of months. They are in a different business area, and I don’t report to them. We discuss opportunities and career progression. They're an ally, and it’s an awesome professional relationship. Then I’ve also always been able to have a strong mentoring type of relationship with my manager. It’s been a constant across all the projects I’ve worked on. It’s one of many supports valued across the business and in our industry.
As a graduate, I struggled to get timely responses from people on things my manager assigned me. My manager said to just stick with it and that one day it will all just fall into place and I thought sure that’s easy for you to say. But things actually did just fall into place, and I clearly remember the day I realised it. I began to get people to respond with the answers I needed in a shorter time. On reflection, I think it involved developing respectful relationships with those people. You have to show people you’re not there to hinder but to help.
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What are three things good construction employers do?
Talented people want to work for construction companies that can provide these three things:
- Positive culture
- Great respect
- Outstanding opportunity.
What’s next careerwise? And, in the longer term?
I enjoy working for Multiplex as a company. I enjoy the business and want to progress to being a project manager. I’d love to be a project manager and complete an iconic project from start to finish. A defining project that you can drive past and show and tell your kids. I think that would be amazing. It’ll take a few years to get there, but that’s where I’m looking to head. However, I’ve never been one to have a fixed five-year or ten-year career plan.
I haven’t been a big career planner, so my career so far has progressed naturally but now I’m ready to plan more. I’ve taken the advice to be clear and communicate more widely so that people know what I aspire to and can help support and guide me to my future career ambition.
I think a Sydney CBD project. Unlike other cities around the world, anytime you build anything new here, it’s pretty much visible from everywhere else in Sydney. So you can really impact the way that the skyline looks from afar. And there’s so much happening to Sydney’s skyline that’s unique, from the individual building to the collective skyline.
Do your research on each business, and tailor each application to suit. Make sure you understand the organisation, its values and its purpose and reference it. Take the time to highlight who you are as a person, so they almost know you by reading your cover letter and why you want to work at that business.