Information About Fiona - Tooting trainer

Personal Description:

Expertise: Project Management Coach & CV/Job-search Coach

I am a degree qualified P3O, PMP® and PRINCE2 project management PMO professional with over 20 years’ experience working in the UK and in Australia in Project/Programme/Portfolio/PMO roles. I have worked in the Financial, Banking, Government, Regulatory, IT, Telecommunication, Property/Real Estate and Education industries, and have experience in both public and private sector environments utilising various methodologies (Agile/Waterfall/Hybrid).
My key skills include: - Project Management; Project Planning & Scheduling (MS Project); Issues, Risks & Financial Management; Reporting; Change Control & Documentation Management; Implementation & Logistics; Stakeholder & Vendor management
Key clients have included: - London Metal Exchange, HSBC, RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), Lloyds, Barclays, UKRI (UK Research and Innovation), Deutsche Bank, The Financial Services Authority (before it split into the FCA/PRA), National Australia Bank, Telstra - Australia's leading telecommunication company, NCR Teradata, Terra Firma Management Consultancy.

I coach students/professionals who are either already working in, or are keen to get into, a project management function, and progress in the areas of Project/Programme/Portfolio Management. I've worked in the field of Project Management professionally since 1999 in Australia, and in London since 2007.

< CV/Job search Coach Expertise>
My roles in London have been predominantly as an independent contractor earning a competitive day rate both as a PAYE Inside IR35 contractor via an umbrella company, and by providing services Outside IR35 via my own limited company. In addition to having project management expertise, being a successful contractor requires the ability to land new roles (usually a lot more frequently than permanent employees). I have achieved this by having a well written CV and LinkedIn profile, interviewing well, and understanding how to navigate the job-search and recruitment processes in London.

Training Experience:

I have completed the following education/qualifications: -
*P3O Portfolio/Programme/Project Office Registered Practitioner– ILX, UK, 2012
*PRINCE2 Re-Registered Practitioner– APM Group, UK, 2011
*PRINCE2 Qualified Practitioner– Rational Management, Australia, 2005
*Certified PMP® (Project Management Professional) – Project Management Institute, UK, 2008
*Master’s Certificate in Project Management - George Washington University, USA, 2004
*Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Management/Marketing) - Monash University, Australia, 1999
*Bachelor of Arts Degree (Japanese Studies) - Monash University, Australia, 1999
*Chiba University International scholarship program - Chiba University, Japan, 1998

On the job throughout my career, I have coached colleagues with less experience in project management. This has included both less experienced junior members of the team, as well as senior managers who may have more senior roles due to technical subject matter expertise, but who are less experienced or knowledgeable about project management.

My experience with CV presentation and job-search has led me to receiving 16 contract role offers in the past 17 years across 10 clients. In late 2020 when one contract finished and I was looking for my next role I obtained 3 leads for unadvertised roles via my network, interviewed for each of them and received job offers for all 3 roles (then chose the one I preferred and worked there for 2.5 years).

Some of my CV job-search coaching client successes include: -
*Person who was made redundant from a role in venture capital to transitioning into a career in Project Management Office
*Person who had been in a permanent project management role for 4.5 years and was made redundant, transitioned into contracting in project management and doubled their salary.
*Person who had historically done sales and account management roles (with some project management tasks within the roles), transformed their CV to highlight the project management experience and they transitioned into a training project manager role.

Training Approach:

I provide bespoke training/coaching aligned to goals and needs, broadly via the following framework: -

1.Assessment - Evaluate current knowledge, skills, strengths, and areas for improvement.

2. Establishing Clear Goals - [Short-term]: Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. [Long-term]: Broader objectives to achieve over the course of the tutoring.

3. Personalized Learning/Coaching Plan - Develop a customized plan based on the student's needs and goals which could cover some/several of the following, and more …
• Introducing and explaining relevant concepts and skills
• Working through tasks and problem-solving together.
• Reviewing work/information produced by student.
• Discussing challenges.
• Offering support and guidance.

4. Ongoing Assessment & Feedback - Regularly assess progress against objectives and obtain feedback via check-ins.