Innovation and expansion of the Pekabex Group’s operations to new areas is associated with the introduction of completely new positions, among which you will find the one held by Aleksandra Wilczyńska from the Development Department.I must admit that for the first time I met with the name of the Fit-out & FF&E Coordinator position during the preparations for the conversation with you. What do you do in your work in the Development Department?
I will start by explaining and deciphering the abbreviation in the name. Simply put, Fit-out is a comprehensive design and finishing of a given space, and FF&E means furniture and elements of equipment that are not permanently connected to the place where they are located.
It can be said that I deal with project coordination between people involved in a given project and the implementation of the investment. I mean both people from Pekabex from the Development Department, e.g. a project manager, as well as external architects, interior or landscape architects… It all depends on the assumptions made already at the stage of the investment concept. It is also important to make detailed cost estimates of finishes so that the implementation of the project fully meets the client’s needs and is additionally consistent with the adopted budget. In fact, new challenges related to the Department’s projects appear all the time, which makes the work very interesting.
What were your beginnings in this position like?
At the beginning, a big challenge was to implement myself in a completely new environment for me, which is working in a development company that builds in a prefabrication system. It was very important for me to thoroughly understand the specifics of the entire process, from the concept through the project, to the construction and commissioning of the investment. Of course, I could count on the help of co-workers who were happy to help me in this and patiently answered questions. An important element at the beginning was also the implementation of Development investments and thorough familiarization with projects that have already been started.
What competencies and skills do you need to work in your field?
I graduated in economics and interior design and I think that these two seemingly different specializations help me a lot in my daily work. Every day I try to combine the ability to think analytically with creative and creative work. The key in my work is good organization and proper communication, which helps to build relationships with people and companies that cooperate with the Development department on new investments and is useful in teamwork, which is a lot with us. Certainly, knowledge of the finishing and equipment industry and the ability to estimate them is also very important.
You have extensive work experience. What do you think matters most during an interview? Some focus on communication skills, others on experience, others on the knowledge of foreign languages.
I think all of these have an impact on employment. However, if I have to indicate the most important features, it is certainly the knowledge of the fit-out industry both from the design and execution side, the ability to estimate costs and communication, which I have already mentioned. In my opinion, resistance to stress, which can be provided to us at work, for example, by deadlines chasing us or unexpected situations during the implementation of the investment, is also important.
What advice would you give to people interested in working in the Development Department in Pekabex, who is still at the stage of secondary school or studies? Is there anything they can do now to improve their competences?
It will certainly be helpful to be familiar with the broadly understood construction industry, both knowledge of prefabrication technology and the entire development market. In fact, it all depends on the exact direction in which a person thinking about working in the Development Department wants to develop. A big plus would be the interest in the real estate market and architecture, but also knowledge of current trends related to this topic.
Thank you very much for the interview!