Seeing the whole picture from the beginning – being able to try out and prove yourself as a young employee
Elektra Burazi and Jens Zerwes talk about their work and their ambitions as junior project managers
To start with a stereotype: must a good project manager have plenty of grey hair and years to his name, and possibly also be a man?
EB: I am sure I will be able to fulfil the first criterion at some point, but the second certainly not. But this is also not necessary. And yes, as a young woman, you are certainly challenged by the older colleagues on the project. You have to be willing to meet this challenge on a human and content level: through clear, open behaviour and good personal manners, and you also have to be knowledgeable and reliable as a project manager. I trust my intuition here and I also rely on people who support me. Our senior managers are always at our side to help us.
JZ: You need to have a certain amount of courage as a young manager, but well calculated, of course. I spent two and a half years as a working student in project management, including on a major rail project. And in my Bachelor thesis I analysed evaluation methods for project management performance. All of this gives me a solid functional foundation for the job.