Angie Kyparisis

5.30 AM

My alarm goes off and as always, I snooze my alarm twice before hopping out of bed to head to the gym.

6.45 AM

I get home from the gym, sit on the couch to cool off for five minutes and then it’s time for breakfast. At the moment I’m really into sliced tomato, bocconcini, and basil on toast, it’s my go-to breaky along with a coffee. 

7.45 AM

Once I have had a shower, ironed my shirt and am ready for the day ahead, I walk to the local train station and catch the train two stations into the city where our Melbourne office is located. I use my time on the train to look at my calendar and familiarise myself with the meetings I have this week.

8.30 AM

Every morning my first task in the office is to check my emails and make certain that I am up to date with all issues and actions on site. I like to be on top of all correspondence so that my inbox does not fill up. I make a few phone calls to touch base with trade managers and prepare them for the week ahead.

On a Monday morning, I also like to write myself an actions list for the week so I can begin organised. Today is an RDO and this allows me to allocate a day full to administration tasks. These administration tasks include updating my issues and actions registers, creating and distributing commitment requisitions, organising meetings and providing clients with an update of their projects.

10.00 AM

By 10.00 am I am due for another coffee, as is half of the construction services team. We head down to Trunk for a catch-up and check in on all our projects. As we are a close team, this is also a good opportunity to share each other’s news and catch up on our weekends.

10.30 AM

One of my jobs is about to begin in the construction phase and therefore we are in the process of procuring trades. This morning I have three post tender interviews for the carpentry package. The Project Manager and I have conducted tender evaluations and have developed a set of questions and queries for clarification in this meeting. Construction Services have a template for conducting these interviews and therefore I follow this.

12.00 PM

Following the post tender interviews, it is lunchtime! Since I started at Johnstaff the routine lunchtime of the construction team is at midday. We all gather in the “family room” to sit together and have a chat over lunch.

12.30 PM

After lunch, I revise the budget for this project which is about to commence. With a few more quotes having been obtained since the budget was first put together, this budget is becoming more accurate. 

1.30 PM

Today I have a project team meeting at 2.00 pm. I use the half an hour prior to the meeting to print the issues and actions register which I will be using as an agenda for the meeting. I’m lucky this meeting is being held at my office as I do not need to travel anywhere. These meetings are usually very valuable as design changes are made to suit the user requirements. I always ensure that I am note-taking so that I do not forget any important changes.

Following the meeting, I update my register and issue it to the project team. This way I can make sure that all consultants, the client and architects are on the same page.

4.00 PM

It’s the first Monday of the month, so we have our company-wide staff meeting. This typically goes for an hour and covers all topics within the organisation. We learn about advances within the organisation, celebrate birthdays and achievements and talk about upcoming events. I am the chair of the “fun committee” in our Melbourne office so I usually speak for a few minutes to enlighten the team of all upcoming events.

6.00 PM

I’m pretty excited, I’m meeting up with my mentor who I met through the NAWIC mentor program. We are going out for a bite to eat and a catch-up. Having a mentor allows me to bounce ideas off someone who is external to my organisation. Our catch-ups cover all sorts of topics including our personal lives, work and career progression. I would highly recommend jumping at the opportunity to have a mentor in the construction industry, it is nice to have this relationship with another female in the industry. 

8.30 PM

It’s time to go home and unwind before a big day of starting on-site at 6.30 am tomorrow.