Alexandra Pickering

"I think that the personality traits are useful to understand how you like to work and the types of work you would be best suited to. I think that all my personality types are people focused and I agree that I thrive from working with people and seeing them develop. As a project manager the relationships I have with people will determine the success of the project. These personality types also have good communications skills as a core. You can have the best ideas in the world but if you don’t know how to communicate them, they’ll remain in your head. "

"The main purpose of my job is working with people. I don’t have the expertise to do everything, but I know the people who do. I manage project requirements, schedules, budgets and resources to make sure that the project delivers on time, and in line with the requirements of the customer. You can join Babcock on the graduate scheme with starting salaries between £29k and £31k and you’ll have regular pay reviews during the scheme. I am currently on £42k, and project managers running the biggest projects have salaries which reflect the responsibility they have. "

"I decided I wanted to be an engineer after spending my work placement at an engineering training establishment. The things I learned in such a short period were so exciting and varied, and I knew I wanted to learn more about what engineering meant. I studied Mechanical Engineering, and deliberately didn’t specialise because I wanted to leave all my doors open. It wasn’t until my last year that I thought about Marine engineering, and the defence industry – so don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what you want to do. Through university I did placements during my summer holidays and spent a year working in a mass-manufacturing company for a year as part of my course. I loved the industry and the ingenious solutions to complex problems. I joined Babcock on the Engineering Graduate scheme and spent two years doing 3-4 month placements all over the business. This was a brilliant opportunity to try-before-you-buy and I was able to experience lots of different aspects of the site and the hugely varied engineering we do here. After I completed the scheme I knew I wanted to work in project management, arranging projects and delivering them. I have been in this department for almost two years, and have been a Project Manager for eight months. I am still an engineer too, and achieved my Chartered Status in July. This is an incredibly special thing to achieve as it shows that I have reached a level of competence so that I can call myself a professional engineer. "

"Outside of work I like to be outdoors. I grew up in the countryside and I love living in Plymouth with its easy access to Dartmoor and to the sea.I like to be busy and I have been an active member of the local branch of my engineering institution, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, for the last four years. I have helped to run the annual cardboard boat race – which is just as crazy as it sounds. I am also a scout leader with a local group. "

"At the moment my typical day is focused around understanding things which are new to me. I am planning for a project which I have never done before, with a group of people and skills I haven’t worked with before. I set up meetings with key people to discuss what they do and what they will need from me. I use all that information to produce plans for how my project will be done and to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything really important. I spend lots of time emailing people and speaking on the phone, but I always find face-to-face interactions get the best response; there is far less possibility for misunderstanding. "

"A levels – Maths, Futher Maths, Physics, HistoryDegree – Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering with an year in Industry"