We interviewed our volunteer Marina Sarkoski as part of our Living Culture at Fortis series, to discuss her experience with Fortis Consulting, company values and how the team that makes up an organisation is intrisinc to a companies performance.
I knew I was interested in the consulting field and coming from a health background and studying an MBA with specialisation in health care along with leadership and management I was attracted to Fortis’ projects that they work on. Ultimately my goal is to become a consultant later in my career; my value proposition as a consultant will be working and having impact on social services.
Mainly I was looking for hands on project experience. To gain further exposure to project management: how methodologies work and are implemented, project planning etc. I also wanted to obtain a feel for management consulting as my focus career wise has been in this area.
Fortis have been very supportive and clear in their daily instruction. This experience has helped me understand how I can contribute whilst reaching satisfactory outcomes for the company and myself personally. Volunteering here has helped me position myself in my career path to recently obtain a new career in rural health which I’m excited to undertake in 2019.
At the start I was overwhelmed with the amount of information & required reading to “get up to speed” on the project I was assigned. The first two days were the hardest as there was limited supervision and short time frames to meet project requirements. The following weeks were less daunting as Mylynda became my one to one support throughout the duration of my volunteer period. She was amazing support. The whole team are truly wonderful for the support they provide!
I have racked my brain on this one, I don’t think they could have changed anything about this . Fortis has a strong support network with their team. I feel really grateful for what I have been provided with. They have allowed me to work on a number of different projects. For me, each day is so new and different. I’ve been exposed to so many practices and projects it’s really been a great experience.
I wouldn’t change a single thing about Fortis. I have received and gained more than I expected from my time here. I honestly feel that I have achieved what I wanted to. I don’t know any company or firm that does this helping others gain exposure the way Fortis does. The staff provide so much support and take time from their own busy schedules to give you coaching, mentoring and support to ensure that you reach your desired outcomes and those of the project you are working on. I truly learnt to appreciate the work that the team does whilst also offering us the opportunity to grow.
“The best way to learn is to be thrown into the deep end” so they say. For me; it’s been personally rewarding to have this experience but also know that there is a great deal of support from the staff and that they able to adjust to meet an individuals skill set and desired outcomes.
Having an end career goal in mind for Management Consulting in just a short period I have learnt a lot about the insudtry. I’ve also met some wonderful people!
1) Communication is vital. Don’t be afraid to speak up when you are unsure
2) I have a much greater understanding of consulting & project life cycles
3) Honed my research ability on a complex project where information being provided differed