What drives you? What motivates you to come to work each day?
My family, definitely, my wife and I have just moved to Cornwall with our 2 girls and being able to enjoy the little things in life with them gets me out of bed every day. Coming into work and giving it 100% just feels like I’m securing their futures.
What do you like most about working on our team at UTM?
There’s a massive sense of achievement that comes with the role, whether it’s securing a placement or solving a logistical issue, it’s always an energetic work environment where the team shares in its victories.
What resources do you need to be successful at your job?
Colleagues! The amount of information following through the office every day is mind boggling but the wealth of experience in UTM means you can always throw out a question and someone will point you in the right direction.
What has surprised you about the job in the first few months?
The international nature of the business was new for me, having to navigate visa applications and travel across the world adds an unexpected level of complexity to the logistics of supplying contractors, yet it’s also been rewarding to graft at some of these situations and make sure that candidates land jobs that they otherwise wouldn’t. And just the shear amount of work that goes into the background of what we do to get boots on deck.
What do you think are the key skills for your role?
Strong communication is vital for making sure that tasks aren’t dropped through the ever changing priorities of vacancies, calls and travel details that we receive daily; overall strong IT and administrative skills for maintaining high standards but also being personable enough to get on the phones and make sure everyone knows we’re providing a grade A service.
What are some highlights of the job so far?
With the fast nature of the business the managers have been excellent from day 1 at ensuring that we all get a chance to blow off some steam as a team. Being able to just ask if I can organise an event and then run with it to completion so we can get out of the office for a few hours and enjoy ourselves has been great.
Tell me about the best day you’ve had so far. And the worst day.
The best day I’ve had to date was probably at Ocean Business; 2 weeks into the job, in the heart of the industry meeting technically minded people and high end managers and gauging the sense of energy in the sector. It wasn’t what I expected when I moved to Cornwall at all, it’s much more interesting!
My worst day was probably last month where I’d started to work more and more in personnel coordination and just couldn’t seem to get a placement to stick! No beginners luck for me. But I’ve cracked on and the curse is broken!
What is the biggest challenge you face on a daily basis?
Ensuring that every task gets the full attention it deserves. Sometimes you just have to drown out the background and focus on ensuring a document is immaculate, but then when it’s complete having the aptitude to switch straight back in to the bustle of the office.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I’m really into table top games of any description and have regular nerd-nights lined up for after work, yet most of my time is spent with the kids. Kayaking, swimming, walking the dog. All these things fill up weekends far too quickly but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? Are UTM helping you to get there?
I’d like to get back to managing a small team, a role that I’ve really enjoyed in the past. Absolutely, we’re growing all the time and I’m cementing my grasp of the day to day running of the business. I’m looking forward to providing that training to future members of UTM staff
