Background
Olivia Healy joined Auxilion in 2017 as temporary cover on reception. Her journey with the company since then has been fascinating. In 2019, she became a Service Coordinator. She told us about her story with Auxilion so far and her plans for the future.
“I was in university studying Business Studies and French. I was in my second year of a four-year degree and I wanted some office experience. I’d done waitressing since I was 16 and I wanted to try something else. I thought I wanted to do HR, but I wasn’t totally sure. I was looking at trying to get some experience over the summer, and my father worked for a tech company that happened to be an Auxilion partner. The receptionist here at the time happened to be going on maternity leave for the summer, which worked out well for me in terms of timing.
“So I got an interview, which went well, and I took over the role for the summer. Then the day I started, the receptionist I was due to be covering for went into labour! So I didn’t get that much handover as it worked out, I was just thrown right in, which worked out well in a way. We had set up a lot of training time, but it didn’t work out that way in the end!”
After that dramatic start, how did Olivia settle into the role?
“It was really interesting, it was my first time working in an office. Working reception, you really get to know everyone. And everyone was really friendly, people would invite me along to lunch and help me settle in and everything which I really appreciated.”
Permanent role
As it turned out, the end of this temporary role wasn’t the end of Olivia’s story with Auxilion.
“I went to France for my third year of university. I got a text from Paula, my first manager here, saying that they still hadn’t replaced me and asking when I was getting back. And it so happened that I was flying back the next day! So again, the timing was perfect. It was a total coincidence. I went straight back into reception for another summer, and then I went and finished college. But I stayed in touch and we talked about me coming back after finishing.
“I was back waitressing while I finished my degree, which I completed in May of that year. I had no idea what I was going to do after, and then I heard again from Paula that there was a job that she thought I should interview for. She sent me the spec, it was a brand new role as a Service Coordinator. It was a very different role than what I’d done before, and it was still really taking shape. But I was asked to come in and interview and I got it! That was July of 2019, I’ve been in that role ever since.”
There have been further twists since then, however.
“I moved to Edinburgh in March of 2020, right as the pandemic was starting. I was due to leave the company but Mark, my manager, suggested working remotely. I wasn’t sure that would be for me, but we agreed to start with two months to see if it was working, and I’m still here two years later!
I really couldn’t imagine working in another company at this stage. I’ve got really used to knowing the people I work with very well and I really enjoy my role. I go back and forth to Dublin still as well, so that helps to keep me feeling very connected to the company.”
Day-to-day role
How would Olivia describe the day-to-day role of a Service Coordinator?
“The role and the team around me have evolved a lot since I started which has been really interesting. The department has changed quite a lot and I’ve taken that journey along with it. The Service Coordinator role didn’t exist before, so I’ve had a lot of ownership of it. I work with a few different teams and do different kinds of support. The role is always evolving.”
Olivia has also been able to develop the role herself to a significant extent.
“I’ve really been able to shape the role and I’ve had a lot of support in doing that. When there have been things that I’ve wanted to become more involved in, I’ve always been supported in that. When I’ve had suggestions, they’ve really been taken on board.”
Olivia’s role also allows her to collaborate with colleagues from across the company.
“I’ve been able to get to know different parts of the company well and to work with people in different roles and different departments. From working on reception, I felt like I had a broad understanding of the company. Now in this department, I think I’m learning much more again. It’s nice to have some insight into all those different roles and I work closely with a lot of different people and get to understand their jobs.”
Company culture
How would Olivia describe the company culture at Auxilion?
“When I was working on reception early on, everyone who was coming in and out would always stop to chat- maybe because they wanted an excuse not to go back to their desks! But it meant I built up relationships with everyone in each department. It helped me to develop those relationships with people and in my role now I can reach out to those people for help or advice or support with anything. And everyone is so helpful and approachable. It’s something I was saying to people who started during the pandemic: to not be afraid to reach out. People really are keen to help. And I always say, ask me, and if I can’t answer, I can tell you who will be able to.”
Challenges
Of course, working with multiple departments on various projects can bring certain challenges.
“I work with so many teams and every team has a different priority. That can be a challenge, trying to manage people and deadlines and expectations. Everyone has their own priorities and deadlines. At first that could be a little overwhelming, but I’ve learned how to deal with it now. I establish deadlines with people and set clear expectations with them which works really well and keeps everyone on the same page. And communicating consistently really helps to make everything run smoothly.”
Future ambitions
How does Olivia see things progressing from here?
“That’s what Mark, my manager, asks in every one-to-one! ‘Where are we going next with this role?’ This is actually the first year where I feel like I have a clear answer, my idea of how I’d like things to progress is getting a bit clearer. I’d like to stay within delivery, it’s such a big department and there’s so much to learn in it. One of my ambitions now is to learn more about each role within delivery to really get to understand them. I think that’ll give me a clearer idea again of exactly where I want to go. In my role, it’s great that I have some exposure to all the other roles before jumping into anything.”
“I’m lucky that service delivery is so big. But I know also that because of the culture here, if I said, for example, that I wanted to move into marketing, I know it would be supported. I think here so many people do that, move into different areas, and they’re supported in doing that. It’s something a lot of companies say, but my experience has really borne it out.”
