Debbie joined Make in November 2022, looking for a fresh start in a new sector. From day one she embraced the friendly, supportive culture and quickly became a key part of the team. Her role has grown to support multiple areas of the business, giving her variety, confidence, and new skills. Stepping up during a challenging period proved to be her biggest achievement, showing just how capable she is. For Debbie, the best part of Make is the people, the collaboration, and helping the team’s day run smoothly.
Q- What made you choose to work at Make?
I’d like to say that it was because I had a long-standing interest in Building Consultancy, but that’s not true! To be honest, I had just come out of a very difficult job experience working in the charity sector, and I needed a job with less emotional stress and drama. When this job opportunity was offered to me, I jumped at it. The location was great, the people seemed really nice and it was a brand new sector, so lots to learn, but the Admin role was also familiar enough to not be too daunting!
Q- What was your first impression of Make when you joined?
The team are very friendly. It’s a much less formal atmosphere than I was used to after spending 20 years working for a big City of London Investment firm, but I found that refreshing. I also had a lot of support and encouragement from my fellow administrators and other members of the team, which made a big impact on my first few weeks/ months. It’s nice to work in a place where people always have the time to help each other out.
Q- Talk us through your journey with Make so far.
I started in November 2022 in a role that involved the general office administration and working specifically with our Commercial Team. My role hasn’t changed that much, in essentials, but it has broadened and deepened in its scope, and now I also work with the Education and Blue Light teams.
Q- What’s the best thing about working at Make?
The people – there’s a really friendly, collaborative atmosphere. We work hard, but there’s a lot of laughter.
Q- What does a typical day look like for you?
There is honestly no such thing as a typical day, and that’s what I like best about the job – every day is different and every day I’m working with different members of the team, which I enjoy. I could be working on documents, booking meetings/ site visits, managing diaries, ordering supplies, prepping agendas/ minutes, processing invoices, uploading to CRMs or just emptying the bins and making sure the plants don’t die – I was told, when I interviewed, that it would be more than just an admin role, its about looking out for everyone in the team, being a safe pair of hands and creating a healthy happy workplace and I guess that’s true.
Q- What do you like most about your role?
I love the variety – I’ve learned so much since I started here and I’ve gained a lot of confidence, which I think can be seen in the new/ different tasks that I’m now being asked to do. I also really enjoy when we have client meetings – I really enjoy the buzz and making sure people are looked after.
Q- What do you find most challenging about your role?
Juggling all the different demands – we’re a busy team, with some important clients and balancing priorities can be tough sometimes.
Q- What have been your biggest achievements during your time with Make?
This one is easy… When a colleague of mine, my admin buddy, decided to move on, I wasn’t sure how I’d cope without her! I knew it would take a while to find a replacement and it was a daunting prospect, being the only full-time admin, and I didn’t want to let anyone down! But, to my surprise, I coped well. It actually turned out to be a great opportunity for growth and to step up. It was hard work, but I had lots of support, and it gave me a huge amount of confidence in myself and what I’m capable of.
Q- What motivates you to do your best work each day?
I believe that the role of Admin is to make other people’s jobs easier and everything run as smoothly as possible, and I genuinely enjoy that aspect of the job – if I can make someone’s day better, help lighten the load and make their job easier, that makes me happy!
Q- If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting in your role, what would it be?
I think this applies to anyone starting any role – Don’t put too much pressure on yourself – you can’t know everything at the beginning and there really is no such thing as a stupid question.