Did you know that 69% of employees work better if they have been recognized for their work? We make it easy to recognize our employees at Vancouver Career College because we value the dedicated and hardworking individuals that make up our staff. We had the pleasure of interviewing our delightful administrative receptionist Cherry, who works at our Vancouver campus.
Cherry started working at the Burnaby campus of Vancouver Career College in 2018. The following year in January, she moved to the downtown Vancouver campus, where she continued her admin role.
She hadn't been employed for over 25 years as she was a stay-at-home parent raising children. Now that her children have grown up, she was ready to enter the workforce again. Cherry heard from a friend about Vancouver Career College's employment opportunity for a receptionist.
Though the position was initially supposed to be part-time, it quickly grew into a full-time position, and she's been here ever since!
Cherry shared the journey she experienced to get where she is today. She feels that her career path wasn’t linear or traditional. After graduating from high school, she became a hairdresser, then an optician, and finally decided that she wanted to work in an office after taking computer courses. After starting a family, Cherry began working in her own property management company, where she got to travel and meet with different stakeholders of the business.
After realizing that she loved interacting she thought to herself, "Wouldn't it be nice to get a role where I can constantly meet new people?" Little did she know that the receptionist role would allow her to do so. Today Cherry meets new domestic and international students on a daily basis.
When asked what she was passionate about, Cherry said that she loves helping people because she finds it extremely rewarding to know that she had made a difference in someone's life. She loves hearing students' stories and talking about returning to school and their studies.
Despite the role being interactive and getting to engage with others, Cherry sometimes faces challenges getting to know new coworkers as they transition into the workplace culture. This is a common scenario in workplaces; however, Cherry likes to get to know new people and develop relationships apart from work to overcome this. Building rapport with coworkers allows Cherry and others to get along at work and to get to know each other.
When asked about her future plans professionally, Cherry said that she really enjoys what she is currently doing and due to her older age, she appreciates the balance that her current role creates in her life.
"The work-life balance keeps me here, and the hours are awesome. Since I am an early riser, I can get a lot started before work and come in before it starts to get busy. I also appreciate having time to myself after work. Another plus is getting to leave a little earlier and have a relaxing, stress-free weekend so I can feel refreshed."-Cherry says.
Fun fact: Cherry is actually allergic to all fruit except pineapples, and yes, even cherries! She is especially allergic to them!