Starting a new job at Atradius during lockdown

At the start of lockdown, Francesca had been working in a busy Cardiff hotel for the past four years.

At the start of lockdown, Francesca had been working in a busy Cardiff hotel for the past four years. Her role included long shifts with a mix of front of house work and working behind the scenes in the office. She was also studying for a Master’s degree online so things were busy to say the least.

“When lockdown was enforced, the hospitality sector was hit really hard and I was put on furlough. It made me realise I needed to look for work in an industry that would be more secure and that’s when I came across the role with Atradius. This sort of stability and being part of such an international company attracted me to the role.” explained Francesca.

Francesca was successful in her application and went through the whole recruitment process remotely, she interviewed over the phone due to the lockdown and then started her new role as Policy Support Associate Administrator remotely.

Upon starting her new job working from home she said: “I did not have many expectations; I kept an open mind and I embraced everything that came with the role. There was a level of uncertainty to not being able to work in the office with the rest of the team, but I soon adapted and working from one end of my living room table has now become the norm.”

“Working remotely has changed the whole experience of being a new starter at Atradius, but it has been good enough so far. I have regular online training sessions and weekly virtual meetings with the team, so I feel I am getting to know everyone more and more.”

When asked what the biggest challenge so far has been, Francesca said: “Getting training done just takes slightly longer when done remotely, mostly because it is easier and quicker to approach a colleague in the office rather than sending emails. We are getting used to it now and getting things done, slow but steady. I feel like I am progressing in my role and I have a good work-life balance. I am also starting to know colleagues from other departments, even if it is still via email for now.”

“My advice to anyone who is starting a new job remotely is to be open-minded and give yourself time: learning a new job remotely, even if similar to your previous one, is very time consuming. Be ready to email back and forth your most simple questions rather than shout them out to your colleagues across the desk. Starting a new job remotely is a little harder, but it will be worth it.”

For more information on Atradius, visit the website https://atradius.co.uk. You can also follow @AtradiusUK on Twitter and AtradiusUK on LinkedIn.