Orientation and First Weeks
During my first weeks working with the Vancouver Campus Management Team in the Executive Offices, I was timid and slightly scared to say the least. I was shifting from a recent retail position to a professional office job on a decently large university campus. I knew that there would be lots of things for me to learn while adjusting to this position, so I didn't pressure myself to try and perfect every task I was given. Taking this pressure off of myself gave me room to learn and make small fixable mistakes that would only help me become a better employee. I was given an amazing debrief by all of the team members on what my daily tasks would be and the upcoming events I would be assisting with.
During the first month or so, I fully worked in the office with no work from home days. I found that this really helped immerse me in the campus culture and made it easier to connect with other staff and faculty members. Throughout the first month, I met so many new people who I would eventually be seeing every time I was on campus. In such a short amount of time, and as "cheesy" as it sounds, the SFU Vancouver campus truly felt like a second home.
Day to Day
My day-to-day tasks really varied, which is something I enjoyed. The variety made my position exciting, as there were no two days that felt the same. During my time with SFU Vancouver, I assisted with the transition of the website from the old template (CLF3) to the new version (CLF4). A large portion of my time was focused on completing the transition, but I was also helping with events including Wellness Days, the Welcome Back BBQ and many Lunch ‘n’ Learns throughout the year.
Learning and Adaptation
As mentioned in my first week's brief, I didn’t pressure myself to show up as the “perfect” employee. I was comfortable enough to ask to ask if I was confused with tasks, or needed extra clarification here and there. I had previous experience with the platform Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) that was used to build the website, but there were other platforms that I had to get familiar with in order to complete some monthly tasks. One of the platforms by the name of Campaigner is used by the team to send out staff newsletters via email. This was a platform I was not familiar with, and it definitely took some getting used to. I would use Campaigner to track analytics to see how many interactions we would receive on the newsletter. After a month I was familiar with the app and was able to continue tracking for the team, making it easier for them in the future.
Accomplishments and Challenges
As I worked through different tasks, I noticed that at some points I wouldn’t take the time to read through the copy I just wrote, which led to grammar and punctuation mistakes that needed further proof reading. After discussing this area of improvement with my two supervisors, I found that this was a small bump in the road that I would need to re-evaluate. As I took on more tasks, I took their feedback and applied it, which led to positive attention the next time we had a meeting.
A major accomplishment during my term with SFU Vancouver was competing the website project we were actively working on. It was beyond rewarding to see gratitude and thanks flow in from the team!
Cultural and Environmental Observations
During my work term, I noticed the variety of culture on the Vancouver campus. Each department is so different, yet the community is so tight-knit and welcoming at the same time. When I first started I was able to interact with other departments right away, as everyone was warm and welcoming to new staff.
I also took the time to get to know my own team as well! It was great to have conversations throughout the work day to take our minds away from the stress by talking about topics such as the latest trends, our favorite foods or our plans for the rest of the day. I felt that the opportunities to talk and bond with the team helped me get up in the morning motivated for the work day ahead.
Wrap Up
I can't believe a year has flown by so fast! I am beyond happy that I was able to connect with so many people in the SFU community during my term. I learned so much that I will carry with me as I venture on to my future positions!
