Amy Kennedy discusses the changing nature of recruitment and the skills she uses to tackle unknown challenges.
Working closely with a number of colleagues each day, Amgen’s Amy Kennedy, a human resource graduate, is largely responsible for managing employee requests, organising inductions for new hires and providing support for various work schemes.
“As you can imagine, our mailboxes are full when we log on every morning,” she told SiliconRepublic.com.
“I also sit in on a daily HR operations meeting that focuses on high-level matters. It’s a great experience, as I get a holistic view of the business. The rest of my workday is varied and it can entail everything from conducting exit interviews and hosting maternity leave calls to attending union meetings, reviewing policies and improving processes. No one day is ever the same, which is great.”
What types of projects do you work on and are there any that you particularly enjoy?
I’m really enjoying the work I’m doing on process improvement and continuous improvement. As part of this project, I reviewed an employee hub website that houses our workplace policies and documents. It has gone live and provides a seamless service to my Amgen colleagues, allowing them to easily access documents and policies at any time. I’m proud to have played my part in upgrading the hub.
What skills do you use on a daily basis and do you have to draw on any skills in ways you didn’t expect?
It’s important to have good organisational skills. For example, I make sure that ongoing tasks and not just recurring meetings are in my Outlook calendar. This way, I can keep track of everything I do on a daily basis. Good communication and prioritisation is also key because I work in a fast-paced environment and I manage multiple requests simultaneously. I have several calls a day with our employees to manage a wide variety of HR requests. I also work on our employee portals to make sure our policies and HR resources are up to date. And as my job involves dealing with personnel queries, people skills are key to building and maintaining good relationships with each department.
What are the hardest parts of your working day and how do you navigate them?
One of the great things about working for Amgen is that it has influenced me to step outside my comfort zone and to learn new skills. For example, if you had said to me a few months ago that I’d be doing presentations at work, I wouldn’t have believed you. Each time I challenge myself, it starts to get a little bit easier. I also find great feedback from my colleagues very encouraging. I have also recently been introduced to data analysis and I am really enjoying learning this new skill.
Do you have any productivity tips that help you through the day?
I think it’s very important to sit down in the morning and plan what you want your day to look like. It’s important to allocate time to specific tasks, otherwise your day will fly by. I divide my day into blocks of time dependent on the task, some take half an hour, others up to two hours. I also make sure to take breaks throughout the day and go for a walk because it’s not great to sit in the same place for eight hours.
What skills and tools are you using daily with your colleagues?
I use email frequently. On a busy day, I send up to 100 mails and Microsoft Teams. For example, if I need to discuss a query with a colleague, it’s more effective to jump on a Teams call than going back and forth on email. Increasingly, AI is supporting my work and it’s effective at streamlining tasks. I also use OneNote to organise my working week. It contains my weekly schedule and all the tasks that I need to complete. It’s my Bible and I’d be lost without it.
How has this role changed as the sector has grown and evolved?
I’m fortunate that my remit is quite broad. As a graduate, Amgen has given me the opportunity to get a feel for all the functions within the HR division. So while I am focused on operations, I’m also involved in recruitment and recently, I worked with my colleagues in talent acquisition to hire seven process technicians. I’m really looking forward to my upcoming rotation into staff relations as I have a deep interest in that side of HR. Having this all-round experience is an amazing opportunity and will support my growth in the years ahead.
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