Posted
4 March 2021
Careers Week: “I Drew on my Years of Experience to Take on a new Challenge”
Having worked for Rapport Housing & Care for 14 years, Michelle Wooster learned the ropes in everything from administration and HR to marketing and training. Having developed a range of experience, she was the perfect fit when a compliance officer role arose.
“I started out in the HR department as a temp,” says Michelle, “this was back when there was no head office and we worked out of the residential homes. When the contract came to an end, there was no job for me so I left, but I returned some time later again to work with the HR team at the newly established head office in Cuxton. I went on to support the organisation in a number of areas, including training and marketing.
“During the recession, I found myself wanting a change, so I went to work in one of the organisation’s residential care homes, Connors House in Canterbury, as a home administrator. I stayed there for six years then returned to head office when a KPI vacancy came up. From there, I supported both the chief executive and director of operations in PA roles for the next 4-5 years.”
Having worked both at head office and within a care setting, Michelle developed a wealth of knowledge of both the organisation and the care sector. “I had always done a bit of everything and I wanted to specialise in one area, so when the compliance officer role came up, I thought maybe I could do it. Having worked closely with the director of operations and the homes over the years, I have learned a lot about compliance so I approached the executive team to discuss applying for the role on a trainee basis. I went through the same interview and testing as the other applicants and was over the moon when I was told my test scored the highest results and they wanted to offer me the job. I’ve spent the last year doing my NEBOSH training and once I’ve taken my exam in the summer, I’ll be a fully-fledged compliance officer.
“Starting a new job in a pandemic has been challenging as I’ve had to find new ways to work but compliance has always been a part what I do so I pulled together everything I learned over the years and utilised it.
“I’m really enjoying the job so far, I love to learn new things and I find the investigative side fascinating. It’s great to feel like I have a voice within the organisation and I can help to shape its future.”
