Caoimhe Cregan began her career working in luxury hotels on the other side of the world. Now she is helping recruit volunteers to transform the lives of vulnerable and isolated people with social justice charity Extern.
Read about her career journey and how she became a Volunteer Coordinator at Extern
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
For most of my career I have worked in public-facing roles – I started in retail, and after I graduated I moved into hospitality, where I began working on reception in luxury hotels and resorts, including overseas in Australia and New Zealand. I have done some pretty strange jobs including picking oranges, washing salad and working at a ski resort!
When I returned to Northern Ireland in 2019 I was looking for a change as I no longer wanted to work shifts, so I joined Extern as an HR Administrator through an agency. I did this role for nine months and quickly realised I enjoyed working in an HR environment, so when the Volunteer Coordinator post came up I applied and was delighted to get the job.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I always enjoyed languages and literature so Spanish and English were my favourite subjects. I much prefer working with words rather than numbers – maths was a bit of a struggle!
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I attended Queen’s University Belfast and completed a degree in Spanish and Portuguese studies, which included a year abroad studying in Spain and Portugal. Although I wasn’t planning to work in this area, l loved the experience, and the skills and independence which I developed through the course have helped me in my career.
How did you get into your area of work?
After a number of years of travelling and working in hospitality, I had done my fair share of late nights, early mornings and Christmas Day shifts and wanted to get into an office-based role with a set schedule. When I heard about the HR Administrator vacancy at Extern I thought this would be a great move. I had really enjoyed my time at Extern, and as my contract was approaching its end I didn’t want to leave, so when I heard about the Volunteer Coordinator role I was really keen to apply and thankfully I got the job.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I had never really considered a career in the voluntary sector, but I had volunteered for the Northern Ireland Hospice when I was 18 and it always stuck with me. I had heard great things about the work Extern does and I found it really rewarding to know that the employees I was helping to recruit, for example social workers, would be providing life-changing services to Extern’s clients, and that I was playing a small part in that.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
The job required a minimum of 4 GCSEs or an equivalent, such as NVQ Level 2 in Administration, as well as at least two years’ experience in an administrative role, working to tight deadlines and managing competing priorities. To progress within a HR team, it’s vital to have a qualification from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the leading Professional Body for Human Resources, so I have recently started working towards the CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management, which Extern have supported me with.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
Like many of the roles in the voluntary sector, there isn’t one clear entry path to becoming a Volunteer Coordinator. Having experience as a volunteer yourself is really helpful, and having admin experience in a busy environment is key, but it doesn’t need to have been within HR or Volunteer Management, or even within the voluntary sector, as the skills are very transferable.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Communication skills are key, both verbal and written. Every day I deal with a range of people, from members of the public to Directors or the CEO, to other voluntary organisations such as Volunteer Now, and other external stakeholders. Being organised and having the ability to time manage are vital as well in order to manage competing deadlines and stay on top of everything.
What does a typical day entail?
On a typical day I’ll start off by checking my emails and responding to any queries. This is usually followed by meetings, which might be with a Project Manager who wants to begin engaging volunteers in their project or presenting to Senior Managers to keep them up to date with the Extern Extras volunteer programme. Throughout the day I’ll be engaging with volunteers to complete vetting checks, set them up with volunteer induction training, or reaching out to see how they are getting on in their role.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
One of the best parts of the job is working with volunteers and matching them with the right project. It’s a great feeling when I hear that the volunteer, the client and the Project Manager are all seeing the benefits of the relationship. Volunteers often tell me they feel so fulfilled to be helping in their communities. A challenging aspect is managing all of the necessary paperwork which is required. Most people don’t realise how much admin is required to get a volunteer from the point of application, to actually volunteering day-to-day within one of our services.
Why is what you do important?
The volunteers, who I help to recruit and induct into Extern, join teams of staff who provide life-changing services. Volunteers can play a huge part, for example by completing befriending phone calls to one of our clients. A volunteer can make someone’s day or week by providing that essential social contact which we all need.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/role?
As a result of Covid-19 we unfortunately had to put a hold on almost all volunteers engaged within our services in order to limit numbers in our premises, and many services had to switch to remote delivery. My role during this time was to help undertake a broad review of our volunteering programme and plan for the time when we could reengage volunteers safely.
What adjustments have you had to make?
Existing volunteers had to be stood down for their safety, which was really unfortunate. With some restrictions still in place, we had to review our volunteer programme and assess which roles could still be offered safely. We have seen a real increase in our clients being even more isolated than normal, so our main focus is currently on recruiting for a Volunteer Telephone Befriender role. A friendly phone call from a volunteer can really go a long way towards reducing someone’s social isolation.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Be open to expanding into different sectors and departments. At times I thought I wouldn’t be able to crossover from hospitality into another sector, but I have been surprised at how my skills and experience have transferred into volunteer management.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I considered going back to university to complete a master’s degree in Translation, so I might have liked to be a translator.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
To be patient. It can be very overwhelming when you start a new job and I wanted to know everything straight away but skills and knowledge develop overtime.
Describe your ideal day off.
Taking the dog for a long walk on the beach, grabbing coffee or lunch out, and having a few drinks with friends at a comedy night or a pub quiz.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Read the essential criteria and reference it in your application. It wasn’t until I was carrying out recruitment I realised how vital it is to clearly explain how you meet all of the essential criteria. Don’t assume the recruiter knows what your previous jobs involved. Your application could be amazing but if you don’t clearly reference the essential criteria you won’t get shortlisted for interview.
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