Welcome back to our Life at LetsGetChecked series, a sequence of features that offer insight into what it’s really like to work at LetsGetChecked.

This week, we speak with Vanessa Ferreira, our Lead Operator/Shift Supervisor who oversees production processes.

Vanessa says that when she was applying for a role at LetsGetChecked, she was drawn to the company’s novelty; “I was just amazed by the innovation that LetsGetChecked stands for and it’s expansion in such a short time. I said to myself “Why not? Let’s try, let’s give it a go. I saw it as an opportunity to learn new things and to grow.”

What is your role title?

I am the Lead Operator/Shift Supervisor at LetsGetChecked. I started as a Production Operator in November 2018.

What is your academic background?

I did Pharmacy when I was in college, and I am currently doing a Postgraduate course in Pharmaceutical Business and Technology.

What industry did you want to work in during your studies?

I wanted to go into the pharmaceutical industry when I arrived here to Ireland, that was my goal, but when I started looking for jobs, I saw this opportunity and I started to research the company. When I saw all of the background, I was just amazed by the innovation that LetsGetChecked stands for as well as the company’s expansion in such a short time.

I have always liked the healthcare industry. When I started studying Pharmacy in college I knew that there would be a lot of opportunities. With this degree, you can go to the food industry, you can go to the makeup industry, you can go to the healthcare industry - for me, I really like the production part and production processes in general. I knew that I wanted to be in a production role.

Originally I was focused on pharmaceuticals but when I arrived here in Ireland, there were so many different industries and opportunities. I was attracted to healthcare and when the opportunity to work at LetsGetChecked came up, I was excited by the fact that it would be something new, and I would learn so much. So far, it’s been amazing.

What prompted you to apply for a role at LetsGetChecked?

I was just amazed by the innovation that LetsGetChecked stands for and it’s expansion in such a short time. I said to myself; “Why not? Let’s try, let’s give it a go.” I saw it as an opportunity to learn new things and to grow. I think the company is amazing in everything they do and how it’s grown.

How has your career progressed since starting at LetsGetChecked?

I began working with LetsGetChecked as a Production Operator. I started in the Dun Laoghaire office, however we moved to a new facility in just three months. The company grew quickly and we needed more people for quality control and within the production team. I then started working more closely with the quality department.

As the company continued to grow, we started to divide workloads into morning and evening shifts. Managerial roles became available at this time, I applied for the role and was delighted when I was successful in becoming a Lead Operator.

What does your day-to-day at LetsGetChecked look like?

I arrive at the production facility at 7am and we have a team meeting. In the meeting, we talk about the activities we need to do during the day. After this, I generally go through weekly planning.

Throughout the day, I am there with the team helping them with their daily activities. The activities involve badge generation, kit making, assembly and quality checks as well. I am with the guys helping them if necessary.

What is your favourite thing about working at LetsGetChecked?

My favourite thing about working at LetsGetChecked is the people, because you learn so much from them. You also get better at managing people every day because there are different personalities within a team.

It’s a challenge to learn but you also enjoy it in the process, that would be one of my favourite things about working at LetsGetChecked. The people are amazing so you can learn so much from them and it’s a good environment.

What advice would you give to someone who is hoping to work within the production team at LetsGetChecked?

I think the most important thing is to naturally have a great attitude to change, because things change everyday. The company is in a state of constant growth and constant change.

I think the right candidate is a positive and hard-working person too. For those who are hoping to work at LetsGetChecked, I would say it’s a very good opportunity. If you begin working in a big company that is long established, you will be just one of the many people who work in the company, but this is a company that is still growing and you can really see the process of it.

LetsGetChecked started from zero and now it’s going places and it has a huge achievement, there’s an opportunity that you don’t get everyday so it’s really nice.

What three personality traits do you think are important for somebody to have to thrive on the LetsGetChecked team?

  • Positive
  • Hard-working
  • Adaptable

Written by Hannah Kingston