EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute

Q: What does your job entail?

A: Looking after people: things like making sure that contracts get issued, that everybody gets paid when they are supposed to and receives what they are supposed to, and answering questions about the rules and regulations. I also do a lot of work to recruit new staff.

Q: Is there an average day for you or is it more varied?

A: There’s not really such thing as an ‘average day’ in my job. There are three of us on the team doing similar things, and we’re busy all of the time. It is very varied, and anything can happen; every single week we get a question we’ve never heard before. This job definitely keeps you on your toes.

Q: What did you do before coming to the EBI?

A: My professional background is in Human Resources, but I also did a bit of employment law and purchasing. I used to work in HR for the United Nations, then I moved back to Ireland and worked as a HR manager for a retailer, then I set up my own business doing HR for small businesses for a few years and then this opportunity came up. I have a Bachelors degree in International Studies, an HR certificate and a Masters degree in International Development.

Q: What attracted you to this role?

A: Initially, when I saw the job advertised, I was attracted to the international environment.  Because I had been working for local businesses, and then for myself, I really missed the international aspect. At the UN everybody was from someplace different: I was always surrounded by different languages and cultures, and I missed that. Another attraction was the prestige of working for a well-respected organisation that’s doing great work in its field. When I came for my interview, I fell in love with the campus.

Q: What do you like most about working at EMBL-EBI?

A: Well, obviously the campus! There is a great atmosphere and a great bunch of people working here who are really friendly and helpful, and who are really curious and want to know about things. There is a good camaraderie, a good team spirit.

Q: Are there any challenges in your role?

A: The EMBL Staff Rules and Regulations are probably the biggest challenge for someone just coming into this role. They are not based on local law, and they have been revised again and again so they are quite complicated. I keep having to go back and look at them to understand how to apply them. People are generally great, but you do occasionally have to deal with issues, maybe between team members or people not getting along. I think that’s a challenge in HR generally.

Q: What skills would be useful for someone applying for a similar role?

A: Communication skills are extremely important, and you have to be good with processes and rules, applying them and helping others to understand them. While a Human Resources qualification is useful, specifically for this job at the EBI, experience is extremely valuable. You need to apply the rules and regulations and experience helps with that. You also have to be able to deal with bad news as well as the good news.

Q: What advice would you give to people who want to apply for a similar role?

A: First of all, you need to have an interest in working in an international environment, even if you’ve never done it before. There are a lot of different cultures and languages, so you need to be able to communicate well and to be patient. You have to have good people skills, and brushing up on language skills could be really useful; there are times I wish my French was better, or that I spoke German or Russian!