Meet Frances, learn about her career path and her experience of working with Arch Henderson.
Q. How long have you worked at Arch Henderson?
I have worked for Arch Henderson for about 18 years, which is quite a long time considering I took the job on while I was at university and thought I would only stay a couple of years until I graduated. I actually left the company a couple of years after graduation but returned 18 months later. The grass was not greener!
Q. What do you enjoy about working for Arch Henderson?
There are lots of things I enjoy about working here: the variety of work, the camaraderie in the office, the work hard – play hard relaxed attitude – we get a lot done but we have fun too. But possibly one of the things I like best about the job is seeing the concrete (literally) results of what the company has created locally. It is good to feel I have made a tiny contribution to some of this; especially as after 25 years in the civil service there was nothing tangible to show for it. The piers and buildings that the Lerwick office worked on will be here long after I have retired, so I will always be reminded of Arch Henderson when I walk along the harbour.
Q. How has your career developed at Arch Henderson?
My role has changed beyond recognition from when I first started, and I have been able to make the most of the skills and experience I had from my career in the civil service, and build on this by studying for NEBOSH Construction certificate and ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course, which has proved very useful as my job has progressed.
Q. What is your favorite project you have worked on and why?
My favourite project is probably working on the website that was redesigned in 2019. I created most of the content for it which was really interesting. It helped that I had been working with Alistair Easton (ex Arch Henderson Partner) editing the book on the first 100 years of the company. Having studied for a Masters in Professional Writing, it was probably the first time I had actively used my writing skills for something other than writing novels.
Q. Your advice to someone thinking of applying to work at Arch Henderson?
My advice for potential recruits to the company is that Arch Henderson is a great family-friendly company to work for and that if you work hard and make the most of the training and development on offer then you will have a very enjoyable career.