Meet Dean – People Not Products

As our very popular interview series continues, here we have Dean Murray – Business Support Centre Assistant – on his career advice and life working with our team.

Can you tell us a bit about your career journey and what led you to Aspen Solutions?
I had recently graduated from college in 2022 with an HND in Computer Science – a subject I had a strong interest in – but I wasn’t sure what to pursue for work. I ended up applying to ‘Routes to Work’ who helped me search for a job that suited me and my needs. After a few weeks of looking, I was offered a chance to work at Aspen Solutions via a work placement. After working for two weeks, I was offered a full-time position, and I haven’t looked back since.

What does a typical day in your role look like, and what do you enjoy most about it?
After starting work for the day, I’ll usually check if there are any orders from the previous day that need to be finished or processed and complete them first. Throughout the day, I’ll keep an eye out for more orders coming in via our couriers and process them in order of arrival and how urgent they are to complete. The latter part is important as we want to be flexible. Closer to our collection time, we start to prepare any orders that are ready to be delivered to our customers by fulfilling them on the system and boxing them up for shipping. The most enjoyable aspect of this position is how hands-on it can be. Making sure the equipment isn’t DOA and is in a pristine condition is essential before we can start work on them.

What’s been your most memorable moment or achievement at Aspen Solutions so far?
Personally speaking, the opportunity to gain my forklift certification through Aspen Solutions was definitely a moment that I felt proud of. I was put on a 3-day training course and passed successfully, instantly allowing me to contribute more to the workplace. I think this is particularly special to me since it was the first certification I’ve obtained since starting life as a worker, giving me a life-long skill.

What skills or qualities do you think are essential for success in your role?
Being able to multitask effectively and efficiently. Throughout the day, it is common for more tasks to build up whilst you’re already dealing with a load of them. It’s important to keep in mind what tasks need to be completed first and not get too distracted. If it becomes too much for one person to handle, this is where having effective communication matters as you’re able to share the workload, where everybody knows what their individual task is. By doing it this way, everyone can contribute effectively to completing the task.

How would you describe the culture at Aspen Solutions, and what makes it a great place to work?
The approachability and friendliness of the staff is definitely one of the standout parts of the culture here at Aspen Solutions. Everyone is willing to help if you have any issues with work and are willing to offer advice. It made adapting to full-time work an absolute breeze.

What advice would you give to someone looking to build a career in your field?
Try to be organised and be willing to put in the effort to keep things organised. It’s amazing how quickly things can go awry when you’re not on top of your work. Good communication is also a strong aspect of being in any team, so that would be important as well.

When you’re not at work, how do you like to unwind and relax?
When at home, I typically watch live streams on online platforms like YouTube and Twitch. On these platforms, I tend to seek out any topic that involves science or technology as I love learning about new things. Over the previous 2 years, I’ve been learning Japanese as I have a strong interest in the language, history and culture of Japan and would like to be a fluent speaker one day. To keep fit, I enjoy going for long walks and cycling…if the weather permits!

Our thanks to Dean for taking the time to do this interview – follow us on LinkedIn or subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest info about our team!