In the first of our enhanced Meet the Team blog series, we’re getting to know Nykki Armstrong, Chief Operations Administrator at Select. Topics covered include working at Select, the best piece of advice she’s ever received, neuroscience, Jim Carrey, and why she’ll never be touching crocodile meat again!
What does your day-to-day role look like?
I do all the general office administration and technical support, review and assign the tenders as they come in, and keep on top of anything the Sales team needs to keep going.
How long have you worked at Select?
I’ve been here about a year and a half; I started at Select in April of 2021.
What’s the best thing about working at Select?
The opportunity to learn new skills is outstanding here. When I started, I had a cursory knowledge of networks, no background in construction, and had never seen an architectural drawing before. It’s taken some coaching and a lot of questions, but I’ve managed to learn enough about our technical setups to become the main in-house resource for support there. I’ve also become much better at understanding the drawings and the needs of a project, which makes the tender related aspects of my job MUCH easier.
Do you ever socialize as a team?
We recently had a departmental symposium, where the entirety of the Sales and Architectural Technologist teams got together for a full day of discussions and brainstorming. Because we have some remote workers, this was actually the first time the entire team had the chance to meet face to face. It was a great opportunity to hear everyone’s ideas and work off of each other.
As a company, we also have lunches and events every once in a while. Last summer, we rented a sno-cone machine and handed those out all day. Events like that, or our Christmas lunch, are a great chance for everyone to mingle and get to know each other better.
What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
Some things I pride myself on are my resilience and my adaptability. I can acclimate to any situation and can figure out the best way to interact with most people I encounter. As for my resilience, I took the same statistics course in university 7 times before I finally passed, so that’s a quality that’s served me well.
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
A supervisor once told me “Fix it first, you can panic after”. I try to keep that in mind when an issue seems insurmountable. You can always find a solution, but rarely will if you panic first.
What was your first job?
I worked at McDonald’s from 14-18. As far as first jobs go, it was a good one. I got to try all the roles there and learn how to interact with customers, which paved the way for every job I’ve had since then. The discounted meals were a nice bonus too!
When you’re not working, what is your favourite pastime?
I love video games. If I’m not at work or asleep, I’m probably playing Skyrim on the Xbox. Other than that, I really love to cook and try new recipes.
What would you do if you were gifted a million dollars, no strings attached?
I’d buy a house first and foremost, but then I would spend some time going on all the trips I’ve dreamed of. I would go to Greece for sure, maybe try to take a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean and then go check out the Pyramids.
If you could meet one famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I’d want to meet Jim Carrey. He’s so wild and out there but at the same time he seems incredibly down to earth. So many of his movies have influenced my sense of humour, I would love to see if I could crack a joke good enough to make him laugh.
What topic could you give an hour-long presentation on with little to no preparation?
Video games seems like the easiest topic I could drone on about, but I also know a lot of facts about neuroscience and the brain overall. I could go on about how and why the brain works (or doesn’t) for hours if I got going.
What food have you tried that was the furthest out of your comfort zone?
I had crocodile once, which was the strangest texture you could imagine. Overall, it was good and I’m glad I tried it once, but I definitely won’t be eating it again any time soon.
What’s something you’ve done, but you’ll never do again?
Last summer I tried paintballing for the first time. It was lots of fun, but it was exhausting, and it REALLY hurt to get hit. I’d consider doing it again, but only if I was fully decked out in padding.
Thanks, Nykki!
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