By Giulia Usai

This month, we bid farewell to Kitty Mak, School of English office manager, who has recently accepted an offer as Senior Manager in Human Resources in the Faculty of Education. During the years spent working in the School office, she has collected many precious memories, made long-lasting friendships and efficiently coordinated the departmental team. In this interview, she recalls the joys and challenges of her time in our department.

 

How and when did you start working for the School office?

I have been working in the School of English office for eight and a half years. I am sentimentally attached to this number because it also corresponds to my elder daughter’s age, who was born just before I started my career as a manager. This position did not exist before my arrival: it was Professor Q. S. Tong, the Head of School at the time, who created it. Before, my current responsibilities were shared by the office team and the professors themselves. When I was told about this opportunity and decided to apply for it, I was already part of the Faculty of Arts office, and became pregnant during the selection process. I then found myself in conflict: I was excited in receiving a job offer, but I would have preferred to begin work at the end of my ten weeks maternity leave, to avoid taking a long break immediately after starting. I will always be grateful to Professor Q. S. Tong who trusted me and decided to wait half a year before I eventually took over.

 

Do you have any special memory from these eight-and-a-half years?

These years have been very gratifying, both from a professional and a human point of view. I had to define my role and adapt it to my persona, because, as I already mentioned, I had to start from scratch, not having any predecessor in my position to learn or get advice from. I hold a degree in Public and Social Administration from City University, so my formation was foreign to the Arts. Thanks to this environment, I had the chance to enrich my knowledge and familiarise myself with a new approach to professional matters. The memories I cherish the most are those that involve people: I have made sincere friendships along the years, with the current and former heads of School, office team members, professors and students. I am particularly attached to the veterans of the department, who were there when I started and are still part of the staff, with whom I enjoy remembering the “old times”, when the office used to be in the Main Building and the MTR was still under construction.

 

What are your main responsibilities as a manager?

The everyday responsibilities of my position are of various kinds. I am mainly in charge of the undergraduate portfolios, so everything that concerns course admissions, curriculum development, credit transfer, prizes and scholarship nominations is part of my duties. I am also available for academic advice. A highly challenging role I have been taking over recently is secretary of the committee for hiring new academic staff, which used to be under the competence of the Faculty office. Having to receive the applications, communicate with candidates, facilitate the reviewing process, conduct interviews and campus visits is not an easy task, and I am grateful to my colleagues for making the department office work so efficiently. I can proudly say that I have been working with an amazing team: while other departments count ten or even more people as members, ours effectively manages to organise the School activities at this highly ranked University with only four and a half people (I say half because one of the members also works for the School of Humanities). This would not be possible without the professionalism, coordination and mutual respect that exist among the office staff.

 

Is there something that you will particularly miss about your School manager position?

Before accepting the new job position in the Faculty of Education, I sought advice from different people. I asked my colleagues, family and children if they thought I was making the right decision. My almost nine-year-old daughter was especially encouraging in supporting my professional change, despite knowing that my work schedule will be busier than my current one. But even with the approval of the people I trust, I leave the office with a heavy heart. I become quite nostalgic when thinking about the long period I spent in the School of English: I have found a team with whom I share the same work ethic, I have made many friends among professors, students and colleagues, and I now have a certain confidence in performing my daily tasks thanks to the experience I have accumulated. Moving to a new office, with new colleagues and new responsibilities is certainly a challenge, but I am also excited at the idea of proving myself in this phase of my life.

 

Would you like to share any tips for the School of English students on how to plan an effective work schedule and manage not to be swamped under with work?

Prioritise! I suggest setting up short goals, day by day. Being overwhelmed by too many deadlines and responsibilities does not help productivity, and it is hard to start too many activities at the same time and being equally efficient in each of them. Instead, establish a precise number of tasks every morning, and be sure to dedicate your day to those ones, even if there are many other duties on your to-do list. In the evening, you will feel satisfied with the work done and less intimidated by the rest of the assignments that you are expected to complete. Plus, do not compare yourself to others: each person has different needs and learning techniques, and you should listen to your mind and body to find what works best for you in terms of working hours and study habits. There is no universal formula, we all should experiment on ourselves to find our most suitable working style.

 

Published on: April 17, 2018 < Back >