Emily Denver

Ever since I could remember, I wanted to perform, and that’s what I intended to do,  college, then drama school, then West End… At 16, I went to Croydon College and did a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts, and loved every minute of it, made some lifelong friends and wouldn’t change it for the world. I realised whilst there though that I wasn’t tough enough to make this my profession, and that it would be best for me to keep it as a passion.

With that, I decided to go into the world of work, and got my first job as a Junior Administrator for a local company. In my four years there, I progressed to a Senior Administrator, and then to running a team. After a couple of other administrative jobs I went to work for Rydon, still doing admin, but within the HR department. I really enjoyed HR, but knew I didn’t want to study to be a qualified hr advisor, and so continued with my role, doing it to the best of my ability. When a project to implement a new HR system came up, there was an opportunity to help with this, to help build and configure the system, and get it up and running. I took to this well, finding out I was actually pretty good at this type of work and with lots of encouragement and lots of support, I settled into the role, learning loads and really enjoying this side of HR.

My advice would be to first of all do something you enjoy.. You’re in work a long time! If you’re unsure what you want to do, try things whilst you’re able to, when money isn’t a factor, and you don’t have any major responsibilities.

I’m proof that not having a plan isn’t the end of the world.. With some help, you’ll get there in the end.