Meet the Team: Zoe
It’s time for another Meet the Team exposĆ© where we collar an unsuspecting colleague and grill them with questions about their job, where they’re going on holiday and what they get up to at the weekends. Our latest victim is Zoe. We won’t tell you what her job role is just yet because she’s about to tell you herself.
Hi Zoe, thanks for agreeing to be the subject of our latest instalment of āMeet the Teamā.
No problem at all.
First question: Who are ya? And whaddya do?
Iām Zoe, Iām 20 years old and I work for DMR as a Client Relationship Officer. I also have some business administration duties and –
Slow down Zoe, weāll come to the work stuff later. Letās talk holidays first. We heard a rumour youāve just returned from a Caribbean cruise. Any truth in that?
Yes, my boyfriend and I spent five days in Florida and then a week on a cruise ship.
Weāre jealous! But we wanna hear more. Start with America. What happened there?
We went to Universal Studios and Disney World. At Disney, we did three parks in one day ā Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.
Weāve been to Disney, a long time ago. Three Disney parks in one day is sheer madness.
We had a day pass for all the parks and we pre-booked our rides to limit the queuing. We were on limited time so we wanted to do as much as possible.
What was your favourite ride at Disney?
Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a rollercoaster and simulator combo and it was like riding to another planet. I also liked Hagridās Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. But we had to queue for about two hours for that one.
Who is Hagrid and was her motorbike adventure worth a two-hour wait? We once did a quad bike āadventureā in Morocco. A young lad from Bradford took a corner too fast ā the bike flipped over and landed on top of him. Any shenanigans like that on Hagridās ride?
Hagrid is a character in Harry Potter. The ride was amazing; definitely worth the wait. And no – nobody flipped a bike.
What did you think of America? You like the food?
Yes, but we ate too many burgers. We were sick of burgers by the end of the holiday.
Tell us about the cruise. Was it a nice ship? Presumably, you wouldn’t have to worry about hitting any icebergs in the Caribbean?
The cruise was on āWonder of the Seasā which is the biggest cruise ship in the world. It was vast! When we first boarded, in Port Canaveral, we had a stroll around the ship and it took us about half a day. There were all sorts on board: zip lines, waterslides, surf machines, crazy golfā¦It was so big we kept getting lost.
Where did you stop during the cruise?
The first stop was CocoCay in the Bahamas. CocoCay is a Royal Caribbean private island. We did some snorkelling and kayaking, and I got to hold a stingray and a starfish.
You held a stingray?! Didnāt one of those things kill Steve Irwin? You nutter. Where else did you visit?
We went to Cozumel in Mexico and RoatĆ”n in Honduras. We had a tour guide in RoatĆ”n who told us that the Island is 36 miles long but thereās only one road and itās got no speed limit. So naturally, he drove like a maniac. The houses on RoatĆ”n are painted in bright colours, and they donāt have unique addresses. Houses are identified by colour so instead of giving an address, youād say: āSend this to Bryan with the dog in the big red houseā.
We went on a zipline in RoatƔn. It was actually a series of thirteen ziplines from a hill, down through the jungle and onto the beach.
That sounds fantastic!
It was. And on the beach, we visited an animal park with iguanas, parrots and monkeys. A monkey jumped on my head and I thought I had whiplash. Another monkey nicked someoneās sunglasses.
They can be treacherous little ba***rds, can monkeys. āDeath Before Turning Your Back On A Monkeyā is the official travel motto of the DMR Marketing Department. If you ever enter a room and thereās even the slightest chance of a monkey following you in, find a spot with your back to the wall. If thereās the possibility of a monkey coming down from the rafters, place a mirror on the table in front of you. Thatās our advice.
I also had four parrots sitting on my head at one point. They didnāt say anything though cos apparently they werenāt the talking kind of parrot.
Brilliant. That sounds like a Monty Python sketch. āEllo, I wish to register a complaint. I wish to complain about the four tongue-tied parrots sitting on my head!ā
We enjoyed going on a dolphin trip as well.
After your stingray-handling encounter, weāre surprised you didnāt opt for deep-sea diving with sharks. Okay, letās talk about what you do at DMR. How long have you been here and what do you do?
Iāve worked at DMR for just over a year. I work as a Client Relationship Officer and I also provide business support, mainly in administration. My role involves attending construction and retrofit events, and also liaising with our learners and employers about their training and assessment needs.
What do you like most about working at DMR? Make sure you give us a good answer, otherwise weāll have to edit it out later.
Every day is different, and I love getting out and meeting people, or chatting with them on the phone. Itās also a really fun environment to work in.
What do you think of your colleagues?
Theyāre a bad influence. Iām trying to eat healthily but everyone at DMR keeps bringing cakes into the office.
Once we hear the word ācakesā we know itās time to steer this interview away from DMR. We agree with you: there are far too many cakes in this office. Somebody needs to do something about it because itās getting out of control. There are more cakes in this office than there are in the actual cake shop we buy the cakes from.
I know. Iāve just spent a week eating burgers in America. The last thing I need is cake temptation.
Talking of temptation, youāre a psychology student, arenāt you?
I was. Iāve just graduated in Psychology from Edge Hill University.
What was your grade?
2:1
Thatās excellent. You surely know your stuff. Can you do an analysis of Matt on the marketing team please and provide us with an in-depth psychological profile of him?
Everyone always asked me to āread their mindā when they find out I studied psychology. But I canāt. Itās not like that.
Sure you can. Go ahead.
Okay, well Iād say heās impulsive, a perfectionist and heās a loose cannon.
Forget it. Did you enjoy your studies?
Yes, I loved it! I was sad to finish and I really enjoyed being in education.
In a single sentence, tell us something interesting about psychology.
Practically everything stems from childhood experiences.
What about your āexperiencesā outside of work, cruises and education? Whaddya like to do in ya spare time, Zoe?
I like keeping fit and doing HIIT and LIFT classes at the gym; spending time with my family; going to the Lake District.
Where you do like to go in The Lakes?
Recently weāve visited Windermere, Ullswater, Keswick and Appleby. We usually stay in a caravan or hotel.
No camping?
Not yet but Iām open to it.
Where are you going next? Anything planned?
Iāve got the travel bug after America and the Caribbean. Weāre already planning our next trip. Weād like to visit Milan and Lake Como, probably in September.
Lake Como looks nice. Weāre sure youāll have a cracking time. In fact, do you mind if we come with you?
No, sorry. We donāt need any loose cannons in Como.
A disappointing but sensible answer. Thanks for the chat, Zoe.
Thanks!