Andrea Soosay: Passion and Positivity in Performance

Andrea is one of ASW’s Client Spotlight Awardees in 2021. To quote the client’s review of her amazing performance: “Andrea is a fantastic role model for her amazing work ethic as well as her professionalism, maturity and willingness to strive for excellence.” She was even recognised as the “most productive and fastest RA in history” for one of our client partners! Let’s learn more about Andrea’s secret to her success.

1. Hi Andrea, could you tell us a bit about yourself? Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?

Hi, my name is Andrea Krisha Soosay. I will be turning 24 this December 2022 and I am a BSC (Hons) Psychology graduate. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I’m also a foodie who loves going to new restaurants/cafes and trying out their food. Apart from that, I also love watching movies and TV series!

2. Can you tell us more about your role here at ASW? How many years have you been with ASW?

I am a Rehabilitation Assistant (RA) with one of ASW’s client partners, IPAR, who assists injured workers to return to work. I joined ASW in October 2020 and May 2022 would mark one year and seven months since my journey with ASW began. As an RA, I assist the consultants based in Australia with their requests. Some of the tasks that I complete include communicating with injured workers and healthcare providers to obtain documentation or to schedule appointments, preparing various types of reports, and conducting online research for service and retraining providers, suitable job vacancies, and many more.

3. Can you tell us what your career was like before joining ASW?

Before joining ASW, I was a full-time student. I did engage in some employment with mental health and child development centres during my university days, but that was for a short period of time as I wanted to focus on my studies. ASW is my first full time job, and I am very thankful that I was given this opportunity.

4. What do you like most about working for ASW? How would you describe the team that you are working with?

I like how ASW strongly promotes and encourages self-development among their employees. ASW is always providing their employees with opportunities to improve themselves via trainings and learning campaigns through LinkedIn Learning and Coursera which I think is really great and important because learning really is a lifelong process.

The team that I work with is amazing! Since the day that I first joined, everyone on the team has been so friendly and supportive. I’ve actually been working from home since my first day but despite this, the team has made me feel that if I ever have any questions/doubts, I can turn to any one of them and they would be more than happy to assist me. They are a great group of people and I am glad that I have been given the opportunity to work alongside them.

5. You were a recipient of ASW’s Client Spotlight Award last year. Congratulations! How did you feel when you heard the news?

Thank you! If I’m being honest, I was really shocked when I saw my name and picture appear on the screen as I did not expect this. But after the news finally sank in, I felt so grateful and I appreciated that my efforts were recognised. It is truly an honour to receive this recognition. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my National Manager, Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader for all the guidance, support and encouragement they have given me since day one.

6. You’re known as the “most productive and fastest RA in history”! That’s awesome! What’s your secret to being productive? How do you stay engaged with your work?

“Most productive and fastest RA in history” still sounds so surreal haha! Using to-do-lists would be my “secret” to being productive and staying engaged with my work. At the end of every day, I make a to-do list for the next day so that when I start work in the morning, I have a clear picture of what I need to do and what I need to prioritize. This helps me plan out my day and tasks accordingly. Having a to-do list has really helped with my time management and crossing off the completed tasks at the end of the day is very satisfying!

7. Could you share with us your own tips on how to overcome challenges at work?

Generally, when we are faced with challenges, we tend to feel stressed or overwhelmed. So the first thing that I usually do is to take a quick breather before looking at the problem again. I also find describing the problem out loud to be very helpful. This helps me figure out my next course of action. Another method would be to ask questions from those who have more experience because you might learn something you didn’t know before.

8. What important lessons have you learned from working at ASW?

I have learnt the importance of loving what you do. When you love what you do and when you are passionate about something, it contributes positively to your performance and it also motivates you to learn new things.

9. Thanks for your time! Is there any special message or advice you’d like to share with your fellow ASW colleagues?

Once again, I would like to say a big thank you to all my colleagues for being so supportive.

Let’s achieve greater heights together! 😊

“Don’t just aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.” ― Denzel Washington