Staff Shorts – Laurel Piercey
Alberta School of Business BCom graduate Laurel Piercey is another Alberta Cancer Foundation team member who works hard behind the scenes to serve donors and colleagues alike. Let’s find out more about Laurel’s role as a Junior Business Systems Analyst…
Ashton: Hey Laurel, thanks for your willingness to share more about your job here at the Alberta Cancer Foundation. You started here about a year ago, right?
Laurel: Yes, I started my role as Junior Business Systems Analyst at the end of August 2012. I had just graduated in the spring of 2012 with my Alberta School of Business BCom with a major in Management Information Systems (MIS) and minor in Business Economics & Law. I had applied for many jobs but most required a few years of experience. As a new graduate, it is hard to fulfill that requirement so I was just hoping someone would take a chance on me. My work experience was largely as a TA in MIS labs which included marking exams and answering students’ questions. Luckily, I found the Junior Business Systems Analyst job online and applied.
A: It’s funny we were both in business school together but didn’t know each other! How well did your BCom education in MIS prepare you for your role at the Alberta Cancer Foundation?
L: It set me up really well for the job. I learned programs like Microsoft Access, project management skills through group projects, documentation writing from business cases and technical skills that you could apply to any software you are working with.
A: I’m glad to hear that your business education served you so well in your role. I definitely can attest to my education also providing me with the necessary skills to excel in any role. Why did you want to work for the Alberta Cancer Foundation after reading the job description online?
L: The job description really matched my skill set and what I had learned in school. I had already worked for a charity one summer so I was familiar with the non-profit sector. As soon as I walked through the door, I could hear the energetic Events team having a meeting and Jenn at the front desk was very friendly. I also received a surprise hug & kiss from Winifred Stewart Association volunteer Magda which really made me feel relaxed. As soon as I sat down in the interview, I immediately liked the atmosphere and thought that I meshed well with the culture. I expressed my desire to keep learning and that I wanted to advance in my role which I think was appreciated by my interviewers.
A: That is great to hear that you had such a positive first impression! What’s a day in the life of your Junior Business Systems Analyst role like?
L: Ireally have no set day. I support my colleagues by troubleshooting any problems we have with our database. I deal with integration between our database and the website constantly. Colleagues also call upon me to pull queries and reports to support their work. In addition, I import and fix data in the database, help in the creation and implementation of new business processes and train staff on the database.
A: All of that sounds super complicated and definitely out my range of capabilities so thank goodness we have you on the team! What are the best part and the most challenging parts of your job?
L: The best part is the feeling of accomplishment when you complete a difficult task and having a working-group structure in our department. The challenging part is sometimes communicating between all of our various departments which is where the project management skills come in handy.
A: What advice would you give to people who are collectors of data?
L: Detailed documentation is very important so that the people around you know how to keep the processes consistent. Also, always test before implementation! Finally, garbage in is garbage out when it comes to data! Make sure all data is complete and the fields are filled out properly before you input it into the database.
A: Thanks for the great advice! Now we’re moving onto the fun part which includes a bunch of random questions about your favourite things to learn more about you. And here we go…
Favourite TV Show: Dexter
Favourite App: Instagram
Favourite Computer Program/Software: The Sims game
Favourite Hobby: Dancing―Hip Hop & Belly Dancing
Favourite Food: Sushi
Favourite Colour: Red
Favourite Movie: Jurassic Park
Favourite Alberta Cancer Foundation Event: Bust a Move for Breast Health because I volunteered for it!
Favourite Travel Destination: Italy
Favourite Item in Your Closet: My University of Alberta sweatshirt
Favourite Edmonton Event: CariWest Festival
Favourite Holiday: Halloween
Favourite Location or Landmark in Edmonton: Hawrelak Park
Favourite Type of Car: Jeep
A: Complete! Many thanks Laurel for letting us interview you and we appreciate all your hard work to make our data accurate and useful for our organizational operations.
