International Women's Day
International Women's Day is over, but we haven't finished celebrating our inspiring women! Meet Abbie Thompson, fibre jointer from the North who is sometimes up a pole and other times, down a duct - all jobs have highs and lows, don't they?
Learn more about Abbie below:
1. What’s your role at Openreach? I am a Fibre Jointer
2. How did you get the job? I applied online during lockdown, passed all the assessments and interviews, and was offered a position a couple of months later.
3. What’s the best part of your job? The best part of my job I would say is the variety. I love being hands on, working outside, learning while I work. Every day is a learning day. I also love the interaction with customers knowing that I am truly making a difference to people’s lives.
4. What’s the most challenging part of your job? I would definitely have to say the weather. Wet, cold and windy is not a good mix.
5. What’s a typical day for you? My days are quite different which is probably my favourite thing about the job. One day I could be climbing poles to fit fibre equipment, the next I could be sitting in a box in the pavement jointing fibre’s together, to pulling ropes/cables through the ground through underground ducts.
6. Most memorable work moment? I would have to say climbing a 12-metre pole for the first time outside of training, with members of my team watching. It was a nerve wrecking moment but also a hugely exciting one. Never in my life would I have expected to be climbing a huge pole for my job, but the feeling of accomplishment was amazing.
7. Who inspires you in your career and why? Definitely my mother. She is amazing at her job and also works for Openreach. She is a rural engagement manager helping get full fibre to some of our most rural communities. She has really strong working relationships with her colleagues and is very well respected, if I could be even half as good as my mother in my career I would be happy.
8. What did you want to be when you were a child? I wanted to be an air traffic controller believe it or not. I don’t think I could even tell you why, I saw it once on a TV programme and thought ‘OMG that is the job for me’.
9. What advice you’d give to women who are interested in working at Openreach? I would say be confident in your abilities, don’t be scared to ask questions or get stuck in. I’ve never looked back and I am the happiest I have ever been. It’s the best career move I have made so far and would encourage anyone to give it a go, no matter whom that person may be. Everyone is made to feel like they belong.
