Women In Trades Wednesday- Holly Haddock
Holly Haddock works in the concrete and construction industry, for Higgins Concrete in Nelson- they supply the concrete! She is currently working on her National Certificate in Concrete Production with BCITO.
Holly has been in the industry for just over 5 years now and says of her experience so far: “It’s been amazing! I worked a year and a half for a placing company doing acid washing, exposing and sealing of concrete, I then went to another concrete plant down in Christchurch where I was living at the time and did 3 years of training down there. Now I am back at home in sunny Nelson with Higgins Concrete and I've almost been here a year. I've never been so happy within a job EVER! and that's saying something!”
A simple google search started Holly in the direction of her current job- “When I finished up with the placing company, I just googled "concrete companies Christchurch" and I sent my CV around to probably 10 places. A company got back to me asking if I would be keen to do some training with them- I took the leap!”
A day at work for Holly is never the same as the last- “One day could be spent it in the yard driving the loader, the next I could be out all day doing on-site testing, which is good for me because it lets me engage in person with the customers I speak to on the phone. Putting a face to a name is always really nice.”
On what inspired her to choose a career in concrete production, Holly says- “Once I got a taste of concrete (not literally) I just absolutely fell in love! There's so much behind it. To learn about it from basically the ground up- fundamentals, how it all works, and the knowledge behind it really sparks me up and gets me going!”
While she loves her job, there is a bit of a challenge Holly has had to overcome- “The biggest challenge I feel I’ve overcome to get to where I am today, would be gaining respect from customers. A lot of the time answering the phone, especially in a construction trade, males want to talk to males because hearing a females’ voice makes them assume that I'm not sure what I'm talking about. Overcoming that and building a rapport with our customers has been so important to me! Working for a family owned company that also respects that has been a huge advantage for me too.”
On what she loves most about her job, Holly has a hard time narrowing -down her options- “I love everything about my job! Even if I feel like it’s getting a bit repetitive, I'll switch up the way I would usually do things on the day and just have fun with it! I'm constantly learning new things every day about my industry and I'm never afraid to ask any questions.”
Holly’s most proud career achievements are also hard to pick from—“For sure completing all the training I have done so far. I also feel like I can't pin point it. I'm proud of myself for doing what I love every day, and being part of a movement that is changing so trades aren't always going to be a "male dominant industry" forever.”
Where does Holly see the future taking her? “Definitely just to see how far my trade can take me! The sky is the limit for me, and fortunately I work with such a great team so we are always encouraging each other to reach our goals.”
Holly feels the only lifestyle change she has had to make for her industry is to get used to starting work very early- “My body clock will wake me up at around 3am most days, but it gets me up and productive on the weekends!”
Advice Holly would give someone looking to get into concrete production is- “Just go for it! Get stuck in and you will surprise yourself with what you can achieve. Proving people wrong that think you can't do things is the best feeling! The industry is getting better but finding an employer that wants you to succeed as much as you do is also very important.”
