"I used to work for a recruitment agency, hiring people for Cancer Research UK, so I already knew a bit about the charity. I thought it would be really corporate; full of very smart, intellectual people. In many respects I was right, but what I didn't realise was how communicative it is here, and how much trust you're given to get on with your job. It's actually really good, because you're given the autonomy to do what you want. Even when I'd only been here a few weeks I was given a lot of responsibility, and I'm exploring new aspects of the job all the time.
I get a lot of queries from across the organisation and you have to be patient and learn what the right answers are. You also have to be interested in what people in other areas are working on and be empathetic. You have to want to learn. It means being an open, approachable person who's not frightened of suggesting improvements or asking questions."