Championing teamwork

Darlene belongs to SMART’s people services team. The team is responsible for providing advice, guidance and support to all SMART staff. This has given Darlene a unique understanding not only of her own position – and potential opportunities – within the organization, but also of the career progression of fellow staff.

Darlene leads the people services operations group. She and her colleagues manage the operational details for all SMART staff, from preparing offer packages for potential recruits to overseeing promotions, transfers and related milestones. The work is detailed, and, owing to SMART’s rapid growth and innovative, evolving staff, the pace is steady. In this environment, Darlene says that working closely with her colleagues is essential to success.

“Teamwork is very important,” she explains. “The people that I work with are fantastic. They’re a great team. We all help each other out quite a bit.”

That cooperative spirit is something Darlene believes is fostered from the moment new recruits begin their careers at SMART.

“I love the Start SMART program that new employees attend. You get to meet a lot of other new people. When I walk down the halls here, I still meet people that were in my Start SMART class, and we say hello and chat for a while. It’s a great way to get to know people in different departments,” Darlene says. “Plus, you’re able to get a great overview of the company at the very beginning of your career here. At other companies, it can take months to get the kind of insight into the company that Start SMART offers.”

Embracing change

One thing that Darlene knows for sure about a career at SMART is that the most successful recruits are those who enjoy the challenges and opportunities of working for a company that creates products for dynamic markets. SMARTians who thrive are as quick to adapt to change as the company is. And that’s something Darlene embraces in her role.

“Because SMART is growing so quickly as a company, things change quickly here. My day-to-day isn’t always the same. That’s why I like what I do,” she says. “If people like that kind of work, they’ll fit right in. People that aren’t afraid of change, who actually enjoy that type of challenge, those are the people that we are looking for. And we’re finding those attributes in the candidates we’re hiring.”

Darlene knows that every SMARTian plays a part in shaping the company’s future, which she’s certain promises to be as dynamic as the present.