Employee profile – Elizabeth Cheong, Web Designer/Integrator

A web designer and integrator on our digital production team since February 2021, Elizabeth Cheong talks to us about her career path and what motivates her at Tink.

In a few words, how would you describe your role and typical daily tasks?

I do a lot of different things in this job:

• Designing mock-ups and banners
• Putting together web visuals
• Integrating, uploading, and updating online content
• Integrating and planning newsletters

In short, there’s a creative side and a technical side to my job. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about this work!

As a web designer and integrator, I mainly work based on priority level. Every morning when I start my day, I review my tasks in Jira and categorize them based on urgency. Then I start working on my high-priority tasks, like scheduling emails and doing QA checks.

To help us work more efficiently, our team also meets every morning to debrief, divide up the work that needs to be done, share updates, and check if everything is going as planned. And when I have downtime, I make a point to give my teammates a hand with anything they’re working on.

In your opinion, what hard and soft skills are required to succeed in a position like yours?

As I’ve said, priority management is an essential skill to master in this position. We often have several projects going at the same time, and it’s important to know what to prioritize so you can deliver them on time and satisfy each client. At the same time, you need to be able to jump between different projects and draw on different skill sets.

Initiative and resourcefulness are two other basic skills you need to succeed in integration and web design. My team is usually really busy, so I have to try to find the answers to my questions on my own before I ask someone else. In terms of interpersonal skills, I would say that you have to know how to communicate and adapt to others, because teamwork is an integral part of our daily work.

What have you learned during your time at Tink?

This might sound surprising, but when I started at Tink, I didn’t know anything about SEO or cybermetrics! Those are things I picked up on the job from my multi-talented colleagues.

Since working at Tink, I’ve also gotten better at managing my time and priorities so I don’t feel overwhelmed by projects. There are a ton of variables and different steps involved in our work, so I learned pretty quickly to take every project one day at a time without worrying too much about making mistakes. You can send a newsletter to thousands of people with the click of a button, so you have to learn to trust yourself!

I also have to say that working at Tink has made me much more detail-oriented. For example, it would be absolutely unthinkable to do a project without taking SEO, coding, or accessibility into account. We offer so many different services and everyone is so meticulous with their work that every little detail counts! That means that our work processes are much more rigorous, which greatly improves the quality of our work.

Finally, on a more personal note, I’ve learned not to be afraid to be myself. I still remember being so scared that I wouldn’t get hired at Tink just because I had blue hair! I realized pretty quickly that there was nothing to worry about, since Tink hires people solely based on their skills and knowledge.

What do you like about Tink, and what makes you stay?

Definitely the friendly, no-fuss atmosphere! No one has a big ego and everyone’s super approachable. In the morning, I can just as easily say hi to management as I can to one of my colleagues. There aren’t really any cliques and everyone gets along great. That’s definitely a big positive for me! We also highlight the team’s accomplishments every week, which also helps us feel appreciated and recognized for our work! I also like the transparency within the company: there’s never any doubt about my role or my place at Tink.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

I’ve gotten much better at delegating since joining Tink! Anytime a task requires expertise that’s outside of my wheelhouse, I’ll bring in one of my coworkers. That’s a big deal for me because it takes some of the weight off my shoulders. Besides that, I’m no longer afraid to take the time to do things right, since my projects don’t have strict time limits. If a project takes me four hours, it takes me four hours, and that’s totally fine. It’s really great to be able to just let my creativity run wild without worrying about going over on hours!

How would you describe the work atmosphere at Tink?

We have a really great work atmosphere here, and I’m always happy to see people in the office! Everyone’s really open-minded and understanding. We can swap ideas, talk about our interests, and chat about everything under the sun without worrying about being judged. And that’s really valuable for building solid team chemistry at work.

For you, working at Tink means having the opportunity to . . . ?

• Do a little of everything and work with multiple clients from a variety of industries.
• Learn new things on a regular basis (especially through peer learning workshops).
• Keep learning and growing within my position.

What advice would you give to future employees in your field?

The web and digital sector is constantly evolving, and you need to keep up! Never assume that you know everything. Learn as much as you can about what you don’t know, be curious, stay informed, and take time out of your day to learn and develop new skills!