Megan Cooley is HR administrator at ICS Medical Devices. From starting at ICS Medical as a summer intern to realising that HR is the career path she wants to follow, Megan’s journey and development within ICS is admirable.
Tell us about your career journey at ICS Medical so far.
In May 2022, I joined ICS Medical Devices as a Human Resourses summer intern. At the time I was pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in History and Geography with the goal of teaching, however, the hands-on experience I got from this internship intrigued me and unexpectedly changed my career aspirations.
I was involved in the recruitment process, I was dealing with queries from staff members and there was a lot of documentation and filing which made me think about beginning a career in HR as I knew there was a lot more in HR that I could learn. In September 2022, I temporarily left ICS to focus on my studies, however, I shortly returned in November 2022 with the goal of pursuing a career in Human Resources.
I got promoted to HR Administrator in July 2023 and became more involved in all things HR. I am now taking a part-time course in Supervisory Management to advance into Human Resource Management year 3 at ATU Castlebar. I hope to be fully qualified by 2026! I think I made a good decision to come back to ICS Medical and I thoroughly enjoy the job I am doing here.
What has been the highlight of your job so far?
The highlight of working in HR at ICS Medical is the wealth of hands-on experience I have gained. Entering the HR field without a degree can be challenging as the first thing employers look for now a days is a degree. ICS afforded me the opportunity to work in HR and gain lots of experience while also pursuing a course that will fully prepare me for this field.
What is your favourite thing about working at ICS Medical Devices?
My favourite thing about working in ICS Medical Devices is the welcoming and friendly atmosphere that I walk into daily. I am part of an amazing team, especially within HR. We’re a supportive team. Between the 3 of us, we always collaborate to find effective solutions.
In HR, our ongoing aim is to enhance the workplace experience for all employees. When we accomplish milestones like successfully implementing new policies or systems, it’s very satisfying to see the progress and improvement over time.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their career at ICS Medical?
I would tell someone interested in starting a career with ICS Medical to come in completely open-minded. There is a lot of room for opportunity and development within the company.
You should make that extra effort to talk to people from other departments, for me that would be engineers or product builders, to fully grasp what we do at ICS Medical Devices, especially if you have not worked in medical devices before.