Meet the New Starter - Dale McCafferty

What attracted you to the role at TIP?

I already knew a current TIP employee personally for a few years and he had nothing but glowing reviews around TIP’s culture, working day and the team itself. Having bounced around offices for a while in search of my next career move, TIP seemed the perfect fit. After meeting with the management team, I was immediately sold and consider my place at the company to be a great step forward.

What excites you most about your new role with TIP?

Diversity in my day is a key aspect that drives me. The role itself houses some key multi-skilled tasks that must be completed. If someone has a large workload or the team needs to pool together to finish a large piece of work, it is second nature to give me the who, what and why so I understand fully the tasks I am completing.

What skills do you hope to bring to TIP?

Adaptability and communication. Mostly I am a friendly face, always willing to work and learn something new.

What is your biggest work-related achievement?

I worked at the Trafford Centre for 9 years at the start of my working life. I started by cleaning tables and sweeping floors on the food court, then, moved my way into the maintenance office as an Administration Assistant. From then on, I found myself in the management offices working alongside the centre director and operational managers creating board reports, KPI documents, taking minutes for high profile meetings and generally running the operation of the office.  

What is your biggest personal achievement?

My biggest personal achievement is my ability to adapt to any business I step into. From the Trafford Centre, I moved into various roles as I looked to find my feet. I managed office buildings from an operational standpoint and worked for the NHS by booking training and movements of directors around the country.

How do you like to start your day?

Coffee! I’m not an early riser in the morning, I like my extra 30 minutes. As soon as I manage to drag myself from the bed, I like to make a nice hot coffee to start my day.

What’s one thing you’re learning now or learned recently?  

I am currently trying to learn how to edit video game recordings into YouTube videos. This requires recording gameplay from a console to a PC, linking it with a camera and microphone and then processing the footage.

What are your top three strengths?

Adaptability, communication and my personality.

What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?

My communication, I believe everyone’s day should start with something, even if it is a simple ‘Hello’. I like to think that whether it is a work-related issue or a personal problem, I am a good ear to listen and offer advice where I think it is needed.  

What three words would your friends use to describe you?

Helpful, considerate and committed.

What is a fun/interesting fact about yourself?

I’ve met various celebrities throughout my time, but one that stands out is Richard Hammond from Top Gear/The Grand Tour; I attribute my love of cars and racing to them. As someone who prides themselves on being polite, confident and respectful, I thought that if I ever got the chance to meet one of the celebrities, I would be okay… but as soon as I walked up to Richard Hammond to ask for a picture, I fully lost it!

What/who inspires you?

Although I enjoy celebrities as people and can recognise their talents, I constantly find inspiration from my close circle. At this stage of my life, I see a lot of my close friends buying houses, having children and starting families, and given the current climate of the UK, I find it inspiring that they are progressing and breaking the mould.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I like to sit and play video games, catch up on shows and generally try to fit in an adventure or two where I can. I like driving my car, so I always look for the most scenic route with twisty roads.