Meet Rose Sampedro Our very own HR Assistant

Rose Sampedro

Question: Tell us a bit about you and your family and how did you join Vela.
 
I’m a certified Sagittarian who always looks at situations from a positive point of view and still get surprised with the final result. Childlike sense of wonder coupled with an irrepressible adventurous spirit spawned a career within the airline industry that lasted for seven (7) years. I started as a ground stewardess for Philippine Airlines and later moved on as a cabin crew for Saudi Arabian Airlines.
 
One cold morning of January 1992 when I was based in Bangkok, Thailand, my professional jet-setting routine finally went aground by a poster that I found pasted on door of my apartment when I came home after a long and tiring shift. The poster reads: Marry Me, Fly Free. And the rest is history.
 
In retrospect I can say that my stint as a stewardess was never meant to be a profession for me. It was a transition from graduating in college where I earned a degree in Marketing Management and finding Mr. Right.
 
Being a full-time wife to Rogie and a mother to now grow-up children Carlo and Marco, both born in Dubai, is my life’s greatest joy. I was lucky to have a supportive family who encouraged me to look for avenues that could nurture my growth as a person outside the bounds of the home.
 
The demands of career and family can be overwhelming at times but I took everything in stride as I mapped out my career path back into the mainstream. Taking on office jobs on temporary assignment worked best under the circumstances until my boys stepped out of their walkers and were able to run on their own.
 
That was also how I started with Vela. I covered for various secretaries whilst they were on leave and in the course of my tenure I  worked with practically all the departments including the executive offices.  My persistence and hard work eventually paid off and I was glad Vela recognized my efforts; as a result Vela signed me on as a permanent staff member in September 2005 as secretary to the Division Administrator for Human Resources.
 
 
Question:  What is your current job in Vela and how did you get to where you are?
 
I was the secretary of the division administrator for 10 months before I was assigned under the Training and Recruitment group in 2006 . The interpersonal skills which I acquired from years of experience in the airlines come in handy with my current post. Grace under pressure is always the call of the day plus the personal commitment to always give 110% to whatever task I have at hand.
 
 
Question: What would you say is unique about your work in HR in comparison to other jobs you had?
 
I pursued my career in Human Resources because I like interacting with people….well, I guess because I’m a people-person and feel people make an organization.  Just like in the airline industry where I first started my career, the objective is always to ensure that the best assistance is given to the people we serve; we have to put our best foot forward at all times in order for us to have repeat and happy customers.  
 
My present work in HR is no different. In here it is all about satisfying our very own people in order for them to satisfy our external customers. I want our staff to feel they have a place in this company….a place in this family.  It is a continuous service, one that you also do for any member of a family. The staff here is the cogs of the operation as in any organization. HR is tasked to find the right people for the right place. It’s the very dynamics of bridging between meeting the need of the company for the right person (demand) and matching the talent that is available in the market (supply) that makes HR work unique in general. And this is just one of the functions of HR.
 
In the Training and Recruitment group we strive to provide the best talent to Vela while keeping the performance level of the staff by setting up training programs both for personal and career enhancements.
 
The competition for attracting and retaining the best talent in the market is very much pronounced in HR and has to be dealt with daily on a pro-active basis. 
 
 
Question:  What would you say is the most important aspect of your current job and how does that serve Vela’s objectives?
 
I must say that one of the most important aspects of my current job is the one which ensures a great level of competence, suitability and value in the training and recruitment processes. This would mean the proper recruitment procedure must at all times be followed in order to ensure the right candidates are recruited for the right job. Suitable training programs for employees are also organized and conducted to ensure all staff are deployed in their respective areas holding current work knowledge that would ensure smooth flow of the operations. Another aspect is the creation of practical and attractive remuneration and reward packages, organizing and supervising the work of employees, ensuring that the industry procedure and worker conditions stay well within the law, creating an optimistic, pleasant occupational setting, aptitude employment and plotting out the best HR tactic for future prospects.
 
The job of HR is to make sure that these benefits and income levels link up with the company’s financial plan whilst being appealing and competitive enough to attract the very best candidates possible.
 
Another important aspect is to provide the best possible human resources services which are the precise and practical appraisal and development of performance among the employee group. Performance administration is one of the key functions of HRD, and should be dealt with any one of the proven techniques of metrics and assessment that attempts toward best practices in the realm of performance management. To be within the stipulated law is also another highly important feature of my job in HR that comes into serious act when talking about the paramount procedure involved in keeping the work area free of treacherous or debatable business practices. That is why HR makes sure that the workplace is grievance-proof by making it compliant with the local law in place today. This way it helps encourage trust between the management and the employees.

Rose Sampedro  Family 

Question:  How do you see self-development in Vela and what have you done in this field?
 
I see self-development as a personal responsibility that should spring out from individual initiative. My very job is my own self-development. Being in constant contact with such highly educated and professional people in Vela and learning so many things from them is a bonus in itself which I would not receive otherwise had I remained as a homemaker. Apart from the bonus, I also joined several training opportunities available within the group to enhance my skills.  
 

Question:  Where do you see yourself five years from now?
 
I see myself still doing what I’m happy doing best at the moment or more – providing efficient and prompt service to everyone – whether at work or at home. Even at home I prefer to do things without seeking much help from others and I want my kids to be self-reliant as well. My husband believes that I am a great supporter even in his career so I think I’ll be happy giving my best to my family and to my job.

 
Question: How does your job relate to your personal life and your family?

I consider my job as a process in my own self-development which helps me become a more responsible and understanding person. I even see my work as an extension of my home…my family. I made it known to my kids how equally important my work is to my personal well being. At this early stage, I want to inculcate in them that work is not necessarily something tedious and monotonous that they too can find happiness at work if they love what they do.
 

Questions:  What is your advice to those entering the HR field?
 
The Human Resources field is a hectic, ever-changing and challenging area but it can be a very satisfying career. We expect a few downhill slides and uphill climbs but somehow they will still be able to push through and find the fun and take on the challenge again as long as they love their work. HR work requires an overdose of patience (how about getting calls while in the bathroom?!)  And you got to like people in the first place. He/she must also have a pro-active approach at work.
 
On a final note, allow me to mention this popular quote from a famous American legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi when he said that “Inches make champions” and this has been my own personal motto ever since I was introduced to the sport by my football-fanatic husband. “To win in your personal life as well as in your career is all about inches,” according to Lombardi. “It’s all about going small distances successfully, then going further still”. I have lived by this maxim and I believe that to be successful both in one’s personal life and career, a person has to take it one step at a time.

December 9, 2007