Hi Truc, can you introduce yourself and give us a little background of what you do?

My name is Tran Nguyen Thanh Truc, 31 years young! I am born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and currently work as an office manager at TGM Research. A little background on my education, I studied business at RMIT Vietnam then I had the opportunity to exchange at RMIT Melbourne for a year. After returning home, I worked for a few companies before joining TGM about three years ago in 2020.

Initially, I started as a salesperson, but quickly realized it wasn’t the best fit for me. Luckily, at that time, the company was looking for a marketing executive, so I applied and got the job! While working at TGM, I also took on various HR and finance responsibilities as my boss didn’t speak Vietnamese to take care of accounting, taxes, etc. I found that I really enjoyed these tasks and eventually fell in love with it. Recently, I was offered a promotion to the finance team as an office manager, which I gladly accepted, although I was sad to leave my lovely marketing team...

How do you balance being a mom of two with your work responsibilities?

I don’t (laughs). But honestly, I don’t think anyone can. Balancing work and family is always a challenge, I just try to prioritize my time and plan ahead as much as possible. Also, TGM has a pretty flexible work arrangement. I have the flexibility to work from home or leave early to pick up my kids so it’s much easier for me to fulfil both work and home duties. No one really cares about the time you’re at work, they care about the quality of work you are producing, so I make sure to deliver that quality. Working from home or leaving early does not mean I work less; I continue to work once my kids are asleep. It's all about time management!

Do you think being a parent has given you any skills or qualities that are valuable in the workplace or your job specifically?

Oh, absolutely. Being a parent requires a lot of multi-tasking, problem-solving, and communication skills all of which are highly transferable to the workplace. As an office manager, not only am I responsible for a wide range of tasks like recruitment processes, employee contacts, payment processing, and planning company events but I also have to stay up-to-date on business labour law compliance as well. With the skills I’ve gained from being a parent, I feel like I am able to approach challenging situations with a more positive attitude than before and maintain composure even in high-stress environments.

Do you feel that TGM has provided you with opportunities for professional development?

For sure. TGM has been instrumental in supporting my professional growth since the day I started working here. Like I’ve shared previously, I moved positions quite a bit within the company from a salesperson to a marketing executive and now office manager. Not because I wasn’t doing well, or I didn’t love my current job – I found my real passion along the way and my boss was supportive enough to give me a chance to prove myself. Whenever I needed help, not only my boss, but my colleagues will be there to offer me valuable feedback and guidance, which I truly appreciate from the bottom of my heart.

So... yes! Through the years I’ve worked at TGM, my company has provided me ample opportunities for skills development and training. We are always encouraged to learn, whether it’s through offline workshops or online courses. In fact, I just earned my newest certificate few days ago on Human Resources Management: HR for people manager specialization from University of Minnesota and my bosses are already asking me what’s next (laughs). For this, I am thankful. I am and always will be inspired to drive change – not just in my industry and community but my own life as well.

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