Nicola Asker

"I recently retook the quiz and it came back with slightly different results than when I first did this years ago. I think that change reflects a better understanding of myself and what I enjoy at work. The three it's now suggested (Coach, Coordinator and Trainer) feel like a really good match for my strengths and the areas of my work that I enjoy the most. I regularly get feedback from others saying that I'm organised, efficient, helpful - which are all highlighted. The ones that stand out to me though are 'takes pride in exceeding expectations', 'pulls people together' and 'good at simiplifying complex information. I've always been driven to do my best, though not necessarily needing to be better than others, and my role is all about bringing people together to get to solutions. In just the last year I've really noticed how satisfying I find it when I'm able to simplify complicated concepts using simple language or pictures. So these three personality types in combination really seem to sum me up! "

"Day to day, I have a lot of meetings and spend a lot of time writing or reviewing documents. I'm working with people across our business to work out what money we need to spend for the next ten years to keep all our pipelines, compressors and other equipment working. That's essential so that we can move natural gas around the country to get it to people's homes where they use it for heating and cooking. I really enjoy working across different teams, getting an understanding of the technical challenges but also the costs involved and how it comes together as a bigger picture. I then have to write it all up into documents which explain what we recommend (or I review the documents written by others in my team) and those go to our Regulator whose job it is to make sure we aren't spending lots of money for no good reason. I then spend a lot of time answering any questions they have and making things clearer. The starting salary for my role is around £56,000; though I actually work part-time so that I can pick my child up from school. "

"I studied Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at University and got a masters. During that time I got a scholarship which meant I was able to work for an engineering company each summer and then joined their graduate programme after I graduate (with an 18 month gap where I volunteered). However, I was really interested in being at the heart of the energy industry so I joined National Grid on their graduate programme. I spent 18 months doing three different placements in different parts of the business before joining the team I'm in now. But over the years, the role of my team has changed and I've been promoted twice so I haven't yet reached a stage where I'm bored of doing the same old thing since it keeps changing and continues to be challenging. Along the way though I did a variety of other jobs. I worked in a supermarket and a shoe shop. I did a summer research internship which clearly showed me I did NOT want to do a PhD. I sold CDs on commission at a concert. I cleaned my stepdad’s office and babysat for family friends. I also volunteered a lot which led to my 18 months with the African Children’s Choir where my main role as headteacher. All these things really developed a wide variety of skills outside of my core engineering learning.I wanted to go into engineering mainly because I enjoyed maths, physics and computing. It also helped that my stepdad is an engineer so I was aware that it existed as a career choice."

"As I’m now a parent, most of my spare time is spent with my child in all sorts of imaginative play and craft activities. But I’ve always enjoyed crafting myself and have started learning how to do watercolour painting. I really enjoy playing board games like Wingspan and Sagrada – probably because they’re problem solving again. I read a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction. My favourite fiction genres are murder mysteries or fantasy. Most people don’t know that I used to write film and book reviews online, and I now act as an Advanced Reader (like a proof reader) for one of my favourite authors. "

"Most of my day is spent in meetings with other people from across our business or replying to emails. Although our focus for the rest of this year is shifting to focus on writing up everything we’ve figured out from those meetings, so more of my time will be spent writing or reviewing what’s been written by other people. We need to explain really clearly what our equipment does and why we need to spend money on it so that we get permission to go ahead with our plans. Altogether, the documents that I write and review will get us approval to spend over £450m in the next five years. So it’s really important that we get it right, because that money then makes sure our equipment keeps working and we can get gas to everyone who needs it."

"I went to school in Scotland. I got five Highers with an A (Maths, English, Chemistry, Physics and Computing) then I got three Advanced Highers (Maths A, Computing A, Physics B). At University I got an MEng in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering with distinction. I joined National Grid through the graduate programme and from there applied for internal promotions until finally reaching my current role."