Throughout the year, we feature employees sharing their unique stories about their time at Ritchie Bros. In this edition, Katrina Cameron, Ritchie Bros. Financial Services Training and Development Specialist, writes about starting a new role during the pandemic and the success that came with it.
Ritchie Bros. Financial Services (RBFS) has been the best thing to come out of the COVID pandemic for me and I never could have guessed it was going to happen. In March 2020 I had a steady job, a three-figure salary, a beautiful condo in English Bay, Vancouver, and had just gone on a trip to sunny San Diego in California, I felt like I had it all figured out.
But then everything came crashing down. COVID hit, I lost my job, couldn’t afford my rent, there were no fun trips to look forward to (for anyone!) and we were all in lockdown. I did a whole lot of nothing for two months – tweaked my resume, job searched, biked, hiked, connected with nature and took up journaling and reading. Two months in, I needed a job urgently and decided it was time to look for something pandemic-proof.
Even though I’d never golfed before, it was the one activity I knew was still happening – it was outdoors, people could be six feet apart, and Spring had sprung. I ended up driving to 30 different golf courses around Vancouver and personally handing out a physical paper copy of my resume – and got three responses; one to say they weren’t hiring and two to offer me interviews. I ended up getting a job at both courses I interviewed at because they each paid close to minimum wage and wouldn’t let me work more than 40 hours a week (to ensure they didn’t have to pay me time-and-a-half), and I needed more than 40 hours to cover my bills.
The golf course might sound like a great place to be, but when you’re in “Raincouver,” and haven’t had a break in months, it can get exhausting. I was working every single day of the week, exhausted myself to the point of fainting, smacking my head and getting a concussion, and was forced to take time off and get back to doing nothing. After a week in bed, I made the tough decision to leave BC, which I loved, and move back home to Toronto with my parents.
That’s when I received a message from a recruiter on LinkedIn. They had seen my profile and wanted to talk to me about this company I’d never heard of called Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. I was already planning my move home (I’d ended my lease) and was still recovering, but my future boss, Kishen Raja, let me know the opportunity could be done remotely. It seemed as if the stars had aligned – I could work in Toronto or move back to Vancouver and it was a job that was recession-proof. RBFS works with so many different industries, and people always need to buy equipment; RBFS didn’t just survive during COVID, they grew!
I went from joining as an Associate Account Manager with no industry knowledge of financing or heavy equipment, to being the Training & Development Specialist for Sales and onboarding over 100 people in a year and a half. And I’ve not only had the honor of training so many unique and special individuals, but also the honor of receiving two of our company’s “True North Star” awards. One was for Q3 2022, and the other was the 2022 True North Star Annual Award Recipient title.
The True North Star award goes to the person that best embodies our values of vision, integrity, and unity – that’s what this team is all about and I feel lucky to be a part of it. I was nominated for the Annual Award by my colleagues and chosen as winner by the Culture Committee and Senior Leadership Team, and winning the title meant the world to me.
It meant all my hard work had paid off and showed me that I’m valued by my colleagues. I don’t feel like just a number here, I don’t need to overwork myself to the point of exhaustion (I’ve found that work/life balance), and I like what I do! It also meant I got to go on an all-inclusive trip to Cabo – lockdown is OVER!
I’ve learned so much while being here at RBFS. Everyone is invested in growing together, learning from each other, and winning together, and I am forever grateful to everyone that has helped me along this path. It is truly an honor to receive this award and I can’t wait to watch RBFS continue to grow! What a privilege!
Learn more about RBFS and other RB Global career opportunities here: Careers | Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (rbauction.com)
Great story of adapting and perseverance
Well done!