Meet the new team member. Clara Guisan is the latest addition to our growing team of young, exciting talent here at Pest Solutions, joining the company as a Graduate Service Technician, and we can’t wait to see more of what she can do.
Over the past few years, we have been privileged enough to witness the success of a raft of award-winning women here at Pest Solutions and have no doubt that Clara has the skills and attitude to continue this fantastic tradition.
Clara, who is a Spanish native, having been raised in the Galacian region of Northern Spain, graduated from Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in 2019 with a degree in Grado en Bioloxía, the equivalent of a BSc Biology degree in the UK.
As part of this degree, Clara studied a variety of modules highly relevant to a career in the pest control industry, including Zoology, Animal Physiology, and Animal Biodiversity and Conservation.
Clara then moved to Scotland to study for an MSc Environmental and Forest Management at the University of Aberdeen, where she graduated with Commendation in November 2020.
Before joining us here at Pest Solutions in Aberdeen, Clara spent time working at a tree nursery, using her MSc Environmental and Forest Management degree to research and implement different methods of ensuring sustainable tree growth.
During this time, Clara learned about the impact of plant pests, and how to manage them, which she attributes as being a major factor in her applying for a position with Pest Solutions:
“In my previous job at a tree nursery, I got to learn about plant pests and weed management. This awakened my interest in pest management. However, this job was not giving me many opportunities to explore this field. When I saw the graduate job with Pest Solutions and the incredible chance to learn more about pests, I applied for it.”
Clara clearly has a history of achieving excellence academically and has proven her capability to use her knowledge in a practical setting. These are attributes that we are always looking for in our new recruits and we have no doubt that Clara’s can-do attitude and extensive knowledge will help her to thrive in her new role.
At Pest Solutions, we don’t just look at a person’s qualifications when hiring new recruits, although if we did Clara would still have been a stand out candidate.
We invest in people and have built our company over the last few years on the strength and comradery shared by all our employees.
We believe that getting to know people on a personal level can only be a good thing when working together towards a common goal.
When she is not at work, investigating the complex ever-changing relationship between pests and humans, Clara has a range of interests she likes to pursue:
“I mostly spend my free time with my friends. I love planning a road trip with them or just having a philosophical chat while having good food. I also spend some of my free time doing exercise, reading, or writing.”
She was even a member of the University of Aberdeen Boxing Club.
Clara is currently undergoing the extensive training programme that we provide for all our Graduate trainees through the British Pest Control Association and via mentorship from some of our most experienced pest technicians.
Despite her limited time spent working solo with customers as of yet, Clara has already demonstrated her excellent communication skills and ability to interact with customers in a friendly manner.
This is essential when dealing with clients who often find themselves in upsetting and unexpected situations and shows that Clara is already developing an aptitude for a career in the service industry.
“I haven’t had the chance to speak much with the customers because I am mostly observing and interacting with the colleague that I’m training with.
But one of the funniest interactions I have had was one customer that could tell my Spanish accent and started to speak Spanish with me out of the blue. We were talking about Spain and Galicia, where I am from, and its culture.”
Update – In December 2022 Clara achieved a very high score when she passed the RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management becoming a fully qualified professional pest controller. She is now working towards sitting the BPCA Certified Advanced Technician qualification which she will be able to sit after 18 months in the industry.
Clara is the latest in an ever-growing line of exceptional young women to join our ranks as a graduate service technician.
Here at Pest Solutions, our sole aim is to hire the best people for each position we have available, and this has led to our service team being 36.3% many times higher than the industry average which sits at just 4.5%.
Earlier this year we were delighted to partner with Bayer Environmental Science to represent the pest control industry at International Women’s Day and are dedicated to continue developing an inclusive and diverse workforce.
If we don’t seek out the women with the potential to be exceptional as part of our business, we are missing out on at least half of the talent that’s out there, and it would be impossible for us to achieve the growth we are after as a result.
We will always maintain the same ethos of inclusivity that has brought us so much success so far and will continue to look for ways to improve in this regard.
Clara is already thinking about her future as a fully fledged service technician for Pest Solutions and was keen to highlight her plans for contributing to the company.
“I hope to gain knowledge and experience in pest management, but also, I am hoping to contribute to the company with my personal experience and insights.”
This is exactly the attitude we want from our staff and is one of the main reasons that we are so committed to investing in young talent such as Clara.
The ideas and energy of new minds in the industry are something that we believe is crucial to a successful future for the pest control industry and are looking to buck the trend of the field being dominated by the over 50s.
This isn’t to say that there is no room for experience, and our team is packed full of it, but the perfect balance between fresh ideas of youth and the knowledge and expertise of those with decades of success in the industry is a winning formula we intend to keep using.
This year alone the success of our graduate technician programme has proven itself in the form of multiple awards and qualifications for our younger members of staff.
Pest Solutions technicians have now won the prestigious Young Pest Controller of the Year Award at the National Pest Awards for the past two years with another graduate scheme success story Gemma Sutherland scooping the award this year, following in the footsteps of Gabrielle Hogg who was crowned in 2021.
Four of our Graduate Scheme technicians also achieved great things in terms of their training this year, with Natasha Mackay, Gemma Sutherland, Chloe Smith and William Trivet all achieving their Level 3 Certificated Advanced Technician awards from the BPCA.
At Pest Solutions, we are always on the lookout for those who are determined to succeed despite the challenges that they face.
No-one exemplifies this attitude better than Clara who lives with type 1 diabetes. Despite this requiring daily management, which she says is almost like having another full-time job in itself, Clara has never let this stop her from achieving her goals.
We couldn’t be prouder to support all our staff, but particularly those like Clara who has tackled all the difficulties in her life head on to huge success.
We look forward to seeing Clara continue to thrive as part of the Pest Solutions team and are sure our customers will benefit from the can-do attitude and determination that she brings to all aspects of her life.
Clara is a fantastic example of the dedication and resilience that are key to success in the Pest Control industry and we can’t wait to see her join the ranks of the young success stories that are starting to become somewhat of a hallmark here at Pest Solutions.
If you, like Clara, have a background in the sciences and would like to put your knowledge of animal activity to use in an exciting and ever changing industry where no two days are ever quite the same, why not consider a career in pest control?
We are constantly learning more about animal behaviour and pest management and are locked in a constant battle to continue delivering the best possible Pest Solutions to all our customers.
You could help to drive the pest control industry into a new era, and with training and mentorship programmes that have a proven track record of producing fantastic young pest controllers, there is no better place to do just that than right here at Pest Solutions.
We have grown massively in just a few years and we are often on the lookout for new recruits across the whole of Scotland and in the North of England.
Our service technicians in the field are just one important cog in the Pest Solutions wheel as well, so if you are a young person interested in a career in marketing, sales, accounts, or other office based roles, keep an eye out for job opportunities that may come up in the near future.
Apply today by sending your CV to chris@pestsolutions.co.uk.
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We are open 24 hours 7 days a week to help with all pest related enquiries.
We are open 24 hours 7 days a week to help with all pest related enquiries.
We are open 24/hours 7 days a week to help with all pest related enqurirs.
