Cedric Jacquemin – Local support technician

Who wants to be stuck in front of a computer all day? I trained as a developer analyst, but when looking for jobs I couldn't face the idea of coding every day. That's why Freshfields suits me so well. My job is varied, I'm always on the move, working on different tasks and helping different people.

A year ago, I started as the audiovisual technician for the Brussels office. All our conference facilities are located on the 25th floor and, as they don't run themselves, most of my work involves setting up video projectors, teleconferences and video conference facilities. Over time, I have become involved in more technical support for the local network and telephone system, printers and the servers for the office's mobile data and email.

I'm responding to people's needs as they come up. It may be something simple like maintenance on printers or resolving an issue on a PC. It could be an urgent call to set up a meeting room prior to a big pitch for a new client. If our team is doing a presentation to a new client's CEO to try to land a big case, they shouldn't be worrying about the presentation facilities. So I don't get stressed; I keep smiling and fix the problem in a couple of minutes.

I enjoy researching ways to improve the working experience for our colleagues. For example, I recently spent time researching ways to access web and emails on the move. By using a BlackBerry paired as a modem with a laptop, together with correctly negotiating our mobile data plans, we not only provide people with a simple method for working remotely when travelling but do so in a more cost-efficient manner. I presented the idea to the London office, who are always happy to see good ideas coming in. We have been testing this mobile connection for several months in Brussels, but I am confident that my idea could make a valuable difference as a firmwide mobile working solution.