Day in the life: A Resene Colour Specialist and ColorShop Assistant Manager

13 Apr 2023

This week we speak to Veronica Hamilton, who tells us all about her roles within Resene, including a Resene Colour Specialist, Assistant Manager and Colour Matcher. If you’re wondering what it’s like to work at Resene, you can learn more about the different roles within our colourful family-owned company by reading our newsletter. Hearing straight from our team, you can learn about what the role entails, a ‘day in the life’ and even what you need to get into a Resene role yourself.

What do you do at Resene?

I have worked at Resene for 16 years, and am currently working at the Lunn Ave Resene ColorShop in Auckland. I’m the Assistant Manager, and am also a Colour Specialist and Colour Matcher. As an in-store Colour Specialist I assist customers with choosing colours and wallpapers, and if they're starting from scratch, I can give advice on any other design aspects that need to be co-ordinated. As the Colour Matcher, I have received training for and specialise in making custom paint colours.

What does a typical day look like?

Aside from all the usual day-to-day stuff involved in running a retail store, mostly it is talking to clients about their projects and understanding their needs in order to give them the best products and advice. Every customer that we see has a different design or painting project, whether it's something small like matching a colour for touch-ups, or creating a whole new colour scheme. It can be really interesting to see the different challenges each project has and be part of the problem-solving process. 

Some customers, especially our tradies, know exactly what they need and it's usually just a matter of tinting up their paint and charging out their sale. Other customers might need a bit more guidance about colours or products and that's what we're here for.

What do you need to be able to do the job?   

An interest in colour or design is a plus! Obviously working in a retail environment is a bonus too, it is very customer focused so you need to have the ability to talk to customers and clients. To some people starting out, that can seem a little daunting, but the confidence to do this comes with time and training. I've seen a lot of staff who start off shy and self-conscious become customer service superstars during their time here. 

I had just finished my Diploma in Interior Design when I started working at Resene and it was my first full-time job, but the staff that I've worked with over the years (and some of us have been here a while) have been very supportive. Having good people around you definitely makes for a better work-life!

Whether you know a little or a lot about the paint industry, there is a lot of in-house training and there is also a lot of opportunity to learn and be creative with in-store product training and in-store displays. 

What do you love most about working at Resene?

With both trade and retail customers, it keeps the work varied so I'm not always doing the same thing all the time. I like that I'm able to put my interior design training to use in a very practical aspect, not just advising colour choices but creating the colours too. I love colour and paint and it's great that I'm able to utilise that by creating paint and wallpaper displays to not only update my work space and keep it looking interesting, but hopefully to inspire others to bring a bit of colour into their own homes.

If you’re keen to join the Resene team, check out some of the jobs we have available.

Published: 13 Apr 2023