Commercial Manager, Kyle, joined us in 2005 as a Customer Representative. Since then, he’s focused on his personal development and gained experience in a number of roles within the company. In this week’s colleague story, he tells us about his journey with Hastings so far and shares advice for anyone looking to grow their own career with us.
Figuring out what motivated me most
I joined Hastings in 2005 when I was just 18 years old – my mum submitted an application on my behalf! I got a job within Customer Service and Sales in Customer Operations which I did for a couple of years before moving on to become a Deputy Team Leader, as it was known at the time.
After broadening my role to include Retail, First Notification of Loss (FNOL) and Customer Claims, I started to get a feeling that I needed to do something else. I came across a secondment opportunity in Learning & Development (L&D) and I became a Training Executive for five years. I delivered inductions for new colleagues who were moving into various call centre roles, and some of our leader development courses. The role within L&D really opened my eyes to the importance of self-reflection and figuring out what motivated me most. It helped me realise that I’m really into data, which ultimately led me to Claims Analytics, even though I didn’t have a degree.
Over the next couple of years, I progressed to Senior Analyst but got the bug for the Commercial side of the business, having worked with that team so closely. I then moved into a Commercial Executive role, supporting our clients spend management and, as of January 2021, I became Commercial Manager.
Opportunities and commitment
The main reasons I’ve stayed with Hastings for this long are the opportunities and the level of commitment Hastings has shown me. Working for a company like Hastings means that there are loads of different jobs to choose from. Hastings is willing to give opportunities to those who have the right attitude and willingness to succeed. I only have GCSEs, but Hastings has given me an education in both professional learning and in the insurance industry. This only came after I worked hard at my day job and having leaders who put me forward for courses that supported my development. This mix of opportunity, hard work and having good leaders meant I was able to explore, progress and achieve promotions through the various roles I’ve had.
In my experience…
I would say there are four things to consider when looking to progress a career at Hastings Direct:
- Consistently succeed in your day job as, in my experience, I think that’s something hiring managers look for.
- Figure out what makes you happy at work – talking to customers, working with numbers, selling, working with computers etc. Then find the role that matches your preferences, but keep in mind that you might have to move outside of your comfort zone to do it.
- Remember that managers don’t hire based on your CV alone. It helps you get an interview, but they hire based on the person sat in front of them, their skills and experience and how those skills support what they’re looking for.
- Do your research on the team you want to join and think about what good looks like for them – consider what you can bring to that team and what you need from them.
Join us: If you’d like to be part of a team working together to support our customers and thrive in a fast paced and digitally-focused company, find out about our available roles and apply.