Tell us a bit about yourself, how long have you been at Hastings Direct?
I’ve been at Hastings Direct since January 2016, initially I started as a part time Customer Representative working in our Leicester office.
Tell us a bit about your development journey so far
When I first started, I was a part time Customer Representative. I also had another part time job and I was completing university on a part time basis. I had been working on the phones for around seven months when in September that year, I was successful in my application and interview to start in a new team that was being created in Leicester. I was still doing this part time and in May 2017 there was an opportunity to work full time as a coach. I had just finished university and decided to leave my other job to start full time at Hastings Direct. At this point, I helped run the induction for three new operational teams. After doing this, I had the opportunity to do a step up as a Team Leader for one of the part time teams and more recently I have secured a Team Leader secondment.
Who would you say was your biggest support during this time?
The leaders that I’ve worked with at Hastings Direct have been great and I’ve learnt so much from them. They’ve always pushed me to improve and do more. They have supported me in my journey as a step up Team Leader and have always been happy to help with any queries or support I had or needed. This in return made me really appreciate the support a leader could give their Customer Representatives in any aspect of their career, whether this be with Hastings Direct or elsewhere.
What are your plans for future development?
I would like to improve myself as a Team Leader and become as experienced as possible in my current role. Hopefully this will eventually lead to my secondment turning in to a permanent role.
Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to develop in this area?
Take any opportunity that gets thrown at you! Listen to any advice your leaders give you and take the initiative to develop yourself.
We’re currently recruiting for Customer Representatives and Team Leaders to join our Leicester site. Check out our live Leicester vacancies here.