Libby is a T Level student from Kendal College. You made not have heard of T Levels, they are a relatively new qualification. The aim is to study while gaining real experience in the workplace. So Libby will be joining us throughout the year. She has written a blog diary of her first week with us. If you have often wondered what we do all day, this gives a real insight. Libby got off to a flying start, doing some tasks and even attending a network event as an FMB ambassador!
"Work experience is beneficial to do as you can get an insight as to what a career looks like in the future. I can also get an idea about the industry and what I’m interested in and what I’m not. This could help me make decision after finishing education about what I want to do. You can also develop skills such as teamwork, communication and problem solving. You can also gain confidence working within a business. I have learned what reality is like after the end of the college course.
Here is what I have been up to in my first week!"
Monday
Sarah, HR Manager
Firstly, I was given a tour given around the different departments of the company, introducing me to colleagues in the business and the roles and responsibilities they do. Walking into this company, everyone made me feel welcomed with the positive atmosphere making me feel comfortable.
Ruth, Business Development Director
Ruth is also responsible for operations including Health and Safety. She provided me with a presentation about the risks that may happen and how we can reduce the dangers. We also talked about cyber security, about protecting the systems and networks as cyber-attacks can be aimed at businesses due to the fact they are dealing with confidential data. The Strategy of the business has 5 pillars; areas that FMB want to achieve in the business to ensure all the stakeholders to have a positive outcome. Ruth also gave me an overview of the enquiries process and how the business finds potential customers and clients. She discussed the marketing strategy and how we increase awareness of the business.
Sue, Customer Service and Compliance
Sue introduced the role of client services and the important role they play within the firm. Their roles are to ensure meetings are implemented, also to ensure client digital files are up to date with new data and changes that could be recommended in the financial plan. This is usually monitored by a compliance team who makes sure that the tasks are being completed correctly and accurately. This was beneficial as I didn’t know before what financial services was really about.
Paddy, Relationship Manager
Paddy showing me a presentation on his role and what services they provide to clients. Relationship Managers are usually partnered with a Financial Planner. They share the same clients and work on cases together to provide them a better future. They usually provide the research for the client’s objectives and research suitable solutions for them, which will help the Financial Planner in advising the client.
Laura, Receptionist
Laura, who is the receptionist, has many responsibilities that she manages whilst also welcoming clients and answering the phone. Laura showed me an overview of reception duties and what she does day to day. She is the first line of communication the client has with the company, setting a high standard. She is the first impression a client has with the business. Laura help create a good reputation and can increase customer satisfaction. Laura was showing me how to sort and scan the post in the morning for the right member of staff, as well as posting FMB mail out at the end of the day.
Tuesday and Wednesday
Liz, Manging Director
Liz introduced me to a fact find; this is like a questionnaire with all the clients’ details. I was shown how to input this onto the data system. This is the basis for all the advice the Planners give and is updated after every meeting.
Ali, Client Services Supervisor
With the assistance of Ali, I was delegated a task of putting what I just learned into practice by putting some client data onto the Curo system. I had to make sure the imputing was accurate, and nothing was missed. It is easy to get hang of the system once you known where everything is.
Ali also showed me a client illustration. This includes using a provider platform to get the data.
Ali introduced me on how to upload documents using the scanner and saving them to the client record. I uploaded some new client agreements that had been signed.
Thursday
Roger, Director of Financial Planning
Roger explained the role of a Financial Planner, including meeting clients and getting data from them to see what planners would recommend to them to have a secure future with money.
Roger also taught me how a client needs to complete a risk profile questionnaire to see how comfortable they are with risks they are willing to take. This is measured on a scale from 1-10 so then a financial planner can give them advice on what their future investments should be.
He displayed a cash flow forecast diagram that is created for clients to give them a guideline on how much money they could make in the upcoming years compared to their expenditures. This allows planners to put in place a plan where the clients can meet their aims and objectives. But the diagram is only a prediction, this means the income, or the expenditures can also change depending on the clients’ circumstances and the economy.
Friday
Ruth took me to an event at the Castle Green Hotel for women in business called Pink Link. It is a sisterhood of female entrepreneurs that will help you to grow personally and professionally. It’s a positive and energetic force for women who want to grow their business. It is also a way to building relationships with new entrepreneurs and even potential clients as Ruth was advertising FMB to make the company more known.