Michael started at Admiral in 2012 as a New Business Executive whilst still at university studying for his master’s degree.
He worked in New Business for 8 months gaining valuable customer facing and sales experience before internally transferring to the Customer Service department.
‘’I actually applied and was turned down for Admiral’s Graduate Scheme whilst in New Business. The feedback was that I needed to gain a wider skill set and understanding of the business, so I applied for Customer Services and worked there 8 months.
''From there I joined the Data Validations team within Customer Services for 6 months before applying for the Graduate Scheme a second time – and this time I was successful.’’
Michael’s first Tip: Never assume that you’re the best person for the role - always show how you’re going to improve and make the role your own. Understand that often you’re not going to get your dream job the first time around. Take advice and keep trying!
‘’The 14-month Graduate scheme exposed me to wide ranging areas of the business such as the Brand Insight team, Household Claims, and the Gladiator van project.’’
Michael then secured a role following his time on the Graduate Scheme as Brand Insight Assistant within the Marketing team. From here, he quickly got promoted to Brand Insight Executive and has now recently been promoted to Brand Insight Manager.
We asked Michael about his current role and how it differs to his customer facing ones.
‘’Working in the contact centres gave me a valuable perspective of how the customer facing part of the business operates, what the business requirements and priorities are. My time here widened my eyes to how many areas of the business you may be unaware of until you actually engage with them. This experience has definitely helped my flourish in my current role as Brand Insight Manager.’’
Michael’s second tip: Never stop learning – take every opportunity to learn and question why things are done the way they are, this will ensure you are in good stead to understand how the wider business operates.
‘’As Brand Insight Manager I am responsible for the management of insight gathered about our brand, and customer perceptions compared with our competitors. I ensure that I have a wider understanding of external trends, what our competitors are doing as well as conducting business-based research with our customers or external partners.
I love that my job is so varied and enjoy working with different people from around the business. One minute I can be working on something for the Ancillaries department, the next I’ll be delivering an important piece of research to senior management on why customers would consider a brand new product from us, such as our car sharing insurance. It’s great to influence big projects around the business at such an early stage.
One of the most challenging aspects of the role for me is not always knowing the answer to a question, or research project straight away. Its little learning’s one-step at a time and often involves digging deeper which helps, which can take time.''
