Household Claims Handler

Summary

We caught up with Chris, who began his Admiral career almost nine years ago, after spending six years as a Lance Corporal, having served two tours in Iraq We were extremely proud to publicise our promise of support to all those who serve, by signing the Army Covenant back in July this year. We recognise that our Army Reservists are a crucial part of the Defence family, and by implementing protective and flexible workplace policies, we’re able to empower our employees to make a real difference to their personal and professional development.We caught up with Chris to hear his story…Can you tell us a bit about your Army career and career at Admiral?‘I left school with no GCSE’s and decided the Army was the best option for me. I passed my basic training and chose to become a driver by trade and completed all possible licences, including; 17.55-ft, 55-ton, motorbike, off-road, etc, all by the time I hit 17.When I reached my 18th birthday, I volunteered to be deployed to Iraq and that’s when I picked up my Lance Corporal title.In the space of two years, I’d spent a year in Iraq on two separate deployments and I’d experienced a lot, including seeing roadside bombs and losing three friends. After two tours, I was ready for something else and thought to myself, what can I do now?I’m so grateful to Admiral for taking me on during a recession, as I was struggling to find a job for a while. The role was a call centre position, so very different from my background, but I saw it as a great opportunity and a foot in the door. It was a massive change for me, going from what I’d experienced in the Army, to an office-based job, and not forgetting to mention, a pay cut too. After six months I adapted well, got used to the different environment and started to enjoy it.I began in Motor Claims and have since explored various areas of the business, including becoming Admiral’s very own chauffer (which sadly isn’t a position anymore!), before ending up where I am today, which is on the Superior Car team. That’s part of the beauty of Admiral, there are so many internal opportunities to move about the business and broaden your horizons.The Chauffer role sounds interesting, how did that come about?In Admiral, there are many opportunities to develop and experience other areas of the business, so when a job came up for an internal chauffeur, I applied and was successful. I had already completed relevant qualifications for this role whilst in the Army, so it felt like the perfect opportunity for me! Importantly, how was the transition from a career in the Army to a career at Admiral?After being out of the Army for a while, I re-joined as a reservist; I was working full-time at Admiral and part-time in the Reserves. This was a great, but gruelling two years.Admiral supported me during this time and paid me during my training days, as well as the required time away.After my time in the regular Army and Reserves, I adjusted to life at Admiral fine. The decompression training provided by the Army helps bring you back to normality, but also, I love working at Admiral; the simple fact that you don’t have to wear a uniform, or shave; it’s a different world. Coming to Admiral was easy for me, you’re able to leave work on time, and do whatever you want after work, and during the weekends.Whilst I enjoyed my time in the Army, which taught me so much, I now appreciate working in a relaxed environment – and knowing exactly what my day will entail.It’s all the little things about working here that made it such an easy transition for me.What are you doing now and are you enjoying it?I’m now a part of Claims’ Superior Car team – managing a small team that I helped set up from scratch. It involves helping customers who’ve unfortunately been involved in an accident in a “supercar” (Ferrari McLaren , Rolls Royce, etc.). My skills and experiences developed during my Army career, along with my passion for cars and driving, has allowed me to flourish in this role.I feel very lucky that Admiral took that chance on me nine years ago, I’m able to work with my passion and I really do enjoy coming to work every day – how many people can say that?

Summary

We spoke to Recruitment Officers and Heads of Departments in Outbound, Sales, Renewals, Claims and Customer Services to find out what happens to your application and what they’re looking for at each stage of the process. Stage 1: Submit your application formSo you’ve decided you’d like to join Admiral and have found a role on our careers site that best suits your skills and experiences – great!Take the time to fill in the short application form consisting of some personal details and current/previous employment. This takes around 5-10 minutes to complete.What we’re looking forAt this stage we are looking for candidates with an application that is well written with good spelling and grammar - always use spell check!What happens next?Application forms normally get reviewed by a Recruitment Officer within 1-2 working days. From there, if the candidate is successful, they will be contacted via email and be invited to complete a telephone interview - book yourself on to a slot as soon as possible as positions can get filled up quickly. Stage 2: Telephone interviewWhat we’re looking forCandidates tend to stand out at the telephone interview stage if they’ve shown that they’ve completed research on the role, department and company. Candidates can make sure they’ve got a good understanding of all by having a thorough read through the job description. Try to also expand on answers during the interview as much as possible, drawing on any relevant experiences from travels, college, university and a previous or current job.What happens next?The notes from the telephone interview will be reviewed and candidates will find out if they were successful within the next 1-2 working days. If successful they’ll be invited to a meet and greet, and if unsuccessful candidates will need to wait 6 months before reapplying for another call centre role.Stage 3: Meet and GreetWhat we’re looking forIt’s just as important that you like us as we like you, so as part of the recruitment process you’ll get the opportunity to come in the office, where we’ll tell you a bit more about the company, you can sit in with the department you are applying to join and get the opportunity to ask any questions you have.This is your opportunity to impress so dress smart and be yourself; be happy, inquisitive, always show your enthusiasm and willingness to learn, that will really impress the interviewers. Check out our top 7 traits that we look for in candidates.This is also another opportunity to show that you’ve completed your research on the role and company.What happens next?If successful, you will be invited to join on the next induction for the department! If unsuccessful at any stage of the process, don’t let it dishearten you, call in, ask for feedback and take it on board for next time.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our friendly recruitment officers on 0800 118 1619 or get in touch at workwithus@admiralgroup.co.uk