Realising my potential

From a young age, I knew that education was important but that I thrived when participating in activities or solving problems in a hands-on manner, learning from my experiences. With this in mind, following secondary school I began to look for work experience and personal development.

My eagerness to get involved, along with support and guidance from my family, were the drivers to my continued learning and development and growth as an individual and help me to secured my first job in a role that I had no proven passion or interest in, but I knew it was a step into the world of work and an opportunity to learn. The company was small and allowed me to work in varying roles across the business, giving me a great foundation to build from. Although the company valued me and provided me with some integral development, I knew that I would become complacent in a very comfortable situation. I needed something bigger to work towards, and I was still unclear on what my career path was and what I wanted it to be, so I made the decision to explore other options.

Career at Advanced

I joined Advanced in 2013 as an HR Administrator and was initially excited about the prospect of being a part of a bigger company with more opportunity. Little did I know at that point how much exposure and opportunity I would gain and how quickly my career path would become apparent.

I joined with little experience, no further education to speak of and was uncertain on how I wanted to develop. However, I had a commitment to work hard, the willingness to learn and assurance to get involved, supported by the business in understanding potential and a commitment to development.

My personal ambition to learn and grow mixed with the support and guidance from my manager enabled me to shape my career path. My journey with Advanced has developed year on year and is a place where I can challenge and experiment, share ideas, influence decision making and focus on personal development. Part of my own development journey has included further education supported by Advanced, with the most recent example being accepted onto a Master’s degree at Cranfield University which I was able to achieve based off the experience developed at Advanced.

Throughout the years here, I have established confidence, built relationships and truly got to understand what personal growth feels like. It has provided reassurance that potential is important and recognised and further establishes where hard work and dedication can take you in your career. I have developed through five pivotal roles within HR at Advanced and am now in the role of M&A People Director.

My Advice

My journey here is not a unique one, but one that is shared by a lot of others. I hope that others seek opportunities here that challenge them and enables them to grow as an individual, establishing self-confidence and a drive to get involved and seek opportunities.

Believe in your potential, seek development opportunities that will help you grow and learn, get involved and enjoy the journey – it doesn’t happen overnight.