About me

In 2003 I achieved a 2:1 BA honours degree in English Literature and Religious Studies. I went onto study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Literary Studies at the University of Newcastle. I obtained my PGC in 2005. Then in 2010 I went back to Newcastle University to study for another PGC in Creative Writing. I finished this course in August 2011 and obtained my PGC.

In 2004 I started to work at Northern Rock plc as a cashier working in branch sales. My duties included cash handling, reconciling the banking, account opening, general administrative duties such as death administration, name and address amendments; as well I had to look for sales opportunities with every customer, building a rapport and carrying out customer reviews with the overall aim of generating a sale. From there I went to work in the Savings Contact Centre where the productivity and quality of calls were the main target drivers.

Not long after I joined the contact centre I was the successful applicant of a Team Leader role in the Transactions Department. This was my first insight into a management role. My duties included performance management, absence management (sickness, flexi, holidays, emergency leave), and work distribution. One of the key drivers in this area was same day processing and it was vital that all queries were answered and that all work was processed before the 3pm banking reconciliation deadline.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed working in the savings department and had formed some excellent relationships with my colleagues I wanted a more challenging role and felt that my University skills were not being utilised. In 2007 I applied for a competitive role working as an Underwriter in the New Mortgages department and was thrilled when the role was offered to me.

Unfortunately, the banking crisis hit Northern Rock that year and I was seconded to various departments offering my support in the Savings Contact Centre, the Transactions Department, and then for several months I was managing a Conversions team that processed interest only mortgages back to a repayment basis.

In 2008 I was placed at risk and redeployed to work in Mortgage Communications, which is an administration department. Having excellent English language skills was important as the work predominantly involved quality checking and amending letters being sent out to customers. As well as managing the team, my queries were to do with the clarity of wording of the letters and checking the spelling and grammar of work. Working in this department provided me with an excellent opportunity to pursue additional qualifications in sign language, as two of my colleagues are deaf. In 2008 I began to study level one in British Sign Language at Newcastle College and I am currently studying for level three in BSL which I aim to complete June 2012.

In 2010, following the legal and capital split between Northern Rock and Northern Rock (Asset Management) I was placed at risk again. Fortunately, I was redeployed into a Team Leader role managing the Buy To Let team.

As the mortgage book continues to reduce, the company also needs to downsize. In 2012 I will be moving into a Remediation Department where I will be managing a team responsible for correcting and amending customers' accounts. The work involved in Remediation is very technical and challenging and I am confident that I will continue to work to a high standard.

The reason why I am applying for this role is because of the nature of the company that I work for. NRAM is a winding down company and there is little room for career progression. I consider myself to be a hard-working, conscientious, trust-worthy and ambitious person. My colleagues always speak highly of me, and I am thankful that they have managed to redeploy me and keep me in a job for as long as they have. My resilience during the Northern Rock crisis is one of my proudest achievements.