In this blog, I would like to give an insight into the life of a recent graduate, in particular – a young professional who is starting life in the financial planning profession.
Hopefully, not only will this blog be beneficial for recent graduates or students looking to get into the financial planning profession, but this blog will also be useful for employers seeking new talent and the mindset of new starters.
I previously had the honour in writing an article for Manchester Metropolitan University, providing an insight into different avenues into getting a graduate role in the financial planning profession. As formerly stated, my most valuable life experiences have come in the workplace. By exposing myself to the real working world, it allowed me to understand exactly what I wanted to pursue a career in, as well as developing myself as a young professional.
By divulging yourself into different situations in a working environment, it teaches you things which simply cannot be taught in the lecture hall. Whether that be, developing characteristics such as teamwork, business etiquette or simply improving your independent learning by having to read around the subject – it enables you to adapt to the job role, providing you with vital attributes to succeed in any job in the future.
Furthermore, by gaining experience in an area of work you are interested in, it allows you to filter through any areas you thought may interest you, as well as the taste to pursue exactly what you want to do. By gaining work experience in the past prior to joining Daintree Wealth Management, it allowed me to understand first-hand that the financial planning professionwas exactly what I wanted to do.
When your mind is set, it is then important to appreciate the sort of company you want to work for; large, small, transparent, opaque, team oriented, self-driven etc. For me it was vital that I could find a company that shared the same morals and future goals as myself. Daintree spoke volumes from the off, transparency, team oriented, everyone having a valued opinion, whilst also wanting to make a positive impact on society and striving to be the best in the industry.
Once exploring my options, it was clear to see Daintree stood out from the rest and since joining the team in July, I have felt at home. Despite the current circumstances, the start of what will hopefully be a long and successful career at Daintree, has been great.
Starting a new job is often a mixture of excitement and nerves, this instance was no different – the aspect of working from home since the off made me think if the transition of learning and grasping new things could be anything like office.
However, it has been quite the opposite and the team surrounding me have proved exactly why I wanted to be part of this journey ever since my initial conversation with Mark back in February.
The team would set up regular zoom calls, not only to teach me new things, but also just to check in to make sure I was finding everything ok and I was able to understand everything thoroughly. This level of care for new graduates is fantastic and for any employers reading this, by having simple check in’s with new staff members, it provides us with belief that we are on this road to the end goal together, providing me with nothing but confidence.
At the start, I must admit it felt unusual working from home – it is something I have never been exposed to before. When starting a new job, you gain a lot from the first couple of weeks; building relationships with colleagues, having the ability to ask any queries face to face and generally just the ability to find your feet. However, Daintree Wealth Management have made the most of an unfortunate situation – having daily meetings, check ups etc, allowing everyone to be kept in the loop.
When it was first safe to do so, we also went on a team walk to Stanage Edge in the Peak District. This enabled me to meet the team properly face to face, this was a great first interaction with the team for me and it is always nice to do something as a team to bring everyone together.
Alongside training and getting to grips with a new job, part of life as a trainee financial planner involves studying towards your professional exams. Personally, I am studying towards my CII Financial Planning Diploma, when all 6 exams are passed this will then allow me to provide financial advice. The next step after that, will then to study towards my CISI Chartered Wealth Management exams. Due to Daintree Wealth Management offering a bespoke model of both Financial Planning & Investment Management advice, this will allow me in the long run to advise officially on both parts.
Of course, when participating in exams, you need to spend allocated times around work on revision. This is something me and Aidan sat down and discussed. It is important to maintain a life-work balance, therefore we were able to come up with a plan that would allow me to do my job to its highest level, keep fit and then also have enough time to put the work and time in needed to pass my professional exams.
I am currently in the middle of studying towards my first professional exam, with the correct mindset and work ethic, the few extra hours spent a day revising/working towards something you enjoy and are passionate about – becomes easy, very fast.
It is important to stay focused and always have in mind your end goal. With the support of others within the company who have been in the same position as you – this helps, as they are always there for advice, tips and time management. At the end of the day, your colleagues have been in the same position as yourself at some point or another, therefore it is vital to ask for advice and any tips that allows you to become even more efficient moving forward.
I am now a month into starting life at Daintree Wealth Management and so far, I cannot be more grateful to the team surrounding me. I have been able to keep on top of my revision schedule around working hours and I have been able to learn an awful lot already.
Every week, I become more confident in the tasks I do, giving me the confidence that the transition into office life on the 1st of September will be easier than expected.
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