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Jacob H.

Performance Analyst

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Customer and Operations

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Top Insider Advice

Ever since I started as a handler, I’ve constantly pushed for positive change, working with different business areas throughout my tenure and learning from each experience. When I think back to my application to become a Performance Analyst, I was lucky I could pull experiences from my time as a handler and team leader. However, they weren't all huge changes to processes or massive improvements to performance. Nothing is too small; as long as you’re tenacious, inquisitive and excited by continuous improvement, you're already halfway there!

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Career path

Performance Analyst

First Central

Started 08/2023 to Present

Claims Customer Team Leader

First Central

From 05/2022 to 10/2023

Senior Fraud Analyst

First Central

From 07/2021 to 05/2022

Company

What do you like about your job and the company?

I love that I’m given the freedom to proactively approach any potential issues and am empowered to create a solution. Working with several different business areas, I can reach out and speak to many different people within the organisation, which helps me to understand the problems they may face. This gives me the motivation to stay on top of my game, researching new ways to review data sets, as well as fresh approaches for resolving issues.

Greatest achievements

Shortly before moving to my current role, I was able to organise a charity ‘Deal or No Deal’ themed raffle. Colleagues were able to buy tickets for mystery boxes that had hidden prizes. This raffle was a massive step for me as having to sell tickets, secure prizes and host the raffle draw in front of over 200 people was as far outside my comfort zone as I’ve ever been! Thankfully, we were able to rely on the generosity of our local businesses, as well as our own Exec team, who donated various prizes, including vouchers, spirits and even Airpod Pros! The team raised a staggering £2k, which the business then matched as it was for our chosen charity, Chestnut Tree House. I love that I can make a difference both inside and outside the business.

Other insiders

Marco D

Operational Excellence Deployment Manager

Top Insider Advice

I am a strong believer that opportunities are there for people if they have the work ethic and desire to seek them out. Having not gone to university, I chose to get my foot in the door of a company and seek out opportunities for careers once I was there. My advice is to research various roles within a company and find a few that interest you. Reach out to colleagues who do that role and find out what skills and experience are required and put yourself forward for opportunities to stretch yourself. Additionally, look for colleagues who are in senior roles and present themselves in a way that aligns with your values and ask them for advice!

Alana R

Top Insider Advice

Throughout my career I’ve been on a learning journey regarding how I communicate. When I first started out, I was very shy and found it difficult to communicate confidently. I’d be nervous sending an email to someone I’d never met and spend hours over-analysing the content to make sure it was ‘perfect’ before sending it. As I sent more and more emails, met more people, and put myself out there for presentations, I grew in confidence but I still had a lot to learn. I’d often go into the specifics of everything and give people information overload because I was worried about missing something important. I got a lot of feedback around this and was regularly asked to “keep it high-level”. I really had to work at this, and I needed to get help from peers, mentors, managers and external research to understand what this meant, when it mattered and how to be effective at a higher level of detail. With years of practice, I am now much better at communicating and that’s helped me progress into a leadership position. This is just one example of me learning a skill which I thought was impossible. If I can do it, so can you!

Parisa M

Risk & Compliance Governance Manager

Top Insider Advice

Whatever you’re good at, whether it be organisation or leadership or analytics, try your best to draw on those skills within your current role to really showcase what you do well. And not just in your role, look at other roles such as championing or volunteering to provide additional opportunities to really highlight what you are good at. This may then give you the chance to consider where you have improvements to make and think about how that can be achieved through shadowing, mentoring or further education / courses. There are so many opportunities at First Central to shine a light on our talents or improve our weaknesses. Take them!

Discussions with Jacob H
Please tell me about the training when you first joined?
in Career Tips·martes, mayo 9, 2023
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3 responses
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Tell me about the most rewarding part of your job?
in Career Tips·miércoles, marzo 29, 2023
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3 responses
145 views
What is the interview process like?
in Career Tips·viernes, abril 28, 2023
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1 response
122 views
What is the work-life balance like in your role?
in Career Tips·jueves, octubre 5, 2023
1 response
37 views
Describe some challenges that you face in your current role?
in Career Tips·martes, diciembre 5, 2023
1 response
13 views