To celebrate International Women’s Day, we want to give you the opportunity to meet an incredibly talented member of our operations team, Jamie Taylor.
As our Operations Manager, Jamie is responsible for oversee
ing the Sales Progression team on a daily basis. She is also a key part of the ASAP management team, playing a crucial role in ASAP’s rapid growth over the last few years. Jamie originally joined us in 2016 as a Sales Progressor and she hasn’t looked back, with promotions to Sales Progression Manager and then on to her current role of Operations Manager.
Can you tell us a little bit about your career journey, your role at ASAP and who you are?
From a young age, I wanted to get straight into employment after leaving compulsory education. Although I was academic at school, achieved high grades and everyone thought that the academic study route was for me, I decided against it. Instead, I started a business and administration apprenticeship at the age of 17. During this, I learnt a lot of key foundation skills, particularly in customer service.
After working through my apprenticeship, I gained my first role in the property sector at an Estate Agency as a Sales Negotiator, dealing with offers and viewings. Then, a role at ASAP as a Sales Progressor came my way, and an acquaintance of mine highly recommended them as a great organisation to work for. I remember being quite nervous when interviewing for the role as I was quite new to sales progression at the time. However, after I was offered the role, I worked closely with the directors Richard Megson and Tony Hill on a daily basis, which really helped to develop my skill set and confidence.
After a period of growth at ASAP, I was promoted to Sales Progression Manager and managed a team of our sales progressors on a daily basis. Then in 2020, I received my latest promotion, this time to Operations Manager. This coincided with the Covid 19 outbreak which saw ASAP’s growth in the industry raise dramatically.
Outside of work, I live with my boyfriend and my two dogs, and I enjoy spending time outdoors. I love taking the dogs on walks while taking in the sights and sounds of Yorkshire. I also like spending time at the gym and living a healthy lifestyle.
How has ASAP supported you in achieving your career goals so far?
ASAP have always been very supportive when it comes to giving quality feedback and praise. Even when feedback has been about areas for improvement, it has always been constructive. If I’ve ever been unsure about something both Richard and Tony are always very approachable and are always willing to give guidance. Julie Williams, a consultant to ASAP, has also been a great mentor to me and being able to feed off her knowledge and experience has been invaluable. It’s brilliant to be able to have an open door with a woman in the industry that has great leadership experience.
Richard has also introduced me to the Peter Knight’s Property Academy which has given me a great opportunity to get involved with others at a similar point in their career to myself. Additionally, ASAP have been very supportive whenever I’ve displayed an interest in development courses.
How can we encourage more women to pursue leadership roles in their careers?
Giving women support and guidance on how to take practical steps to progress their careers is important. Providing a structure for progression such as a personal development plan, that is supported by business leaders, would be a great way to help. Supporting women to grow their confidence in the workplace is something that I think is key. If organisations can provide a level of understanding for personal circumstances, such as family commitments like picking children up from school, that can also provide a foundation of support on which career development can be built.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I’m particularly proud of how I’ve started from a point of no managerial experience and how I’ve been able to grow my skills and confidence, despite challenging situations such as the recent Covid 19 pandemic. It’s a great feeling to prove to myself that I can learn while working and continue my development in a leadership role. I’m really proud of where I am today.
Is there anyone that inspires you in your career?
Julie Williams, a consultant to ASAP, is someone who really inspires me to continue my professional development. She has achieved a great deal in her career, and I admire her ability to pass her experience onto those around her who want to learn. I hope in years to come that I’ll be able to replicate a similar level of success.
If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, from past or present, who would they be and why?
First of all, I’d choose Deborah Meaden. She’s obviously a brilliant businesswoman and I’d love to get a chance to talk through some of her experiences in the world of business. I’d also choose Princess Diana. Throughout her life, she helped so many people with charity campaigns and always appeared to be selfless in her actions. I’m sure she would be a wonderful woman to talk to. Finally, I’d have to choose J. K. Rowling. Being able to speak to someone who experienced early career knockbacks but prevailed as a sensational success would undoubtedly be interesting.
On International Women’s Day, what is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers?
Be confident in yourself. You might never know everything about a particular job or industry, but no one does. Don’t be worried about others that have more experience than you do right now, they aren’t there to hinder your development. Be sure to speak up, have a voice and don’t overthink situations you can’t control.
Interested in creating your own success story ASAP? We’re always on the lookout for motivated and ambitious people to join our team. Take a look at the roles we currently have available HERE. Alternatively, you can email us your details at: hello@completeasap.co.uk