Sam joined Gungho in May 2023 and as many Gungho new starters do, changed career in the process. Having studied Sports Therapy at Preston University, Sam was a Football Coach and then went on to work in sales. Sam joined our Bournemouth office and 6 months later, moved up to the position of Team Leader. In a role at Gungho, he saw the opportunity to keep learning, clear career progression and the work/life balance he needed.
Having never worked in an office environment before, or in the RegTech space, we were keen to find out how the transition has been.
This was a completely new industry to you; how did you find the transition and the training which was provided?
The Recruitment Manager, Emma, was very clear on what I needed to do throughout the interview process and what Gungho was looking for. The interview process was different to the norm as you have an initial interview and then you have a research task to present in your second interview.
The training was really helpful, because although I had sales experience, this was completely different, so I had to understand a whole new industry. The training really gave me the foundations to get started.
What does a typical day look like for you at the moment?
It’s a very varied role but if I were to describe a typical day, it looks like making calls for the campaigns we’re working on, hitting targets and making sure that the team is succeeding. I have slightly more admin and reporting to do now as a Team Leader than I did as a Business Discovery Agent, and I have a team to look after.
I wanted progression and I am a people person, so being able to work with a team and help them succeed and also deal with clients is what I enjoy doing. In the future I would like to see myself moving to an Account Management role at Gungho as I really enjoy looking after clients.
What’s the best thing about working in Bournemouth?
I haven’t really been able to truly experience Bournemouth fully yet, but I think the summer is probably when Bournemouth comes into its own. I’m looking forward to being able to finish work and walk down to the beach and enjoy the sun and the sea. Working in the Bournemouth area is nice, you’ve got everything you need right on your doorstep.
Do you work from home at all?
The option is there to work from home, but I like the atmosphere and the buzz of being in the office. I like to be around people, to be talking and hearing people on the phones, it really motivates me. Especially being a Team Leader, you’ve got to be able to be there to support your team so I work in the office the majority of the time.
What is the atmosphere in the Bournemouth office like?
The Bournemouth office gives Gungho staff another platform for progression. Throughout the day you can hear the hustle and bustle, and everyone’s really, really on it. There are lots of great people here, lots of personalities which certainly help create a vibrant work environment and it is only going to get better as Gungho grows and the office expands even further.
How do you find working in a targeted environment?
Gungho is obviously target-driven because they want to do the best for the clients but it’s not just about that. They want good people; they want good personalities and so and that’s what I feel makes Gungho a little bit different.
As a Business Discovery Agent, I quite enjoyed it. I quite liked seeing myself at the top of the leaderboard and there is friendly competition in the office. I always saw the targets as a good thing, and they’ve always been pretty achievable. I’m quite a competitive person in general. I’ve played sports all my life and I think competitiveness is a common theme with people that work for Gungho. Not overly competitive, but you’ve got to have a competitive streak in you for sure.
What would you say to somebody thinking about applying for a job at Gungho who hasn’t worked in this industry before?
I would say just go for it. Jump into it! You get provided with all the Learning & Development to succeed and I’m a perfect example of someone who’s not had an office job before or any industry knowledge and came in and succeeded straight away.
This isn’t a restricted, generic call centre environment. The industry knowledge we all learn and the culture and atmosphere that Gungho has created are great. People want you to succeed and they give you the foundations to do that. It’s just a nice place to work.
