In June 2022, Sabrina joined team Gungho in the UK as a Business Discovery Agent (BDA). As is the case with the majority of our new recruits, Sabrina had never worked in B2B marketing before and took a leap of faith in starting a new career with Gungho. We caught up with Sabrina to find out how the adjustment to a new industry had been and what it’s really like in the first few months working at Gungho.
What did you do prior to joining the Gungho Team?
When I left school, I worked in childcare and then the hospitality industry for 5 years, so I had never done work like this before. To be honest, I never contemplated having an office job but one of my good friends worked at Gungho, and I had heard great things about the organisation so I felt like it was time for a new adventure!
I had been told about all the support available at Gungho, the training and progression opportunities, and that was something I was looking for, especially as there was little progression in the work I had been doing in hospitality. That was the biggest hook for me, plus, having my weekends back! Working in hospitality means it’s really difficult to plan ahead and you are often required to work evenings and weekends, that isn’t the case at Gungho. In fact, you get a three-day weekend every week, so I knew I had to apply!
What was the interview process like?
After I submitted my CV, I had an initial phone call with the internal Recruitment Manager at Gungho who wanted to find out a bit about me to see if Gungho would be a good fit and vice versa, I was then asked to attend a virtual first interview which was a bit more formal with one of the Operations Managers, they wanted to find out about my personal interests and some background about me as a person. I explained that I didn’t have much experience in this field, but I was reassured that it wasn’t necessary as there was a full training programme provided so that put my mind at ease. One thing I knew for sure, is that I can talk and communicate well which is something that Gungho look for.
I was invited for a F2F second interview where I was asked to do a research task on one of Gungho’s clients. I went onto Gungho’s website, read some client case studies and articles then went on to the client’s website and pulled together information which stood out to me.
When I presented the findings, I was really nervous, but they reassured me that the presentation was to show that I had done my research and understood the types of clients Gungho works with. They also explained that it will all make sense during the training process and that there is lots of support. I also got the opportunity to see what type of culture and working environment that Gungho offered.
What has your time as Gungho been like so far?
I was really excited to join back in June 2022. The first couple of weeks are full on, there is a lot to learn, but it’s really enjoyable at the same time. Everyone was so welcoming and although there are a lot of people in the office, I never felt out of place or like ‘the new girl’. It quickly became clear to me that I could ask absolutely anybody across the Gungho team any question and they would support me in any way they could or find somebody that could help. Having that support really helped me in those initial weeks.
Coming from a hospitality background, what was it like to join Gungho in a target-driven role?
Personally, I preferred it because I like to have goals to work towards and I like that little bit of pressure. I think there’s a very thin line between adding too much pressure and the perfect amount, and for myself, I think the goals that Gungho set are very achievable.
Essentially out of a 40-hour working week, you need to book 5 qualified appointments to hit your target. There’s so much data and so much support, it’s very achievable. For myself, in particular, it does help to drive me because I’ve got my goals to achieve. On top of that, you then get paid extra money when you do hit your targets, which is a really nice bonus because it’s almost like Gungho’s way of saying ‘well done, we appreciate you’.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of joining Gungho?
Keep an open mind. Even if you are not from a marketing or telemarketing background, all the training and support is offered to you from day one, so don’t let that put you off. It’s going to be a bit stressful to start off with, but no one’s expecting you to remember everything, and it does all come with time. It really does just click. Just go for it! There is so much support and so many opportunities at Gungho, you can achieve a lot. Given that the company is growing so quickly, now is the time to join.
And finally, what does the 3-day weekend mean to you?
Well, coming from hospitality where I would often be working weekends and evenings, it’s life-changing! I could never make plans in the pub trade because we’d get a rota sometimes only a couple of days before. Working at Gungho, I can actually have a social life. I get to see family and friends and I can actually make plans.
Friday is also a great day to catch up on life admin. You can go to town and do all your errands without there being lots of people around and then you’ve got the weekend to relax and enjoy your time off.
