25 March 2020
Alex Worsdale, one of FirstPort’s graduate intake of 2019, talks about his time on the scheme so far and how he transitioned from university to FirstPort.
I’m often asked ‘why did you want to get into Property Management?’ There are hundreds of graduate schemes out there to choose from so why did I choose FirstPort’s?
Simple, property matters.
Buying a home is probably the biggest investment any of us will make in our lives so I think it’s important to know as much about it as possible and use that information to help make a house feel like home. To me, FirstPort is a great place to do that, it has the values, ‘the pillars’ and the people.
Coming straight from university to working in the largest Property Management company can be a daunting experience for new graduates. There’s a lot to learn that you don’t get taught whilst at university.
FirstPort has such a great network of people you can ask for support and guidance, although I was new to the role, everyone I meet is more than willing to help with whatever questions I have. That kind of support network is exactly what we needed as graduates transitioning from university to FirstPort.
Not only that, we needed to develop some new skills transitioning to a full time job.
Firstly, the key skill you need to develop is organisation. The graduate scheme is action packed with every week being different from the last and ‘not preparing is preparing to fail’. You’ve got to be able to plan your days, weeks and months in order to get the most out of it.
I always reach out to the rotational leads, that way you’ll know who to contact during the rotation, it lets them know you’re coming and allows them to send you a plan of what you’ve got to look forward to.
I’ve always been an early bird so I’m naturally early to work and meetings. I’d say being early is a benefit to how you’re perceived, arriving early always leaves a positive impression of you. It can be hard giving up those lay-ins you’re used to from uni but it’s worth it. Not only this, as the grad scheme involves lots of travel, getting the earlier train may be the difference between arriving to the meeting on time or not at all!
The final point I wanted to raise was the value and experience you gain from volunteering and getting out of your comfort zone. Getting involved with projects outside the graduate scheme, such as creating recruitment videos and working on a project for Centrepoint, has not only expanded my knowledge of the business but allowed me to network and involve colleagues from all areas who really bring a lot to the creative table.
My parting advice is to take the opportunity with both hands and a bucketful of enthusiasm, and you’ll be surprised where it takes you.
Further information about careers at FirstPort can be found here: https://www.firstportcareers.co.uk/
The graduate scheme is action packed with every week being different from the last
Alex Worsdale
