Flint is always excited to welcome new members to the Flint Team. Graduate Management trainee Oli joined the company last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it was a difficult period for all of us, Flint tried their best to make Oli feel part of the family, staying in touch via video calls, introducing him to teams around the globe and easing him into his work tasks.
My journey at Flint began in November of last year, which was of course a challenging time to be joining a new company. Right after my first week at Flint, the second national lockdown in England started, which additionally complicated things. Fortunately, Flint was well equipped to cater to all my needs remotely, quickly onboarding me, along with supplying all the appropriate technology, as well as facilitating a number of introductory calls with individuals across the business. I even received a bespoke (virtual) introductory presentation from our Slovenian offices welcoming me to the company, which I believe speaks volumes about the approachable and friendly culture that spans across the entirety of Flint.
From a Cancelled Six-Month Backpacking Trip to Joining Flint
My arrival at Flint was unexpected, in many ways. Following my decision to defer my initial graduate scheme in Insurance, facilitating a (planned) six-month backpacking trip across South America, telecommunications & ICT was certainly not on my radar! However, following the outbreak of COVID-19, I was destined for a swift return back to England, only to face the reality of my initial graduate scheme being cancelled. This prompted me to broaden my horizons and explore jobs in tech.
I quickly came across the graduate opportunity at Flint, where the technology, international culture, and opportunity to travel quickly caught my eye. It was a very exciting prospect to be working within an industry that became such a vital player throughout our temporary new mode of living and working, which at this point was largely characterised by lockdowns, necessitating the need for adaptable technological innovation even more. Indeed, it was the Telco and ICT industry that stepped up and enabled our society to adjust to the new social distancing measures, providing reliable platforms for society to stay connected.
Whilst the technology excited me, it was at first a very daunting prospect. Working in what is a dynamic and rapidly evolving market full of new jargon, technology, and initiatives, I knew it would be hard work familiarising myself within the environment whilst ensuring I had a grounded understanding.
How Flint Makes Sure New Team Members Are Thriving
I was excited when Flint gave me the opportunity to join their team, but also uncertain about how and where I would fit in. Flint have continuously supported and encouraged me through my first few months, empowering me with a mentor, Richard Carter, Chairman at Flint, as well as enrolling me in an 8-week course with Imperial College Business School on ‘5 Game-Changing Technologies Transforming Business’. Without this help and guidance, I wouldn’t have been able to elevate myself to the level at which I’m working now, where I feel confident and comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone, where ultimately, I will continue to grow.
In terms of the work that I’ve been involved in, I spent my first three months at Flint working under Group CEO Neil Burbidge, with the goal of enriching my knowledge of how the business runs, as well as key components of the Telecommunications and ICT market. I was also heavily involved in the incorporation of our youngest global entities in Canada and the US. This involved liaising with the Canadian Embassy, lawyers, and insurance brokers with an aim of ensuring compliance, as well as sourcing the appropriate business development support when making important commercial decisions. I believe the autonomy and trust Flint empowered me with to work at such a high level is one of many reasons I continue to strive towards my own personal development, whilst feeling like a valued member of the team.
Oli’s Future at Flint
I am now on my first rotation working under Richard Morten, Director of Special Projects. My role involves producing market intelligence reports for Flint entities across EMEA and North America, where I have mapped out several markets by providing relevant data on existing trends, projects, and technologies. This has successfully provided the Sales and Strategic Resourcing teams with reliable lead generation and sales targets. Alongside this, I am receiving weekly mentoring and training sessions from the recruitment team, which is ultimately setting me up with a diverse range of knowledge necessary to understand different areas of the business operating towards a common goal.
I am very excited to continue with my rotations, gaining exposure to a variety of departments within Flint, as well as being given the opportunity to represent the company abroad, with travelling to new countries being something I am incredibly enthusiastic about. I also hope to develop even further whilst at the company, fulfilling my vision of being in a position where I’m able to head up a project from start to finish, providing me something very tangible that I have worked on. I look forward to what the future holds, and a big thank you to everyone I’ve worked with at Flint for always promoting my personal development, whilst also posing me with appropriate challenges to ensure I’m always learning.
Oli’s story is just one of many graduate, apprentice, and student journeys that started at Flint since its founding in 1999. While Flint pride themself on creating and maintaining a welcoming, and supportive environment that allows all employees to thrive, learn, and develop their skills, we also expect them to be dedicated to what they do and encourage them to work independently and take on responsibility early on. Seeing the potential and drive, a new generation of Flint team members brings to the company excites us all about the future.
Would you like to know more about your opportunities at Flint? Get in touch with us and explore our openings.
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