Back in 2010, the reality of finishing University and going into the real world had started to sink in. Having just completed a degree in Geography, I was living in Bath with few clues as to where I was going next. All I knew was I wanted to be based in London.
Fortunately, my very first application was made to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I breezed through the interview process and, in the blink of an eye, was ready to begin my journey in the UK capital. At this point, I merely thought I’d landed on my feet by winning a job – but I soon discovered that this was no ordinary opportunity. I had secured myself a career.
I started at the Sydenham office with a small but experienced team. Because Enterprise employees have the support of management teams, we feel like we’re part of a family – and everyone puts serious effort into the things they do. The branch had just opened but by working hard together we quickly began achieving great things.
It was great to be part of something so successful and, with the help of my colleagues, I was able to pass my Management Qualification interview (MQi) in 11 months and earn my first-ever promotion, to the position of Management Assistant.
With the step up to Management Assistant came a move to a bigger, more developed branch and the chance for me to experience a different side of the business. I moved to our Wimbledon branch and quickly settled into the team. I was able to seriously develop the management and relationship-building side of my career here, kindling relationships with key business partners and getting to see how a branch with 200 cars branch functions.
I absolutely loved my time at Wimbledon – but I was keen to progress to the next level. I applied for an Assistant Manager position at our Heathrow airport. I didn’t get it, which only fuelled my passion for development further by highlighting how much I wanted to get to the next stage.
After 10 months of being a Management Assistant, another Assistant Manager opportunity arose at our Kingston branch: I applied and got the position straight away. I loved every minute of it. The team there was amazing and my Branch and Area Managers really worked hard to turbo-charge my development. It didn’t take long before we were the number one branch in the UK.
I was an Assistant Manager for 15 months and when the opportunity arose to apply for a Branch Manager role I took it. The interview was hard but our performance at Kingston really gave me the substance and edge for success. After just three years with the company, I was now a Branch Manager. Not only did I earn a nice pay rise but, suddenly, much more responsibility. The buck now stopped with me. My branch, my responsibility.
There were days when it was hard work, and there was a lot for me to learn, but challenges are what make life exciting. After a year into the role, I was able to take those skills I’d been rapidly developing and apply them in a new set of circumstances, at our Beckenham office.
I was still a Branch Manager but the branch couldn’t have been more different. Lots of different challenges and a much bigger branch gave me the opportunity to settle in and carry on learning how to develop myself further. We achieved some really great results and, yet again, had a great team.
At the start of this year, the opportunity to become a Talent Acquisition Specialist cropped up. As much as I loved being on the rental frontline, I was also excited by the opportunity of moving into our head office and experiencing the corporate side of the business too. I knew this was a good opportunity to expand my skillset further and get exposure to new worlds within the company.
I’m now one of a team of four in our Talent Acquisition department; responsible for hiring the best people to our company. We recently became 2016’s Graduate Employer of the Year – so it’s going well. It’s giving me a completely new perspective, on my career and the company. I certainly wouldn’t be here without the knowledge I accrued during my time developing in-branch – and I’m now super-excited to see what the next stage of this awesome journey holds!
Interested in starting your own epic journey at Enterprise? Find out more about our great graduate opportunities, work placements and internships or take a look at the exciting roles you can apply for today.