Chris Masey
Chris Masey (24) graduated from the University of Leeds in 2005
with a 2:2 degree in Economics.
Current
Employer
I work for Spring Group PLC – one of
the UK's leading human capital management companies – where my role
is to recruit for the IT sector. I began my career with Spring in
April 2006 and have since enjoyed a rewarding career. In my last
full year with the company I more than doubled my basic salary with
bonuses, with other benefits including a car allowance, healthcare
and a pension scheme.
Why did you choose sales as a
career?
I was always keen to pursue a career in sales as I felt that I
would be well suited to the role. I am a people person – very
outgoing and friendly and also quite competitive, which works well
in a sales environment. My role at Spring is ideal for me as I am
an influencer rather than a hard seller, and I enjoy the
relationship and people management skills that IT recruitment
requires. I feel very lucky to have found a career that I am so
well suited to.
When did you start your
career?
After graduating I worked in a retail management position by way of
a stop gap. The hours were long and the pay was low, and it had
always been my preference to work in a B2B environment so I began
searching on the Internet and came across Pareto. After applying
online I was quickly contacted and invited to an assessment day.
Just one month later I began my job at Spring.
What was the biggest challenge in
the sales environment?
For me the biggest challenge is making consistent sales throughout
the year. Hitting targets and constantly achieving is vital in a
sales role, so it is important to keep your focus and not rest on
your laurels, maintaining your level of hard work to ensure you hit
and exceed targets time and time again.
What have you found to be the
best part of your role?
The satisfaction of placing a candidate in their ideal job is
definitely the best part of my role. It can take weeks, or even
months, to make the sale but when all the hard work pays off, it
creates a real sense of achievement. I am success-driven rather
than money-driven and I genuinely enjoy seeing candidates go away
happy as they start their new jobs, not to mention keeping my
clients satisfied. I treat my candidates like friends and am still
in touch with many of them, which is a great bonus.
How has your career
progressed
I began my role at Spring as a Junior Consultant in April 2006. In
January 2007 I received the ‘Best New Consultant’ award at the
annual company conference. I was thrilled to be recognised for all
my hard work so early on in my career and was immediately promoted
to the role of Recruitment Consultant. In August 2007 I was
promoted again to Senior Consultant where I now take on more
responsibility working to higher targets.
How do you see your future
developing
Although I am definitely ambitious, I am also realistic and want to
steadily grow my career. The next natural step for me is to
progress into a management role, looking after a team of
Consultants. However, it is my plan to progress slowly and learn as
much as I can through the process, building up a good solid network
of contacts along the way and strengthening my client
relationships.
Is there any advice you’d offer
to others considering a career in sales?
To thrive in the sales environment you have to really want to
succeed. Without that passion and energy, it is very easy to fall
by the wayside. A positive mental attitude is crucial and you need
to have faith in yourself and your product or service. Natural
confidence will stem from this, putting you on the right path for a
highly successful career in sales.