8 March 2022

Celebrating Women in FM

Written by Nina Brown

This International Women’s Day at Hemlow, we continue to celebrate and raise awareness of the opportunities available to Women in FM. To mark the occasion we caught up with Team Hemlow’s Bid Coordinator Emily to discuss her career journey in the industry.

Hi Emily, can you introduce yourself and tell us what your role is at Hemlow?

Yes of course, I am the Bid Coordinator at Hemlow, and my role is to coordinate the Sales team. In more detail I manage the sales process on a daily basis, working to ensure that the team is organised and that everyone knows what they are doing and when they need to do it by.

My duties range from coordinating tenders, estimating and bid writing, to travelling across the country to complete site surveys.

 Can you tell us a bit more about your journey into the Facilities Management sector?

I joined Hemlow in 2018 in a part time role doing admin in the accounts department. A family friend had made me aware of the position and I took the role initially to earn money alongside my other job within the retail sector.

Everyone at Hemlow was so approachable, and because of this, during my time in this role I was able to speak to the Sales Director and express my interest in developing a future career in Sales and Marketing. A few weeks later he approached me about a potential full-time role opening up in the department. After a successful interview I was offered the role and I started full time as the Sales and Marketing Assistant.

I was a little nervous as I didn’t have any previous experience or specific qualifications, however Hemlow saw the potential in me and were quick to offer me any necessary training that would help support me within the role. Since then, I am proud to say that I have completed and achieved a distinction in my CIM level 3 and 4 in Digital Marketing. It was great to be able to take what I was learning on my course and put it into practice in the workplace.

What do you like most about your role?

female engineer

What I really like about my role is being able to go out and about on site and get exposure to lots of different types of buildings.

Another benefit is that I get to meet lots of different clients and build valuable relationships, no two days in my role are the same it offers me so much variation.

I also enjoy getting to travel to different regions such as the Midlands and the North and connecting with our clients and Hemlow teams up there.

What challenges have you had to overcome in your career?

One of the main challenges I have faced is having to learn about a whole new industry. Having previously worked in the retail sector it was a huge change having to understand such a different industry, even down to learning all the different name types for the equipment. But I was keen to learn and being exposed to so many different departments within Hemlow on a daily basis helped me pick things up quickly.

What has been your biggest career achievement to date?

A year into my full-time role with Hemlow, my line manager left to go on maternity leave. Although I was sad to see her go on a personal level, on a professional level it provided me with a great opportunity to take on more responsibility. During this time we were also sent into our first lockdown and as a company we decided to use it as an opportunity to rebrand. This was a project that I lead from start to finish and I am extremely proud of.

In addition to this I am also proud of how I have progressed through the company, having received several promotions, bringing me to my current role as Bid Coordinator.

What does the future look like for you?

I don’t know! But I’ve learnt that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I didn’t expect to find myself here if I’m honest but I’m glad I did. Proof that you never know what the future holds! I’ve learnt that new opportunities can arise at any time and if approached with an open mind, can take you down a whole new unexpected career path, that can be better than the one you planned for yourself.

However saying that, currently I am definitely focused on furthering my career within the bids team and would love to eventually get into a managerial role.

What would be your advice to other women considering a career in the FM industry?

Do your research, there are so many great opportunities, and try to pick a company who you feel will support you and help you progress as there’s lots of heights to be reached.

In addition to this my advice would be to go for it! Make sure you believe in yourself and don’t let anyone make you think you’re not capable.

Join Emily this International Women’s Day as she shares an insight into what a typical day looks like for her over on our Instagram Stories.

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