The Inside Story
Irish Pensions & Finance
Financial Advisors to Public & Private Sector Employees
For this months edition of the Inside Story we sat down with Senior Financial Advisor & Area Manager Ellen McElroy. Ellen has been with the company for 12 years and is a prime example of someone who 'worked' their way through our career path.
1.???Tell us about your current role, what does the job entail?
I am a Senior Sales Manager and also work as a Financial Consultant. I manage a team of associates and conduct Financial Reviews with my own existing clients. It is essentially a job with two different hats.
The Sales Manager’s Role is centered around instilling IPF’s mantra which is looking after the client. Everything else falls in line after this. I check activity, figures and stats for the team on a daily, weekly, monthly basis.
I manage the training needs of the team and mentoring on a weekly basis.?It involves ensuring the team is moving towards their own individual career goals and supporting them through the career path.
The Financial Consultant Role is conducting financial reviews with my own client bank that I have built up over the years.
2.???How long have you worked in IPF?
I am working in IPF for 12 years this year.
3.???What attracted you to working there?
I like the idea of working in sales and a target-driven environment. I also wanted career progression and this was something that was highlighted to me from the very first interview I did. Each milestone was mapped out (career and financial) and IPF have delivered on all promises and commitments it made to me from the beginning.
4.???Tell us about your average day?
A typical day looks something like this:
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5.???What do you enjoy about your job?
I love working with my colleagues. We have a great team environment and everyone is open to learning from each other. Setting goals and hitting them from my own perspective and also hitting the team’s goals. I enjoy dealing with clients, building plans and recommendations. I love the support that is given to the staff with the training plans and opportunities for career progression. We have so much fun together but we also know when it’s time to put our heads down and work.
6.???What are the challenges?
The job at times can be stressful but any well-paid job comes with its stresses. We tend to focus on this and try to manage it. Good stress is not a bad thing as it drives us to achieve our goals and keeps us motivated. Taking the downtime needed as it can get very busy and it’s important to have the correct work/life balance.
7.???Describe the work culture in the company
We have a fantastic team in IPF from the Management team to the admin and sales teams. The sales team is on the front line and is supported in a way that allows anyone that’s suited for the job to flourish. A good work ethic and drive are rewarded through excellent pay, benefits and also career development. I have had 4 promotions since joining IPF and have had a very rewarding journey so far. IPF believes in building on the bank experience while also developing new talent. The training and learning process never stops.
IPF is very family-friendly. I have always felt supported in IPF with my own goals and objectives. I feel very loyal to IPF as they have always been very loyal to me. I took the time out to have my children and work on a reduced-hour basis. I never felt pushed or pressurized into making any choices that weren’t right for me and my family. The door is always open to support these types of decisions
8.???What advice would you give to somebody interested in working there?
If this job is the right fit for you it is the best job in the world. If you are interested in sales and developing as a professional IPF will give you the foundation to build a long career. There is no other company that I know in this line of business that pays as well as IPF or supports and trains its staff as well as IPF.
9.???Is there something unique or interesting about your company that you’d like to share with jobseekers (perks, benefits, training, social clubs, etc.) ?
We have a great social side to the job and we try not to take ourselves too seriously. The annual Christmas panto that we put on springs to mind! We support a lot of charities and areas that need funding in the Public Sector and the staff gets involved also. We take part in charity football matches, cycles, step challenges, etc. Training never ends for everyone in the company no matter what level you are at. IPF will fund certain exams as further support to its staff.?
To find out about our current vacancies follow the link below.
www.ipf.ie/careers