“With support and persistence I achieved what I set out to.”

This week is National Careers Week.

National Careers Week is an annual celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK.

To mark this occasion, we have been profiling colleagues who have achieved outstanding career progression whilst at GSA.

We speak to Anya Franklin who started her career at GSA in our Contact Centre but followed her interests to become a Housing Officer.

How long have you been at GSA and what was your first role here?

I joined GSA in 2021 as a Customer Services Officer (CSO) working in the contact centre. From there I moved temporarily into a role with the Training and Quality Team offering operational support to the CSOs.

What opportunities were made available to allow you to move into a different area of the business?

When I was first interested in the Housing Officer role, another colleague took the time out of their schedule to discuss the role with me to help improve my understanding about what a Housing Officer does.

My current manager, saw how much interest I had in the role and coached me through the interview process. Crucially, they encouraged me through the interview process and with support and persistence I achieved what I set out to.

I was hired into a secondment Housing Officer role in May last year. In August 2023, I had a successful interview for a permanent position as a Housing Officer. I love the role and being able to meet with our customers and offer them help and support within their tenancies.

I came from an area of the business where I had a limited understanding of tenancies, so getting to the point I am at now reminds me of how hard I worked.

Can you tell us what a Housing Officer does?

Housing officers typically manage the tenancies of our customers. They sign people up when they are offered homes, conduct investigations into anti-social behaviour, work jointly with other agencies such as the police and social services to achieve positive results for our customers.

I speak to customers daily, listen to their concerns and try to respond to them as best I can.

No two workdays are the same and each comes with a variety of challenges and rewarding experiences.

I am currently working on a project with the police, local schools, and the Parish Council to improve parking conditions for a very busy (and narrow) road by having planter boxes built and installed. I relish the opportunity to be creative when tackling local issues.

What have you most enjoyed during your time at GSA?

During my time at GSA, I have enjoyed working with a wide range of colleagues and our customers. I feel I have learnt a lot about myself by being exposed to people with different ideas and perspectives on the world. 

I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect of my current job as well as being able to manage my own workload.

Where would you like your career to take you in future?

I love my current role and I don’t think I’ve plumbed the depths yet. I think I have a lot more learning to do.

I would like to build stronger relationships with my current customers and get a better understanding of the role as I progress. Staying somewhere within the Homes and Communities team, providing support, and managing tenancies, is where I’d like to be.