Just some Friday musings from me Amy North
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been recruiting at We Complement.
If you’ve been following us on LinkedIn, you’ll probably have seen a few of the posts.
What you probably haven’t seen is the number of conversations we’ve had behind the scenes.
And honestly, they’ve been one of my favourite parts of the whole process.
We’re not really formal interview people.
Of course, we need to understand someone’s experience and whether they can do the role, but if you’ve had a chat with me and Paul Kenworthy over the last few weeks, you’ll know I’m far more interested in hearing your story.
How did you end up in financial services?
How did you find your way into this profession?
What do you enjoy most?
What would you change if you could?
I’ve probably spent more time talking about careers, children, hobbies and life than I have asking interview questions.
One thing kept coming up.
Hardly anybody actually planned to end up here.
Almost everyone just… found it.
That made me smile because when I thought about our own team, exactly the same thing had happened.
Lucy originally studied Film and TV Production. She imagined a completely different career before deciding she wanted the stability of a regular office job. Today, one of her favourite parts of the role is writing suitability reports because it lets her combine technical research with something she’s always loved, writing.
Claire started out in pension administration before gradually moving into a more technical role. She talks about enjoying “putting the puzzle pieces together” to build a solution for clients, which perfectly sums up the way she approaches every case.
Hannah? She’ll quite happily admit she only ended up in financial services because a recruiter found her CV. Now she gets genuine satisfaction from taking one of those files where you wonder where on earth to start and turning it into something clear, well-structured and meaningful for the client.
Different backgrounds.
Different journeys.
The same profession.
One thing I loved was that no two stories were the same.
Some started in pensions.
Some came through administration.
Some had worked in compliance.
One had studied Film and TV.
Nobody followed the same path.
Yet somehow they all ended up in the same profession.
The people we’ve spoken to over the last few weeks were no different.
One person had been freelancing exclusively for the same adviser for years.
The relationship worked brilliantly, but she’d reached a point where she wanted the security that comes with being employed. Her adviser simply didn’t want the responsibility and overheads that come with taking on staff.
It reminded me that flexibility looks different depending on where you are in life.
Then we met two brilliant people who’d done the complete opposite.
They’d taken the leap and started their own businesses.
I absolutely loved hearing about it.
It takes confidence to back yourself like that, and I genuinely think it’s brilliant that more people now see that as an option.
They weren’t looking to leave because things weren’t working. They just wanted a little part-time work while they built their client base.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t make that work, which was genuinely disappointing because they really knew their onions.
Then there were the working parents.
The conversations weren’t about salary.
They were about school runs.
Sports days.
School plays.
The inevitable phone call from school because someone’s been sick.
Being able to disappear for an hour in the afternoon without feeling guilty, then picking work back up later that evening.
As a mum of three myself, those conversations really resonated.
What struck me most about all these chats was that very few people were simply chasing a bigger salary.
Some wanted the security that comes with being employed.
Others wanted more flexibility around family life.
A few wanted the freedom to build something of their own.
And quite a few wanted to work somewhere that genuinely values good technical thinking, where they could ask questions, challenge ideas and be part of the advice process rather than simply writing reports at the end.
That last one came up more than once.
It made me realise how much our profession has changed.
When I first came across it, it was often talked about as a stepping stone to becoming an adviser.
I don’t hear that nearly as much anymore.
People are choosing technical careers in financial planning because they genuinely enjoy the work.
They like solving problems.
They enjoy researching.
They take pride in explaining complex recommendations in a way clients can actually understand.
They’re proud of what they do.
And they should be.
Something else I noticed was just how supportive this profession is.
Every single person we spoke to was happy to share their journey.
Some talked openly about mistakes they’d made.
Others shared advice they’d been given early in their careers.
Nobody felt competitive.
Everyone seemed genuinely happy to help the next person coming through.
I think that’s pretty special.
I can’t think of many careers where so many people seem to have found themselves doing something they never planned… and then couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
The last few weeks have reminded me that our profession is in a really good place.
People are backing themselves.
They’re building careers, businesses and lives that work for them.
They’re choosing workplaces that value good thinking, not just quick turnaround times.
And if that’s the direction we’re heading, I think we’re all onto something pretty special.
