Throughout my growing up years, my life has been pretty mudane. I do not come from a rich family and i dont get driven around like wad the other young kids gets. In my entire lifespan, i've been sharing room with my sista and there just aint enuff space for the stuff of 2 women in their 20s!!
I've been yearning for more as i gets older. Yearning for more pleasures in life, hoping to go after the 5C's in myself n my partner.
I was lucky and got myself into UOB as a Personal Banker depsite me holding only a Diploma in Information Communication Technology from SP. From UOB, I achieved 3 C's from here straight away and tats career, credit card, car.
It was certainly great to tell others wad u do especially when i was onli turning 21 when i first joined on 17 Oct 05. It seems like a 'wow' thing to be such a young banker. Guys were pretty impressed when they know that I'm in banking and they certainly gave u a change of look which certainly spells tat they want to talk to you more. But well, i'm a Ice-Mountain so needless for me to go on.
I was doing well especially my first 3 months. I hit 100% of my sales targets in that 3 mths and my boss then immediately put me up for confirmation even though the norm was to be 6mths at least. I had a great boss even though i had nasty colleagues who simply eye sore the fact of a junior over-taking them!!
It was devastating to be octracised by all your colleagues even though you got along pretty well with some of them initially!! Rumors, back-stabbing, gossips really kills and i was a poor victim tat has to put up with it quietly.
There were times when i broke down too but thats moments when im alone. The last straw came when 1 of them started shouting and scolding me at the top of his voice on 1 afternoon in office. Reason all bcos he was obviously being extremely unreasonable by removing my lan cable and plucking into his socket to gain access to the system!!
I tried to keep my cool initially and even proposed to him tat it isnt a time to shout but rather to sit together to think of a solution to the problem. All he wanted was he could gain access to the system and whether i can do so is none of his business. Selfish creep indeed!!
I was upset and started crying when he started screaming at me at the top of his voice. I definitely look like a damsel in distress but he, jus simply turn his back on me and continued his shoutings.
There was our quarter sales convention going on later in the evening and I went up to my boss cos I felt the urgent need to talk to him.
However, instead of narrating abt the bad incident, I told him I want to resign else change to another branch. It was really too much for me to take it or rather, i wanted so badly to escape!
He counselled me and gave me some words of advice which i still rmb till now. He even shared with me his past experience and I know I need to stay strong.
During my 6th mth into the job, there were changes to the bank and my boss was to be posted to another branch which will be changing to a Privilege Banking Centre. He express interest to bring me over and I agreed but it did not manage to come true in the end due to some reasons.
I stayed on, a new lady came in to head the branch and it was disaster. She was micro-managing us and everyone hates her. The seniors were being treated like juniors and expected to do silly stuff which were totally un-necessary and irrelevant to us!
I felt the urgency to escape cos i simply cannot tolerate the mirco-management and constantly grounding me on my sales figure and teaching me how to do sales in her own unique matter which all of us doesnt believes and not comfortable in!!
Another branch manager was more than happy to take me in. Afterall, in sales line, as long as u r able to produce the figures, any1 will be glad to take u in!
I left tat lady boss after 2 mths. After i left, all the others started to leave one after another as well. Well, apparently, they left the bank rather than moving on to other branch like me.
Life was peaceful with my new boss. He doesnt micro-manage and in fact, i felt he was too slack with us. All he asks us was sales figures for him to report to the higher management! He was slow in getting things done for us which he constantly blames it on all the meetings with the big bosses.
There can be times whereby our document left for him can be somewhere hidden in the big stack of papers on his table for days, weeks and even months!!
I wasnt given the table tat i was promised. It was taken up by someone else who moved over after the previous banker resigned. I felt cheated and upset with having to put up a small table which i hafta share with another colleague in a little corner of the branch. I felt bad having to put up in this manner. It was totally unprofessional when there isnt a proper working space for me to do my work n meet my clients!!
By then, it was already confirmed tat I will be put up for promotion and the title of 'Assistant Manager' aka 'Senior Personal Banker' is almost 100% guaranteed!
My career was going on well and as long as i dont slack, i will have a comfortable pay check, jus enuff to support myself. I felt that was my first C in life as a banker.
I went on to upgrade my Lady's Card to a Lady's Platinum as well as applied for another Platinum card from another bank and it was approved. I guess you seldom see a 22yr old gal holding on a platinum card. i was one of the few i guess.
I aint exactly a high flyer and i wasnt earning 5 figure every month but i yearn for the finer things in life. I was crazy abt cars. I prefered guys to drive and certainly hope for my bf to be driving!!
I loathe taking MRT and buses. I hate being stranded in the hot sun not able to get a cab in office wear. I just sooo hate taking public transport!!
I took the plunge and started going showrooms to look at cars and find out more about it. I was moving on to another branch under same boss and it was not so accessible. I thot the car will come along useful for a new start and make me work harder!
I gt myself a red Honda Jazz after contemplating it with Hyundai and Toyota. It cost me $54, 500. It doesnt seems a big amount when im closing sales cos closing $50k was a norm to all bankers but to ourselves, just $5k alone can be a big amount too!!
I got my first car on 20 Dec 06 after waiting for about 1 1/2 mths. I was extremely excited and overjoyed of being a proud driver of a new car especially being a 22 yr old female who got it without any help from parents.
But, god knows tat my career started to turn dark. I was faced with complains after complains. I wasnt complained for mis-selling or bad service. I was being complained for the slightest and most unbelievable things tat 1 can ever think of!!
The next few mths was going from bad to worse. I could feel myself falling deeper into depression as days goes by. I felt i was left all alone in the supposedly cosy room to deal with all the complains everyday!! Emails after emails, calls after calls. I was sick n tired of having to narrate wad happen again n again!!
I was totally demoralised and had a strong desire to call it quits. I had no one to turn to and rely on. My friends could onli lend a listening ear as they sympathsize the trauma i was going through. I dun blame them cos there is nothing they can do also.
But, my boss wasnt really making things better either!! Yes, he did help me settle all the complains and prevented me from being complained to a even higher level or having to compensate from my own pocket. I am grateful to him to tat.
I told him my problems n troubles of how demoralised n depressed i am tat i cant move on anymore. However, he jus reassure me things will get better and i shld let go n look on the bright side. With a promise tat he will make some changes very soon, i waited AND waited.
My life everyday soon turn into me going into office and ended up surfing internet the whole day. I was late for work and came in onli after 9.30am (sometimes as late as 10.30am after a nite a drinking) while the actual reporting time was 9am as branch opens at 9.30am!! In my first branch, i used to report at 8.30am due to the morning meetings.
The branch closes at 4pm which means i go bac at 4pm though occassionally, i may leave as early as 1pm on the pretext of meeting clients!! But, there are times whereby i leave at 5.30pm too but nv beyond 6pm although i used to leave at 9pm after doing tele-calls. In my first branch, there was once i leave at 10.3opm!! Tat was most memorable cos i was reali hardworking and meet a total of 4-5 clients tat day. 1 after another all the way from morning till night!!
I stopped coming in to office on Saturdays very soon after cos i felt it was simply a waste of time though Saturdays were once viewed as the most important day of the wk in my previous 2 branches cos it has the highest human traffic flow cos most ppl doesnt work on Sat but not with this 3rd branch. Saturdays aint any different from normal days. I felt tat partying on Fri and gettin enough rest on Sat was more important to me.
But, god knows tat my career started to turn dark. I was faced with complains after complains. I wasnt complained for mis-selling or bad service. I was being complained for the slightest and most unbelievable things tat 1 can ever think of!!
The next few mths was going from bad to worse. I could feel myself falling deeper into depression as days goes by. I felt i was left all alone in the supposedly cosy room to deal with all the complains everyday!! Emails after emails, calls after calls. I was sick n tired of having to narrate wad happen again n again!!
I was totally demoralised and had a strong desire to call it quits. I had no one to turn to and rely on. My friends could onli lend a listening ear as they sympathsize the trauma i was going through. I dun blame them cos there is nothing they can do also.
But, my boss wasnt really making things better either!! Yes, he did help me settle all the complains and prevented me from being complained to a even higher level or having to compensate from my own pocket. I am grateful to him to tat.
I told him my problems n troubles of how demoralised n depressed i am tat i cant move on anymore. However, he jus reassure me things will get better and i shld let go n look on the bright side. With a promise tat he will make some changes very soon, i waited AND waited.
My life everyday soon turn into me going into office and ended up surfing internet the whole day. I was late for work and came in onli after 9.30am (sometimes as late as 10.30am after a nite a drinking) while the actual reporting time was 9am as branch opens at 9.30am!! In my first branch, i used to report at 8.30am due to the morning meetings.
The branch closes at 4pm which means i go bac at 4pm though occassionally, i may leave as early as 1pm on the pretext of meeting clients!! But, there are times whereby i leave at 5.30pm too but nv beyond 6pm although i used to leave at 9pm after doing tele-calls. In my first branch, there was once i leave at 10.3opm!! Tat was most memorable cos i was reali hardworking and meet a total of 4-5 clients tat day. 1 after another all the way from morning till night!!
I stopped coming in to office on Saturdays very soon after cos i felt it was simply a waste of time though Saturdays were once viewed as the most important day of the wk in my previous 2 branches cos it has the highest human traffic flow cos most ppl doesnt work on Sat but not with this 3rd branch. Saturdays aint any different from normal days. I felt tat partying on Fri and gettin enough rest on Sat was more important to me.
I knew i was going downhill in this room everyday. I was undergoing an extreme stress of depression. Sometimes, i could even cry sitting in front of my laptop wondering wat happened to me. How did the potential young banker get stranded all alone in a quiet room in a quiet branch? I had no one to blame except myself cos i chose to move over thinkin tat things will get better but, who knws how distratrous it turn out to be!!I was never being complained at all in my previous 2 branches. It was onli in this 3rd branch tat i had complains slap on me one after another. I was extremely upset. I couldnt meet the expectations of my bosses let alone my sales targets cos i wasnt in the mood to work at all!! I was extremely unhappy and i know i need to move on else god knows hw deep is tat level of depression tat i am falling into!!
On 29th Mar 07, after a HK trip fully sponsored by Lester, i typed out my first resignation letter in my life. I din even know wad are the contents required and even asked around for help!! I have never had a formal resignation in my life before cos in all my previous jobs, i simply told my superior tat i wana quit and tats it.
It was the second big plunge i took in my life and happens within mths from the first plunge!! I quit without a job and with a commitment to my car which i hafta pay at least $1k a mth! But still, i believed tat i will definitely be able to get a new job pretty soon.
There were many other options for me, all in sales. I tot of changing industry and go into pharmateutical sales which sells medicine to doctors or even conferences as well as property!! Sales was the only job to make more money though i aint the type who aim high. Im satisfied with a reasonable amount of pay check enough to substain my lifestyle and an amount aside for savings.
Recruitment day for SQ stewardess came and i decided to try for it again even though i got booted out at first round on all my previous attempts.
I was dying to see the world and experience the different cultures on the other sides of the globe!! Since in my late teens, i have already set my mind on becoming a SQ stewardess which explains why i went for the interview despite failing.
I knew wad was wrong with me and tat was being too extremely nervous which resulted in my poor speech which jus wasnt smooth n confident at all!! Yet, there was nth i can do abt it even thou i had no problems with every other interviews!!
I was sure i had the calibre as the stewardess and Lester's fren whom i gotta know during the HK trip who was a Chief Stewardess with SQ assured me tat i can be a stewardess and urged me to try again after giving me some tips.
There were 2 recruitment days on 21st and 22nd Apr 2007 for stewards and stewardess. I went on the first day and made it thru the first round!! I was overjoyed when my name was being called out from the list!! It was the first time tat it ever got called up after so many attempts!! Things got on smoothly since then and here i am, waiting to start my training next month.
The making of a new Singapore Girl is beginning soon and i am jus tat few steps away from getting the passport stamps from all over the world!!
Let me share with you the interview process in my next post. Its late!! Time to slp!! =)
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