Jon D'Costa
Financial Services - The Beginning

My first job in financial services was with Royal Life Direct Sales. I worked as a commission-only financial adviser in Argyle Street, Oxford Circus. A great location next to The London Palladium and opposite Dickins & Jones. No clients, no salary, 4 weeks of intensive training, and no idea it was going to be so hard!   

I left Royal Life after 3 years with less money BUT with a lot more experience.

Financial Services - Estate Agency

I joined a small 5 branch Estate Agent in South East London.  I'm now sitting at a desk with names and telephone numbers of people who want to buy homes. I'd found my niche!

I joined a 50 branch Independently owned estate agency which had 30 mortgage advisors.

Starting out in the Tolworth branch which had never had its own advisor. I began prospecting for business.  This was not usual practice as mortgage advisors were given leads. 

I became a TOP performing mortgage advisor and was asked to train the new mortgage advisors.  This progressed to managing a team of 6 advisors.

I left London and relocated to Gloucestershire to run South West Region.  This Region became the highest producing profit centre in the Group. 

I helped centralise the mortgage administration team, designed and programmed the first CRM, and started a team of financial planners. This was a brilliant experience for me but after 11 years I decided the time was right to move on

Recruitment 

Being a mortgage advisor was a brilliant job! I'd had some success in making this work within estate agency.

So I became a financial & mortgage recruiter.

My first assignment was with a London based company looking to hire IFA's. In 2 years I recruited 25 self-employed financial & mortgage advisors and they grew from 10 to 35.

At the same time, I began working with a national estate agency, and over the next 9 years, I recruited 270 mortgage advisors and 30 mortgage sales managers. 

Over the last 25 years, I've recruited candidates who were starting their first industry job to senior management positions.

I've worked with new start-ups, small, medium, and large firms.  I've operated as a covert internal recruiter, headhunter and provided consultancy services and advice to many, individuals.

I've coached managers on recruitment practices and advised a large financial institution on how to set-up their own internal recruitment operation.

I've remained at the "coal-face" because I love working with people and bringing them together.

I've learned that to be good at something, you have to fully commit.  You have to be yourself and remember to adapt to the changing times.

You must always strive to do your very best for your customers and accept that you won't always please everyone. BUT you have to stick with it through good and tough times.