Circling In with Aisha Ulhaq
This week on the Talent Takeover, Aisha, Head of New Business Sales, shares her FC journey with us!
How long have you been a Circler?
I joined Funding Circle over 8 years ago now!
How did you get in to Sales?
Honestly, when I applied I didn’t realise it was sales(!) I thought it was an Account Management role. I never thought I wanted to do sales, mostly because I didn’t think I would be good at it! I loved the companies mission to help SMEs though and, once I came into the office for my interview, met the team and saw how passionate they all were, I knew I wanted to give it a go and I’ve never looked back. It turned out that I absolutely love sales, loved talking to different businesses on the phone and was good at it!
What does a typical week at Funding Circle look like?
As I’m sure everyone would say — no week is ever the same (in a good way!) but my weeks tend to follow a similar structure of looking at overall New Borrower performance, identifying the gaps, opportunities, potential challenges coming into the new week and setting clear goals and actions on the back of these. Working on strategic projects — short and long term — and then working alongside my Managers on how we can improve team performance and continue to drive things forward as a team.
What do you like most about working at FC?
The people! I genuinely enjoy the company of everyone I work with and love coming into the office and spending time with them. After 8.5 years of being here, this is definitely not something I take for granted. Everyone is incredibly driven and passionate about our company mission, they genuinely live the company values and I personally feel I have learnt a lot through collaborating with such a talented and diverse group of people over the years.
What’s been your favourite FC moment?
There have been many many great socials over the years but all time highlight has to be a team trip to Valencia in 2020 — we didn’t see as many of the sights as I maybe would have liked but it was a great weekend away together!
What are your tips for anyone wanting to apply for a similar role at FC?
For anyone looking to get in to Sales; do it! Don’t second guess yourself. If you’re passionate, willing to work hard and learn then there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t do it and do it very well. We have a fantastic product and there’s so much enjoyment in speaking to different borrowers and helping them along their business journey.
For my role specifically, I would say make sure you’re putting yourself in a position where you are constantly developing and learning outside of whatever your day to day is. Where are your current gaps and what can you do to work on these? Always put your hand up when there’s an opportunity — big and small — so that, when a new role does arise, you’re at the forefront of people’s minds and you can really demonstrate why you’re the right person for the role
OK time for some quick fire questions…
Pineapple on pizza — yes or no? Yes but only if I can do half and half and have jalapeños on the other side for balance (high maintenance, I know)
Bucket list travel destination? Japan — which I’m ticking off in May (if anyone has any recommendations please send them over!) and then next South Africa — incredible food, amazing people and safari!
Lunchtime JustEat go to? Apparently I don’t pick the best choices but my favourite is either K10 sushi or Garbanzos falafel bowl
What was your ‘new joiner fun fact’? I can’t remember that far back but I think it was that I had just come back from a year working in New York!
If you’re looking for a new role in Sales, or any of our other teams, check out our careers page for all of our live vacancies!
