Mickel Mark-Richards - Success Story
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 31/07/2020
Despite hugely enjoying a varied and rewarding 20 year Army career, the growing needs of my rapidly expanding family were the first indications that I needed to make a change. My initial (pre-Corona virus!) research indicated that there were many opportunities for Service leavers in a number of different fields which valued and coveted the skills and experiences typically gained throughout a military career – this prospect began to excite me. Having weighed up my options I grasped the opportunity and embarked upon my CTP resettlement journey
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Although I’d always recognised that the finance and technology sectors would likely play to my strengths, it became apparent very early on during my CTP engagements that a role combining the two would be ideal – but possibly hard to come by, given I’d had little exposure to the private sector. Nevertheless, I researched both fields extensively (which, looking back, is the best advice I’d give to anyone in a similar position) and quickly recognised that not only was J.P. Morgan one of the only firms to offer Service leavers an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of roles within the financial services sector, but it’s also one of the leading lights in global technological innovation – perfect!
Having attended a number of insight days with household name financial institutions and consultancy firms - as well as discussing roles and sectors with family, friends, ex-colleagues and new networking contacts - my heart became set on joining JPM. Upon applying I was extremely impressed by the engagement, professionalism and speed of the multistage application process, all of which reaffirmed that I was making the right choice.
I was delighted to be offered a project management internship role within a fast paced, multi award-winning tech team working on an industry leading application. Not only did this grant me exposure to the breadth of the firm’s tech sector, but I was also actively encouraged to continue networking in order to find out more about the rest of the bank from my new colleagues; always keeping one eye on securing a permanent role within the firm through the internal application process.
Despite being used to regularly embarking on new appointments that became progressively more challenging throughout my military career, the prospect of quickly becoming proficient in a totally new sector was slightly unnerving. However, the support given to me by the MTP staff and my new co-workers definitely helped me bridge the gap – I couldn’t have been teamed with a more generous and supportive network of colleagues.
Having met and been impressed by so many diverse, committed, passionate and like-minded people across the firm I’m certain that I’ve made the right choice. Despite not having the same career background as the vast majority of those within JP Morgan (although there’s a surprisingly large British and international ex-military contingent), my insights and inputs are keenly sought and I’m delighted to be trusted to fulfil a pivotal role within a cutting-edge technology programme team so early on.