"I really enjoyed helping people through what can be a really stressful time"
After finishing her degree in psychology and sociology, Sabrina Hall (pictured) got a part time job in a call centre at what was then Abbey National. However, her true passion was helping people through stressful situations – and this is what led her to pursue a career in the mortgage industry and eventually become a self-employed adviser.
Getting into the industry
Hall spent her first two years working for Abbey National – now Santander – trying to retain existing clients who wanted to move to other lenders. While she enjoyed the product knowledge that she had built up while she was there, Hall was keen to learn more.
“I just got the job to pay the bills, while I decided what to do next,” she said. “I found that I really enjoyed helping people through what can be a really stressful time.”
Hall then had the opportunity to transfer to Barclays, where, as a senior underwriter, she underwrote high level cases and had complex cases referred to her for special consideration.
Motivation to continue as a broker
At Barclays, Hall learned a lot about the decision-making process, and she felt her time as an underwriter really helped her, now that she was an adviser.
“As a senior underwriter in a previous role, I have a unique window in the mind of an underwriter and can help me present a case to them in a more favourable way,” she pointed out. “I have regularly had cases agreed that are technically outside of their lending criteria and would have been declined without a solid case being presented to them by me.
“I also used to run a technical helpdesk for mortgage advisers to call when they had difficult cases. This means that now, as an adviser, I never get scared off by a complex case, and I have an understanding for the finer details of the lenders’ criteria.”
After some time working as a business development manager, Hall decided she wanted to get into advising.
“This is what I love, and it also gives me such flexibility to work around my family life,” she stressed.
“I am passionate about giving great advice to my clients to give them the best results now and in the future. It’s important for me that my clients feel comfortable entrusting me with their personal financial details. My aim is to help them enjoy taking control of their finances in a way that can give them peace of mind.”
Looking to the future
Hall, now a mortgage and protection adviser at Birmingham-based Kind Financial Services, said that one of the main reasons she went self-employed was to provide herself a good work-life balance.
“Being a mortgage adviser allows me to grow my business around my children’s needs and still support my family financially,” she stated. “I want to grow my business to the point where I’m the go to name in my local area and supporting my community.”
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