the project shed

October 2013 - Present

I left B&Q to become an electrician full time. This is what I have called my business which I have set up as a sole trader. I am looking to gain experience with a time served electrician or company as a self employed individual. This is an exciting but daunting time for me as I have never run my own business but I relish the challenges it will bring.

July 2011 - October 2013

I worked for B&Q for just over two years and found it very rewarding. B&Q is the largest home improvement and garden centre retailer in the UK and Europe and the third largest in the world. Although B&Q Haverhill is a relatively small store the job presented many different challenges.

As Trading Manager my job was both varied and interesting. On a day to day basis I would be responsible for opening the store, staff rotas, liaising with HR, safe and till spot checks, team briefs, answering calls and emails, driving profitable sales, staff reviews and setting up / down promotions.

May 2000 - July 2010

For a little over 10 years I worked at Julian Graves Ltd. I started out as a trainee merchandiser when the company had only 60 shops. Travelling round the whole country I would ensure the shops had the correct merchandising and promotions and I would also take care of any minor maintenance issues. Over the next three years the company expanded to around 150 shops. I was involved with the planning, organization and implementation of most of these using a small team of regular shop staff.

As the company was now a substantial size the country was split in to 5 areas and I was to look after the south east region where my responsibilities moved more towards an area management role. Shortly after the EPOS (till points) were switched from cash registers to a PC based system.

For the last 5 years I worked out of the IT department. My main roll was to support all 350 shops with technical support for the till system. I was responsible for checking and uploading the promotions and ensuring product details were accurate. This meant liaising with other department to ensure that the end product at the till point worked correctly.

New investors in the company meant new money and the tills were upgraded again. This time a far more advanced system was installed which required talking to the software company about our requirements and specking out the right hardware etc. Then visiting the stores individually to install the till and train the staff on site.

1998 - 1999

Marrick Marine was a small forwarding company based in Brentwood, Essex. I worked as a logistics assistant in a small office. My job was to assist my line manager with taking orders, liaising with haulers, grouping them with other orders to help maximize profits and getting the containers delivered to their destination in the UK.

1996 - 1998

After Leaving school I worked at the Hilton National in Stansted. I started out as a waiter before moving to the bar and eventually becoming a Supervisor. Working for the Hilton was interesting as it had a strong brand image and you were expected to deliver to the customers high expectations. This was hard work but the tips were a good incentive.