Our ‘Breaking into Fintech’ series seeks out advice from industry insiders about the best tactics to land a job in the fast-moving world of fintech. In our latest piece , we asked the CEO of TotallyMoney, Alistair Douglas, for his key candidate recommendations.
TotallyMoney is a fintech that helps customers to determine their credit scores and credit reports. The company aims to give consumers the tools to make informed decisions when it comes to managing their finances.
What top tips can you offer candidates looking to join the industry?
Douglas discusses that there aren’t any “need to know” tips for candidates for the industry, however, he believes that those looking to be hired should be motivated about fintech for the right reasons.
“Part of the issue is that while we’re seeing large amounts of investment in fintech, much of this isn’t being used to drive real change for people who really need it.”
What does TotallyMoney want from their ideal candidates?
Douglas describes the ideal candidate as passionate, ambitious, values-led, solutions-focused, and willing to take the initiative to enact change. He underscores that they want the people who join their company to care about the company mission and the people
they are working for.
“We have a cross-functional set up, so you’ll find yourself working with people from around the business, no matter what your role. The ideal candidate will be inquisitive, enjoy solving problems and working with different teams across different projects.
You’ll learn a lot — and quickly.”
What roles is TotallyMoney currently hiring for?
TotallyMoney is currently hiring for front and back-end engineers, a commercial manager, and a people and culture manager.
If you are especially keen to join the TotallyMoney team, Douglas encourages everyone to get in touch: “Last year,
Alfie Lamerton — a student at UWE Bristol sent a speculative enquiry asking if we were willing to offer him a year-long work placement. We didn’t have anything in place, but we interviewed
and liked Alfie and he moved to London to spend his placement year with our engineering team.”
Why work at TotallyMoney?
Douglas gushes about the open company culture at TotallyMoney: “There’s an Employee Advisory Board (EAB) which meets with me on a regular basis to share feedback, and to discuss thoughts or concerns. We also run a monthly, anonymous staff engagement survey
with Peakon. This means everybody has a chance to be heard.”
He also emphasised their focus on diversity and shared company values. TotallyMoney works towards supporting the population that is under-served in the financial industry, which is a big reason why working at their company is impactful, says Douglas.
“Our belief is that people’s data should work for them, not against them. We’re doing this by building an app that puts our customers in control of their own financial data so they can make informed choices and gain financial momentum.”
What does TotallyMoney offer their employees?
TotallyMoney staff has a company-wide training budget and access to Udemy. People can learn from other teams and opt to training outside their role. TotallyMoney also provides a study sponsorship policy and study leave. Employees are encouraged to bring
up courses and qualifications they want to pursue to their line manager.
What can TotallyMoney do for you?
TotallyMoney offers employees with private medical insurance, maternity and paternity leave, 27 days holiday, and an option to buy an extra week off per year.
The company asks that employees come into the office twice a week, but offers an option to work abroad for up to eight weeks.
Employee perks also include the Cycle to Work scheme, access to Perkbox and Vitality, and a vibrant work culture that includes several social clubs.
Tell us about success stories of employees that have risen through TotallyMoney’s ranks.
“Gabrielle Gleeson is now Strategic Operations Director; Jaime Robb is Product Design Director and Antonio Tella is Director of Product. All three are now members of our management team.
“One of our Product Managers, Alex Owusu-Ansah started as an intern, while in the past two years, Anya McLoughlin has been promoted twice and is now Customer Operations Team Lead. We promote and reward strong work, and both personal and professional development.”
Want to see more fintech opportunities? Visit the Finextra Job Board for hundreds more roles, and bookmark the link for regular check-ins.