Craig Miranda: The art of discovering the perfect career

What brought you to First National?

CM: Fifteen years ago, I was working in the insurance industry and the role didn’t fit my personality. I started to search online for a new opportunity and found a posting for a Customer Service Representative at First National. The ad said the company was dedicated to delivering service, building solutions and creating success. It resonated with me, and still does 15 years later. So I applied even though at that time, I couldn’t even explain the difference between a fixed and variable rate mortgage!

How did you get your foot in the door?

CM: I didn’t know anyone at First National but then my mother reminded me that Royston Lobo, a distant cousin worked for the company so I called him. Royston told me he loved his job and that there were plenty of opportunities for growth and advancement. Royston made a great case, and I came to the interview primed to get hired and I was. Back then we were a team of around 300 or 400 people, so a fraction of the size we are now.

What do you remember about your first day?

CM: I started in a classroom setting with four other newcomers. It was a little overwhelming with lots to learn including our Optimus system, but our trainer was extraordinarily helpful and explained that the idea was to give us more knowledge than we needed to start. It put me at ease. What was great about my first role is that it provided an opportunity to learn the functions and daily operations of various departments as we took ownership and accountability for helping customers to the very best of our ability. The more a Customer Service Representative knows, the better the customer experience.

Over the past 15 years, you’ve moved departments and earned promotions. How did you make success happen?

CM: Putting myself in a position to succeed by getting to know people across the company, asking lots of questions, learning to multi-task and prioritize. One of the great things about First National is every year we have performance reviews with management and during those sit downs, I’m asked to talk about where I see myself going career-wise. That provokes deep thinking about the future and a progressive mindset.

Where has that thought-provoking exercise taken you?

CM: After a couple of years in Customer Service, I applied for and got a job as a Residential Funder. It turned out not to be for me although I did enjoy some aspects of the position. After eight months, I went back to my previous manager in Customer Service and asked if I could return to my old job. I was told they would be happy to take me back and that they were proud of me for giving funding a try. That sense of loyalty stuck with me and made me appreciate First National even more.

The lesson for you?

CM: Tactically speaking, it’s great to job shadow if there is an opportunity because it gives you the chance to experience a new position before applying. But the bigger message is that career development is not always linear. It’s a process of discovery that can include detours on the way to finding the perfect role. About four years after I returned to Customer Service, I started doing more research and heard about an opportunity as a Commercial Funding Administrator. From a colleague, I found out who the Funding Manager was, and then dropped by her desk to introduce myself. Jean Maraj very generously took the time to tell me about the role and ask me why I was interested while also warning that there were a lot of applicants. After two interviews, it turned out I didn’t get the job, but Jean told me she would keep my application on file. I took that with a grain of salt but true to her word, when another opportunity came along three or four months later, Jean reached out to my manager and said she wanted me for the role. I went with an open mind and with hard work, I translated what was originally a six-month secondment it into a permanent position where I learned about commercial funding, renewals, investor sales and quality assurance.

That must have been a proud moment for you.

CM: Among career highlights, that’s number one followed by the chance a couple of years later to jump two spots from Commercial Funding Administrator to Commercial Funding Specialist. There is an interim step between those two roles and I got to jump ahead.

When you think about your experiences and the values that defines First National, what resonates most with you?

CM: A sense of autonomy. I have the freedom to question why we do what we do, and the ability to propose new and better ways of performing my role. It’s also true that First National has a very open-door culture. It’s possible here to drop by the executive offices and be given the chance to talk about things that are on my mind. I’ve had some of my most candid conversations with Rob Inglis, our Chief Financial Officer. Rob always takes the time to explain things to me and I appreciate those insights.

First National puts emphasis on building an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity. Is that important to you?

CM: Very much so. First National brings awareness to the challenges and realities people face on a daily basis. It makes people more empathetic to the needs of others. Everyone has heard of different ways people can be marginalized. But when spoken about, it pushes individuals to step outside their own comfort zone and gain new perspectives and engage in meaningful discussions about each other. This extends to progress for women in commercial financing. When I started, there might have been one female analyst. It has changed for the better since then but still lots of very necessary focus on encouraging women to take up careers in Commercial.

Why build a career at First National?

CM: Our company is a multi-time winner of the Great Places to Work in Canada award. That speaks to the quality of our workplace as does the fact that management does formal engagement surveys every two years. The results of that survey aren’t just put on a shelf; senior management and the Board review the details and step up in a positive way to respond to suggestions.

Advice for those new to First National?

CM: Be the best version of yourself at work. Smile, introduce yourself to people on the elevator, ask what department they work in, participate in company functions and be social. By making yourself available, you will create opportunities for yourself.

Final thoughts?

CM: There is an expression that if you find a job you love doing, you will never work a day in your life. That’s been my experience at First National. I enjoy what I do, I continue to learn and grow and it’s why it’s easy for me to commit.

Craig Miranda: The art of discovering the perfect career

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