Cala Homes has a number of vacancies across all of its sites, including a construction degree apprentice and sales advisor to join the teams in Aberdeen.
Senior sales consultants Jo Wallace and Joy Jameson told The P&J about their experiences working with Cala.
Jo studied Law and Management at Robert Gordon University and has six years of experience in the homebuilding sector.
She is based at Cala’s Murtle Den Park, Oldfold Village development in Milltimber, Aberdeen.
Joy is based at Green Park at Grandhome in Bridge of Don, and has a bachelor’s degree from RGU in Retail Management.
Joy has been part of the Cala Homes team for almost eight years and Jo joined in September 2021.
Joy came from a sales background but was new to the housebuilding and construction sector.
“We’re a very close team here so I’ve also been able to draw from the expertise and experience of my sales colleagues,” said Joy.
“The role has built my technical and construction knowledge, which is a whole new world for me, and the legal and financial knowledge I’ve learned has been invaluable.”
Jo said: “Sustainability is a huge focus at Cala, both in how we build our homes and how the business is run, so my knowledge in this area has really grown and been developed to allow me to explain key elements of our homes to our customers.”
“For example, it’s been important to understand new technologies in housebuilding, particularly in terms of reducing carbon such as the introduction of air source heat pumps in our homes.”
Both managed to transfer skills over from previous roles.
Joy said: “I came from a luxury retail background therefore lots of the skills I learned during my time working in the sector have been useful, particularly communication, customer service, negotiation, resilience in changeable situations, and establishing fantastic customer relationships.”
Transferable skills
Jo said she took her previous skills gained from working as part of a sales team for a housebuilder and adapted them to the Cala way of working, “ensuring the customer experience is excellent throughout their journey to homeownership”.
“There’s a real focus on development and ongoing training here at Cala, whether it’s on the job, learning from others, or more formal training, so my skills are building every day.”
Joy said the culture at Cala is “supportive, focused, passionate, and driven” and that wellbeing is also important.
Jo said: “Cala has a great culture, all departments gel really well and are so committed and passionate.
Inclusivity and improvement
“Cala is forward-thinking and adaptive, and everyone is supported to really be themselves at work – there’s a real feeling of inclusivity and improvement.
“The benefits we receive contribute to the positive culture, too – it’s good to feel looked after through things like our bonus scheme, Employee Assistance Programme, ULEV scheme, health insurance, good holiday entitlement and smarter working arrangements.”
Asked what they enjoy most about their roles, Joy said: “Handing over the keys to excited new homeowners is a real highlight, especially after being with the customer on their journey.
“I also enjoy the fast-paced environment of the sales office, the variety of tasks within the role – no two days are ever the same!”
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