22/04 2024 - Stores
Jazzmin Hobbelen (28) is working as a sales assistant at Specsavers and training to become an optician. She accidentally entered the optical branch: after an education in marketing and communications, she was supposed to start working abroad, but Covid ruined her plans. A friend told her about Specsavers, which was a perfect fit. She’s looking forward to helping people improve their eyesight.
“I started at Specsavers with some experience in sales, but I didn’t know anything about eye care and hearing care,” says Jazzmin. “But it interested me a lot, and I watched my colleagues doing their job. Such a dynamic working environment. I was immediately intrigued.” Jazzmin took the plunge: “There was so much to do, but I managed. Interacting with customers and selling products comes naturally to me, and I wanted to expand my knowledge. Specsavers gives you plenty of opportunities. In this company, you get to learn fast.” Starting in a young and eager team pleasantly surprised her: “I thought this wouldn’t be a modern company, maybe because of what I’d seen in my hometown’s optical store. But Specsavers is a lot bigger and way more fun. I love to work in this great, large team; every day, we man the store with three colleagues, one of whom is my friend.”
She had been in sales before, which became less challenging, but she was drawn to optics. “This profession and the industry immediately drew my attention. I noticed that I kept walking past the testing rooms and actually wanted to join them. When my friend got her diploma, I decided to also enrol.” She likes being able to set her own pace. “Specsavers gives you a lot of room to figure out what suits you. The amount of training and opportunities for personal development are endless. Whenever you’re ready to grow, you can take the next step.”
Jazzmin started her training in 2022 and hopes to finish it at the end of 2023. Every day, she realises that the industry and Specsavers fit her like a glove: “Being an optician is challenging, and this profession doesn’t suit everyone, but here you can grow at your own pace and for me, it’s perfect. With empathy and the will to help people, you can make a difference for customers. I like to be a listener. It is rewarding to create a bond with customers and feel they really trust you. Of course, there is room for a joke occasionally, but as an optician, I get to use my sensitive qualities and my commercial ones.”
Her plans for the future? “I will continue my training to keep growing. In a year or two, it would be nice to study for the contact lens specialism. But for now, I’m focussing on finishing this training and learning on the job as an optician.”
Want to flourish like Jazzmin? Check all of Specsavers’ vacatures here.
