Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Career file: The page where readers share their career secrets

by Personnel Today 1 Feb 2000
by Personnel Today 1 Feb 2000

This month Simon Bellotti Sales recruitment and training manager Britannic Assurance Age 32


How long have you been in this job?
I have just completed two years’ service and have a long way to go before I receive any long service awards.
How long have you been with your company?
For the same length of time, although it feels so much longer.
What does your role involve?
So many people ask me this that I’m starting to get a little paranoid. Our aim, as a training and development function, is to set the standards that others strive to achieve, and my job, basically, is to do everything possible to make that aim a reality.
What’s the best thing about your job?
There are two things really, although they may sound a bit cheesy. The first thing is that I love to know that I am making a difference and have a part to play in making people more effective in what they do. The second thing is that I have a fantastic team of people around me who are so unbelievably committed to being the best at what we do.
What’s the worst thing about your job?
The long hours can be exhausting at times and I don’t feel that training departments always get the credit that they deserve.
What is your current major project or strategic push?
We have a dozen or so projects on the go at the moment that are all labelled as "major" and "number one priority".
Favourite buzzwords?
JFDI, maRRRvellous, "delight = expectation plus one", "bottle of Bud please".
Most loathed buzzwords?
"Let’s have a look at the budget."
Are you good at self-development?
I try to practise what I preach so I have to say a definite yes.
What self-development have you done in the last six months?
I have started my master’s degree in Training & Development and am desperately trying to find some hours each week that are not already accounted for in order to study.
Where do you want to be in five years time?
To be recognised as the best at what I do.
What was the most useful course you ever went on?
I completed a course in NLP that I thought was fantastic and has helped in both my professional and personal life.
What was the worst course you ever went on?
I think that any training event that cannot be transferred in to the real world is a complete waste of time, and unfortunately I have attended quite a few.
What did you want to do for a living when you were at school?
I wanted to join the police force.
What was your first job?
I joined the police force.
What was the worst career decision you ever made?
Joining the police force.
What was the best career decision you ever made?
I hope that is still to come.
Which of your qualifications do you most value and why?
I don’t think you can beat real life experience, and I can honestly say that I learn something new every single day.
How many minutes is it since someone in your organisation said, "People are our greatest assets"?
I have just this minute come from a meeting…
Evaluation – Holy Grail or impossible dream?
If I thought it was an impossible dream then I’d better pack up my bags now.
How do you think your job will have changed in five years time?
I would imagine it to be much broader and to encompass things that are typically considered to be outside of the training arena.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in training and development?
1
Be 200 per cent committed to making a difference from day one.
2 Learn from your peers and model yourself on the best bits of everybody around you.
3 Accept praise and criticism when they are due.
4 Don’t ever think that you know everything.
How do you network?
Very badly.
Do you take work home with you?
I’d love to say never, but unfortunately the answer is all the time.
What is your motto?
Be the best you can at every thing that you do.
Describe your management style in three words or less.
Non-textbook.
How would you like to be remembered by your colleagues?
As a breath of fresh air who desperately tried to make a difference.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Personal slave to Kylie Minogue.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
HR loses direction on its way up
next post
Heading for the 21st Century

You may also like

FCA to extend misconduct rules beyond banks

2 Jul 2025

‘Decisive action’ needed to boost workers’ pensions

2 Jul 2025

Business leaders’ drop in confidence impacts headcount

2 Jul 2025

Why we need to rethink soft skills in...

1 Jul 2025

Five misconceptions about hiring refugees

20 Jun 2025

Forward features list 2025 – submitting content to...

23 Nov 2024

Features list 2021 – submitting content to Personnel...

1 Sep 2020

Large firms have no plans to bring all...

26 Aug 2020

A typical work-from-home lunch: crisps

24 Aug 2020

Occupational health on the coronavirus frontline – ‘I...

21 Aug 2020

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+