Team Member Ready for Placement

Anika is a motivated professional with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. Her background in the food and hospitality industry, combined with her organisational skills and aptitude for customer service, makes her a strong candidate for administrative roles within the mortgage broking sector. Outside of her work, her hobbies include cooking, watching crime documentaries, and spending time with her three dogs, reflecting her creativity and attentiveness. She also enjoys singing, dancing, baking, and indulging in Korean dramas or Netflix shows, highlighting a well-rounded personality that brings adaptability and enthusiasm to her professional endeavours.

Onboarding Training and Assessment
At Affordable Staff, we ensure that every team member not only masters administrative tasks but also gains a deep understanding of Australian business practices and cultural nuances. This preparation is vital for effective client support. Our training starts with real estate, providing a comprehensive overview of general administrative competencies, ensuring our trainees are versatile and capable of handling a wide range of administrative tasks.

The second phase of our training program focuses on Mortgage Broker Assessment. This intensive two-week course immerses trainees in document processing modules, where they learn to understand various types of documents and their roles in the loan application process. Trainees are trained in following naming conventions and editing standards, with their skills assessed through quizzes and individual tasks. They are also introduced to fundamental mortgage concepts and familiarised with commonly used tools such as CRM systems. Tasks include data entry and loan application management, offering a complete view of preparing a loan application.

Team members undertaking the additional two-week, high-intensity Mortgage Broking course will gain expertise in the following areas:

• Introduction to Mortgage Broking
• Document Processing Basics
• Hands-on Document Processing
• Document Editing Standards and Advanced Processing
• Broker/VA Communication
• Nexus CRM Training
• Introduction to ApplyOnline
• Scenario-Based Training

We also emphasise communication skills, enhancing them through grammar checks, situational chats, and lender call simulations. By the end of this phase, our trainees will be proficient in handling mortgage-related tasks, meeting the high standards expected by our clients.

Affordable Staff Tools Training
Tools Training is a crucial part of our training program, ensuring our team members gain proficiency in essential software used in daily operations. Our team members are introduced to LastPass for password management, Outlook for email and calendar organisation, TechSmith for capturing and recording, Hubstaff for time tracking, Zoom and Teams for virtual communication, OneDrive for file management, and Trello for project management.

For those completing our Mortgage Broking Foundations course, we place a significant emphasis on Nexus CRM and BrokerEngine. Mortgage broking VAs spend considerable time honing their skills through practice and repetition using these tools, ensuring they become highly adept and efficient.

This comprehensive approach ensures she is well-equipped to handle a variety of tools and tasks, leading to increased efficiency and productivity in mortgage broking support roles. The extensive practice with Nexus CRM and BrokerEngine guarantees that our VAs are not only knowledgeable but also highly proficient in using these essential tools.

Additional Tools Proficiency
Prior to her onboarding training, Anika has been identified as proficient with the following tools and software:

• Advanced: Word, Canva
• Practical Application: Excel, PowerPoint, Forms
• Limited Experience: Outlook, OneNote, Teams, OneDrive, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Fonts

Additional Skills and Notable Experience
Anika brings extensive experience from her background in hospitality and event organising, showcasing her ability to manage operations effectively and efficiently. She previously worked as an assistant restaurant manager for one year and one month and served as a committee member for a local festival for a month. As an assistant restaurant manager, she oversaw daily restaurant operations, supervised team members, managed customer interactions, maintained cleanliness standards, processed inventories, encoded sales reports, and resolved operational bottlenecks. Her role in the festival committee involved planning logistics, coordinating activities, and assisting in the organisation of key events, demonstrating excellent teamwork and management capabilities. Key skills include:

• Developing strong coordination abilities by planning and managing schedules, approving requests for time off, resolving personal conflicts within a team, and ensuring smooth daily operations.
• Maintaining meticulous attention to detail in managing administrative tasks and operational workflows to ensure precision in inventory tracking, recording of sales, and customer records.
• Communicating effectively in person and across multiple platforms such as mobile, email, and messaging applications to deliver updates or resolve inquiries rapidly.
• Training and mentoring new hires with patience and clarity to build a competent and collaborative team.
• Applying analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, allowing her to resolve issues swiftly and ensure timely completion without sacrificing accuracy.

She has been working with Affordable Staff since October 2025, where she is undergoing hands-on training while supporting a range of administrative and workflow tasks:

• Mortgage Application and Deal Preparation Support
  • Completing application and opportunity listings data entry, including new and existing loan records
  • Preparing game plans and loan scenarios for broker recommendation appointments
  • Drafting and sending game plans for client review and electronic signing
  • Assisting with deal preparation prior to lodgement, including pre-deal checks
• Pre-Qualification, Verification, and Pricing Assistance
  • Completing pre-qualification checklists and reviewing supporting notes
  • Verifying borrower income using business activity statement calculators and expense data
  • Entering monthly living expenses and financial details into structured worksheets
  • Assisting with loan pricing for existing and new lending across multiple lenders
• Valuation, Documentation, and System Administration
  • Ordering property valuations and tracking valuation progress
  • Downloading, renaming, and organising client and loan documents
  • Managing information tracking tools and lender servicing records
  • Supporting data entry for legacy applications and system updates
• Settlement, Post-Settlement, and Workflow Support
  • Assisting with credit officer final checks prior to submission
  • Supporting discharge and settlement checklist processes
  • Completing post-settlement tasks, including updating spreadsheets with settled loan details
  • Shadowing end-to-end workflow stages from submission through settlement completion

Learning Ability and Work Proficiency
She is an attentive and analytical worker who adapts quickly to new systems and work environments. She follows instructions with ease, displays high attention to detail, and consistently delivers outputs with minimal supervision. Her ability to learn independently and apply feedback effectively ensures steady improvement and professional growth. While occasionally cautious, this diligence results in precise and accurate task execution, particularly as she becomes more familiar with necessary workflows.

Interpersonal Skills and Personal Characteristics
She demonstrates a warm and mature personality, fostering positive relationships with colleagues and clients. Her diligence and ability to work harmoniously in team settings make her both reliable and approachable. She consistently applies a considerate and resourceful attitude to her work, ensuring tasks are executed methodically and responsibly. Whether collaborating with others or managing her responsibilities independently, she shows genuine enthusiasm and readiness to contribute to any professional environment.

Suitability
Anika is greatly suitable for any general mortgage broking or general administrative position, and is additionally suited for voice roles and basic social media tasks.

Why Anika is Suitable for the Role
Anika’s background in hospitality management, paired with her administrative skills and event organisation experience, makes her highly capable of handling general mortgage broking or administrative roles. Her attention to detail, effective communication, and ability to work with minimal supervision align perfectly with the demands of the position. Her receptive nature toward feedback and willingness to adapt to new situations demonstrate her commitment to supporting clients and the team with professionalism and efficiency.