Broker thrives after overcoming market downturns

Kristi Hardy (pictured) is a study in taking ownership of one’s own career path. Having previously worked in finance, sales and marketing, she sought a new career after a three-and-a-half year period of world travel in her 20s.

“I started in the mortgage industry in 2004,” Hardy, now 53, told Mortgage Professional America during a telephone interview. “I had spoken to a few friends I used to work with who were doing mortgage and that I had worked with in my previous career. They loved it, saying it was a natural progression from what they had been doing. I chose it because of the flexibility and in that it fit my strong suits – sales, marketing, and finance.”

Lured by the flexibility afforded by the industry and the complementary skills set required, she interviewed with a mortgage firm and was offered a position. Here’s the part about taking ownership over one’s career: “At the company that I originally interviewed for, the regional manager said at that company you weren’t allowed to be a loan officer right away – you had to have two years of experience,” Hardy said. “I said ‘well, I’m not really assistant material. I’ll go somewhere else that will let me be a loan officer right off the bat’ because I was confident in my abilities. I had been very successful in my previous career.”

That perked the regional manager’s ears up. Not wanting to lose such a good prospect, the manager suggested she enroll in Xinnix, a mortgage education academy based in Atlanta. Once she fulfilled the training, the company would pay off her $10,000 tuition after reaching certain production levels six months into the job. “I chose that option,” Hardy said. “I bet on myself, and it really paid off.”