What's your job about?
I work in the Marketing team as a Graduate at ANZ. Part of the Graduate role allows you to rotate around different portfolios of the team for example, Home Loans, Brand, Sponsorship etc. The length of rotations is flexible; I am currently doing 3-month rotations (the total length of the Graduate Programme being 18 months). But if there is a team which has a longer project then there is flexibility for me to stay in the team for longer than 3 months.
My first rotation was in the Platform and Performance team. This is where I helped with media buying and search engine optimisation. Currently, I am working in the Brand team. The Brand team is responsible for ensuring how customers view ANZ.A key project I am working on is focused around launching a new strategy and working with stakeholders to help shape what this would look like. This project includes meetings with key stakeholders to ensure we are getting the right expert matters across the strategy.
What's your background?
I grew up in Auckland and attended St Mary’s College. I wanted the out-of-home University experience, so I moved down to Wellington to study at Victoria University of Wellington where I lived in a Halls of residence. During University, I worked part-time as a tutor and as a retail sales assistant. I think a pivotal moment for me was the time I spent working in retail where I got brand experience, and an insight into customer’s wants and needs. This shaped my intrigue into customer behaviour and I like look at how this links into marketing. I then interned at Trade Me in the search engine optimisation team. This was a huge steppingstone compared to University which was more theoretical-focused. This role gave me insights into customer search trends. It provided the opportunity to work with other companies and use new digital platforms. This was great experience, but it felt too niche too early on in my career. That’s when the ANZ marketing graduate position appealed as it had different rotations across very different portfolios. I applied, completed the personality test, had a virtual interview and then a final interview. I have been at ANZ since February, and I am currently on my second rotation in the Brand Team after previously completing a rotation in the Platform Performance team.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
I think this can go both ways. University provides some great theoretical marketing knowledge which can be applied to my job whether that be consumer theories which explain behaviour, but I also think that part of the Graduate position is learning from others, which in some sense could mean you don’t need the same background I have. At the end of the day, the most crucial thing which can’t always be taught is your soft skills. Especially when a lot of marketing is about collaboration and relationship building.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I love my job. I love that being a part of the ANZ Graduate Program opens up doors to awesome networking opportunities. I love that working in Marketing can also mean collaborating with other agencies where you are exposed to new creative and insightful practices. Plus, the occasional working long lunch is always nice.
What are the limitations of your job?
It can be difficult to pry yourself away from your desk on really busy days, but I think it’s important to balance out your day and take time for yourself when you can. It’s nice to work with a great group of people to help you through those big days, and even better when we get to make up for the extra effort with plenty of coffee catch-ups and social lunches on days we’re not as busy.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Move out of home when it's affordable to do so, go into halls or flatting. It will challenge you and allow some great growth opportunities. In my opinion, you will never have such little responsibility as you do when you are young so make the most of it.
Go on as many networking coffee catchups as you can. It may seem scary to reach out to new people, but it’s worth it as these catch-ups can provide useful connections when it comes to applying for jobs.
Get some experience under your belt before applying for Graduate roles. I understand that it can be challenging to balance work with University but having some previous job experience may be that differentiation point between you and another applicant.