Being a generalist graduate in the Home & Energy division at RACV, the opportunities are endless. My first rotation was with the Business Solutions team, where each member works on different projects as the Business Analyst of the project team. Coming into the team with zero knowledge of BA, I was well supported from day 1. From training sessions to shadowing opportunities, I got on board quickly with help from the whole team. I didn’t wait too long till I have been assigned some real responsibilities. For the first time, I started to manage my own project that involves a large number of stakeholders. As challenging as it was, I have been provided with plenty of support – each step along the way, I’ve been given clear instructions, and my manager was always available when I come across any questions. Some key tasks that I did include but are not limited to process mapping, incident management and stakeholder engagement.
Right now, it has been one week into my second rotation, and this time, I’m purely focusing on Marketing. Entering a brand new team, working on brand new projects and learning about brand new skills – is the most exciting thing about being a part of RACV’s generalist graduate program.
What's your background?
I was born and raised in Shanghai, then relocated to Auckland with my family. After finishing high school, I decided to relocate again to explore more opportunities in Australia. I went to Melbourne University and completed my bachelor’s degree, majoring in Media and Communications. After 6 months of working part-time while figuring out what I wanted to do next, I have finally decided to go back to my Uni and pursue a master’s degree in Marketing.
You’d think I would become 100% certain that my career path would revolve around Marketing after graduating, but the truth is, even after obtaining my master’s degree, I still have no clue what I want to do next! And that’s okay because there are so many ways to explore where your passion lies, and that’s why I started to look for graduate programs that would allow me to experience as many different areas as possible. So, if you are about to graduate and started to feel anxious because you still don’t know what you want to do for a career, my advice would be – Relax, we’ve all been there! Not knowing what you want to do can be scary, but also exciting. It means there are so many possibilities awaiting you. Just start your job search today and be open to opportunities!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely! It is a “Generalist” stream after all. And the flexibility of this role is amazing. If you have no idea which area you want to focus on – Great! You can be placed in any team and perhaps start to do something that you’ve never thought of before. If you have a rough idea of where you’d like to specialise in – Awesome! In a large organisation like RACV, opportunities are everywhere. You can always discuss this with your rotation manager, who will take your preference into consideration and put you in the most optimal team. The key is to come in with a can-do attitude and an eagerness to learn.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The formal and informal opportunities to meet a variety of people across the business are definitely one of the coolest things for me. A major task that I was assigned heavily involves stakeholder management, which means talking to a lot of different people outside of my team! It was such a great opportunity for a graduate to get more insights into the overall structure of the business, any major projects that different teams are working on, and just meet interesting people!
What are the limitations of your job?
The flip side of being a part of the generalist graduate program is, well, it can be a bit “general”. You will only be working in an area briefly before moving on to the next rotation. While this gives you an opportunity to get a taste of different aspects of the business, you only get a few months which means you might not have enough time to dive deep into a specific area. If there is an area that you want to focus on, I would suggest checking out the specialist stream.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Do more internships – I haven’t fully understood the benefit of internships until I graduated. While it may seem daunting, it’s a great segue into the corporate world. You are able to gain valuable experiences that are not taught at the Uni, and you are not expected to “perform”, you are expected to “learn”. Plus, it’s a great way to experiment with different areas that you are interested in.
Make more friends – Yes, Uni is about studying, but it’s certainly not all about that. Meeting people and building meaningful relationships with them is just as crucial.
Study hard & play hard – Meeting deadlines and studying for exams can be extremely stressful. So don’t be too hard on yourself! Enjoy your time while you are at Uni – it is one of the best, most memorable experiences of your life!