What's your job about?
RACV strives to provide value to its members and the community, and it is rewarding to know I get to contribute to that through assisting in product development.
As a generalist graduate, I have the opportunity to experience 3 different roles over 12 months, all of which equip me with various skills and knowledge.
One of my three roles is in the product team. My day-to-day tasks involve daily product performance reporting, strategy development and user acceptance testing for upcoming website launches.
I send out the daily reporting emails to a few teams, so we all stay across how the product is performing in the market. In each email, I include a fact of the day that always strikes interesting conversations and debates - a great ice breaker to meet new people across the teams!
I am also fortunate to have assisted in launching ‘Property Inspections’ into the market – it was a very exciting and fast-paced experience. These inspections allow landlords to ensure their properties are safe for renters as per relevant legislative requirements. It’s truly fruitful to recognise a problem in the market and work towards creating a solution for it as a team. To see all the pieces join together to make a product come to life is amazing, whilst knowing the work we are doing is making a positive difference in people’s lives.
What's your background?
I grew up in South-East Melbourne and did all of my schoolings there. At each stage of my life, I wanted to do something different – I would try multiple things until I knew whether I wanted to pursue it further or try something else!
For example, I wanted to be a scientist when I was younger. I did multiple science subjects in VCE and joined a few science groups, then I knew I no longer wanted to be a scientist. Next, I took up business studies for the first time in university and concluded that I wanted to dive deeper at the end of my degree. That’s when I came across the RACV generalist program which was giving me the opportunity to try different roles to expand my learning.
In terms of occupation, all my jobs prior to RACV were in retail – they equipped me with communication and collaborative skills that I am able to apply further in my current graduate position. I have been in my graduate position for over 4 months now and to look back at myself at the end of my degree and where I am today feels like a milestone of growth.
Ultimately, every experience, every unsure step I have taken forward has been a major contributor to shaping me into who I am today. Trying new things can be confronting, but they can show you the path to where you might want to, or not want to go!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes – someone with a different background could do my job if they’re open to learning! It is a very fast-paced environment but very rewarding to see your projects come to life. When it comes to this role, a key characteristic one should have for a smoother journey is to be open-minded. There can be a lot of back and forth when it comes to working on a product as you want to ensure the product is being built for its purpose, covering all gaps. I would advise coming to the task knowing that if changesets you one step back it will place you three steps forward in the future.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
What I love most about my job is the communication culture. We get to take part in ‘Coffee Roulette’, an opportunity to randomly get paired with anyone in the business and hear about their journey and focus.
Through this, I have gotten the chance to engage in conversation with other graduates, managers as well as general managers across the business! It can be quite daunting to reach out to managers, but this initiative connects you with them without worry. I have found each individual I have been paired with to be very enthusiastic which helped us hold meaningful conversations from which we could both learn something new. It’s a cool initiative to have that highlight that learning doesn’t stop no matter what post you are at!
What are the limitations of your job?
A limitation in my job I would say is stakeholder engagement. In the current circumstances of COVID-19, the way everyone goes about their day-to-day jobs has been impacted. Although we are back in the office for a few days a week to see our colleagues, we rarely get to see our stakeholders face-to-face. This means all our meetings are conducted virtually which can bring about a few drawbacks when it comes to timelines. Ensuring everyone is on the same page whilst meeting the time constraints can be difficult virtually. However, shining some positive light can help identify gaps in the communication and find room for alternate ideas.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
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