What's your background?
I grew up on the Mornington Peninsula, where the sun shines bright, and the weather is a dream… For about 10 days each year! Before becoming a Grad, I looked after the training and development at a small cluster of McDonald’s stores and was more recently a Bartender at the RACV Cape Schanck Resort. Whilst working, I completed a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and minoring in Project Management. I always did well with numbers and managing people, so I wanted a degree that gave me the grounding and opportunities to do that for a living.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
I’m a big believer that most people can learn and excel in pretty much any position if they have the right attitude. With that said, there are some roles best suited for people with specific skillsets. For someone with a different background to do my role, they’d need to make sure they have great people skills and a high EQ, be able to take a large vision and break it down into meaningful and detailed tasks, be proficient in time and people management, be a wordsmith, and importantly, have the courage to stand up for their ideas and logic (even if challenged by senior management).
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I feel privileged to be in close contact with our upper management team every week – I also appreciate being provided with a challenging task and being granted the freedom to run with it and make it my own.
How did the grad program help your transition to your current role?
The Grad Program provided me with a network of quality people from around the business who helped develop my professional acumen and provided me with opportunities to learn and grow. The Program also provided me with exposure to very different parts of the business, granting me the opportunity to discover what area/role I’d like to progress my career in. Finally, having a Mentor in the program was so important to my development and landing a permanent position – mentors are so crucial; my advice is to draw from their wisdom and experience as much as possible, even once you’ve moved on from the Program.