What did you study & where?
I studied Business Information Systems and Psychology at the University of Queensland.
What drew you to the NAB Graduate program?
There were a couple of things that drew me to the program. Firstly, the ability to do different rotations. When comparing to other graduate programs where I needed to know exactly what I was interested in beforehand, it was nice to know that I could learn the ropes in multiple areas before rolling off somewhere I enjoyed. Secondly, the comfort of working at an organisation that I was intimately aware of the product as banking is something we use every day so knew I didn’t need to learn much to understand how to make an impact.
How did you decide which stream to apply for?
I had studied a bit of data analytics in university and really enjoyed it, but wanted to get more hands on experience, especially in a more technical capacity. I was interested in a few streams, but I think data analytics felt like the right place to start my career, because it might be harder to come back to if I didn’t have those foundation skills.
What was the highlight of your graduate experience?
Definitely the cohort in the grad program alongside me. I’ve made some lifelong friends as part of the grad experience and still regularly see them to play netball and catch up socially. It’s really unique to have work colleagues that you never work directly with that are experiencing something really similar to you and to have connections in so many places around such a large organisation.
Was there anything about that graduate program that exceeded your expectations?
My secondment definitely exceeded my expectations. It was so different to what I was doing as it was events and learning focused, rather than data analytics, but I enjoyed it so much that it led me to seeking roll off positions in Digital/strategy to have more of this project management lens in my work.
Can you tell us about the teams that you completed your rotations in?
First rotation: Reconciliation and Value Control, Second rotation: Group Security, Analytics and Insights & Secondment: Data and Analytics Guild
What role are you in now?
Analyst, Digital Notifications in Personal Everyday Banking
How do you feel the graduate program has set you up for your current role / career at NAB?
It has given me a really great understanding of the business, as I had the opportunity to learn from my rotations, colleagues, peers and the grad program itself. I have more awareness of so much going on around NAB because I helped contribute to so many projects through my time in different teams. It helps me with my current role because I sometimes have a lot more context than other people.
What advice do you have for the next graduates on how to make the most of their graduate program?
It’s a time of discovery in the grad program – time to discover what full time work is like, time to discover what elements of work you enjoy and don’t, time to discover what is important to you in a team. It’s such a perfect time to change teams, figure out your passions and find your place at NAB/in your career. If you’re not enjoying something, find another team that you will. The flexibility in the grad program is there so that you can be set up for success. And don’t be afraid to roll off into a completely different area of the bank – we’re all NAB, finding your fit is the most important goal.
Is there anything that you would like to add ? Get involved in the social parts with your grad cohort! We formed a netball team and are now 7 seasons in a row still playing. We did winery tours, trivia nights and many lunches/dinners. It’s a really fun program to be a part of.