After joining the firm in 2017, Millie O'Brien was quick to show she could capably hold her own in the fast-paced world of high finance. As Associate Adviser in Private Wealth for Evans and Partners, she says the firm's autonomous, yet supportive work environment allows her to sharpen her skill set and further her career with confidence. Here, she takes us through a typical day as a graduate to give us a sense of her responsibilities, tasks and everyday activities at Evans and Partners, part of the Evans Dixon Group.

6.00 AM

From waking to travelling to the office, Millie has a quick morning routine, usually beginning her day at around 6.00am.

"I'll normally have a coffee, get ready and then catch the tram in," she says.

7.30 AM

The real excitement begins when Millie reaches the office at about 7.30am. She'll begin the working day by checking her emails, reviewing international trades and key market changes. Following this, she'll head upstairs for some breakfast in the firm's fully stocked kitchen, where she'll catch up with her peers and prepare for the day ahead.
 

8.00 AM

"I then go to our 8.00am morning meeting," she says, explaining that the meeting provides the team with critical insights, research findings and daily business objectives for consideration.

"Then from the meeting, there might be research calls or points of interest to further explore back at the desk," she adds.

As her day progresses, Millie multitasks across various responsibilities, from researching market trends to updating accounts, attending meetings and speaking with clients over the phone. 

"I often speak with clients over the phone who call to see how the market or a specific stock is moving," she says.

And as Millie reveals, helping clients achieve their financial goals is one of the most rewarding aspects of her role as Associate Adviser. 

"I enjoy working with our advisers to provide high-quality advice to our clients," she says. "It's a great feeling being able to reflect on great performance with them." 

1.00 PM

Following a busy morning, Millie takes some time for lunch.

Positioned in the heart of Melbourne CBD, Evans and Partners boasts a "pretty incredible" location, with an array of restaurants, bars and shopping. Millie will normally eat lunch in the office, but after work, she'll often take advantage of the sights, or catch up with some friends.

The afternoons also present Millie with the opportunity to catch up with her team – made of three senior advisers and two associates – to track her progress. She says the team shares the same drive and appreciation for hard work, with a great sense of camaraderie between them.

"I regularly catch up with all my advisers to chat about what's been going on, what's going to happen in the next few weeks or months and what the opportunities are to set more short-term goals," she explains. "They've also been really great at discussing more long-term goals as well, which is good."

5.30 PM

Finally, after a hard day's work, Millie wraps things up around 5.30–6.00pm. 

What the firm can offer

When she's not working in the office, Millie works toward completing a number of accreditations through the Stockbrokers Association of Australia – just one of many learning and development opportunities available through Evans and Partners.

"Another way the advisers educate us is by allocating some of their clients to particular associates to do more work on," she says. "We're at a stage where they're trying to give us associates more of a relationship with clients, so when clients call, they feel comfortable speaking with us – so essentially, just increasing our level of touch with the client."

But learning and development opportunities aren't the only benefits of working at Evans and Partners. Millie says the firm also offers free morning breakfasts, a generous fitness rebate and end-of-month events which allow her to socialise with team members from across the firm.

And having made "plenty of friends", Millie notes it was the firm's reputation for a positive working culture that encouraged her to apply for a role. 

Two years on:

"The work itself continues to be very interesting and quite thought-provoking … I learn a lot about the world day to day," she explains. "I applied for a role with Evans and Partners because I thought I'd enjoy working for an autonomous firm. The business is currently in a growth phase, which is definitely a good place to be."