Transformation Graduate at Westpac at Westpac Group Australia
Where did you grow up? Important stages of your life (school, education, experience abroad, jobs etc.)
I grew up in South Western Sydney (and very proud of it) and studied in a little-known high school called Fairvale. After graduating with my ATAR, I worked a couple of academic tutoring jobs for maths (don’t ask me anything now!) and also worked as a School Learning Support Officer at Fairvale for 4 years, supporting high school students to improve in their mathematical ability using data analysis.
How did you get to your current job position? For how long have you had it?
It has been a year since I began the Westpac Graduate Program, and I’m loving every second of it. During my penultimate and final years of university, I began reaching out to various individuals on LinkedIn to network and learn more about different companies and their roles. In reaching out, I spoke to a number of Westpac employees, and every single person vouched for the company culture and work they were doing. Hence, when it became time to apply for Graduate Programs, Westpac was number 1 on my list.
How did you choose your specialisation (compared to others)? / Were you weighing up any other alternatives before choosing this specialisation?
Before I began applying, I used the ‘Find Your Perfect Fit’ interactive quiz on the Westpac Graduate website to see where I would best fit in the company, and Transformation was one of the results that appeared and ticked all of my boxes in terms of my career interests and aspirations, so I applied!
What was your interview process like? What kind of questions were you asked?
Honestly speaking, the interview process I had at Westpac was genuinely the most fun and engaging experience I had out of them all. The assessment centre comprised of three elements: an individual interview, an individual task, and a group task. Every person I encountered, whether interviewee or interviewer, was lovely and made the whole experience extremely enjoyable. I also appreciated the fact that the assessors were all Westpac employees in the field of Transformation who had a thorough understanding of the work, and thus, we were not speaking to solely the HR team, but also people who we would be working with in the future.
What does your employer do?
Westpac Group is one of the ‘Big 4’ Banks in Australia, providing financial services to customers (personal, business, and institutional) around the country. It has a history spanning 200 years and is a company that drives for service excellence and helping our people and communities to prosper and grow. Aside from banking and finance, Westpac Group’s responsibilities also extend beyond their customers, providing support for various initiatives such as the Little Ripper Lifesaver drones, the Westpac Lifesaver, Rescue Helicopter, and the Westpac Foundation.
What are your areas of responsibility?
In Transformation, we use various methodologies, such as Lean, Human Centred Design, Agile, Business Analysis, Project Management, and Change Management to drive outcomes for the bank. In a nutshell, the area is all about Project Delivery, and driving various (internal or external) projects for the bank to create change and deliver new solutions, products and services to enhance the customer experience.
Can you describe a typical workday? What was the last thing you worked on?
A typical workday is often a hybrid of meetings and desk work. However, my calendar can change day-to-day, where one day I may have back-to-back meetings, whereas other days could be mostly spent at the desk. Currently, I am working on the new Westpac mobile app, so my days have been spent attending a number of meetings about it!
What are the career prospects with your job? / Where could you or others in your position go from here?
The benefit of the Transformation program is that the area is so diverse in terms of fields, roles and responsibilities, meaning that the career prospects are vast! Some past Graduates have gone off into UI/UX design and Lean, whereas others have sought careers in Business Analysis and Project Management. The program is group-wide as well, so there are prospects across all aspects of the bank, whether that be in Consumer Bank, Business Bank, or Institutional Bank.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Definitely! We have Graduated in various fields, such as medical research, engineering, and health sciences. I come from a psychology background myself, so you do not need to come from a business background to be in Westpac. A lot of the learning is completed on the job and asking for help is widely encouraged and supported!
What would your career be if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now?
Perhaps taking the traditional psychology career route and pursuing a Masters/PhD in psychology.
What do you love the most about your job? Which kind of task do you enjoy the most?
Definitely the variety offered to us, graduates. There are a number of different projects which span across the bank and across different areas, so you could find yourself working on a Digital project for our customers, then on a project that aims to improve an internal system. I love the fact that there are always new challenges with each project you take on, so you will never be bored and there will always be a learning opportunity in every single one. Also, a flexible work lifestyle is highly encouraged in Westpac, meaning that you can do your work at any time, and anywhere.
What’s the biggest limitation of your job? Do you bear a lot of responsibility? Do you have to work on weekends? Are stress levels high?
There could be some turbulent times at work, where the work can suddenly pick up in pace or completely change altogether, whether you are ready for it or not. It then becomes on you to be able to pick up these changes quickly, so you are ready to press forward and continue your day.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current university student? They don’t necessarily have to be related to your role or even be career-focused.