Updating Results

Westpac Group

4.4
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Shehnaya

8.00 AM

I wake up to a beautiful sunny day, which helps me get out of bed after a relaxing and refreshing long weekend. One of the perks of working from home for a night person like me is the extra hours of sleep. With return to the office being slowly phased in, I have not yet been assigned a regular office day and have been spending most of my time working from home. Although I miss interacting with my fellow graduates and co-workers, I make the most of my time at home. For today, that means enjoying a delicious hot cross bun with an almond milk latte before starting work.

8.45 AM

I usually begin my workday by checking my calendar and emails. Having been given some action items by my people leader, I block out some time in the morning to complete the required tasks. As I am taking on a project manager role for this rotation, I work on some reporting tools that need to be updated for our project. Reflecting upon my current Excel skills, I have come such a long way from the start of my rotation. I remember being so stressed when I was first assigned a task involving the software, but thanks to valuable guidance from my people leader, I am now much more confident and have developed my Excel skills significantly!

10.00 AM

I join my first meeting of the day, the Consumer Finance Transformation Delivery fortnightly all-in. This is an informal meeting for our Line Of Business (LOB), for everyone on the team to catch up, celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries and discuss any questions or concerns in a safe space. As a graduate, meetings like this offer insight into the different people in my broader team, what their roles are and the current topics of discussion that I should be aware of. On this day, people share their thoughts and feelings around the recent restructure of the LOB after we are introduced to some new starters on the team. These catchups also offer a great opportunity to connect socially with my co-workers, particularly when working from home.

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10.30 AM

On to my next meeting, I have a one-on-one catchup with my people leader to discuss the current tasks I am working on and where I need support or further guidance. My people leader also guides me through a new task involving inflection point analysis for the defect tracking in our project. We spend some time working through the concept until I am confident about what I need to do. Just like the all-in, I value these catchups with my people leader as I feel supported within the virtual work environment.

11.30 AM

After back-to-back meetings, I take some time away from my desk for a quick break before getting back to completing some follow-up tasks from the catchup with my people leader. It’s also time for a quick snack, a plate of cut-up fruit prepared by grandma. Another one of the perks of WFH!

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12.00 PM

Lunchtime! Even though I’ve just had a snack, I’m ready for my lunch break. To give my eyes some rest, I decide to have my lunch on the balcony and go for a quick walk afterwards. After getting in some activity and a chat with grandma, I feel refreshed and go back to work.

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1.00 PM

I join my next meeting for the day, which is a Lunch & Learn session about the mentoring program. The Lunch & Learn series involves multiple sessions for graduates that have been held over the first few weeks of our program to inform us about various important topics, such as our development platform, Employee Action Groups and more. Today, we are learning about the mentoring program, an exciting opportunity for graduates to be paired up with senior members in the organisation to benefit from their expertise and experience. It is an enjoyable and informative session, after which I am even more excited about being paired up with my mentor for the year.

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2.00 PM

I am now able to get some quiet time to complete my work, so I work on some resourcing and allocation tasks for our project. Due to an extension in the timeframe for the project, some important updates need to be made for the resources required. Completing these tasks allows me to hone my skills in the relevant platforms while building my project management knowledge.

4.00 PM

After a few hours of focused work, it is now time to have my weekly virtual coffee catch-up with my Grad Alum buddy, Katie! We chat about how work is going and I ask any informal questions I have that I’m perhaps not as comfortable asking my other co-workers. With Katie being a recent graduate, she can relate to my current experience and offer valuable advice and support. We also talk about how our weekends were and what we plan to do for the rest of the week. It’s great to take some time out of the day for a social catch-up!

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5.00 PM

As I’m wrapping up my workday, I check back on the progress I have made in the tasks I was supposed to complete. For work still in progress, I make a note for the next day. I check my emails once again and spend some time reading through the CareerSeekers practice interview questions for a meeting later this evening. I have joined the Skilled Volunteer Network EAG and my first volunteering initiative involves conducting a practice interview with a university student who had come to Australia as a refugee to help them prepare for graduate role applications.

6.00 PM

I join my last meeting of the day to conduct a practice interview with the university student I have been paired with by CareerSeekers. I take them through the questions and provide my feedback at the end. I come away from the experience feeling glad that I was able to use my skills to make a meaningful impact and look forward to further volunteering opportunities I can take part in through my EAG.

7.30 PM

Although my day has ended later than usual, I end the day fulfilled. It is now time to make dinner and binge Netflix for the rest of the night, then sleep at a reasonable time of course!