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What are you studying?


Angela: I’m in my second year of a commerce and law degree, majoring in finance.


Anna: I am in my third year of a Bachelor of Commerce/Advanced Studies, majoring in International Business and Design.


Fave thing about uni?


Anna: My favourite thing about university would have to be the food and easy access to coffee! I get discounted coffee and free double shots and it is the best and at the same time the worst!


Angela: Definitely meeting new people. You don’t realise how much of a bubble high school is until you graduate and go to university. I also love the flexibility of uni - you can choose when you want your classes to be, and when to relax with your friends.


What has been the most challenging aspect of your uni experience?


Anna: My most challenging aspect of university would have to be my first semester at university. I had no idea what I really wanted to do or how university worked at all. I quickly became extremely intimidated by university, the nature of the learning and teaching and I quickly adopted the mindset to ‘get in and out of university as quickly as I could’. My motto was to go to uni, go to my tutorial or lecture, then go home straight away. I now realise that I was only my own worst enemy and that no one really felt 100% comfortable or knew what they were doing. I was extremely lucky to have my best friend from school with me and met some lovely people from Sydney Uni Business Camp that undoubtedly made me stick with my degree!


Angela: Adjusting my study habits from high school to university was the hardest part for me (and still a work in progress). During high school, you became used to learning what’s required according to the syllabus and doing homework set by the teacher. At university, you have to take the initiative to stay on top of all your classes, ask questions if you’re not clear about certain concepts and even do research outside of the course sometimes to really grasp the content. Also getting out of the ‘the test is over, I can forget everything now’ mindset - you have to remember that everything you’re learning now is useful for your whole degree and future, so changing my attitude towards learning was definitely a challenge for me.


I’m interested in getting more involved with clubs and societies on campus. Do you have any tips?


Anna: For me, it took me until halfway through my second year to get into the swing of clubs and societies. Before that, I never even thought about it because I never had the time and left straight after class. My biggest tip to getting more involved is talking to people in your group assignments and seeing what they do at university. I found out about current groups on Canvas and they were more than happy to send me a link on how to join and get involved!


I also had to step out of my comfort zone. When I joined NOW, I had only been to a few events. I had a couple of friends at NOW that I have met through industry opportunities and they are the reason why I am now a part of the NOW team. Overall, build your network. It will take time, but it starts by having a conversation with someone from a group project, one of your friends or just going to an event and saying hello to a club executive team.


Angela: 100% go for it - in my opinion, joining clubs and societies is the best way to make friends and meet new people! I recommend walking down Eastern Ave during Welcome Week and mingling with the different stalls to see what’s up on offer. Join some societies that are more degree and career-oriented, but also some for fun and leisure. For example, apart from NoW, I’m also a part of the Financial Management Association of Australia (FMAA), BusinessOne Consulting and ChocSoc. There’s definitely something for everyone.


I’ve heard getting internships early on in your career is useful, yet competitive. Where are you working and how did you land your position?


Anna: I was the most unaware person of internships for the first year and a half of my degree. It is really annoying, but getting on top of internship opportunities and their dates are really important and something that no one tells you until it is too late! I had always told myself that I will get an internship later, when the time is right, however in hindsight I realise every time is the right time. Last year, I applied for a Career Compass program at EY which is a pre-internship information session and career guidance program to help you understand what you want to do. This opportunity helped me get a vacationer internship at EY early! However, the testing and process to apply is no easy one! So, I recommend developing aptitude testing skills now!


I would also recommend understanding what your personal strengths and values are! This will make it so much easier to do interviews. Use a STAR framework if you want to help shape your response: Situation, Task, Action, Result.


I always see Instagram pics of uni students going on exchange. Have you participated in any international programs at university?


Angela: For sure! At the end of my first year, I enrolled in OLES2137 - Experience China, a 6cp unit. I honestly could not recommend this suite of OLEs enough - there are opportunities to go to China, France, Germany, Japan and more whilst learning the native language at an overseas university. For my course, I attended Peking University in Beijing. Our classes were 2-4 hours a day, 5 times a week. The classes accommodated for all Mandarin-speaking levels, with Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes. I had plenty of time to travel with my friends, from exploring the nightlife to eating hundreds of different Chinese dishes.


I also travelled to Washington D.C over the summer and did an internship at Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez’ office for the Small Business Committee. Besides administrative tasks, I prepared the script for the Congresswoman, conducted research and prepared hearings in the House of Representatives. This program also involves studying at UCDC twice a week after work. I studied ‘Activism, Protest and the Politics of Change’ and ‘The US Supreme Court’. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience.


Anna: This year I actually applied to do an Industry Placement Program in Paris over the winter break which would allow me to gain industry performance as well as international experience. Unfortunately, this trip was cancelled due to COVID-19, but I will definitely look to do other Industry Placement Programs when we can all travel again!


So please look out for international experiences that can fit into your degree such as IPP, OLEs or exchange!


What advice do you have for young females starting out in the workforce?


Anna: Do not doubt that you ever got into a role because you are a female. Believe me, I have felt that way at points during my application process for internships. This type of thinking can lead to imposter syndrome, in which thoughts manifest itself to make you think you do not deserve to be in that role. I always thought that imposter syndrome was something as a result of quotes to reflect growing gender equality, however, apparently, it has to do with how men are more confident due to testosterone. Despite our lack of testosterone, I urge you to be confident in why you got that job or the internship. Prove to people that doubt you or make you feel like an imposter that you are there for a reason.


Angela: In today’s age it’s more important than ever for women to stand together and empower each other. Corporate firms are starting to recognise this, and they’ve introduced a lot of female-only programs and opportunities in an attempt to bridge the gender gap. Make the most of these, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or to make your voice heard.

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Meet Niv from Melbourne, a Graduate from Deloitte’s Platform Engineering (DPE) team! Coming from a Sales & Marketing background, Deloitte has opened her eyes to the endless possibilities within Tech for talented people like herself.

She’s currently helping a public sector client implement a new CRM solution as they undergo a massive digital transformation. Pretty cool, right?


What’s your #DeloitteStory? In the second year of my Masters of Information Systems, I applied for a Grad role at Deloitte. Unfortunately, all positions were full, but the Recruiter who was looking after me asked me if I would be interested in joining a cool new area called Deloitte Platform Engineering (DPE). After she explained the role, my instant reaction was, “Wait, but I can’t code though! Isn’t Tech for developers and coders?”  

Though I was a little hesitant, I took up the offer and was pleasantly surprised! Despite DPE being a technical area, you are not expected to have an IT degree to start here as a Grad. The people in DPE are some of the coolest and smartest people that I have ever met in my life. The best thing about being a Grad is that I could get exposure to different areas like Business Analysis, IT Operations, Delivery, Testing, Automation, Development, and so much more!  Follow Niv as she walks us through a day-in-her-life in the Melbourne office! 8:00 am Arrive at the client site. I’m totally a morning person so I love getting into work early! This is my zen time before everyone gets in at 9 am. I start with checking my emails, planning client workshops and organising my day.

9:00 am  My favourite time of the day – Ranting about the latest Bachelor Australia episode and all the drama with one of my colleagues at our favourite coffee shop.

The “omg! did you watch Bachie last night?” look


10:00 am  Daily team stand-up time! We talk through what we did yesterday, what our priorities are today and raise any blockers stopping us from moving forward. This time is so helpful in kick-starting a productive day and helps us keep each other accountable for the tasks we commit to. More importantly, it helps us support one another – that’s what a team is for right?

11:00 am A quick catch-up with my team leads to go through the client requirements document and get feedback from him. I always prioritize catching up with my lead frequently to make sure that I am on the right track. 

A super candid photo of my team lead and me 12.00 pm  I know I brought lunch from home today, but I was really craving my favourite cheese and spinach Turkish Borek from Melbourne’s Victoria Market. To justify that, it was a lovely 18-degree, sunny day in Melbourne (I know, what a shocker) – how could I not?  

Because Borek is life

2.00 pm  Fighting my food coma, it’s time to catch up with the CRM functional lead to ask a few questions and get an overview of the functionalities that the system can offer. As a Business Analyst, I’m always liaising with the business and tech teams to translate business requirements into technical artefacts. 

A super candid photo of getting stuff done

3:00 pm  Almost at the end of the day – where did the time go! I spend the last couple of hours completing the requirements document and drafting the agenda for the next client workshop that I have to facilitate. 

One thing that pleasantly surprised me about being a Grad at Deloitte is that you’re NEVER treated like an ‘intern’ or some kid who is just out of Uni. You feel supported and trusted from day one. I’ve always been given responsibilities and tasks like a regular Consultant would. Although the tasks are sometimes challenging, everyone around is extremely helpful and genuinely cares about your career growth. 


My serious ‘Do not disturb’ face

4:45 pm I finish up the last few tasks on my to-do list and pack up. Tonight, I am catching up with a few colleagues who are also at the same client but work from a different location. Work-life balance is something extremely important to Deloitte and myself, so I always make sure to do something fun and relaxing after a hard but productive day at work.


Just a bunch of Consultants having a good time

Do you have a role model at Deloitte? If so, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from them?  The best advice I’ve received is from my Project Coach, Rebecca Sheen. She says, “Be Authentic. When your values are consistently demonstrated, trust and respect will soon follow”. 

If you could give students one job search tip, what would it be?   Network! Network! Network! Attend as many networking events organised by your University. It’s such a great opportunity to connect with professionals from the industry and learn more about what they actually do. I found it extremely beneficial for my career progression and also helped a lot with building my self-confidence!

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My name is Nina and I’m a 25 year old Management Consultant. I studied Law and Commerce with First class Honours in Marketing and was awarded Bain and Company’s True North Scholarship in 2015.

Why did you become a Management Consultant? 

While I thoroughly enjoyed studying [some of my] legal subjects, I knew practising corporate law wasn’t for me –I am ‘action-oriented’ and have always sought a broader

career in business, not limited to the law. To me, management consulting sounded like the perfect industry for those who were ambitious, hard-working, creative and passionate yet had no idea what they wanted to be when they grew up. I applied for consulting because it enabled me to develop and cultivate a diverse array of skills and capabilities that you can transfer to other industries and workplaces while gaining exposure to a range of different industries. Plus, I applied to Bain because the people were so passionate, genuine and down-to-earth!


What do you do as a Management Consultant? 

Our work is client and project-based and our office is primarily dependent on where our client is located (which could be interstate or overseas). The type of work we do reflects the toughest challenges the company is facing, meaning the work could be strategy (e.g., how do we increase market share or expand into a new market?), performance improvement (e.g., how do we reduce costs while increasing efficiency?) or customer advocacy (e.g., what initiatives can we implement to increase the number of customers who refer us to others? How do we measure it?). In my time at Bain, I have worked on a range of projects. These include: procurement for a logistics company (how do we “buy and sell” better); full potential strategy for a telco (where should we play and how do we win); marketing return on investment (ROI) for a telco (how do we optimize our marketing spend); due diligences on a currency trading platform and a Japanese phone insurer (should the private equity fund invest in/sell this asset). Therefore, the work is incredibly diverse and for someone that gets bored easily, that’s exactly what I love about it.


What else do you love about consulting? 

  1. Constant learning: the learning curve never ends because the work is never the same. The skills you develop range from building Excel models to how to present and speak in front of your client’s CEO

  2. The people: as your project changes your team changes meaning the [brilliant!] people you work with are constantly changing and you are learning something new from them every day. 


How do you think management consulting prepares you for your future career? 

Due to the diversity of clients and projects, consulting provides you with real-world exposure to an array of workplaces and types of work - you learn what you do and

don’t like, and therefore what you may want to do in the future. Given you are helping CEOs solve their toughest challenges, consulting also equips you with the

problem-solving abilities required to lead an organisation. These are transferrable skills that you will lean on throughout your career!


What are some of the opportunities you get at Bain? 

The support that Bain provides not only enables you to succeed across all aspects of your career but also ensures you have a great time in the process! Some of the opportunities include:

  • Global training with your start class every 12-18 months: the most ‘structured’ fun you can have

  • International case demand opportunities: complete a project overseas and get to go exploring in the process

  • Externship opportunities: work at a different company for 6-12 months

  • Social impact externships: work at a charity / NFP for 6-12 months

  •  Bain World Cup: a worldwide soccer tournament where you compete against other Bain offices globally. 

Interested? Visit bain.com/careers to find out more.

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