Lenna

UNSW
Masters of IT
Major in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity

What Grad Program stream were you in?

Technology (Specialist Areas) – Cybersecurity.

What was the first 6 months like? What did you really enjoy?

I felt very welcomed and was given a lot of support by those in my team and my division. It was heartwarming to see how everyone was excited about getting to know a new team member. The highlight of the 6 months was the coffee meet-and-greets, where I had the chance to connect with colleagues in a more relaxed setting. I also really enjoyed the freedom in choosing the direction of my Grad Program journey; we had the choice of securing our next rotation ourselves or to select from a list of opportunities. It was empowering to have a level of control over our career development.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

It surpassed my expectations, to be honest. I received so many insights and advice from my Grad Buddy, mentors from the team and across the division. I was not expecting to meet my Grad Buddy, and my first rotational Manager and colleagues before I started the Grad Program, which made me feel at ease in my first week. Most of all, I was really surprised about how almost everyone in the Cybersecurity division had been a former Grad and to me, that says a lot about the strong workplace culture.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind, what is the longest day you had to put in and did you work weekends at all?

I have been lucky enough to not have worked a long day past the typical 9am-5pm or weekends. I was able to shift and split my 9am-5pm hours to fit university in between.

On a day-to-day basis, what did you work on?

My first rotation was with the Application Security team so my day-to-day involved being upskilled in source code reviews to find vulnerabilities, and technical consultations with developers. My second rotation was with the Red Team – unfortunately, I cannot say much about my day-to-day due to confidentiality, but every day was an exciting challenge!

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group, if yes, what projects?

I worked on a project with three other Grads that were in the same division as me, but from different teams. It was a project to identify any inefficiencies in the current processes across the division, and to come up with suggestions on how these processes could be improved. This was a great opportunity for us to really get to know the ins-and-outs of our division, and to make our mark.

What systems did you use for your role in the graduate program?

I got to learn how to use administrative systems like Jira for day-to-day tasks or project tracking, and Confluence to document processes and meeting minutes. For source code reviews, I learnt to use Jenkins, Artifactory and Fortify.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

I am blown away by the immense support provided at Westpac Group. From the initial offer to the completion of the program, I always had a reliable support network to consult. This included a Grad Buddy, a mentor from both my teams and the wider Cybersecurity division, People Leader from my teams, weekly check-ins with my managers, and guidance from two Grad Program managers. Colleagues from various teams also provided invaluable assistance. I am grateful for all the support I have received during my time throughout the Grad Program, as it has helped me grow and succeed.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role, and do they differ from what you envisioned?

To succeed in any role in Cybersecurity, I believe two of the most important skills to possess is resilience and adaptability because we are constantly challenged by the evolving threat landscape as a major bank. When I first started, I envisioned programming skills as the most important skill to succeed, but our ability to bounce back from difficulties, and our willingness to learn is more valuable when solving problems, we have not come across before.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

There are a lot of perks and benefits in working at Westpac Group such as purchased leave in case your annual leave does not cover your entire holiday period, flexible working arrangements, and complimentary travel insurance on international flights for specific Westpac credit cards. Westpac’s headquarters has a basement carpark, which is pretty good for those who prefer to drive to work.

Jeff

UNSW
Bachelor of Psychology

What Grad Program stream were you in?

Transformation

What was the first 6 months like? What did you really enjoy?

The first 6 months were a steep learning curve, but in the best way. Almost everything was new to me. I rotated across two areas within the consumer division: first in RAMS as a Business Analyst, and second in Mortgages as a Change Manager. I really liked the job’s flexibility, the support from fellow grads, and the unique experience that the program gives you of visibility across so many areas of the bank.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

Yes, it was as expected, but there were a few surprises. I was surprised by how quickly each team welcomed me and involved me in their projects. The openness and honesty of the people, and most surprisingly, the amount of trust, confidence, and autonomy the teams and the managers placed in me. They really backed and supported me.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you had to put in and did you work weekends at all?

I’m happy to say that I didn’t have to work any weekends. The longest weekday I worked, was until around 6:30 pm. All the teams I rotated through had a great work-life balance. When I worked a bit later, it was mainly to reflect on the day, prepare for the next morning, or catch up on work if I had spent too much of the day networking or chit chatting. There was no expectation of me to work beyond my normal hours.

On a day-to-day basis, what did you work on?

Each day and rotation varied a lot, so it’s hard to pinpoint a typical day. The only constant was the daily scrum call with the project team and weekly meetings with my manager and business champions. My tasks for the day were driven by what the team and I needed to complete for the project. This could include running workshops, strategy meetings, attending learning series, showcases, retrospectives, and more.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group, if yes what programs?

Yes, I worked on three major projects over 12 months. The first project involved building a new Customer Relationship Management System for RAMS franchise. The second project focused on developing a workbench/dashboard for Mortgage Assessors. The third project was creating a serviceability calculator tool for third-party brokers to assess whether their clients met the serviceability criteria for a loan.

What systems did you use for your role in the graduate program?

I used a combination of Microsoft tools like Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams, as well as Atlassian tools like Jira and Confluence, plus a bunch of internal tools more specific to the area of the bank

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

You receive a lot of support at Westpac Group. Before the program starts, you're assigned a buddy from the current year’s grad cohort. In addition to your grad buddy, you also get a mentor and business champions. There's also plenty of support from your manager and fellow grads. I found that everyone I encountered were always more than happy to answer any questions that I had and take the time to further explain the context to me.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role, and do they differ from what you envisioned?

The most important skill is being willing and open to learn. I quickly realised that there was so much I didn’t know and that I wasn’t going to learn everything overnight. I had to be patient with myself, trust my manager, and rely on team members for help and guidance. Everything you need to know will be taught to you.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

There is great work from home policy, a lot of staff and family benefits, as well as discounts on holidays & leisure, health & fitness, retail, home & pets, electronics, ticketing, and gift cards. I even got free tickets to see the Women’s State of Origin game—how amazing is that?!

Aly

UNSW
Science (Pathology) and Economics (Financial Economics)

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?

Risk

What was the first 6 months like? What have you really enjoyed?

The first 6 months were really enjoyable not only from a professional growth perspective but also because I got to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of friends through the program. In addition the first 6 months were also very challenging but equally rewarding, getting to understand how the bank operates and the intricacies of banking particularly with respect to risk management and its impact on our customers was very interesting, but it did take some time to get used to this new thought process. I have really enjoyed the entirety of the program but I think two standouts have been, the wide variety of work that I have been able to do, right from day 1 there has been no idle moment, where the tasks which I have been working toward, do not make a difference to the bank, its customers and its purpose. The second standout has been the involvement I have had in the graduate committee, particularly the graduate magazine “GradWrap”. Being part of a diverse team of grads who get to pen articles every two months has been an amazing experience not only in terms of the skills I have acquired, but the amazing people I have met.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

The position of a risk graduate was as I expected both in terms of the program and the work that we do, nothing surprising, as everything was made quite clear during the recruitment process in terms of what we could expect through the program i.e. support, rotations, post program opportunities. In addition, since I have joined these expectations have only been made more clear, so that the grads can truely focus on making the most of the program and developing a wide range of skills useful for their future careers. In terms of the work performed, I had a vague idea of how risk management works in general but I had never been exposed to it, in such a complex manner. It was a bit surprising to see the reliance of data that all risk teams have, even ones that many would deem as the qualitative risks.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put in and have you worked weekends at all?

I have never had to work a weekend. The longest day I have worked, might have been till 8:30pm but that was only a one off.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

In risk typically you are doing one of three things within your team and with other colleagues in the bank. Regular oversight/control: This varies from team to team and can encompass running daily reports, developing models, writing memos or chairing daily meetings to convey to the wider business, what their risks are looking like. This is crucial, as it gives the business comfort, that the activities they are undertaking whether it be lending, transacting or even working toward tailored client solutions is being done in a controlled manner which is acceptable to the bank and in the interests of customers/stakeholders. These type of periodic oversight tasks usually culminate in either a weekly or monthly update to a wider part of the bank, so they are informed. In addition, there are many teams who do various types of these oversight activities, but could be in various forms, for example one team might perform controls and issues management, where as another team might produce a snapshot of the banks lending risks etc.

Process improvement/ projects/ insight: There is a big emphasis in risk management for us to always be optimising our processes to ensure we are capturing the most accurate information and thus presenting the clearest picture about the banks risk position to our stakeholders. These process improvement tasks usually take a longer time and could involve, designing new processes such as BI dashboards to convert manual reports to automated one. Alternatively it could be working towards a new policy or decisioning tool which could be used by one of our customer serving teams to help them make better decisions.

Working on bank wide projects: Another common task within risk is usually being a representative for risk on a larger project or strategic initiative the bank is working toward, whilst I have not been on any large ones myself, I know it is a very common thing for many risk staff to be a part off. Ensuring that all the initiatives the bank is looking to develop have input from teams who specialise in their respective area i.e. risk, finance, marketing etc.

Overall the work in risk is varied, but as a grad you will typically work on whatever the team is currently doing, some teams do not have daily oversight but do their tasks on a weekly or monthly basis, so in those you will be part of their projects or even get to run some of your own.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

During my rotations I have worked on projects such as:

Working on data validation tools and process to help teams mitigate key risks around data quality and validation.
Working on developing BI dashboards to help teams better understand how they can leverage qualitative data to get a better overview of where the gaps are in their processes and provided clearer paths to action.

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Like most workplaces, Microsoft office is the base for all tasks, in addition to that teams typically use customised systems which could be internally developed as well. In general most work is done on the office suite.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

The support received here is phenomenal, at every stage of the program right from accepting the offer, there has been extensive support provided. In terms of specifics, the support from work is excellent, especially in these trying times, there hasn’t been a moment, where employee safety and concerns haven’t been at the forefront of a decision made by the management. In terms of specifics, the bank offers a wide variety of programs right from vaccine roll out initiatives in recent times, to providing the right resources for you should you need them whatever the need may be.

In addition the wider teams which coordinate the graduate program are absolute aces, every question no matter how big the ask, is dealt with, to ensure that all grads feel welcomed. In terms of support from leaders, this is also really good, direct leaders are always open to hear your concerns and help you reach your goals whatever direction they may take. In addition, the leaders at the bank are always open and approachable - something I find always adds an extra layer of support should you need it.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

There are many skills which I think would be useful in the role of a graduate such as critical thinking, teamwork, communication, presentation, stakeholder management and many more. However there is one I think is most key and that is communication, but it's not just about writing an email or presenting a powerpoint or an idea, to succeed I think, engaging in active communication is essential. This is where, when you tailor your communication style to suit the counter-party, sometimes there are people who like to be straight to the point, where as other times there are people who like to have a more casual chat before getting into the business of the day. Hence being able to tailor your communication style from time to time is very helpful in cultivating a positive working relationship.

I knew I would need all the mentioned skills above, but what I didn’t realise was how deeply integrated they were with one another till, I started working, as in university you are really trying to hone them one by one, but at work, often it is their combination which is the most powerful.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

A lot of perks, right from discounts to having in place support for a variety of situations which might need you to take leave. In addition there are a range of perks such as flexible working arrangements, access to other leading offerings to do with wellbeing, and a whole lot more!

Carlos

University of New South Wales
Bachelor of Information Systems

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?

Transformation Delivery

What was the first 6 months like? What have you really enjoyed?

The first 6 months were more interesting than I expected. It was eye-opening to find out how much you can learn about yourself and a large organisation in such a short amount of time. What I really enjoyed was beginning to contribute to projects that were greater than just my vision, learning new soft and technical skills, and meeting all sorts of new people who would help shape my journey.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

Each position I've held (depending on rotation) has had more variety than I expected. You may hold a 'Graduate Business Analyst' role for example, but be asked to do far more than just that. Getting exposure to new areas such as Change management and Human Centred Design in addition to my title not only broadened my skill capabilities, but also showed that my leaders cared about my development.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put it and have you worked weekends at all?

The longest day I've worked was 10 hours (including breaks). I have not had to work Saturdays.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

That depends on the role. In my first rotation I was assisting Business Analysts and a Scrum Master planning out Scrum Team activities, developing master information pages for reference, developing user stories/acceptance criteria for project iterations, and dabbling in some process map development and analysis. My second rotation involved assisting with the analysis of a new initiative that we were testing. This included facilitating meetings to discover the in's and out's of this initiative, drafting key deliverables that demonstrate a change in state from how we operated vs how we will operate with this new initiative, and in addition - developing communications and trainings that make bankers aware and prepared of such change. Currently I am helping to ensure that key objectives, funding and timelines for Transformation Projects align with the over strategic vision of the Bank, whether that be at a quarterly view or short-medium term perspective.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

Mortgage Platform Design, Merchant Payments Solution Delivery, Institutional Bank Portfolio Delivery

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Office Suite, Holocentric/Modelpedia (sometimes), InVision (sometimes), Qualtrics, PowerAutomate

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

Health & Wellbeing Days, Regular check-ins with placement leaders/day to day managers/mentors, Care Packages from the Graduate Team, Seminars around personal and professional development, 24/7 access to online support content

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

Listening skills, communication skills, analytical skills (understanding a problem and assisting with solution generation), note-taking skills, ability to have fun and connect with others, technical skills (around using new softwares and sites), technological skills.

No, this aligns with what I expected.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

Health & wellbeing days, COVID vaccination leave, reward systems via peer nominations for awards, COVID Vaccinations, free professional and personal development seminars, benefits & discounts on banking and external products, salary sacrificing, access to internal trainings on a plethora of topics, access to clubs and associations

William

University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Arts, Major in Sociology

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?

Financial Markets - Institutional Sales

What was the first 6 months like? What have you really enjoyed?

My first 6 months have been fantastic - extremely steep learning curve but very supportive and positive environment. I have particularly enjoyed the effort that has been made to give me relevant, useful projects that give me the chance to learn skills I am interested in like coding and data analytics.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

I was surprised by how generous people were with their time and the collaborativeness of the environment.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put it and have you worked weekends at all?

The longest day I worked would have been 7:15am to 6:45pm. The lateness is not really expected.
I have never had to work a Saturday or had any contact with work on weekends.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

This varies from team to team. However, most days will include morning meetings where different teams discuss the markets, any data, news or moves. There will also often be a variety of morning admin tasks to update everyone on overnight news. There will sometimes also be other types of admin tasks that revolve around the bank's financial and regulatory obligations (e.g. updating daily P&L).

There was also a huge focus on communication, organising calls and meetings with experienced traders and salespeople to learn more about their jobs and about financial markets.

Personally my daily work was mostly project work. This included lots of data analytics, market research, and also projects to upgrade or automate existing processes.

I was given a large number of projects like this because I specifically asked for the opportunity to obtain these skills, so I really appreciated that.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

I asked for opportunities to learn coding and data analysis, so some projects I was given were:

creating a process to clean and format a raw dataset of transaction data
building a pricing and risk calculator for structured securities
building a pricing and risk calculator for swaps and interest rate derivatives
researching cross-border relative value of bank bonds
researching historical currency moves and correlations
researching leading indicators for economic data
automating data importation and visualisation
speaking to team members to ensure data is integrated into their daily processes

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Excel (and full MS suite, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint etc)
Python
Tableau
QlikSense
Murex
Tradeweb
Yieldbroker

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

I get substantial support. Every grad at Westpac has a buddy from the previous year's grad cohort, a mentor from within the business, two grad managers for the cohort, their own grad manager for the year, and one or two people leaders in each team they rotate through. There are lots of people I can reach out to at any time if I need help.

The company has also been extremely communicative and focused on employee safety during COVID, especially with working from home arrangements, but also with vaccinations and sick leave.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

I think the most important skill anyone needs in this role is the curiosity and persistence to learn new skills. All the skills associated with the role can be learned by anyone with the right mentality, because the environment is so supportive to learning those skills.

I thought perhaps I would need more background in finance, maths or coding, but honestly that hasn't really been the case at all. If anything, the critical thinking approach I learned in my arts degree has come in handy a lot.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

Westpac is extremely flexible and supportive to workers which is a huge perk. It provides very good leave and extremely well priced employee banking discounts. It can pay for education and learning opportunities, and has overseas offices in major capitals. Westpac also gave me relocation assistance to move from Adelaide to Sydney.

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