What's your job about?
Having been in the program for a year now I have been involved in three different roles. My first role was in the Consumer Division with the Sales Team. My job involved assisting Bunnings, our biggest retail customer in reviewing the Zenith and Lane range we offered at Bunnings New Zealand. My second role was in the Platform Division with the Operations and Logistics Team. I was directly involved in reviewing our current warehouse & distribution processes in our two New Zealand distribution warehouses. I am now in the Offsite Division with the Marketing Team for Pryda. I am involved in reviewing Pryda product’s literature to be compliant with the New Zealand Building Standard.
I have been involved in three vastly different roles and divisions over the course of this program. Having one more rotation left in my program, I am very excited to see where I will be placed next.
What's your background?
My background is in Architecture. I completed both my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Architecture from the University of Auckland.
Growing up I was always exposed to the construction industry. My dad who is a Civil Engineer would always take me to construction sites which grew my interest in this field. This led me to pursue Architecture. Having always had a creative personality, Architecture would allow me to apply my creativity and still be part of the construction industry.
After I finished my Masters in 2020, Covid really made it difficult for me to get into the Architecture workforce as all practices were not taking in fresh graduates. Whilst applying for jobs, I came across the ITW Graduate Program. The program would give me an opportunity to broaden my skills and knowledge in other roles other than Architecture which really interested me, and it was still part of the construction industry.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
The ITW Graduate Program caters to individuals with any background to thrive. Throughout the different rotations, the support I was given allowed me to flourish and do the job to the best of my ability. ITW supports people of all sectors and industries which allows the team to have a variety of different backgrounds.
If you are a person who is willing to learn and broaden your skills, this program will tick the box.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I love that every day is not the same. I am learning something new about the business or my role every day. The projects you are involved in are real-time projects that will really help the business. The workplace culture and the people around you really make you feel welcome and make it so easy to settle in. The strong support system that has been built up around me, by having personal mentors, fellow graduates and previous graduates shows there is always someone to talk to and they care about each other from a work-life and personal perspective. You can talk to anyone anytime which really shows people are willing to help you and support you even if you are just a graduate starting out. I must say you do get spoilt being a graduate.
What are the limitations of your job?
Being in a rotational based program that moves through different roles there is always a tendency of relearning a new role and new things surrounding it. The 6-month rotations can go by very fast and the project deadlines and presentations you do can create tense and stressful situations. It is important to be able to set boundaries for yourself and ensure these are clearly communicated to your colleagues.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student?