Gone are the days when we held on to the same job for all our working life. Nowadays, the job market is dynamic, and career changes are important to fulfil our professional ambitions and growth.
Luckily, quickly after joining Telstra, I learned that there are many opportunities for career progression and change, even within the same company.
I studied for a Bachelor of Business Administration at Curtin University in Perth. In my penultimate year at Curtin, I joined an organisation that supports First Nations university students in securing internships and starting their careers.
I landed a summer internship role at Telstra, and that’s where my journey began. After my internship, I was lucky enough to be offered a part-time role, which I took on while in my last year at university. This led me to join Telstra’s Graduate Program on a full-time basis after I graduated.
It’s my second year in the Graduate Program, and I have thoroughly enjoyed making connections and learning more about different business areas. I’m now taking the next step to become a “full” Telstra employee and move to a Product Design Specialist role.
There are so many paths one can take that making career decisions can quickly become overwhelming. Fortunately, I was able to explore various paths within the company while in my Graduate Program. Having a good understanding of different business units and how they work helped me make a more informed choice.
There is a lot of room for growth outside the program too. Telstra’s leaders are keen on pushing their teams to make career changes, both vertical (moving to more senior roles) or lateral, to different roles. No matter what position you are in, you can make a career move.
Of course, career progression involves skill progression. Personally, I love learning as much as I can to expand my skill set and evolve in my career. I take any opportunity to learn something, no matter how big or small – that inspires me to get ahead.
Telstra really excels at providing the learning tools and support for us to develop new skills. I found the micro-credential course extremely useful to sharpen my Product Management skills and improve my performance in my role.
There’s also Telstra’s Future Ready courses and, my personal favourite, LinkedIn Learning courses. LinkedIn offers an extensive library of video modules taught by industry experts, which are completely free to Telstra’s employees.
I often add these courses to my quarterly development plans as they help me in my role and personal development. Taking on extra courses and learning materials really fueled my own fire to progress further in the company.
There are many amazing benefits of working at Telstra, but flexible working has to be one of the best. This policy allows employees to work wherever and whenever they want (within reason!).
I live in Perth and my team is spread worldwide, so flexible working helps us keep communication and collaboration strong. Plus, thanks to this, Telstra’s employees get to stay connected and learn from each other, ultimately enabling a great movement of knowledge and productivity.
If you are considering a career move and are interested in joining Telstra, visit our career page and check our open roles.
