A: I started as a vacationer and originally applied for Deloitte because they had a stand at every undergraduate networking event… so it’s good to know the marketing works!
However, the reason I decided to come back as a graduate was because of how welcomed and valued I felt as a vacationer. My manager (who is now one of my Directors) and my project team made me feel like I belonged and even wrote me a farewell poem when my initial term ended. I didn’t expect such warmth given I was only here for 4 weeks.
Q: What type of projects are you working on and in which industries/sectors?
A: Being in Canberra, the projects are predominantly in government, and lately I’ve worked mostly for the Departments of Agriculture and Defence. The work has spanned business intelligence and data visualisation to data governance. Right now, I’m working on a workforce analytics project to help our client better understand their data to then make data-driven decisions.
Q: Can you tell us a little more about the area of Consulting you work in?
A: Being in a particular team in Consulting doesn’t mean you’re pigeon-holed into doing that type of work. So even though I’m in the Finance Transformation team, the last few years I’ve focussed on business intelligence and data visualisation, using software such as Power BI and Tableau.
Some of the more “finance-y” work I’ve done includes building cost models, cost attribution models and priority-based budgeting.
Q: What’s the culture like at Deloitte?
A: Deloitte Consulting attracts a particular type of person; the type that you want to be around to motivate you to work harder and be better at whatever it is you’re doing.
I believe I’m in the best team in Canberra. Although we have grown to more than 50 people, everyone makes an effort to get to know each other. For example, we have a monthly coffee roulette where you catch up with someone whom you may not have met yet, and we do a monthly team breakfast, cutely named ‘Don’t be Latte’.
Q: Why should people join Consulting?
A: The diversity in types of work as this leads to the opportunity to learn many different skills; that and the investment in your training and learning development.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working for Deloitte?
A: I believe in the type of work we do at Deloitte, helping government and therefore Australian citizens (in Canberra), but also in the pro-bono and volunteering side. The firm pays for every employee to volunteer one day a year, which shows how committed Deloitte is to giving back to the community.
I also love the people I work with. I’ve made some lifelong friends, particularly out of the graduate program – I’ve even travelled overseas with some of them!
Q: What would be your top tip for success?
A: Try to find something at work which aligns to your interests, because you’ll naturally want to do it and will excel at it.
