Meet Andre, a Consulting Graduate in our Technology Strategy & Transformation team. Working in Perth through a snap lockdown means he's connected in virtually with his national working groups.
Andre completed a BA Commerce (Finance & Engineering Science) & Juris Doctor at the University of Western Australia.
Follow Andre as he walks us through a day-in-the-life as a Grad in our Technology Strategy & Transformation Consulting team!
06:00 am: Wake Up
My alarm goes off – after snoozing a couple of times, I get out of bed and get ready for the day. Normally I try to use this time before work to do things without external distractions. Sometimes that involves reading a particular book I’m interested in, doing some exercise before work, or just relaxing my mind to get ready for the day.
08:00 am: Log onto my Laptop
Today is the first day of our ‘snap lockdown’ in WA due to a COVID-19 case – we’ll be working from home for the next 5 days.
After making my morning coffee (a long black), I decide to log on to my laptop slightly earlier today to catch up with any emails and sort through tasks for the day. The project I’m working on is predominantly based in Brisbane, which is two hours ahead of Perth, so I’ll have definitely received several emails.
08:15 am: Team Breakfast
In our Perth Technology Strategy & Transformation (TS&T) team, it’s a tradition to have a team breakfast for the Vacationers who come in twice a year during the summer. It’s a great way for everyone to get together after the Christmas break and get to know the team better. However, our lockdown has converted this breakfast to a virtual one instead. I was looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting a few new hires in person!
08:45 am: Project Stand Up Meeting
Each morning we have a project stand up meeting where we align on tasks for the day and provide any updates. Essentially it is a way for communication to stay open, which is especially important in a virtual setting.
The project I’m working on requires us to conduct a series of workshops in the coming week. My assigned tasks today are to make the necessary adjustments to the Workshop PowerPoint slide deck, based on commentary and feedback from the Project Manager. Following the meeting, I note down key actions for myself and the team, and prioritise my personal tasks.
12:30 pm: Check-in Meeting with Project Manager
After spending the morning working through the changes for the workshop pack, we have a check-in meeting to check on my progress. Here, I run through the changes I’ve made since the morning, raise any concerns or issues I may have, and note down further feedback. I find that having periodic check-ins with your manager or leader is very useful as it allows them to steer you if you aren’t heading in the right direction.
1:00 pm: Lunch
Time for lunch! As I’m working from home, I heat up my lasagna and take a short break from work. Normally when I’m in the office, I will eat lunch in the ‘Hub’, the central kitchen and gathering area of Level 8 in the Perth Office. At lunch, people from other operating units and other areas of Consulting gather at the Hub, allowing everyone to catch up.
2:30 pm: Second Progress Check-in with Project Manager
As I mentioned before, frequent check-ins are very useful! Once again, I run through progress made and any issues I’ve run into. He provides feedback and guidance on issues I raise. A particular issue I found was that the source of information I was relying on had some inconsistencies, therefore I wasn’t sure which information to rely on when populating the workshop pack.
3:30 pm: Walk at the Local Park
After a busy morning, I find myself getting a little fatigued. I find it useful to go for a short walk and get some fresh air to reset. We must wear masks if we’re exercising during the lockdown so unfortunately, I don’t get to experience much fresh air. I listen to a podcast while I’m walking to keep myself entertained. WA is also suffering from bushfires, so the air is slightly smoky. Despite this, the walk has helped me to reset and I’m feeling better prepared to work on the slide pack again.
6:00 pm: Logging Off
After an eventful and productive day working from home, I decide it’s time to log off for the day. I’ve enjoyed catching up with the TS&T team virtually, and I’ve managed to complete the majority of my tasks today, so I’m quite happy with the outcome of today. I log off and proceed to spend time with family at home, and perhaps later in the evening, watch some Netflix to unwind.
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