From the moment I
first started studying at the University of Sydney, I have been involved with
the Inspired by Business Program. Through this program, I was provided with a
unique mentoring opportunity with professionals working for Virgin Money
Australia. I was fortunate enough to have been partnered with Brian Bissaker,
who was appointed CEO of Virgin Money in April 2013, and before that, had
conquered a long and high-profile career in financial services.
During our first
session, we discussed a variety of my goals, and I described some of my work
preferences. From this, Brian identified a number of roles that were within the
financial services industry that may complement my personality. He provided a
number of examples from his own career and taught me about certain jobs that I
never considered, and some that I didn’t even know existed. From this, I was
provided with information that allowed me to really narrow down and understand
where I would eventually like to gain employment, and once this was identified,
I could really make sure that I was taking the correct steps towards achieving that goal in the future. During this time, I was also in the process of
applying to internships as I’m currently in my penultimate year of study. Brian
was really helpful here, as he ran through interview tips, and allowed me to
ask him a number of questions about what employers might typically look for.
Through this preparation, I was instilled with the confidence to sit through an
interview and not feel too nervous about it.
In our second session,
we went through skills development. Here, I was provided with the opportunity
to discover what skills I currently had and also learn about which skills I
might need to acquire before I complete my degree. Brian went through a
range of skills he himself has found to be important, and I was able to ask him about
the specific roles I was interested in, and what abilities would be
advantageous in such fields. This really
helped me understand what I might need to do to achieve my goals.
In our final session,
Brian and I went through a CV Review. I found this to be particularly useful
since I was at that stage of my education where it was important to try and
secure an internship. I was very eager to learn about what could be changed on my
resume, and what could make me stand out among other candidates. I always had
the idea that with resumes, the best bet was to keep everything short and
concise, but through Brian, I actually learned that employers appreciate the
details about your previous work experience, any of your personal interests as well as any educational accomplishments because they often use the resume to try and get to
know the person who’s applying for the role, and they appreciate when your
personality can shine through your writing.
That last session was
in the early days of November. Currently, a month following the Virgin Money
Mentoring Experience, I have begun working as an intern in financial services,
I have a clear vision of where I want to go in terms of career progression once
I finish university, and I definitely know more about what path I might need to
take to get there. This has been a truly insightful experience, and I’m very
grateful to Brian and everyone involved.
Ivana Dimic
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School
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