My Job Smart Edge experience: Heidi Wan

Master of Commerce (Extension) student Heidi Wan shares her experience of the Job Smart Edge unit BWIL6573, available to international postgraduate students enrolled in the Business School. 

Heidi Wan

Participating in Job Smart Edge

I knew about the Job Smart Edge program before I even began my studies at the University of Sydney. Part of my reason for choosing to study at the Business School was how it can bridge the gap between students and the real working environment through these opportunities. 

I had undertaken the Job Smart Edge program in Semester 1 2021 and I really enjoyed the experience. I was fortunate to work with one of the big 4 banks in Australia – National Australian Bank (NAB), to explore the possibility of sovereign issuance of Green, Social and Sustainable (GSS) bonds in Australia and New Zealand. 

Although this was only a 2-week project, my team communicated thoroughly and had many online meetings to ensure we delivered what our client needed.

Some highlights and challenges

The experience was challenging, but rewarding. The biggest challenge was that while all of our teammates majored in finance, we did not have a solid understanding of what GSS bonds were. This meant that not only did we have to conduct additional research to gain knowledge of the topic in a short amount of time, we had to think further to identify the issuance opportunity for Australia and New Zealand. Thus, we approached the project with case studies of successful industry examples, so that we could benchmark and learn from other successful practices. 

Luckily, throughout the project, we had our mentor guiding us. As she is from an investment banking background, she had given us a lot of advice on how to approach the project, what direction to take, and how to frame our recommendations. The advice received was very practical and certainly enhanced the professionalism of our final deliverable!

Career skills I have developed

With this opportunity, I realised that my adaptability has greatly improved. Work differs from university projects in that the scope, content and deliverables can be changed at any time based on client requests. 

In this experience, after our initial research finding, our client was more inclined to understand the Green bond itself, so we had to narrow down the project scope and focus on the depth of the deliverable. Even though I had a bit of work experience prior to participating in this project, I still found it a challenge to accommodate to such changes in less than a week. 

Nevertheless, by staying focused and re-organising our priorities, my team was able to deliver a written report, PowerPoint slides and a verbal presentation in the end. This did not only show us the importance of staying agile in the workplace, it also signifies that staying focused as a team can yield good results. 

My advice to students

If you do not have work experience, Job Smart Edge is a good place to start. It helps you gain some understanding of what it is like to work with a client and meet their needs.

If you do have work experience, Job Smart Edge is still a good refresher for you. It is a good chance to learn how to work in a team in a short period of time and be able to deliver quality work. Therefore, I would strongly recommend others to participate in Job Smart Edge.

Learn more about Job Smart Edge.

My Job Smart Edge experience: Hao Yi Lim

Master of International Business student Hao Yi Lim shares his experience of the Job Smart Edge unit BUSS6102, available to international students enrolled in the Business School. 

Hao Yi Lim

What is Job Smart Edge and how did you get involved?

The Job Smart Edge unit is an in-curriculum unit offered to post-graduate international students to be taken as an intensive 6 week program involving a real-life client and a digital industry project. I managed to get involved by enrolling into the course as it piqued my interest after reading the course details. 

What did this unit involve?

I was tasked with helping a real-world client alongside my team members. The client had requested for us to help them develop a new revenue opportunity, which meant that they needed a new method in which they could generate income. Imagine having no experience dealing with clients, and then your first client ever asks you to help them, in simple terms, make money. As you would imagine, it was definitely somewhat scary. However, the mentors and classes guided us along the way in each and every phase. Combined with the lecture and workshop content, we did not feel lost at any point as help was available when needed. 

What was the highlight of your experience?

The highlight would definitely be the results we achieved as we managed to provide our client with an opportunistic suggestion which satisfied their request. As a result, they enjoyed reading our research and findings, giving us feedback indicating that they will surely use our report when presenting this new opportunity to the company’s board. It was pretty amazing to see our efforts and suggestions help an actual business generate revenue. 

What career skills do you think you developed through Job Smart Edge?

Interestingly enough, the challenges we faced are no less different than the ones faced in the real-world work environment. The skills I gained not only includes real-world work experience, but also the ability to solve issues, lead others, innovate new ideas, and communicate to collaborate effectively. Out of all these skills, I think innovation and communication would be the two most valuable ones to me as these can be applied universally in any given situation. 

What would you say to students considering applying for this unit?

This program has been a very valuable addition to my skillset and experiences. I would never imagine gaining experience working for a client while earning credits for it. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me! My advice is to not slack, stay ahead of your assignments, and to always communicate well while managing the expectations of those you work with. 

Learn more about Job Smart Edge.

My Job Smart Edge (BUSS6102) Consulting Skills Bootcamp experience: Zoe Fang

Zoe Fang, Master of Commerce (Business Analytics and Finance) student, has recently participated in a 'consulting skills bootcamp' as part of a Digital Industry Project for an accounting software client. This project was part of the new Job Smart Edge in-curriculum unit BUSS6102, designed to assist with developing employability skills. 

When I engaged in a marketing consulting project with a client who provides accounting software, as a team of four, we were required to develop innovative marketing options to grow the business. I found it exciting, inspiring and enjoyable.  

Our initial challenge was to provide an analysis of the business for the client. Our client is a supplier of cloud accounting software, so this is a business with a lot of competition as well as opportunities! To construct our report more systematically and professionally, we were able to use business frameworks such as a SWOT Analysis.

Zoe Fang

Developing skills through remote teamwork

Our team was an online team, which meant we had to develop some different and additional interpersonal skills. We had to learn online etiquette, and how to manage our work remotely to a professional standard. This was actually a great part of the experience, because more and more workplaces are operating remotely with virtual and global teams. Experiencing this as part of an online consulting team gave me a valuable insight into how effective online teams work. 

What I learned

I learned about the importance of feedback in an online environment.  Engaging the whole team in discussions, looking for positive points rather than focussing just on negatives and emphasising team goals were key learnings. Also don’t forget the traditional simple things like scheduling meetings, being on time and meeting deadlines!

Developing these interpersonal skills will assist me beyond the area of giving feedback. Soft skills such as self-confidence, team-working ability, and high levels of communication skills are the key capacities that employers expect from graduates. 

I suggest to my fellow students that if you have the opportunity to develop soft skills like these as part of your university experience, then take the opportunity. Learning these has been such a valuable experience for me and I know I will be able to use these skills during my studies.  I have also developed my employability skills so I feel more confident about engaging in a professional setting. I would really recommend any of the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Hub programs!

Like to know more about the WIL Hub Programs? Visit the WIL Hub Canvas page for current students or the Internships, Industry Placements and Experience page for prospective students.