One of the great things about Telstra’ Graduate Program is the combined focus on developing your technical capabilities, as well as your leadership skills for the future. This is an exciting opportunity at the early stages of your career. There are events where we can hear from executives from across business and numerous safe spaces for graduates to connect and share their work and knowledge across the company.
Telstra is a big organisation, and the learning potential is huge. You are supported by your senior leaders and a buddy system. I have found that some of these people eventually become your mentors (which I find vital in taking my career forward). Looking back, I really appreciate what these mentors have done and continue to do for me till this day.
Adding to all of this is continued access to training and development opportunities. You are provided with every chance to build your skills and develop your voice (which means a mix of both technical and soft skills being developed).
As a graduate Network Engineering Specialist at Telstra InfraCo, I worked in the Asset Management team. This was a relatively new role for me, but this also happened to be the very place where I had the amazing opportunity to intern for three months (during my penultimate year of university). My second rotation was in the Business Commercial team. Having worked across a few times in my graduate year gave me the chance to understand what I enjoyed and didn’t. It also gave me a better understanding of the business by expanding my breadth.
If you’re wondering what a graduate career at Telstra looks like, let me shed some light.
I worked on a variety of projects which I found beneficial. I love how it helped me explore my curiosities, push boundaries and strengthen my technical expertise. I had one-on-one catch-ups with my support system (these are my leader, mentor, and grad buddy). They ensured I was on track and progressing. Another plus was that I got regular feedback on my work, which I really appreciated.
The icing on the cake for me, though, is the access to training and development, which continues beyond the graduate program. I am keen to learn and grow, it makes me feel challenged. This also brought me closer to my fellow graduates as I got to see them often in training. There was a whole host of grad events (some virtual, some in-person) that I got to attend. Some of these were informative sessions while others are simply a chance to catch up socially. It gave a good balance to enter the workforce where you can have some fun and ease into the life of a long-term career.
I gained a mentor who provided advice so I could continue developing. I found myself gaining self-confidence, widening my network, and just enjoying increased job satisfaction. I had the choice of mingling with other parts of the business or honing in on tailor-made projects. The opportunities here are truly endless. The entire experience has felt enriching, widened my worldview and has helped me to build my career at Telstra. Here, I have really been supported in finding my ‘why’.
After completing two rotations, I joined a team that I was particularly enthusiastic about and briefly collaborated with during my graduate year. Transitioning into this role was seamless for me, as I had already built strong relationships with my team over my graduate year.
Over the past year since being permanent, I have continued to expand my skills and specialise in the data space. This has become my area of expertise, focusing on enhancing data quality, uncovering insights, and leveraging AI and other automation technologies to streamline processes. It feels like coming full circle now that I have a new graduate in my team whom I can mentor and support—a reminder of my own journey not too long ago and how far I’ve come already from 2 years of working.
Looking ahead, I am eager to further advance within the company by exploring new technologies and expanding my network to deepen my knowledge. I maintain close ties with my fellow graduates and my support system from the graduate program, regularly engaging in knowledge-sharing sessions with some of them or chatting about career progression. As I establish myself further in the business, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in the next chapter of my career and continue to grow as a future leader.
Want to build a connected future? Take a look at current open roles here.
