Zarina Yusuf

7.30 AM

I catch the train into the office and take the time to sip on my coffee I made before departing. I usually listen to a podcast or read a book to pass the time – today was ‘Rich dad, Poor dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki (highly recommend).

8.20 AM

I arrive at the office and say hello to some of my fellow grads. After a quick chat and debrief from the previous night’s antics, I log onto my work computer and message my team to let them know I’m online. While we are all in different sites across Australia we’re constantly in contact throughout the day. I then check my emails, review my calendar and plan for the day ahead.

9.00 AM

First up on the agenda today is training. In each rotation, we are provided with a variety of learning opportunities to expand our knowledge and gain new skills within the team. I’m in my second rotation as part of the program, in the Campaigns & Advertising team. I’ve been working through different training modules about the advertising industry. Today I refreshed my knowledge on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and the effectiveness of Snapchat in campaigns. 

11.30 AM

Time for a team meeting! Although we chat regularly during the day, the team likes to schedule in time to get a proper feel for the work happening across the team. It’s a great opportunity to debrief on our work, get support if needed and see what the rest of the team is up to. It also gives us a chance to discuss any news and events – within the Campaigns & Advertising team it’s important to keep across changes to the advertising industry that may affect campaigns.

12.30 PM

Lunch time! One thing I love about working in the city is the endless amount of food places and coffee shops on every street. Today I get Pad Thai – and it’s delicious.

1.00 PM

After lunch, I work with my team to draft campaigns timelines and map out the process for bringing each campaign into market.  

To develop our advertising strategies, we work with Universal McCann (UM) who are the master media advertising agency appointed by the Australian Government. The advertising planning process usually takes 10 weeks and there are strict guidelines we need to follow.

We also develop a media brief and creative brief, summarising the requirements of the advertising and creative elements of the advertising. We work with stakeholders throughout the process including creative services, social media and brand teams to develop ad copy and creative concepts.

We provide weekly updates to our stakeholder on how the advertising is progressing. 

It’s an exciting role and I love the fast-paced environment where I get the opportunity to work with a variety of stakeholders.

5.30 PM

Today I work a longer day to complete a task in my to do list and made up some flex hours. I complete my timesheet and make sure I log out of all the work systems. I say goodbye to all my colleagues and head off to catch the train.

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