What do you enjoy most about your role?
I enjoy the challenge that comes with my role at Coles and feel mentally stimulated daily. It’s like piecing together a puzzle when I’m trying to figure out how to combine different sets of data to get the information that I want, like finding the edges and corner pieces of a puzzle. Then I take all the information and simplify the complex into a coherent and digestible story for our teams which is like filling in the middle pieces. At first, it can be tough, but the feeling of accomplishment once everything fits is very satisfying and I can feel my contribution to the team. My favourite part of my role is diving into the data and understanding its implications for Coles and our shoppers. I believe the data often reveals the truth. When we uncover key insights that help Coles better serve our customers I find it deeply rewarding.
What advice would you give other grads?
I'd advise other grads to take on and lead a personal project in each rotation they do. By taking on projects that you are solely accountable for delivering, you will fast-track your learning by being thrown into the deep end and learning on the job. You’ll also find out just how capable you are. When you handle a project by yourself, you learn quickly because you're put on the spot and learn as you go. For new grads, it might be scary to take on big tasks, especially if you haven’t seen firsthand how you can make a real difference. But take that leap, challenge yourself, and show both Coles and yourself what you can do. That would be my advice.
Does Coles support flexible working?
Coles is great when it comes to flexible work. My managers and teammates are always understanding if I need to work from home, take some time off, or do something during work hours. Even though we work hard, Coles still lets me balance my personal life. I'd rate Coles 10/10 for how they handle flexible working!
Why did you change streams halfway through your Grad program?
One of the best things about the Coles graduate program is the variety of roles you can try, this is extremely helpful in helping you find a role that you’re passionate about. I switched streams from the Commercial program halfway through because I’ve always had an interest in data and e-commerce and I wanted to explore what other possibilities there were for me at Coles. Thankfully I was successful in making the cross-functional move and was able to try my hand at different types of work. The experience has been extremely valuable as I’ve been exposed to completely new ways of thinking and working that I hadn’t known about previously and have found much more clarity in terms of the roles that suit me best. Since my move, I’ve worked in the content design, service design and now data analytics team which has equipped me with a very broad amount of experience across many parts of the business at Coles. I’ve also met a lot of wonderful people along the way and have gotten to work on some cool projects!
If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before starting the Graduate program, what would it be?
“To get something you’ve never had, you must do something you never did” That’s a quote from Denzel Washington the famous Hollywood actor and it’s a piece of advice I wish I had heard sooner. If you aren’t getting the kind of results that you want, take a step outside your usual patterns and behaviours and try something different. Doing the same things over and over again will get us the same outcomes, when we do things out of the ordinary we get extraordinary results. So I would tell my younger self to do more things that are out of the ordinary and take more chances on yourself, you’ll grow more and have much more fun along the way.