Katrina McLeish

She’s got the lowdown on graduate programs

A little over a year ago, Katrina McLeish (BCompSc 2016) joined the Telstra graduate program in a technical role and has already learned heaps. She highly recommends that others go for a graduate position, and she offers some good, sound advice on how to do this.

“Graduate programs take care of you, allow you to learn, and help you to find the right position in the company going forward,” says Katrina. “You need to apply nearly a year in advance so best to do it at the start of your last year. If you wait until you’re sure that you’ve passed all your units, you’ll have a huge gap between applying and the program starting.”

“Think of possible questions and prepare answers ahead of an interview so you don’t have to do it off the top of your head under pressure,” Katrina suggests. “There are many websites to assist you with this. It also helps to have someone mock interview you.​”

Katrina adds, “Make the most of any free time that you have between finishing your course and starting your job. Once you’re working full time, you’ll suddenly find yourself with a lot less free time, let alone enough time to go on a nice holiday.”

If you’re thinking about graduate programs, Katrina’s suggestions can guide you in the right direction.