Team update: A lot has happened since this blog - all great things! We’re now in the United States and our new product launched in November 2021, helping teams in fast-growing organizations find and hire their best-fit junior and mid-level talent in Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Customer Success. Try it here for free. This means some of our articles before this date may have product shots that look a little different. That’s all from us, enjoy the blog.

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Meet Justine, a Hatch student twice-over! Her first role was as a Creative Marketer for Scentre Group. Now, she's working as a Marketing Coordinator at WooliesX; the digital arm of Australia's biggest retailer, Woolworths.

You’re at the start of your career; how have you gone about figuring out what you want to do?

I had a vague idea; I knew I wanted to pursue something in marketing. But I wasn’t sure what was available to me or where I could find a good starting point. Through my role at WooliesX, it’s allowed me to understand an area of marketing I had no idea about previously - campaign management. It’s an interesting avenue to pursue and something I am now thinking about for my future. ‍

Before starting your Hatch role, was there anything you were nervous about?‍

I was nervous about how much I didn’t know and whether I would be able to get up to pace in the first couple of months. But the environment at WooliesX is so supportive, and everyone understands you’re coming there with little experience, but heaps of enthusiasm. So they really support you, answer all your questions and help guide you to make sure you’re doing all the right steps along the way. 

What would you tell other Hatch students now who may be nervous about starting their role?

Don’t be worried about asking questions. You might feel like you’re bothering people by asking things that are straightforward to them. But they understand the position you’re in and that you want to learn, so they’re happy for you to keep reaching out to ask questions.

What does a typical day in your role look like?

I usually open a lot of tabs on my computer first thing! I’ll check my emails, use Jira to organise work and then Slack for wider team communication.

I work in an agile squad, so we have a scrum where we talk through our work and any blockers we have. After that, I usually work on preparing briefs and following up with different stakeholders.

What’s a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

When I joined the team, they had a post-campaign analysis in their project backlog. Because of COVID-19, our team was putting out fewer campaigns, so my manager asked if I could finish this analysis. It was cool to shift my focus at work to this. It involved collating all the campaign results from the beginning of FY20 and adding in insights & recommendations. I got to present it as well, and seeing how valuable it was to the team was a really proud moment. 

What are some of the skills you’ve been able to develop?

I’ve been able to improve how I communicate a lot. I need to communicate with many different teams who all have different skill sets and areas of expertise. Becoming familiar with the different terminology and language they use has been helpful to make sure things are clear and being interpreted in the right way. 

Because I am responsible for coordinating the campaigns, stakeholder management is also important. I need to make sure that people finish work on time so that the campaign runs smoothly. What I found helps is reaching out to see if they've been appropriately brief, have enough time to complete the task and see if things are on track.

Has your Hatch role helped you discover the kind of environments you’d like to work in, in the future?

Being at WooliesX has helped me realise I like working in a big business because you get to meet new people and there is always something happening. I enjoy going to the broader team meetings to hear about what everyone is working on and celebrate their successes.

That’s cool! Have you heard about another area of the business you’d be interested in learning more about?

There is a Member Experience team who do a lot of testing to see what rewards draw in members and customers. It’s interesting to hear about the different methods they use like eye-tracking. I didn’t know there was a designated team for this and I’d love to learn more about what they do. 

Through your Hatch Experience, has there been anything that’s surprised you about yourself?

How much my manager and teammates trust and respect me, and as a result, give me a lot of responsibility. They believe I can do a good job, and that makes me want to work harder. 

And if you could give another student who’s thinking about applying for a Hatch role any advice, what would you say?

Even if you have the slightest interest, definitely apply. You never know what might happen, and every experience is valuable. Even if you’re unsure about your career path, you’ll still learn heaps of valuable skills you could bring to different roles.
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