What's your job about?
I’m employed as an Intelligence Officer with ASIO.
Currently posted in an analytical area, my main responsibility is to correlate and evaluate information, in order to understand events, individuals or groups that threaten Australia’s national security. As an analyst, I am constantly seeking as much information as possible from all kinds of sources to assist me to make the most informed and accurate assessments of these threats. My assessments can then be used to inform the Australian Government to ensure the safety and security of the people of Australia and Australian interested. Simply put, my job is pretty amazing and can have real world impact on an almost daily basis.
What's your background?
I joined ASIO shortly after graduating university with a double degree in Law and Arts. I had always wanted to be a lawyer, but after working briefly in corporate law, I had started to change my mind and was looking for other opportunities. When I got the chance to join ASIO and undertake the Intelligence Officer Development Program, I couldn’t wait to start as I knew this would be a way I could develop a whole new set of skills and use my time and energy to contribute directly to keeping Australia a safe and wonderful country.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
ASIO is a workplace that offers a diverse range of jobs and needs a diverse range of skills. My particular legal training and background have assisted me to some extent, but I have had to quickly develop a lot of new skills and tailor my writing and presentation to a completely new audience. In my current role I am faced with problems on a daily basis – there is never one right or wrong way to find a solution to these problems and I often rely on my team and manager for guidance as we all bring different ideas and approaches to the table. If I was to give advice to any potential applicants I would say that your background doesn’t matter that much as long as you can be flexible, work well in a team and always be open to new approaches and ideas.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
Working for ASIO there are lots of opportunities for travel and international engagement. ASIO maintains a close relationship with many international partner services and already I have taken up many opportunities to engage with my analytical counterparts from other countries.
What are the limitations of your job?
Working for ASIO may mean that you have to make significant changes to your personal life, for example I had to move cities to undertake both training and my new role. ASIO provided me with a lot of support to assist the transition for both myself and my partner during this time.
Pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
My one piece of advice for young people looking to get into the workforce and considering applying for ASIO is simply to put in an application and ask lots of questions. As said before there are plenty of diverse roles within our organisation, if being an Intelligence Analyst doesn’t appeal, there may be other opportunities that you didn’t even know existed unless you ask!