What’s your job about?
When someone asks me where I work and I reply with ‘I work at PEXA’, 9 out of 10 times they ask me ‘What do they do?’. PEXA is an e-conveyancing platform that has transformed the property industry, making a process far more efficient than it once was. The graduate program for the business stream, involves going into 3 different teams.
In my first rotation, I was fortunate enough to join the Governance, Risk and Compliance team. The team take on a wide range of responsibilities, engaging with the rest of the business on a daily basis, making sure we are operating within our risk appetite, remaining compliant with our regulators, along with a range of other tasks. I was able to take the lead on presenting to the Risk and Compliance Committee, on Emerging Risks that the GRC team believes that PEXA should be aware of. Coming into this rotation, I was not aware as to what the team really did, however as I finished, I came out with a newfound appreciation for the work they did, really enjoying my time in the team.
In my second rotation, I joined the Financial Planning and Analysis team. As I studied Finance at university, I was sure to find some more familiarity within this rotation. However most often than not, what you do in the workplace is very different to what you learn at university! In this team we do monthly reporting, generating our CFO report as well as our individual Business Unit reports, which takes a large portion of the month. Currently, we are helping the business do Budgeting for FY23, which involves interacting with different parts of the business, which I am finding quite fascinating!
What’s your background?
I was born in Australia, with my parents being from Sri Lanka. During school, I wasn’t entirely sure as to what I wanted to do. I was tossing up between Civil Engineering and Finance and I ended up choosing Finance. I wasn’t particularly sure whether the area was for me, however as I read more and more, I became interested in area. As a university student I was eager to get some experience under my belt. I started off in a customer service position at a bank, I moved around a few positions, eager to get away from customer service, with my luck coming after I finished my university degree. I was eager to get into a Graduate program, with the possibility of getting the experience of 3 teams, in the space of 18 months. As someone who wasn’t entirely sure what area they wanted to get into and knowing that university and work are completely different, it was the best way to find an area that I’m passionate about.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Most definitely! I came into both my rotations not knowing much of what the respective teams did. In my first rotation, I knew next to nothing, however with guidance and a supportive team, I was able to understand the work the team did and how best I could contribute to it. You just need to bring the right attitude and open ears and you’ll be on the path to success!
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
Being part of a team that is essential to the business is always a nice feeling, but also an added pressure to get it right. However, with this comes the collaborative nature and interacting with different teams on the regular, which is something I find interesting. How different teams operate and how we can help them is an interesting aspect to my role.
What are the limitations of your job?
Sometimes as a Graduate, it comes with a predisposed feeling of not wanting to ask too many questions. You are scared to seem like a nuisance and make a simple task take longer than it needs. At PEXA however, the team is more than happy to help you out and make sure you have absolute clarity in the work you are doing. The confidence to build this courage takes time, however the supportive nature will always be there.