ASB Graduate Diaries: then and now

My name is Nicole and I started at ASB in February this year. I’m currently in my first rotation in the Start Me Up (SMU) programme – a technology-focused programme for people looking for a great start to their career.

The programme starts with an induction week – during ours we were very lucky to meet members of the Executive Leadership Team.  We also attended workshops that introduced us to ASB methods like Human Centred Design and Agile working, and we were able to get to know the rest of our cohort of grads. The first week was very inspiring and it was a great way to start my time at the bank.

SMU rotations are between two and six months long, and are designed to give us skills and experiences from many different areas of the Technology and Innovation division. I love that rotations give us an idea of where we would most like to work permanently after we finish our time on the programme. This is great for someone who is just starting their career as they can try lots of different roles. This structure also allows us to become ‘T-shaped’ – people with a wide breadth of knowledge – which helps the bank be future-ready and continue its history of innovation.

My first rotation is in Architecture, in the Innovation Lab. Architecture at ASB is the software counterpart of traditional building architecture – it’s the team that designs our systems. We get to prototype different technologies, and experiment with all sorts of fun gadgets! I am really enjoying it so far and it is definitely helping me recognise what I am passionate about and what I’m good at, as well as teaching me a lot about technology in general.

I look forward to continuing my learning and I’m excited for what the rest of the SMU programme has to offer!

My name is Ray and I’m a Senior Software Engineer in ASB’s Innovation team. I joined ASB in February 2011 as part of its inaugural intake of graduates.

One of the main selling points of the programme for me was that I could rotate through different teams and figure out what I really enjoyed doing. I must admit that at the time I wasn’t too sure about what I wanted to do after university; I just knew I wanted to work in IT.

During my time on the programme I spent time in Risk, Software Apps, and a voice services team. I also worked for Software Applications teams that designed applications for both staff and customers. When I finished the programme, I worked in the Enterprise Content Management team for about a year before ending up where I am now.

While on the programme, I was fortunate enough to work either for or with most teams in our Technology & Innovation division. This has given me a holistic view of what we do, and enabled me to build a strong network across the bank – this is extremely useful when you work in a field as diverse as Innovation.

A big highlight for me was being part of a cohort of other graduates. Being able to share experiences and knowledge with other like-minded people is the thing I cherish the most; t was great being able to grow alongside one another. I also feel the structure of the programme, the mentoring and the leadership training prepared me well to excel in my current role. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without having been through the programme.

I would recommend the ASB graduate programme to anyone who’s looking to launch their career!