DXC Technology

What did you study? When did you graduate?

Mechanical Engineering and Commerce, graduating in July 2021

Tell us a bit about yourself: Where did you grow up? Important stages of your life (school, education, experience abroad, jobs etc.)

I grew up in south Sydney. I attended Sydney Technical High School where I tailored my schooling and education towards a career in engineering leading me to study engineering and commerce at UNSW. However, that's not where I ended up choosing to go with my career. I am an avid sports fan having played sports throughout most of my life. Currently my passions are in cycling, golf and F1.

How did you come about applying for DXC and had you heard of DXC prior to applying?

I first heard about DXC from a friend who also applied and became a graduate with DXC the year before me. It let me to researching about the company and what they were all about. Prior to that, I didn't think a career in IT was for me but I applied and here we are today!

How did you choose your specialisation for the Graduate Program? (compared to others)? Were you weighing up any other alternatives before choosing this area?

Conceptually, I love the idea of projects. Being able to plan and implement solutions from start to finish is something I'm really drawn to. Project management fit the bill as the most relevant role that I could do this type of work.

What was your interview process like? What type of questions were you asked?

The interview process was similar to a lot of other graduate roles. Starting off with some gamified psychometric testing which led into a short video interview with a HR representative. From there, I went onto the assessment centre which consisted of a group assessment, individual assessment and interview with a hiring manager. The questions asked were a mix of behavioural and situational questions revolving around past project experiences.

Did you face any challenges along the way? Have you learned any lessons so far from this experience?

Getting thrown straight into a project from day one had its fair share of challenges. A lack of technical knowledge and understanding of processes were the biggest issues that I faced. It can feel really difficult to find your feet initially but peers and colleagues are very open to teaching you what you need to know. Never be afraid to ask questions and understand that mistakes will happen. How you respond and resolve those mistakes will be your biggest learning opportunities.

What are your key areas of responsibility?

As a project manager in the graduate program, I am shadowing a lead project manager to learn all things project management. My main areas of responsibility are the maintenance of project documents, management of stakeholder meetings and project reporting.

Can you describe your typical work day?

Starting off the day by checking emails and actioning them accordingly. The rest of they day is spent juggling client meetings, project work and some self-study for my certification in project management. Just because you've finished university doesn't mean the learning stops!

What would you like to achieve in your career at DXC?

To develop my skills in project management and build upon my professional network with peers and clients.

What do you love the most about your job?

The opportunity to put a smile on the customers face. Delivering as a team to provide a solution that you can be proud of and have a happy customer at the end of the day makes the work worthwhile.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about applying for the DXC Graduate Program?

Just go for it! It can be tough to decide where you want to go or what you want to do after you leave university. The DXC Graduate Program is very accommodating and will find the most suitable role for you even if it's not what you initially apply for.

What did you study? When did you graduate?

Commerce - 2022

Tell us a bit about yourself: Where did you grow up? Important stages of your life (school, education, experience abroad, jobs etc.)

I grew up in rural Victoria, going to Primary and secondary school there. I studied university in Melbourne to then applying for a position at DXC in the Sydney team. While growing up I was active in soccer, badminton and futsal.

How did you come about applying for DXC and had you heard of DXC prior to applying?

Prior to applying I hadn't heard of DXC, but luckily I saw it on various graduate program websites. Upon finding out about DXC and seeing they had a Data and Analytics practice I knew it would be great fit for me.

How did you choose your specialisation for the Graduate Program? (compared to others)? Were you weighing up any other alternatives before choosing this area?

I always knew I wanted to work with Data - my appreciation first started when I got experience with data visualization.

What was your interview process like? What type of questions were you asked?

Leading up to the interview I was quite nervous. But in the actual interview, the people conducting the interview made me feel extremely comfortable and allowed me to be myself and express my skills and thoughts freely.  I was mainly asked Behavioral questions with some situational questions.

Did you face any challenges along the way? Have you learned any lessons so far from this experience?

It was a big learning curve going from Uni life to working full time. The main challenge was finding time for doing the things I loved during uni and all the free time i used to have. The main lesson I learnt to work through that challenge was time management and to make time to do the things i love (going on weekend hikes, after work sports)

What are your key areas of responsibility?

Currently I am on a data migration project to design a solution that will upshift our client’s databases into a cloud-based solution. As part of my role, I need to be knowledgeable in the cloud-based solution that we plan to migrate to I need to be ready to research and learn as much as I can then present any findings to my senior and client to discuss how it can benefit them and its implementation process.  All project documentation we must be up to date, and clean, therefore after presenting a document I like to add a short summary and link to the original file. In doing this I collate all the files in one area to ensure ease of access for myself and the client if we ever need to refer to a previous document.

Can you describe your typical work day?

I start off every day by going through emails and checking any messages I may have missed. Typically, my day will start off with a meeting with my senior where we will discuss our plan of attack for the day. Depending on how busy we I will either be working on the tasks we discussed by creating diagrams, decks or presenting information. If the day is quiet, I would use the time to undertake training courses in areas I’m interested in that I could be useful in the future.

What would you like to achieve in your career at DXC?

To gain as much exposure, experience and skills as I can during the Graduate program. Upon finishing the program, I want to be able to provide unique value to the Analytics practice and clients.

What do you love the most about your job?

One of the best parts about my job is being able to interact with and learn from such great minds. Being in an environment where we are encouraged to reach out to share ideas and thoughts is awesome.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about applying for the DXC Graduate Program?

•  If a task makes you nervous or scared that’s a good sign! It means you are learning something new and developing yourself and you just need to think of it that way!
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help, everyone is always happy to help! You just got to ask. With regard to the Grad Program, try reaching out to a current graduate currently in the team you wish to join on LinkedIn
• Make the effort to branch out and make new connections. Things won’t fall into your lap if you are the wait and see kind of person. You must be ready to ask for help or say yes to opportunities.

What are your areas of responsibility?

Within the pre-sales team, I am responsible for formulation and pricing of Oracle IT solutions to meet the business requirements of customers. I am also involved in statement of work creation, liaising with both internal teams and customers and responding to varying customer requests.

Can you describe a typical work day?

I am currently involved in the pricing of Oracle applications support for a major Australian bank. This involves understanding the customer’s requirements and formulating a solution that enables strong growth for the client. I am also involved in an organisational transformation task, bringing to life a dev-ops model, and aligning our capability within the customer services space to better place our offerings for clients. 

What are the career prospects with your job?

Sales solutions provides a broad base for those looking to experience an end-to-end sales process. Opportunities within sales, operations, and delivery are those which excite me as I move forward in my career. 

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes, we have a variety of roles for those with business, technical and engineering skills.

What do you love the most about your job?

I enjoy the critical thinking aspects of this role and the ability to develop solutions that will have a positive impact for our customers. I also enjoy liaising with our customers and forming relationships. 

What’s the biggest limitation of your job?

Our team is small but mighty. The workload during its peak ensures that the days are very busy, however, the support of the team to accomplish tasks exceeds my expectations every day.

Which piece of advice would you give to a current university student?

• Get involved in everything and give 110% to what you do
• Don’t be afraid to fail/take risks as this will ultimately make you stronger
• Check up on friends and family (especially during these times)