What's your job about?
TAL is Australia’s largest life insurance company. It is the people at TAL who ignite the purpose, ambition and priorities of the organisation. TAL assists everyday Australians to look after what we consider to be the most important asset, life.
For my first rotation in the marketing department within Individual Life, I work as part of TAL’s graduate program where we each complete four rotations. Three of the four rotations will be in your business unit and the other rotation can be completed in any other across the company. My responsibilities include managing several adviser communications, assisting with updating marketing collateral and supporting other marketing projects.
So far, I have thrown myself into the deep end, and am proud to be part of the social committee for TAL called TAL Connect. This is a great way to meet new people from different business units and is a great opportunity to network. I have volunteered for ABCN Future Thinkers mentoring program and was a part of the National Reconciliation Week 2022 working group.
TAL has several opportunities for you to get involved beyond your role, whether it be through different projects, extra co-curricular activities or volunteering opportunities.
What's your background?
Both my parents were born overseas. My mother was born in Malta and my father was born in Croatia. Both my parents did not attend university; therefore, they saw it as necessary for me to have a good quality education.
I grew up in Sydney’s North shore, attending Loreto Kirribilli from Kindergarten to Year 12. Therefore, transitioning to university was a big change for me.
I went to the University of Notre Dame Australia where I completed a double degree and a master’s qualification. During my time at university, I was involved in various extra co-curricular activities including Founder and President of the Notre Dame Sydney Business Society, President of the Student Association and Board member for the National Student Board. I also represented the university at National University Games in Hockey, Baseball and was team manager for Table Tennis. My time as President set me up for the challenges that Graduate Program recruiting presents. Notre Dame values the student's voice, and because of this, I spent my weeks throughout that year representing students on a variety of other committees in addition to those already mentioned. I am still so grateful for the professional experience I gained from the many mentors that helped me through this time.
While I was completing my undergraduate degree I completed a short study abroad experience in Prague, Czech Republic. This was one of my favourite experiences at university as I made friends for life and experienced a different style of teaching and learning in another country.
The experiences I have had at Notre Dame have given me the confidence to be open to new opportunities. Last year I was allowed to tutor a class at university, which I was initially scared about as I had never had any experience in teaching, nor did I have a desire to teach. Looking back, this is something I would like to peruse later in life when I am considering completing a qualification in teaching at a higher educational level.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, someone with a different background could be an individual life graduate. As individual life graduate programs you with a broad understanding of how TAL operates as a business. An individual life graduate is someone who can be a team player and can manage multiple projects.
Most people are from diverse backgrounds but they all have one thing in common: A willingness to be proactive and the motivation to succeed!
TAL is a very supportive culture and everyone in the business is given the tools to succeed to provide the best outcome for our stakeholders.
The coolest thing about my job is the opportunities that you have as a graduate, especially since your people leader and business sponsor want to help you grow within the company. When I accepted my offer at TAL both my business sponsors called and gave their congratulations and wished me luck for upcoming exams. This really set TAL apart from other organisations that I had applied to, and the care I felt in those initial interactions has stuck, and I can now go to work knowing that my company has my best interests at their core.
One of the reasons I enjoy working at TAL is everyone in the business is supportive and wants to help you grow and develop your skill set.
What are the limitations of your job?
I found that one of the limitations of my role is the learning curve. For the first few months, I felt lost and confused, which was challenging, after being so involved and organised at University.
I am sure, like most companies these days, there are several systems and processes which you will need to learn when you get started. TAL is no different and saw me learning things that were very different to anything I have done before. Insurance is not something that is generally taught at university or studied at school which meant I was starting from the ground up.
Thankfully, everyone at TAL is willing to teach you, and no question is a silly question. If you need help or you are struggling, there is always someone around, whether it’s your people leader, team member, business sponsor or graduate buddy.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Be involved – At university I was involved in various extra co-curricular activities whether it was leadership, volunteering or mentoring. Don’t be afraid to put up your hand or get involved, life happens when you are getting things done and you will look back with fond memories of all the things you were able to accomplish.
Be open to opportunities – I was given various opportunities at university, which to this day I am still grateful for. At the time, even though I was scared or thought I might fail; I gave it a go. Don’t be afraid to fail.
Have fun - make the most of your university experience. Some of the best memories I have come from spending time on campus and hanging with friends before class. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.