Ixom is the market leader in water treatment and chemical distribution in Australia and New Zealand. They are likely playing a massive role in your daily life without you consciously realising. They provide vital chemicals we need to keep our water clean and our food edible, your toothpaste usable and your personal products safe.
Ixom supplies general chemicals across a diverse range of markets including agriculture, building, construction, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, plastics, pulp, paper and water treatment industries. Since separating from parent company Orica in 2015, it now has over 1,000 employees across the world.
Do you have a degree in business, commerce, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering or science? A graduate job with Ixom will provide you with a stimulating environment with diverse responsibilities, and a structured career growth plan where your unique talents will be recognised and rewarded.
Their Ixperience Graduate Program is designed to nurture your career from day one to three years down the track, to ensure you have the tools and skill-set to thrive. So how do you score a spot in the program? Our grads have been there and done that, and want to help you do the same. Here are their best insider tips to get you on the way.
Participating in extracurricular activities has a wealth of benefits for you. It can increase your social circle and personal skills, help you develop leadership attributes, improve your time management abilities and more.
Ixom specifically state they are interested in candidates who are involved in extracurricular activities and have an interest in their community. Having no outside interests is not going to get you far during the application process, so be proactive and see what your current university or community offer, and sign up now. These activities might take you outside your comfort zone and challenge you, great preparation for life at Ixom!
Successful candidates in the Ixom program are those with a well-rounded skill-set and background. Ideally, you’ll have some technical engineering experience under your belt, but if that hasn’t been a possibility don’t count yourself out yet.
If you’ve had no luck in a previous placement in engineering or haven't had the chance through volunteer work, use your experience from other areas. Concentrate your answers on the talents you've built in other positions or your personal life. Problem-solving, negotiation and analytical skills are transferable to your new role at Ixom.
“[With your] engineering experience thus far, what would you do in situation x, give examples of when you showed x value.”
– Graduate, Tauranga
Ixom are looking for the leaders of tomorrow. When preparing for your interview, consider how you can demonstrate the type of leader you are, and how it relates to the type of tasks you’ll need to perform in their graduate program.
It doesn’t matter if you didn’t work in management in previous workplaces. Consider responses to questions that show how you utilised leadership skills in everyday scenarios, and how you currently lead by example in most situations.
“Fairly standard interview questions, such as experiences dealing with challenging situations, and times you have shown initiative, creativity etc.”
– Graduate, Melbourne
“A difficult situation in where I demonstrated my leadership qualities.”
– Graduate, Melbourne
Ixom’s Ixperience Graduate Program involves travel. A huge chunk of travel. In fact, over the three-year program, you’ll be posted in different locations throughout Australia and New Zealand. You’ll need to be prepared to relocate, repeatedly, and often at short notice.
Consider this before applying with Ixom. If this isn’t something that will work with your current lifestyle or family, then it may not be the right fit for you. Travel is non-negotiable during the Ixperience Graduate Program.
If you want more insider information on life at Ixom, head to our GradAustralia Ixom page for more. Our graduates share their experiences, not just with recruitment, but also their experiences with daily life, career prospects, salary expectations, culture, diversity and more.