People stories

What drew me to Hawthorn was the possibility of continuing to learn. Working in communications means getting to grips with the details of a number of different industries, learning everything about your client, what they do, their position in the industry, and the challenges they face. As I wasn’t really too sure what career I wanted when I finished university, Hawthorn and its diverse client base have given me the opportunity to do a bit of everything and continue to learn along the way.

I started at Hawthorn as a summer intern, fresh out of university, which was probably the steepest learning curve I’ve been on so far. It shouldn’t be underestimated how difficult it is to go from an academic setting to a professional one, learning how an office works and wrapping your head around day to day tasks that are second nature to everyone else but completely foreign to you! That being said, my experience as an intern was fascinating. I quickly learnt the ropes, and I was surrounded by supportive people who made the transition easier. I clearly enjoyed the challenge as over two years later, I’m still here!

When starting your career, I found it’s more important than ever to make sure you continue to find time to do the things that make you, you. At a time when everything in your life is changing, ensuring you keep doing the things that keep you grounded really helps to keep you on the right track. For me, it’s cooking and baking – often, the most relaxing part of my day is cooking something fun for supper or trying to bake a new creation at the weekend. When I was a student, I worked in an ice cream shop where one part of my job was decorating the ice cream cakes, and while I tend to stay clear of the ice cream part now, I still love decorating cakes for the birthdays of my friends and family.

The advice I would give to someone starting their first job is to just go for it! What’s made me enjoy my time at Hawthorn so much and helped me get the absolute most out of it, is just jumping right in, being enthusiastic and making sure to say yes to the opportunities that come your way. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given is that if you’re scared to do something, just do it scared (cheesy, I know, but it works!). Most of the time you find that things are rarely as daunting as they seem, and this attitude has helped me to really make the most of my time at Hawthorn so far and is definitely something I’ll try to keep doing throughout my career.