Prepare for the whirlwind: Life as a new grad

While the last six months or so has not been easy for anyone living in Victoria, our Melbourne team has something to celebrate this week having earned the highest three-star rating for Original Employer Services from WorkSafe Victoria. Brendan Allen, who joined our team as a new grad this year reflects on his first few months as a KINNECTer and shares how he’s been getting on.  

Hunting for a job. Looking for a challenge. 

I studied OT (Occupational Therapy) in Newcastle and was open-minded about what I would do after Uni but knew I wanted to move to Melbourne for the lifestyle change. I did a placement in Acute Mental Health which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I knew that hospital work didn’t really interest me. Occ Rehab wasn’t really on my radar at all and I think there is a perception at Uni that the industry is pretty hard work and that hospital or public sector route is somehow easier.   

It was when I was looking for OT jobs in Melbourne that I came across KINNECT. I was looking for a role that was going to be challenging and where I’d get the opportunity to develop my skillset in a supportive environment. The things that drew me in with KINNECT were the support that was on offer and the unlimited Professional Development.

I remember seeing the Top 20 places to work and watching the Kulture video and thought it seemed like it would be a good fit for me.   When I applied I expected the ball to roll fairly slowly. But this was not the case at all. I did my first interview over the phone with the Victorian Director, James Buckley. It was really informal and had a really relaxed approach to it which really calmed my nerves. The next step was a longer interview which was over Zoom. Within the week, I had a job offer. It happened so quickly and I was then in this great position of having a job in hand; it was a real boost to my confidence in those last months at Uni.  

Prepare for the whirlwind: The first few months as a new grad  

I officially started in January 2020. I knew the first weeks and months were going to be a whirlwind and so I was fully prepared for it. I knew I wanted the challenge. I wanted to build my skills and I focussed on keeping a positive mindset. My supervisor was so supportive and really helped me to take on all the things I needed to learn. I’ve also found my mental health placement a really useful background for the role. Wherever an injured worker is on their journey, their mental health will be an important aspect to consider and it’s particularly relevant to the clients we are working with right now, during the Pandemic. 

Now I’ve settled in and I’m really enjoying my role. As a new grad, one of the most surprising things for me was just how frequent the contact is with KINNECT’s Leadership team; they are very involved and regularly take the time to reach out and get to know you as a person. We get ‘positive’ emails and calls from them and our colleagues. This positive reinforcement is so great and genuinely makes me feel that I’m a person and not a number. This has really stood out for me about KINNECT.  

Team Melbourne in 2020  

I can’t say that 2020 hasn’t turned out exactly as planned. No one could have planned for the pandemic and what this would mean for life in general. I came to Melbourne for the lifestyle; culture, music, food. There hasn’t been a whole lot of that to enjoy lately. But I’ve got to say, throughout all this, work has been consistently good. The Melbourne team are a really great bunch to work with. We are all here for the same reason; to help each other. Whether we are in the clinic or working from home, we have helped each other get through the tough times. Our fortnightly trivia night has been a definite highlight. 

We’re all buzzing about our three-star rating from Worksafe Victoria which means we are in the top 3 of 23 Providers in Original Employment Services. I think it definitely reflects the quality of the team we have in Melbourne and the amazing consultants I get to work with every day. I’m really proud to be part of this team.  

You can find out more about life at KINNECT and all our current vacancies, including the latest opportunities for new or recent graduates at www.kinnect.com.au/.