Olivia's insights into securing an analyst role with Macquarie

We recently caught up with Olivia about how she secured an analyst role with Macquarie, extra activities she's been involved with and how Bright Network helped her secure the role

What stood out about Macquarie?

For Olivia, taking on a fast-paced career in financial services always felt like a natural path, given her background and interests. She completed a degree in economics and finance with an industrial placement at a global software solution provider; it was her placement year that confirmed her passion to become an Analyst. She says that Macquarie in particular “came to the fore throughout the application process”. After spending her whole life in the UK, Macquarie “clearly stood out as an organisation with Australian heritage”, which was exciting.

She also noticed that the recruitment process was “streamlined, relaxed and friendly”, with great communication throughout. This made her want to work for Macquarie even more. It was also evident to Olivia that values such as respect were shown on both sides of the employer and employee relationship during the interview process which demonstrated the company’s culture well.

What has the experience on the Graduate Programme at Macquarie been like?

Olivia has enjoyed the autonomy and varied work provided. Olivia says: “I knew I didn’t want to be in a ‘front office’ role, but I didn’t have clarity over what I wanted to do”. She says that because of this, “the unique opportunity to rotate through different teams really appealed to me”. Olivia works in the Business Services division, a global team comprising of people based in the UK, United States and Asia. She has rotated across a few areas and says each rotation feels like she’s started a “brand new job!”

What’s one highlight so far?

Olivia says a highlight of her time so far was when in her rotations in the Corporate Real Estate team (which focuses on creating an office and workplace experience that reinforces the Macquarie culture and connects people), she had the opportunity to manage an internal project in the London office. She particularly enjoyed getting to meet new business requirements while managing internal and external stakeholders.

Are there extra activities to get involved in at Macquarie?

Olivia stepped up to Co-Chair the Graduate Volunteer Network (GVN), which is run by Graduates and works closely with the Macquarie Group Foundation. “I love my day job but, being involved in extra activities through the GVN gives me a different sense of fulfillment, motivation and engagement,” she says.

“We've partnered with the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants, which has been amazing,” Olivia explains. “As well as volunteering for them and running English conversation classes online, we also organise fundraising events to support their services and raise awareness, such as holding ‘lunch and learn’ sessions at Macquarie.”

Olivia says that she has found becoming involved in the volunteer network and some of the many Employee Network Groups at Macquarie is another way to meet like-minded people, and to learn about the broader company.

Did Bright Network help?

It was difficult for Olivia to manage applications alongside her final year of university. She found the deadline tracker on Bright Network extremely useful in prioritising applications, enabling her to successfully manage her university work alongside applications.

Bright Network was Olivia’s “go-to” when applying for graduate roles. Through Bright Network, she was able to find a range of roles in the sectors she was interested in, which led her to apply to Macquarie. The links on the page meant stories and useful company information were easily accessible, which encouraged her to apply and helped her from initial application to final interview.