Joanna Chen, Graduate Consultant, Canberra, shares her career journey, hints and tips.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a 2022 Technology Graduate Consultant based in Canberra. I joined Minters fresh out of Uni with a degree in Law and Arts and had no idea what it is like in the commercial world, but working at Minters gives me the confidence to interact with clients and produce top quality work. I joined Minters over a year ago and I am still embracing every learning opportunity.

What was it that attracted you to MinterEllison?

Having the foresight to break away from traditional legal services and expand into strategic advisory is what makes MinterEllison a pioneer in the industry. Not only is MinterEllison a household name in law, MinterEllison delivers service excellence to our clients through integrated capabilities. I have a degree in law so working at Minters gives me the best of both worlds, blazing a trail in my career in consulting while utilising my legal knowledge. I have also been working with great people and creating lasting memories ever since I joined.

What are you involved in beyond your role?

I love to nap after work just so that I can stay up late and fit into the identity of a night owl. To maintain work life balance, I started going to the gym this year as we get free gym membership - big perk! I also travelled quite extensively pre-COVID, so hopefully I can pack up my suitcase again this year.

Tell us about your experience in the Technology Consulting graduate program?

Working as a technology consultant keeps me intellectually curious. Technology is rapidly changing and we have a crucial role to play in understanding the gap and helping our clients adopt and align to the contemporary trends. Being immersed in the client environment inspires me to think strategically and acquire deeper knowledge. In Canberra, we get to work with high profile government clients and provide technical and commercial assurance through a plethora of ICT engagements. The variety of engagements gives me the opportunity to work closely with our clients to understand their problems, and lead them through organisational transformation.

What engagements have you worked on?

I have participated in large sourcing and transformational projects across a range of federal government agencies. My strength lies in program management but I have also been given the opportunities to develop critical deliverables and present findings to our clients. Currently, I am conducting a business process review for a large federal government department. In all honesty, solving problems is never easy, but I am always impressed how our team can quickly draw the dots together and develop tailored solutions.

Working from home, or working from the office? What are the benefits?

I tend to work from home if I need to focus on my current tasks. But I also really enjoy working in the office with the team especially during project crunch time, as the best bonds come from being in the trenches on challenging work – teamwork makes the dream work!