What do you enjoy most about being part of our graduate team at Robert Bird Group?

So far, I guess the most enjoyable part has been meeting the other graduates and also hearing their stories and learning from their experiences as well. That’s been an enjoyable part about being in the grad team.

Why did you choose to join Robert Bird Group?

I heard Robert Bird Group had a great working environment, and also a great culture.  So now having come aboard just being able to meet everyone, everyone’s super friendly, everyone is always willing to help me out by answering my questions or just helping me learn in general.

They’ve been able to create an overall great learning environment for me to grow as an engineer, and also Robert Bird Group works on a lot of exciting projects.

At the moment I’m part of the crane team as well, so I get to work on a lot of crane projects, designing a lot of crane bases, going out to do the site inspections.  I guess the biggest reason for joining Robert Bird Group was working environment as well as the culture – the people I work with are what makes the work I do fun and enjoyable.

How did you find the transition from full time education to professional engineering?

A bit challenging, applying theory to real world problems was challenging at first. But, over time I was able to overcome these challenges with the help of senior engineers and they were able to really help me understand the concepts, as well as show me how to apply them to real world problems.

Which projects have you most enjoyed working on?

Being a part of the crane team within the Construction Engineering Division, every project so far has been really enjoyable. Tower crane design had never crossed my mind when I chose to pursue a career in structural engineering, but the work we do is interesting, challenging and fun at the same time.  It’s being able to go on site and inspect the designs and seeing that come to life.  I think that’s been really good.

If I really had to pick one project, then I would have to say Melbourne Quarter R2. I took part in the design of a tower crane in this project and had the opportunity to climb 30m up to the top to do a post crane erection inspection with a senior engineer. Standing at the top of a freestanding tower crane and being able to see all the elements up close has really been a highlight so far.

What advice do you offer to graduates when applying for the Graduate Development Program?

Definitely brush up on the technical knowledge, like the things learned during university, because I feel that’s very important.  Write a standout cover letter detailing your achievements, experiences, and add your personality to it, and don’t use AI to write one for you!

And also, when coming in to do your interview just really be yourself because at the end of the day, I think the managers just want to see who you are, the type of person you are.  I think that’s the most important thing.