Jess Jaswal - India, 18 May, 2023
My name is Jess and I come from India. I’m currently working as a Marketing Automation Officer at Charles Sturt University at the Wagga campus. I’ve been here now for a year, and I’m learning a lot and getting great use of my skills that I acquired from QUT. In my role I get to work with data, do analysis and work through the whole automation marketing process which is very interesting.
I’m very grateful for all the skills that I’ve learnt at university that have taken me to where I’m today.
From India to Australia
I started with a Bachelor of Mass Communication from back home in India but I wanted to get some global exposure and experience of a different culture. So, I thought Australia was a great choice since it’s very multicultural, it’s easy to fit in and you will meet people from all over the world. I applied to QUT and in 2016 I started a degree in Master of Business with a major in Integrated Marketing Communication.
My QUT experience
My time at QUT was great and I would say the highlight of my studies was the close friendship group I developed whom I still keep in contact with today. Your friends become very important when you live overseas and meeting people from different cultures has been a great experience. QUT was also where I started my career by getting casual jobs as a Digital Ambassador with the International Marketing team and also working for the Graduate School of Business assisting with events.
All the practical experience I got when studying has been very beneficial when starting working and something that I really enjoyed. I often refer to projects I did at uni since the skills I acquired at QUT are very transferrable, specifically a unit called Work Integrated Learning (WIL) where you work on a real industry problem. My project was for RACQ where I worked with four other team members on a marketing proposal and strategy coming up with a solution for RACQ to bundle their services with their members and market it to the customers. My role was to research the personas and build the customer journey. At the end of the project, we pitched our ideas to RACQ among five other groups. Our team won and RACQ said our strategy was the most practical of them all. Another real-world project I did was a business proposal for Food Connect. The company was very impressed and I got a 30-day paid internship, where I had to implement my ideas.
Whilst at QUT, I also took advantage of the student support services, which had many great sessions on how to create your resume and learn interview skills. At one of these sessions, I got to speak with the staff of the Student Services team which led to the opportunity to present at the student services info sessions for international students. This was a great help in improving my public speaking skills and my confidence.
Landing my first job
I graduated in 2018 with .7 - a high enough GPA to make it on the Dean’s recipient list. Since I had already got some experience working whilst at QUT, I felt it was easier to transition and get a job. My first job was a Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Brismark. Then I went to a Marketing and Communications role at Farmers2Founders and now I’m here in my current role.
My advice
My advice to prospective students and graduates would be to utilise all the resources that are available at QUT and make the most of it. Ensure you get an overall experience that prepares you for your future career. Don’t forget to balance your study with having fun: join clubs and meet new people from different countries. This is where you learn the most and also one of the reasons why I decided to study overseas.
