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IN-HOUSE AND CORPORATE
The Business Careers Handbook 2020
In-House and corporate
Overview It’s one of the age-old career questions – should I work in-house or in professional services? Unlike professional service firms who work for a variety of clients, working in-house means you are responsible only to a specific organisation. You may work anywhere from a mining company to an insurer or a hotel chain. The organisation may be a global, ASX-listed corporate or a private Australia-focused organisation. Deciding whether to work in-house or in professional services is a relevant question for almost all specialisations. Whether accounting, marketing, operations or supply chain, there are typically advisory or consulting services for most specialisations. Working in-house has the benefit of getting to work at an organisation in a much deeper way. Unlike professional services, which provide recommendations to an organisation, being in-house allows you to be more hands on and bring strategies to life by actually implementing them. Being a part of this journey can be immensely satisfying. Entering the in-house and corporate sector Most larger corporates have official graduate programs. These include Qantas, Woolworths, Coles, Rio Tinto, Shell and Telstra. Graduate programs may take up to two years to complete and typically involve rotations throughout different departments, depending on your specialisation. Being selected for these graduate programs is competitive. Large organisations typically recruit candidates who can demonstrate competence in their specialisation through university grades or extracurricular activities and an openness to learning. While other organisations may not have an official graduate program, they may still have in-house positions available to graduates. This will depend on the organisation itself – they may rely on word of mouth rather than formally advertise, or perhaps only run graduate recruitment programs as required and not every year. Regardless, you may want to widen your graduate job search beyond the well known brands and reach out to smaller organisations to see if there is any availability in your specialisation. www.gradaustralia.com.au
The value of prior experience can’t be overstated. Employers look very favourably on graduates who have sought out internships or other forms of practical exposure to the business world. What’s involved? As there are many specialisations in the business world, from human resources to marketing to accounting and finance, the type of in-house work you do on a regular basis will vary greatly depending on your chosen specialisation. For example, you may work at a large supermarket retailer in operations and supply chain. This may mean travelling to visit key suppliers or distribution centres to observe, analyse and improve processes. Alternatively, you may be working in the accounting and finance department of a retail bank. You will likely be stationed at the head office with little need for travel. Your days may be filled with analysing and interpreting data, developing financial reports or managing budgets. Despite what your specialisation might be, you will find working in-house allows you to get up close and personal with the organisation you are working for. You will learn about its business goals, strategies, aspirations and liabilities. You will have the opportunity to really hone your understanding of how a business works and how your specialisation plays a role within it. If you work at an organisation that has multiple offices, you may also have the opportunity to transfer internationally or interstate. This can be a great way to extend your career by learning how to work in a new environment or culture. Best and worst An oft-cited benefit of working in-house is that you generally enjoy more regular working hours than those in professional services. This is because unlike professional services, who are expected to drop everything to service a client request as soon as it comes in, working in-house means your employer and fellow colleagues are the client! You typically get to set the deadlines and timing (depending on your seniority, of course). Moreover, the hours you work aren’t billable like those in professional services, and as such there
