My name's Carol.

I studied a Bachelor of Business and Commerce at the Monash University, and I majored in human resource management and management.

I chose to work for DAFF because it offered the three rotations. You could rotate through different areas in the department, which I thought would broaden my skills. 

My favourite things about the Graduate Program were starting with a group of like-minded people. You had an instant social network who you could grow and develop with throughout the program. 

Also, having the opportunity to work through three different areas of the department gave you a broad exposure to portfolio issues.
 
DAFF has quite a hardworking culture with a lot of very dedicated people. At the same time, it's quite relaxed and the people that you work with are really down-to-earth. 

DAFF provided a lot of support in my move to Canberra. They organised the relocation, so all my belongings were moved from my home up to Canberra, which made everything a lot easier. They also put us up in accommodation for three weeks with the other graduates, which made it easy to meet everybody and also to start building those networks.

The best thing about living in Canberra is that it's close to everything - it's close to the beach, it's close to the snow - and, within Canberra, everything in itself is close. This reduces a lot of travel time, which means you've got more time for yourself, so you can definitely have a life outside of work.

And, with that, Canberra also has a lot of activities that you can get involved in. There's a lot of sporting clubs and other groups to involve yourself in in Canberra.

To students considering the Graduate Program, I'd definitely recommend it. It's a great building block for the start of your career. It provides you with an exposure to three very different areas 
of the department,and also gives you an exposure to the Government and the processes involved. 

I've been really surprised by how well I've fitted in to Canberra. It's definitely exceeded any expectation I did have. This has been coupled with the great people I've had to work with.

They've been really supportive of my move to Canberra.