An internship at Nous through CareerTrackers led Taliah King to a position as a Consultant in our Canberra office in 2022. Taliah grew up in Shellharbour in the Illawarra region before undertaking a Bachelor of Arts, specialising in psychology, at the Australian National University.
She works with consulting teams on a variety of projects to support government clients. She has written about a typical day in the life of a consultant on the Grad Australia website.
You first came to Nous as an intern in the CareerTrackers program. Tell us about that program and your internship at Nous.
I was a part of the CareerTrackers program when I first interned at Nous. The program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop professional skills and personal attributes that drive success. The program partners with organisations like Nous to introduce university students, then the student moves through relevant recruitment processes. The CareerTrackers introduction to Nous helped me to consider consulting as a career. I was pleased to get the opportunity to kick that off with an internship.
You went from the internship to a graduate consulting position. How has the complexity of your work expanded?
During my internship I worked across different projects providing support to the consultants. This meant I got little snapshots of work as a consultant and could work out what areas most aligned with my interests. Returning as a consultant I get to see the full breadth of a project from start to finish. It means working continuously with a close-knit team to work through a client’s challenges and build on each other’s strengths.
How does Nous support employees to build their careers?
Embedded in Nous’ culture is providing constructive feedback in an ongoing manner but also through formal processes. Together, it allows everyone to be able to highlight their strengths and have confidence in what areas they need to improve. It takes the perspective that learning is an ongoing process that everyone, no matter their role, can be a part of.
What sets the Nous culture apart from the culture of other organisations?
The Nous culture is unique as it is driven by every individual and everyone as a collective. The culture at Nous is supported by colleagues leading interesting lives inside and outside of work. Often hobbies are shared with colleagues, providing an opportunity to explore fun activities outside of work. This strengthens the work we do by balancing work and life interests. The culture is created not by one individual or one event but by everyone collectively being open to explore new experiences and getting together to connect.
Nous has a comprehensive array of employee benefits. Which ones have the most impact on your work life?
Nous self-management style has the biggest impact on my work and is something I really enjoy. Having the agency to organise my project work to what best suits my working style (I am a big morning person), is really helpful to setting up my day so I can be most productive. This is complemented by having a Buddy and a Performance Coach to support you to make those decisions if you need guidance.
Consultants at Nous work across a range of projects. Can you tell us about the breadth of clients and projects you are involved in?
I have worked across multiple clients and in different business offers, including strategy, digital transformation and evaluation. While I have unique experience working among Indigenous communities, I am supported to develop my expertise by working with different clients and who have a diverse range of stakeholders, which can include government departments and communities on the ground.
How have the Nous induction activities helped you settle in at Nous?
The induction experience was tailored to provide the foundational skills to support the transition into consulting at Nous. The best thing about induction is getting to meet all your colleagues in a learning environment, where they each bring their own strengths and experiences. This is helpful when you are finding your feet, but also helps to build meaningful relationships with each other based on fun activities.
What support have you had from more experienced colleagues?
Each Nouser is supported by a Buddy and a Performance Coach, which help to set you up for success. Both people provide a safe space for you to share your goals as well as the challenges you might face. For me, these people support me by listening to and checking with me about my experience on projects and also help to facilitate networking opportunities across the organisation. This includes introducing colleagues who I haven’t had a chance to work with but share similar goals or interests.
Keen to build your career at Nous? Visit our careers page to learn more.
