Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018 | 3
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S E C T I O N 4
Further study
page 107
If you’re not ready to say goodbye to
university, we’ve prepared the ultimate
guide to upgrading your skills with a
postgraduate degree.
S E C T I O N 5
Featured employers
page 135
Find out more about Australia’s key
graduate employers, including what they
offer and what types of students they are
looking for, plus details about applying for
internships and graduate programs.
S E C T I O N 6
Fast movers
page 263
Look beyond the obvious. Check out these
employers who are attracting a strong
following in the graduate market.
6 | Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018
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Featured employers
Which companies are hiring in 2018? See below key then match up your
degree with the employers recruiting your discipline of study.
Key for relevant degrees
Engineering, Maths, IT &
Computer Science
Sciences
Finance, Accounting, Economics
& Business Administration
Law
Medical Sciences and Health
Humanities, Arts & Social
Sciences
Property & Built Environment
Teaching, Education & Human
Welfare
Employer
Type of opportunity
Location of opportunities
Accepting
applications from
Learn more
Areas with graduate opportunities
Accenture
Consulting
32nd in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Page 136
AECOM
Construction and property
services
55th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 138
Airbus
Engineering, R&D and
manufacturing
37th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 140
Aldi
Retail, sales and
consumer goods
52nd in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Page 142
Allens
Law
52nd in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 144
ANSTO
Public service and utilities
76th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 146
Ashurst
Law
78th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 148
Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018 | 7
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Employer
Type of opportunity
Location of opportunities
Accepting
applications from
Learn more
Areas with graduate opportunities
ASIO
Public service and utilities
76th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
ACT
Page 150
Aurecon
Construction and property
services
77th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 152
Australian Taxation
Office
Public service and utilities
34th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Page 154
BAE Systems
Engineering, R&D and
manufacturing
63rd in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 156
BDO
Accounting and advisory
86th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 158
BHP
Mining, energy, oil and
gas
19th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 160
Bloomberg LP
Banking and financial
services
64th in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 162
BP
Mining, energy, oil and
gas
73rd in the Top 100
Graduate jobs
Internships
Page 164
153 | Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018
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Type of opportunities
Graduate jobs
Internships
Sector
Consulting, financial advisory and
accounting
Accepting applications from
All disciplines
Number of employees
More than 100,000
Selection process
1. Online application
2. Online testing
3. Video interview
4. Assessment centre +
face-to-face interview
5. Offer
Location of opportunities
Areas with graduate opportunities
Contact
pwc.com.au/careers
facebook.com/
PwCAUStudentCareers/
linkedin.com/company/
pwc-australia
@pwc_au
user/pwccareersaustralia
Graduate satisfaction
Visit gradaustralia.com.au for more info
Want the work you do to contribute
to a ‘bigger picture’? You’ve come
to the right place! Driving positive
change on the issues that matter
most to our nation and our clients
is at the heart of what we do. We
help Australian businesses, not-
for-profits and governments better
the way they work. From improving
healthcare, to creating smarter
cities and igniting Australia’s start
up industry, our people build trust
in society and solve important
problems. This is both our passion
and our purpose. By joining our
global network of firms that spans
157 countries, your potential to
make an impact really is limitless.
Now, we’ll be upfront. The work
can be hard and challenging at
times. But this is why our people
get excited to turn up each day!
With ongoing opportunities for
growth and development you will
never be without mentorship or
support to draw on. Above all,
we want you to engage in work
that not only challenges you but
fulfils you with a sense of purpose.
It’s important to us that you feel
motivated by the opportunity to
blend your passions and interests
with your work.
We hire interns and graduates
nationally from all academic
backgrounds. Most importantly,
we look for people who are bright,
passionate and share our values.
Encouraging flexible work options,
no dress code, employee-led
diversity networks and more, we’re
committed to helping you unleash
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Aspire to play a bigger game, to make an even
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It’s alright to feel uncertain about
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Your ideas will leave the virtual
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Create change. Create yourself.
Find out more at
pwc.com.au/careers
PwC VR experience:
create good energy
Create
Yourself
Create
good energy
36 | Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018
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Janet Mao is a graduate in Digital Channels
at CBA
had a group task followed by
individual interviews.
What has been challenging?
Graduating from a combined
Science/Arts degree, I didn’t
really have a background
in finance or IT, and I was
apprehensive about how I could
upskill fast enough to make
an impact.
CBA entrusts you with a lot of
responsibility from the get-go as
a graduate, which is daunting but
empowering. However, they also
understand you are at the start
of your career and don’t have all
the answers, so there are lots of
opportunities for learning, and
asking what you might think are
stupid questions.
What’s been surprising?
The amazing culture at CBA
Digital – which feels like its own
tech start-up within CBA.
This may be surprising for a
bank, but most of the people I
work with wear jeans, don’t have
assigned seating, and have quick
stand-up huddle meetings in front
of giant project boards instead of
long boardroom-style meetings.
This modern way of working
has even extended to outside of
Digital to help refine our products
and strategies as well as
technologies, from teams on the
ground to higher executives.
What advice would you give to
current students interested in
working for CBA?
I would recommend you have
an open mind about what role you
want to have and just be keen
to learn, as CBA has so many
different areas and opportunities
for you to make an impact – some
you may not have known existed!
Focus on the kind of impact
you want to have and values that
come along with it, especially as
CBA itself is very values-focused.
What do you do day to day?
As a Digital Graduate I go
through different rotations
within the business focusing
on improving our customers’
digital experiences.
My first rotation in the Digital
Banking team saw me collate
and analyse customer insights
and present my findings and
recommendations to my team and
other stakeholders.
My second rotation through
Branch was vastly different as
I interacted directly with our
customers to make the most of
their banking, whether it’s through
teaching a customer how to utilise
our app or NetBank, servicing any
account needs, or conducting
customer interviews as part of my
own research projects.
Why were you interested in
working there?
When I graduated I wasn’t sure
exactly what role I was after
but was attracted to the Digital
Graduate Stream as it seemed to
combine many of my interests:
technological innovation, design,
analytics, and a focus on the
customer experience.
What’s the grad program like?
I’ve completed two rotations so
far, out of five. The first was as
NetBank Complaints Manager in
the Digital Banking team, and my
second was as a generalist grad
in a branch, focused on learning
about frontline operations. I’ve
just started my third rotation
in the Mobile App team as
Product Owner.
What was involved in the
recruitment process?
The recruitment process
involved an online application
with a psychometric test, which
was followed by video interview.
Finally there was an in person
assessment centre where we
I’ve just started my third
rotation in the Mobile
App team as Product
Owner, which I’m very
excited about.
Study
Role
Bachelor of Science
(Advanced Mathematics)/
Bachelor of Arts from The
University of Sydney, 2015
Graduate, Digital Channels
Janet Mao
On the job
Fact sheet
Field of study
Job satisfaction
Average rating
Entry-level salaries
< 45k
45-55k
55-65k
65-75k
75k+
Average work week
Level of study
Grads are most happy with
Highs and lows
Grads are less happy with
< 30h
30-40h
40-50h
50-60h
60-70h
70h+
Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018 | 37
.com.au
Banking and fnancial services
Typical work
week 40-50hrs
60%
0%
24%
13%
3%
1%
8%
Median salary
$65-75k
1%
33%
29%
29%
3.3/5
Career
prospects
4.3/5
Diversity
62%
Studied Finance,
Accounting, Economics
& Business
Postgraduate
Honours
13%
17%
Entered this sector after
finishing their Bachelor
degree
70%
4.1/5
Other
Science
Law
23%
4%
5%
5%
Engineering,
Maths, IT &
Computer Science
.com.au
60 | Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018
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what they plan on working
on today, and to discuss any
challenges they might be having.
10:15AM It’s time to get
stuck into work. As a software
engineer my role is to build the
product and/or feature. I work
with product owners, designers,
and testers to understand what
to build, how it should look,
and the best way that it should
function. For the last few months
we’ve worked on developing
a new feature within Netbank.
This feature has gone live, and
allows home loan customers to
change the frequency of their
mortgage repayments online.
As part of that project, I’m also
looking at implementing a table
on each customer’s personal
provides a very flexible workplace
and I take full advantage of that!
My train ride takes 30 minutes
and I’ve spent the last few months
listening to podcasts on the
commute. My current favourite is
the Tim Ferriss show.
10:00AM The CommBank
building I work in is set up for
activity based working, so you
can choose where you sit based
on the type of work you’ve got
on for that day. Sometimes it can
take some searching to find a
seat if you come in late though!
My first meeting each day is the
10:00am stand-up. A stand-up
is a short and sharp 15 minute
session. It’s a great opportunity
for everyone in the team to share
what they worked on yesterday,
5:30am – 7:30AM It’s time
to get up! I know what you’re
thinking – that’s a pretty broad
time range. I’m someone who
doesn’t do routines. If I wake up
early I’ll either go for a run around
the harbour or head straight to
work. If not, I’m sleeping in. Either
way, I’m in the office between
8am – 9:30am. CommBank
Nirvan Gelda
Nirvan is a graduate software engineer at
Commonwealth Bank.
Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018 | 61
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1:30PM After lunch I’ve got
an opportunity to crack on and
try to finish the feedback panel
for the Netbank tool. One of
the key focuses at CommBank
is collaboration; we know that
everybody thinks differently and
that a chat can lead to great
ideas, so I’ve approached one
of the senior developers to help
me out.
3:30PM Next up is my fortnightly
one-on-one with my manager. I
use it as an opportunity to update
him on what’s going on with my
work. I also like to use the time
to raise ideas for projects, or
discuss my development and
future rotation opportunities.
Based on our conversations
he’s got a few people that he’s
going to introduce me to, which
is a great way for me to build
my networks. Having a manager
who genuinely cares about my
development really helps at such
an early stage of my career.
4:00PM We’ve got a session
to discuss the designs for an
upcoming project which aims to
improve the user experience for
the customer. These sessions
give us an opportunity to talk
about design decisions, the
feedback we’ve received from
user testing, and the complexity
in implementing the design from a
technical viewpoint.
5:00PM To finish off the day, I’m
doing a little audio recording and
video editing. I’ve volunteered to
create short tutorial videos on how
to use specific internal tools within
the bank. Today’s video is on a
tool that we use to conduct A/B
testing. A/B testing is the process
of comparing two webpages to
determine which one performs
better. We use Switchblade to test
the success of new features on
the Netbank and CommBank app.
6:00PM It’s time to head off,
which involves clearing my desk,
throwing everything in my locker
and begrudgingly fighting the
hordes of people at Town Hall
station. Once home I’ll get stuck
into cooking dinner. It’s a great
way for me to wind down after my
day. Finally, I’ll read a book for the
last hour – I’m currently reading
Mindset by Dr Dwek. I’ll try to get
to bed by 10:30pm before I start it
all again!
NetBank page to summarise their
loan information. This will allow
them to know where they stand at
a glimpse.
11:30AM I head to our weekly
engineering newsletter meeting.
This newsletter gets distributed
to a few hundred engineers
across the bank. Articles cover
technology trends from around
the world, new initiatives within the
bank, and different engineering
practices we believe we should
all try. To freshen up the
newsletter, we add an Engineers
of CommBank section. Each
week, we’ll profile one of our
engineers to showcase our
great talent.
12:30PM Lunch is one of my
favourite times of the day! My
absolute favourite food for lunch
has to be Guzman Y Gomez –
there’s one nearby the office. I
love Mexican food! Almost all of
the graduates sit together and eat
outside on the level 6 terrace. The
topics of conversation are usually
pretty varied. Today it’s all about
rotations; who is and isn’t rotating
and where people are going.
Very juicy!
Want to know more? Visit GradAustralia.com.au for exclusive insights.
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52 | Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers 2018
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Engineering, R&D
and manufacturing
development, management and commercial
responsibilities. Many graduates are attracted
to the sector by opportunities for travel and the
satisfaction that comes from seeing designs turned
into finished products.
The average package is $68,000 and the average
hours worked per week is 41, making this one of the
hardest-working groups of grads on a dollar-per-
hour basis.
Job market outlook
Technology development is relentless, and is
expected to continue on this trajectory as we
enter the deepest phase of the digital revolution
yet. There will be exponential growth of R&D
opportunities, especially in the technology and
automation space.
While the life sciences are still a booming micro-
economy, Big Pharma is struggling to maintain its
current growth levels. The squeeze of governments
trying to contain costs and pushing for generic-
branded medicines to be adopted is hitting
the margins, but there’s still plenty of life in the
industry yet.
It’s one thing to be able to come up with a
revolutionary idea, but it’s another to be able to
put that idea into practice and make it a reality.
We all know someone who is handy with just about
everything, and businesses are no different to
people — we all need someone to call on who
can make, fix or test things! And that’s where the
talented people of this sector come in. The classic
Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams wasn’t wrong:
“If you build/make/test/fix it, they will come” (...
calling to offer you a job). It’s slightly paraphrased,
but you get the idea.
If you’re looking for a role where you can apply your
education and skills to projects and products that
help drive growth and improve the lives of others,
then this is a great industry to build your career in.
Graduate opportunities can be found across a
broad range of areas and industries, including
telecoms, consumer goods manufacturing, energy,
the built environment, health, education and
pharmaceuticals.
Roles cover an equally wide expanse of
duties, including research, product design and
As the proof is in the pudding, the profit is in the product. This is a talented
industry of doers.
Graduate engineer
Thomas Callary at
Airbus’ first graduate
program in Brisbane.
.com.au
.com.au
Te average package is $68,000
and the average hours worked
per week is 41, making this a
particularly hard-working groups
of grads on a dollar-per-hour basis.
Te top rated accounting &
advisory employers
Top 100
Fast movers
Top employers
PWC
pg 100
EY
pg 99
KPMG
pg 100
BDO
pg 99
Pitcher Partners
pg 100
Grant Thornton Australia
pg 99
Kordamentha
pg 100
Company A
pg 99
PWC
pg 100
EY
pg 99
KPMG
pg 100
BDO
pg 99
Pitcher Partners
pg 100
Grant Thornton Australia
pg 99
Kordamentha
pg 100
Company A
pg 99
Cochlear grads feel like
they’re changing the world
with new and exciting
health technologies.
Manufacturing is increasingly moving offshore
— by the end of 2018 there will be no more car
manufacturers left in Australia — which is causing
havoc upstream and downstream, for both
consumers and the businesses that supply parts
and accessories. This may not be the best time to
consider a domestic manufacturing career, we’ve
got to be honest — unless you’re thinking of a highly
specialised manufacturer, such as Cochlear or with
some of the bigger defence manufacturers.
Engineering is still a highly sought after profession
from both directions, with employers looking for
talented engineers while students clamour to fill
university spots. The work will chiefly be found
in civil infrastructure, manufacturing, mining and
defence. However, the future of engineering is
set to turn its attention to robotics, biotechnology
and bioscience.
How to get hired
Recruiters are looking for teamwork-oriented
graduates who can provide technical proficiency
along with problem-solving, organisation,
communication and project management skills to
the company.
Construction projects can involve a high level of
risk and engineering companies are also under