Angel Hayward: Six Months in Review

Canberra, Mt Ainslie lookout

IPS Graduate Consultant Angel Hayward recently marked her six month milestone with our company. We checked in to hear more about her journey in that time.

Tell us a bit about yourself:
I am a Noongar, I grew up in Perth, my parents are from the South West of Western Australia.

Degree and year of completion: Bachelor of Arts: Anthropology & Sociology 2014

It’s been six months in the graduate program, what opportunities have you been given while working at IPS?
In my first week I travelled to Sydney and Townsville in five days from Perth. That was when I realised to expect the unexpected.

Where else have you travelled to?
In WA I have travelled to: Meekatharra, Carnarvon, Denham and Geraldton.
In Queensland I have travelled to: Townsville, Rockhampton, Woorabinda, Barcaldine and Palm Island.
In Tasmania I travelled to Hobart & Devonport.
Lastly, I have also been to Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne (for a professional development course).

Why did you choose your career?
Throughout my career, I have always found the most enjoyment in the jobs that specifically empowered Indigenous people, and I have always gravitated to jobs that empower Indigenous people on a national scale. When I first read the job description, I couldn’t believe it because consultancy had always been the career I wanted, but I thought I would only have the ability to even try, ten to fifteen years later.

What is the most unexpected opportunity that you have been provided so far?
I think it was my most recent project - I had the opportunity to work in Canberra for three weeks, full time. Six months ago when I first started at IPS, I didn’t think that I would be working and living in Canberra for almost a month!

What’s the difference between a graduate program in a small business to a large government agency?
I would say it’s incredibly different. When you work for a large government agency it’s incredibly structured and planned. Working for a small business is the complete opposite: IPS has a team approach mentality and often if needed, someone will ask me to assist on a different project or the directors will give me a new task. It’s incredibly refreshing because it’s constantly changing and I’m never working on the same project for months on end.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Because I have been travelling so much, I’ve learned that having a list of things needing to be completed has been really effective in managing my time, while also ensuring that I achieve the things I need to during the day.

What’s the most challenging hurdle you have been tasked with?
I had the opportunity to shadow one of the business advisors in Adelaide and Tasmania. That same week I was also tasked with organising and completing 5-6 short interviews. At one stage I was at a farm outside of Hobart, in the car calling people to have some interviews. I learned during this time how important it was to forge ahead and to try your best in whatever it is you do.

Anything else you’d like to add in conclusion?
Switching from the public sector to the private sector was a risk. It was completely different from anything else I had become accustomed to. All I knew is that I thought about what I would be doing twenty years in the future, and I knew that I didn’t want to complete that type of work for the rest of my life. Yes, it was one of the riskiest decisions I ever made, I just didn’t want to look back on my life and regret that I didn’t choose another life because I was too afraid of change.

On the way to Barcaldine

Flying to Palm Island

Flying from Geraldton to Perth