Why Payroll?

‘I fell into Payroll, really as during my Masters I was looking to get my foot in the professional door and found that it was a role which lent itself to my experience and education thus far – as well as being another specialism I could expand to learn. I knew it was a great opportunity to set my career up but had no idea of the direction it would launch it into.’

What are some key projects which launched your career?

‘I’ve been lucky in my career that I’ve been able to work across a huge array of different projects and learn almost the whole scope of the Payroll industry. Some of these projects have been extremely challenging, such as within my role at Telstra during a merger and acquisition.

At the time Telstra acquired an organisation spanning ten countries which meant we had an extremely tight timeline within which to move across the entire Payroll process into one incumbent vendor.

This spanned across APAC countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Therefore as well as the whole consolidation process, I was also managing each geographical team from whom I needed local area advice as well as often consolidating entities within each region as one country may have multiple entities. Big projects like this are the perfect time to really scrutinise and streamline each element of a business and therefore I was working to increase the efficiency of each region’s system whilst trying to keep them all in line with each other.

This is all not to mention the barriers such as time zones, languages and of course our business as usual work which had to continue unimpeded! Although it was a really difficult slog, the satisfaction when finished was amazing and it really has impacted where my career has gone since – not only because of skill appreciation but also the reputational advantages of managing something so huge successfully. As the Payroll community is so small and specialised, making a splash can go really far as people often know each other from previous work or projects.’

Advice for choosing your next career steps

‘There’s definitely pros and cons to working in different sized organisations. I’d say in a bigger organisation your division is more like an SME within the business itself. So for me in that position, I’m focusing entirely on Payroll services as there’s enough work within that niche to keep me busy across multiple projects and so you become an expert in one subject.

Whereas I’d say in a smaller organisation you get more opportunity to work across other Payroll associated tasks such as compensation benefits or other things with a slightly different skill set and so you do develop more of a diversity of ability. However this does come with more of a budget constraint which hinders your ability to implement projects like you would in bigger corporates.

A final point on getting ahead in your career

Really though, you drive your own career. It’s definitely advantageous to move around and work with new people and on new types of projects. I’d recommend making a development plan for yourself and hold yourself accountable for it. Share it with your managers and let them know what the next step for you is and the action you’re looking to take to get there. Ultimately, they’ll enable your growth if you have clear intentions.

It’s really important to have an education in your back pocket. Whilst I think both an education and experience are vital, you should continuously work on your formal education whilst gaining real work experience – even if that is a short unpaid placement. These roles allow you to put your theory into practice and give you an advantage over other people who are only focused on studying.

Not only that, but getting professional experience early on gives you a reference and a network to build on. My first role was because a friend of the business I was working with, was looking to hire someone new and the recommendation I could provide was a fast track into that first role.

Who you know is so important because of the other doors it can open for you. Once you get into an organisation and you have the right attitude, it’s so easy to upskill and create more opportunities.

Your learning education should span policy and regulation too. You should read up on Fair Work practices and legislation and then you can translate that knowledge in any interview and show your willingness to go the extra mile and keep up to date with the industry.’