We’ve decided to put recruitment for our Accounting Graduate Programme on hold until the second half of this year, at which time we will have a clearer view of the numbers and types of positions available in 2013. We invite you to keep an eye on our Graduate website for updates
Keep things going
Engineering Programme
The Engineering Graduate Programme within Chorus is your first stepping stone in a career within the technical side of the telecommunications industry.
What you'll do
People selected for the programme have a keen interest in engineering and technology and are excited about new technology and where it'll be in five or ten years.
Technical mentor
You're assigned a technical mentor who works with you and your manager to make sure you get a range of experiences and opportunities in the technical telecommunications field. At about the six-month mark, you'll already be accountable for your own projects and working closely with service companies. You'll help to make sure we're delivering the service our customers need and we'll push and stretch you to the best of your abilities.
Development programmes
Graduates go through development programmes learning transferable skills like networking, written skills and personal management. We also get graduates to work on a project together and present it to the Chorus leadership team. It's a great way to build your profile across the business.
Fast-track your technical career
This role is a permanent one in the Chorus Field Services team. We aim to have developed graduates well enough that they're ready to move into another role within 12 to 18 months. We won't exactly throw you in the deep end, but if you do end up there, we'll make sure there's someone to help you float.
This path generally leads to a Delivery Specialist role, working with other Field Services people to manage projects. You'll usually be accountable for a particular piece of technology or geographical region.
There are other possibilities too, like the Implementation Specialists who manage change within the organisation and the Business Analyst roles with Chorus and the broader Telecom group.
Who we're looking for
We look for graduates with an engineering degree – any major but ideally in radio, mechanics or mechatronics. We also consider graduates with business or science degrees who show a strong interest in, and knowledge of, technology.
We look for people who are keen to make their career in the telecommunications industry. Many Chorus employees have massive experience with the New Zealand network. There's an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge and experience to help our graduates develop.
Chorus people have a pragmatic approach and a reputation for being able to handle just about any problem. We resolve issues and make things happen. If you like to be challenged at work and are committed to doing the right things by our customers and the network, you'll be right at home here.
Most people here don't see things in black and white; there are plenty of shades of grey where something could be done better, or just differently.
Application criteria
All applicants must meet the following criteria:
- You should be finishing your degree or postgraduate qualification, or have graduated in the 12 months preceding the year you'll be starting the programme
- You have to be a New Zealand or Australian citizen or a New Zealand permanent resident
- Ideally, you'll have a B+ grade average or better. That said, we're not looking for the people with the highest grades or the most academic awards - what will really distinguish your success are qualities like personal drive and how you fit in.
Graduates are placed all over the country, mainly Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. But we still consider people keen to be located outside the main centres; there are about 20 such sites where you could be located.
Benefits you'll receive
When you join the Technical Graduate Programme you'll get the best start to your career possible. You'll also get heaps of great benefits that everyone working at Telecom enjoys.
Technical mentor
You'll be assigned a technical mentor who'll work with you and your manager to deliver a range of experiences in the technical telecommunications field. You'll also work on projects and complete training and development sessions with other technical graduates so it's easy to form your own network.
Rewards and recognition
We're proud that we pay our people competitively and offer rewards linked to the performance of the company and every team member.
Phone and broadband concessions
If you're a permanent Telecom employee you enjoy various concessions on our phone and broadband services:
- Your home phone line
- Unlimited national calling
- A broadband plan at home
- Your mobile phone and plan
Lifestyle and leisure
We reckon everyone should have a good work-life balance. and we'll help you achieve yours with a range of lifestyle and leisure benefits:
- A flexible working policy so you can be at home if you need to be
- Heaps of social events so you can relax with workmates, not just work with them
- Discounted health insurance schemes.
- Access to subsidised, low-cost, quality holiday accommodation all over New Zealand
- We sponsor our employees to participate in public sporting events
Future and finances
It's important to us that our employees are financially stable and thinking about the lifestyle they want when they retire:
- We'll contribute to your retirement savings with KiwiSaver
- Through our Employee Share Scheme we make it easy to buy Telecom shares with a small fortnightly contribution and we'll pay the brokerage fees
Discounts and deals
As well as our own formal employee benefits, a number of other New Zealand companies offer concessions to Telecom employees, like...
- Westpac Bank offers a range of financial services discounts
- A number of insurance companies offer competitive rates on cover options
- Various travel and hospitality companies offer Telecom people corporate travel rates for their private travel
James Scholz
Current role: Delivery Specialist, Engineering Graduate, Chorus
Degree: Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics, University of Auckland.
My name is James. I like music. But then again, everybody does. So that's like saying "I am human". I actually play music in a band, and if you're curious, you can find us on the internet: We call ourselves ‘Inverse Order', and have a few videos and songs you can check out (When you're not too busy at work of course). We played recently at the Telecom Christmas parties which was awesome.
Anyway, in my life at Chorus I am a Delivery Specialist. This is a very broad term that you get given when you are one of the people responsible for installing the physical equipment that Chorus owns. I am primarily involved in outside plant, so putting in new fibre optic cables, undergrounding overhead cables, moving equipment when the roads are widened, installing Fibre-to-the-node cabinets etc. If you haven't heard of Chorus before, we are responsible for running and maintaining the physical Telecom network. Most of the guys here have been in the company for 30+ years, and worked their way up from digging holes for the Post Office at age 16. So there is a wealth of experience here if you're looking for it - though it also means you're going to be called ‘boy' for a long, long time.
I studied Mechatronics (robotics) at university, which was useful in terms of not being afraid of technical jargon and complex looking plans and designs, but the most useful thing I gained from the degree was the ability to keep myself organised and work through things in a logical manner. Sometimes you go through the day trying to handle ten different peoples ‘urgent' problems all at once, and it helps to be able to multi-task. If you're one of those people that lose their keys frequently, this role will prove to be quite a challenge.
I chose this job because I enjoy project management, and I enjoy being able to see the progress of my work. Any time you want you can drive out to one of your road-works jobs and see people putting in new ducts, or breaking open manholes. And its always fun spending thousands of dollars of someone else's money.
Chorus is a great place to work. If you know anyone that works for a Telecom company, they are probably almost cult-like in their feverish love of their work. And if this isn't a positive indication that Telecom treats their employees well, I don't know what is.
All in all, if you want a flexible job that lets you do things your way, and gives you great experience, then you'll enjoy being a Delivery Specialist. That is, if you don't mind being ‘the new ‘kid' for the next ten years.
Gray Renwick
Current role: Technical/Engineering Graduate, Chorus
Degree: Bachelor of Science, Physics (Hons) and Mathematics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch
SRM, SAP, FAIMS, TPMS, CWMS, ASI, TLRD; ISAM, ASAM, DSLAM; DSL, ADSL, SHDSL, VDSL. The telecommunications network is a lot more complex than most people expect. But that’s definitely a good thing. It means that at Chorus you are constantly at the forefront of change, implementing cutting-edge technology in an industry vitally responsible for connecting everyday New Zealanders.
One of the first things you notice when joining Chorus is the amount of technical jargon around. Everything from the ‘backbone’ network down to the ‘pigtail’ wiring has its own acronym or codename, as well as the software applications used to manage the network. In this sense Technical Graduate is an apt job title. Fortunately, everyone at Chorus is incredibly helpful. You can ask anyone, regardless of their role or experience, and they are willing to help, or find someone who can.
Moving from a university lifestyle to the workplace can be quite a change; one of the great things about Chorus is the support you are given as a graduate. Initially you are set up with a technical mentor, who will point out everything from the location of the cable beetles deep in the Christchurch exchange, to the beer fridge late on a Friday. As well as mentoring support I’ve travelled to ongoing graduate development training in Auckland.
In my short time at Chorus I’ve been given a leading role in a project involving replacing old ADSL2 cards with newer VDSL cards in hardwired cabinets around the country. I’ve also had the chance to get out of the office doing site checks on rural exchanges around Canterbury, a great way to see how the network all fits together. So far I have found the working atmosphere here to be great, everyone is laidback and down-to-earth, and working together to get projects completed. All-in-all Chorus is definitely about more than just POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service).
