Name: Rusalka Primrose

Department: Immigration and Border Protection

Nominating for: President, Vice President, Social Chair, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Ball Chair.

Hello!

My name is Rusalka (happy to be known by Rusy though) - I am 24-year-old female and a graduate within the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. I have lived in Canberra for slightly over three years now but originally I am from Melbourne. I am interested in joining the 2016/2017 SNoG executive committee for a variety of reasons. Namely, I would love to share my passion for Canberra with other graduates and to assistas many of our members as possible to settle into their new lives as public servants! Having moved to Canberra as a lone wolf, I am eager to ensure that others have a strongsupport network to turn to when they may be feeling isolated. Moreover, I believe a role within the SNoG executive committee would be a fantastic opportunity to further my ownorganisational and leadership skills!

To tell you a bit about myself - I have completed my law degree at ANU and I am currently in the process of satisfying the requirements for admission through the graduate diploma of legal practice. In terms of my skills and what I could bring to the SNoG executive committee; I have previously worked full time within a local women’s refuge where I spent a fair amount of my time organising events for clients, developing educational and support programs, fundraising for our service and spreading the word about our service and how we can help women and children in crisis. I have a keen interest in planning events and believe that I have strong organisational skills that could be utilised to help build SNoG’s current event calendar. I have experience working in a large variety of contexts from being a supervisor at a 24-hour restaurant in Melbourne with a team of approximately 20 staff to manage each day to working within a law firm inChina.

Nominating for:

1. President/Vice President2. Social Chair3. Secretary/Assistant Secretary 4. Ball Chair

Policies

1. Further develop social events calendar: There may be opportunities to increase and diversify the events that we deliver to our members. Obviously some activities are going to involve a financial cost on the club however I have tried to also suggest some activities that would be relatively inexpensive to implement (such as the walking club). Moreover, with several activities there is the potential to negotiate ‘deals’ with the providers, such as the wineries, to get a discounted price for our members.

Introduce a social “Speed Dating” event to occur at the beginning of each year (NOTE: the activity is not intended for people who actually want to date someone rather it’s for people to just meet other people in a funny/artificial way). The reason I thought this event might be worthwhile was that more often than not traditional mingle in a room and ‘meet and greet’ sessions do not actually lend themselves to complete strangers introducing themselves to one another. Most of us tend to stay in groups of friends, or stick with others from our departments andin turn we don’t often have the opportunity to build new networks and friendships.

For this event we could just set up a few very long tables (event venue would need to be investigated/there is a cost factor involved) and each person on the right, for example, moves to their right every five minutes to introduce themselves to someone else. After the event there would be time for people to have drinks and chat to people that they met during the ‘speed dating’ session.

Weekly or fortnightly social walking club: This would be a cost effective and relatively easy social activity to organise. It could operate on either a Saturday or Sunday morning and would provide grads from different departments to meet oneanother. A new walking location would be selected each time and advertised over Facebook, and following the walk, breakfast could be held at a local café.

Winery tour: Obviously this type of activity would be subject to existing guidelines(i.e. if there are reasons why we cannot have activities that push alcohol as their sole ‘draw card’). Basically in the time that I have been in Canberra I have always wanted to check out the wineries down in Murrumbateman but organising it can be both expensive and tricky- I also know a lot of people have the same issues. Hence, if we have a large enough group of interested graduates, who are willing to pay a reasonable amount for the activity, we could visit about 4 or 5 wineries across the day, have lunch at one of them and generally just have a nice day out!

2. Improve the information that we provide to new graduates about Canberra/the graduate year: When I was looking through SNoG’s website I noticed that the ‘About Us’ section has the potential to be better developed and for more information to be made accessible via the website. For example, I think if you wanted to find out about specific services available to women or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Canberra you currently need to email the committee member responsible for that portfolio. I thought that if we could include some general info on the site then this could improve accessibility and inclusivity.

As secondary idea we could:

Create a hard copy ‘Canberra Graduates Survival Guide’ - this could not only include details about getting around Canberra, moving, essential services in the region but also could contain a wealth of information about suburbs in Canberra, places to eat, places to drink, social activities/clubs to join, what’s goingon in the Canberra region throughout the year (key Canberra events), sports and fitness clubs/activities, things to do and see and general tips about making the most of your time in Canberra as a graduate!

3. Increasing our corporate sponsorship and sourcing further discounts and deals for our members. This one is probably already up on the agenda but I think there is potential to do more (as there always is). I would be very keen to liaise and assistbuild our reputation with local Canberra businesses and secure further discounts for members. There are plenty of businesses I think that would be keen to get involved considering the large buying power of APS grads.

4. Organising opportunities for graduates to hear directly from leaders within the public service. I am not sure if this is something that is already happening but if not would be great to see who would be interested in talking and how we could do it so as to limit the expense.

Helen Ward Australian Bureau of Statistics

A bit about me: I’m from sunny Queensland (Brisbane) and I think I might die in winter. Despite my reservations about the weather, my resolve to be a representative of SNoG is as strong as ever. I love meeting new people and, having just moved to Canberra, I’d love the opportunity to work alongside some awesome people to organise events for such a great group of Grads! My main motivation for applying for both positions is because I’d love to contribute to such a fantastic group. I have never come across such a well-established network, and I’d love to contribute to the ‘grad experience’. Before arriving in Canberra some 4 weeks ago I was working in admin, so it’s fair to say I can be pretty organised and have experience with secretarial duties. I love to give everything a go, and I hope I get the opportunity to do that this year with SNoG.

Policies:

1. To ensure that the social events for this year cater to a wider audience. a. I’d like to implement some low-key events as well as the usual Friday nights. I

think it would be great to incorporate some weekend get-togethers such as lawn bowls, or tennis comps. This will help to create more of a community feel, meaning that SNoG will become much more than a social club.

2. To gain further exposure of SNoG events for new Grads. a. When I first arrived in Canberra I had no idea who, or what, SNoG was. I think

the best way to achieve exposure is to use departmental reps as means to spread the word. As a port of call for Grads in their relevant department, the reps play an integral part of increasing memberships.

3. To facilitate professional networking events. a. SNoG already has an established social calendar; however, the opportunity for

graduates to develop professionally is an avenue yet to be discovered. I will look at engaging past SNoG members to organise professional networking evets to give graduates opportunities to meet well-established industry professionals.

This is me. Apparently I don’t take enough selfies!

Applying for two roles: 1. Assistant Secretary 2. Social Sub-Committee

Name: David Thomas

Department: Education & Training

Nominating for: Social Chair, Assistant Treasurer, Social Sub-Committee

I am very keen to get involved with SNoG. I have always been involved in committees throughout school and university and loved getting into the spirit. During college I was onthe social committee and organised a large variety of events, from nights out, a Ball, debating contests, pub crawls, pool tournaments, river cruises and everything in between. I am a positive guy and love coming up with new ideas for social events. I have also headed committees running specific events, such as O-Week and a theatre production. As such, I have experience with leading teams, budgeting and liaising with a wide range of local business, staff and audiences. SNoG appeals because it has such a wide audience and is a great way to meet grads from across the APS. For many it is the first point of contact when starting a new job in Canberra and a way to meet people in the same position.

If I were to be elected I will aim to ensure that there is a wide variety of events that appeal to different audiences. I will hope to make SNoG as accessible and relevant as possible. I would also like it to be a point of contact for new grads that are struggling to settle in to Canberra and are seeking advice/help/someone to listen to them. I envisage SNoG as a multi-faceted organisation that can serve its members in a number of ways. I would also seek to be more open to new grads and ensure that the organisation is well-known widely throughout the APS and Canberra.

I’m enthusiastic, organised and believe that if you’re not enjoying a committee position, you’re not doing it right.

Suggested Policies/Ideas:

• Improve benefits of membership, such as SNoG specific deals at bars or supermarkets,through sponsorship with local business. This could also include holding more low-key but regular events, such as a bar night every fortnight, and would improve benefits to sponsors and members alike.

• Create an online forum for sharing questions/worries/tips/concerns. This could beanonymous or with contact details, based on preferences. This can form part of a larger push to make SNoG as supportive as possible.

• Give more advertising to the Graduate Survival Guide and provide assistance to new graduates, particularly moving to Canberra. This could include providing a ‘SNoG Showbag’ to new Graduates, which includes the Survival Guide, basic SNoGinfo, suggestions for sports teams, a ‘Canberra Calendar’ and accommodation tips. This can be done online or in hard-copy.

• At each social event provide advertising and donation options for the charity of choice

• Explore the option of ‘Inter-departmental’ competitions, such as sports, debating, theatresports, pool & darts competitions, % of grads that are SNoG Members etc

Name: Joseph ShomaliDepartment: DefenceNominating for: Treasurer

My name is Joseph Shomali and I’m currently employed by the Department of Defence as a Finance Graduate within the CFO group.

Bio: I've relocated to Canberra a few weeks ago from Melbourne. I’ve completed a bachelor of Commerce/Arts degree at Deakin, majoring in Politics and Policy Studies, International Studies and Finance. Upon completion, I undertook a three month internship in an IB firm in Shanghai. Responsibilities included performing financial analysis, strategic business analysis and detailed industry research on a large Chinese Biotech company with a mark cap in excess of $600m USD, as well as assisting in the execution of financial transactions by developing models in Power Point and Excel. I also undertook one month full time Mandarin classes during my time abroad and successfully completed HSK level 1 (International Mandarin proficiency test). I then went on to complete a Mastersof Applied Finance at Monash University and studied Arabic for three months at the University of Bethlehem.

I’ve worked as a Sales Assistant at Officeworks for 7 years and an On-course Operator at Tabcorp for 8 years. I also had the opportunity to volunteer as a Fundamental Analyst for an online Equity research firm for 8 months during my studies where I was responsible for publishing detailed fundamental research on ASX listed companies.

As a result of my varied professional and academic experience, I have greatly developed a range of skills I believe are paramount to the role of Treasurer. Namely, strong analytical and research skillsI’ve developed through formal study and applied in a professional setting as a research analyst, an eye of detail sharpened through professional and academic experiences, strong team work skills, awareness of applicable legislation and especially important in today’s current financial state, prudential fiscal management.

I'm applying for the role at SNoG because I’m confident I have the desired skills to excel in the position. Furthermore, I’m also looking forward to the significant opportunities to make new friends and network. Furthermore, I’m looking forward to putting SNoG on a strong financial footing to best help expand our reach and exposure in the community.

Policies: As the Government gears up to the delivery of the 2016-2017 budgets, rumours are abound of potential policy changes. As is the case with SNoG, just as it is with government, it is difficult to propose and cost new policies without being aware of the current state of the budget and financial impact on other aspects of the budget and ultimately, the bottom line.

Hence, although it’s difficult to myopically propose specific new policies in isolation of key information,there are certain themes and objectives that should be targeted. I believe in the development of any policies it is imperative to consider the impact on:

1. The group’s overall objective i.e. to be the peak representative body for graduates, interns and professionals new to Canberra – hence, policies that will increase membership orour presence in the community. 2. Improve our financial position – to put the group on the best footing to deliver on our objectives. Can be achieved by either improving revenues (e.g. increasing membership

numbers or sponsorships dollars) or controlling expenses (e.g. renegotiating expenses or finding efficiencies)

Given this criterion, it becomes blatant that increasing membership numbers is paramount. On this end, I would propose letting current members vote on a new social activity. This would not only let current paying members have their say and tap into current sentiments/ trends but hosting an event that really resonates with the public would greatly improve our exposure and membership base. Sending surveys via email would greatly reduce costs and labour requirements.

Other policy measures would have to be assesed on a case to case measure to assess the impact onthe specified objectives. Each policy would need to demonstrate the four E's: Efficient, Effective, Economical and Ethical.

Best

Joseph ShomaliCFOG

SOCIAL NETWORK OF GRADUATES NOMINATION

Name: Lily Edwards

Employer:Department of Health

Position Nomination:Corporate Social Responsibility Chair

Biography:My name is Lily Edwards, and I am a motivated, ethical graduate who loves to getinvolved and help out. I believe I could contribute to the corporate socialresponsibility agenda by organizing a range of interactive events and maintaining fairand equal representation for all. If elected, I would not waste this opportunity to applymy skills and enthusiasm to this engaging role. I personally feel that everyonedeserves fair and equal representation, and that Canberra graduates deserve apassionate and ethical Corporate Social Responsibility Chair.

My experiences throughout my time working and also during my education haveshaped me to be a flexible and organized leader, able to work efficiently underpressure and communicate effectively. As the consecutive Promotions Director,Treasurer and Vice President of the Bond University Health Sciences and MedicineStudents’ Association, I have built upon my ability to organize events and delegate.During this time I implemented several events around the University and also helpedto develop an organized and responsible committee, fostering strong communicationwithin the association.

My effective communication and teamwork skills are similarly demonstrated bymy time volunteering for Queensland Crime Stoppers, which required me to workeffectively as part of a small team. Through this experience I became more able toadapt to different leadership and communication styles, whilst also focusing oncompleting tasks quickly and efficiently.

As part of the Bond University teaching staff in 2015 I learnt to adapt well to variablesituations, whilst maintaining a high level of communication. A high level of personaldiscretion was also required while dealing with students and any personal issues,which allowed me to develop my tact and personal judgement. Furthermore, workingin the Office of Future Students at Bond University allowed me to build on thesequalities, as well as my conflict resolution skills, making me a helpful addition toany team.

I feel my skills and attributes would make me an effective, ethical and organizedCorporate Social Responsibility Chair, and I would love to be able to take

advantage of this opportunity to get further involved in the representation ofgraduates.

Policies:My policies include:

1. Developing a series of socially conscious events aimed to improveawareness and consideration of a range of important issues including:

◦ Indigenous Affairs; ◦ Workplace Diversity; ◦ Women’s Affairs; and ◦ Disability Affairs.

2. Ensuring fair and robust representation of all minorities within theworkplace.

3. Fostering strong communication within the Corporate Social ResponsibilitySub-Committee, creating an effective and ethical team.

4. Engineering guidelines and events focusing on sustainable developmentin the workplace, to ensure more focus is placed on ethical corporatebehaviour and environmentally friendly practices

Name: Madeleine Aghion

Department: Social Services

Nominating for: Treasurer

I would like to self-nominate for SNOG Treasurer for 2016/17.

My name is Madeleine Aghion and I am a Graduate at the Department of Social Services. I work in the Child Support Policy area which is very interesting!

About me? I am originally from Sydney, last November I finished a 5 year double degree in Business and International Studies doing a triple major in Accounting, Business Law and French.

I have spent a few years living overseas; when I was 18 I lived in Israel for one year on a youth leadership program and in 2014 I studied Business in a French University in Montreal, Canada. I also speak 3 languages.

I really enjoyed studying Accounting at Uni and would love an opportunity to get back into it whilst getting involved in SNOG.

In terms of policy proposals for the Treasurer of SNOG, I would always be interestedin improving efficiencies of internal process for recording financial and non-financialinformation. There is also a potential for involving the other Exec Members andMembers of the SNOG in the financial accounting space. I believe there is a greatopportunity to teach people new skills about Accounting as sometimes it may comeacross as a complex and confusing area however understanding how numbers in anorganisation work is such a useful skill to have!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  +61  430  386  165  

rida.ahmed@dva.gov.au  

ABOUT ME

BALL CHAIR

Rida  Ahmed  2016  Graduate,  Department  of  Veterans’  Affairs  (DVA)    

Hello! I’m a new Canberran, who has moved from Perth to join the Department of Veterans’ Affairs! I graduated last year

with a Bachelor of International Relations and Management, from the University of Western Australia.

During my life at university, I have held a variety of roles in different student societies. These include presiding over a

“Best Club on Campus Award” winner, as well as being the founding president of the UWA International Relations

Society. I was also elected as a Student Councilor for the UWA guild for two consecutive terms, alongside chairing the

UWA Guild’s Events & Activities committee. My life’s two biggest highlights were being the Conference Convener for

Asia-Pacific’s largest UN Student Conference (2015) and working with Hockey Australia across multiple tournaments,

including the Champions Trophy in Melbourne, 2013. I’ve also previously been an advisory youth member for AYCC,

Ethnic Communities Council and the Red Cross.

I miss my societies and clubs back in Perth immensely, and I’m hoping SNoG can help me fill that gap! My motivation to

apply for SNoG is also to work to provide a platform for graduates to find new friends, have a good time and make SNoG

our home away from home!

SECRETARY / ASST. SECRETARY Through my experience in project planning, I’ve chaired a number of governance & board meetings for

over nine years, managed internal communication & portfolios for eight different organisations, as well as organised

public relations and stakeholder communication for five different bodies. I have been through and created many

agendas, minutes, constitutions and by-laws for it to be healthy, but I kind of get a kick out of it. I have the experience to

manage the administrative side of an executive, from conducting effective reporting, to managing different portfolios and

liaising with external members or other interested parties. Most importantly, I understand the need for a

strong secretariat for an effective organisation, and have seen the consequences when there isn’t one.

Since 2011, I have been involved in the organisation of a total of 12 balls/galas/cocktails (and a whole heap of 21sts)!

From this experience I have learnt a lot of valuable lessons including the art of venue management, risk assessment,

marketing, ticketing, as well as the power of eBay and Ali Baba to get decorations that will make your event look like it

came with a budget of a million dollars! Out of the balls I have organised, eight had exceeded their capacity, and ten of

these events had made a profit. I have also previously helped organise events in Canberra, and have a good network of

external contractors including DJs, photographers and AV teams! I have also worked with two event companies, who

have planned and executed corporate balls with actual multi-million dollars budgets, and have learnt the ‘ins and outs’ of

hosting such events successfully.

Nominated  for  Secretary,  Asst.  Secretary  &  Ball  Chair  

 

 

POLICIES

1. Get Connected!

My first priority would be stronger SNoG representation among each of the individual departments’

social committees, to better reach the graduates in Canberra including in the public and corporate

sector. I’d work to make sure that we can help, not only these departments in communicating their

needs and wants to the SNoG committee, but also allow SNoG to help out deparmental social clubs in

different areas where they might lack resources e.g. budgeting, marketing, ticketing etc. This will also

be a great opporuntiy for deparmental reps to work with their counterparts from other departments,

learn from each other, as well as share their own experiences, tips & resources.

2. Your SNoG, Your Interests!

One of my biggest goals would be to utilise the great range of interests and skills that we have

amongst our 2016 cohort! I want to see SNoG be the driving force to help set up and formalise a

diverse range of networks and activities including cultural, sporting and small interest groups! This

way, graduates have a variety of inclusive ways for us to meet people with similar interests to our own,

whether its sports, book clubs, music, footy tipping, movie nights, Murder Mysteries, DJing,

photography, languages, foodies, art lovers, debaters etc! If you are passionate about something,

SNoG should be your first stop in finding like-minded people, that you can share your interests with!

3. Did someone say a SNoG SnapChat???

More and more graduates from 2017 onwards will be using Instagram as their primary form of social

media. I want to work towards improvement in marketing and the use of modern avenues for

SNoG to use in order to communicate with all graduates. I would like to see a solid portion of SNoG’s

work for 2016 be dedicated to improving the existing website and facebook page, as well as reviving

the SNoG Instagram and branch out to newer forms of technology!

4. #Canberra2016

The Ski trip, Trivia Night and Ball are clearly huge highlights of the graduate year already! I’d like to

build upon the graduate calendar and look for potential new events that are innovative and fitting with

the particular time of the year! For example, a Lake Burley Griffin Cruise in the summer or a

department vs. department Olympics tournament! Anything from welcome sun-downers to mid-

year pub crawls, which can engage more graduates, more regularly!

5. Be the best graduate cohort that Canberra has ever seen!

I know it sounds corny and everyone says it, but I really am passionate about our 2016 cohort

establishing new standards for future graduate generations! I want SNoG and the graduates to make

the most of all opportunities we have facing us in the next twelve months, and truly become

our “home away from home”.

Name: Pooja Bedi

Department: Agriculture and Water Resources

Nominating for: Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Corporate Social Responsibility Chair, Ball Chair.

Expression of Interest for Secretary, Social Network of Graduates (SNoG) Executive Committee 2016/2017

I wish to express my interest in the Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Corporate Social ResponsibilityChair, Social Chair and Ball Chair positions for the SNoG Executive Committee 2016/2017. My nameis Pooja Bedi. I’m 23 years old and from Canberra. I graduated from a Bachelor of Laws(Hons)/Bachelor of Arts in International Studies in 2015 and joined the Department of Agriculture andWater Resources this year, working as a lawyer. I am a socially active person who enjoys taking theinitiative to arrange social activities for family, friends and colleagues. Some of my keyinterest/hobbies include travelling, good food, wine and cooking for family/friends, social work, andcurrent affairs/politics.

I am passionate about SNoG, and would like to continue to advocate for graduates across the privateand public sectors in Canberra, and look after their best interests. For me, the most rewarding aspectof this role will be giving back to the graduate community through fun events, giving them networkingopportunities and offering them a chance to have fun with their peers.

10 fun facts about me

• I can speak 4 languages• My favourite movie line is, “Did you think I’d be too stupid to know what a eugoogly is?” (Ben

Stiller in Zoolander) • My favourite food is prosciutto (major weakness!)• 3 things I love: Road trips, wine and Cards Against Humanity • 3 childhood fears: Mannequins, Mr. Bluelight from Kmart and automatic flushing toilets• My bucket list: Trek the Inca Trail, learn to juggle, work abroad • I have tried snake wine• An animal I associate myself with: Chimpanzee• Favourite book: Harry Potter (obviously!)• Favourite inspirational quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi)

As Secretary, I will provide support to the President/Vice-President and other Committee members toensure the smooth internal functioning of SNoG. Whilst working as a paralegal in a private law firm forthe past three years, I was often responsible for ensuring our team meetings were effectivelyorganised and run. I was also responsible for maintaining effective records by managing meetingminutes. Furthermore as part of running my own tutoring business in Canberra since 2010, I havebeen responsible for managing my administrative affairs, including mail, emails and contacts. I believeI can bring these experiences to my role as Secretary of SNoG. I am organised, efficient, accountableand task-orientated. This is particularly demonstrated by my ability to stay focussed and managemultiple competing tasks at once including a full-time graduate program, tutoring business, post-graduate studies and volunteer work.

As Assistant Secretary, I will provide support to the Secretary and other Committee members toensure effective management of SNoG’s membership base and handling of membership enquiries. Ibelieve I possess the necessary attributes for this role, particularly responsive and supportive,organised and collaborative. I am willing to step up as Secretary if required and never hesitate to goabove and beyond to get tasks done. A great example of this was in my previous role as a paralegal

where I not only showed commitment to preparing for each task I was assigned, but also providedsupport to my supervisor and fellow team members during busy periods by training new paralegals.

As CSR Chair, I will provide support to my Sub-Committee members to develop and effectivelymanage SNoG’s corporate social responsibility agenda. I am a strong advocate for social and charitywork, and have volunteered with a number of not-for-profit organisations in Canberra, includingMenslink, the UCSA Vinnies Op-shop and the India Australia Association of Canberra (IAAC). Whilstwith IAAC, I have helped organise cultural festivals and charity activities, including for the annualDiwali Fair in Canberra. I am ethical, compliant and highly organised. Through my work experienceover the years, I have interacted with people of different ages, genders, cultural, socio-economicbackgrounds. I have always been sensitive to their unique needs and have successfully assisted themwith discretion and professionalism. I believe these are skills and personal qualities I can bring to thisrole as CSR Chair.

As Social Chair, I will provide support to my Sub-Committee members to manage the SNoG’s socialagenda, and introduce new and exciting social events and activities for 2016/2017. I have excellenttime management skills, high attention to detail, and I am approachable and quick to respond. I havegained experience in helping organise various social events, including lunches/dinners, Secret Santaevents, drinks and Melbourne Cup Sweeps, for organisations I have worked for in the past. Throughdebating/public-speaking and my tutoring business, I have developed excellent consultation, liaisonand negotiation skills. I am a good listener, and open and flexible to new ideas.

As Ball Chair, I will provide support to my Sub-Committee members in organising the annual SNoGBall. I am very organised, creative, have excellent time management skills and have a keen eye fordetail. As a volunteer with the Indian Australia Association of Canberra (IAAC), I was involved inhelping organise a charity fashion parade. This included helping organise the stage set and décor,theme, participants, attire, lighting, music and promotional material associated with the event. Ibelieve I can bring together my experience from organising other social events and my personalattributes to create the most memorable night of the year for all graduates.

My policies/ideas for SNoG

If elected, I would like to implement the following policies/ideas:

Create an annual member survey – This is a great way to ask the current memberbase for their opinions, collect feedback and adjust the SNoG membership benefits toappeal to the masses. This will effectively address the current members’ concerns,spread the word to non-members and elicit a positive response for SNoG.

Meeting agendas – Creating a meeting template will save time (esp for regular meetings),set the right tone, identify key topics for discussion and eliminate guesswork, keep everyonefocussed, and ensure meetings run smoothly.

Ideas To Go – Before meetings, tape blank poster paper on the walls and label each with adiscussion topic/problem. Get committee members to roam around the room jotting ideas onthe posters. This will jump-start meetings, get people moving around and involved, andmake meetings more fun and productive.

Provide a personalised membership card – I think this is a great incentive to make newmembers feel like they are a part of something special, while being reminded of all the greatbenefits they will receive with their membership. The card can provide access to events,information and benefits (such as drink and meal vouchers!).

Market where your members hang out – Focussing on a variety of promotional techniquesto increase SNoG awareness and involvement including, social media and using #hashtagsthat will generate followers or endorsers, distribution of flyers around variousdepartments/organisations, word-of-mouth and LinkedIn. This will enhance membershipacross both private and public sector, which is a key ongoing policy for SNoG.

Refer a friend program – This is an efficient and cost-effective marketing strategy toincrease membership. Incentives can be offered to members who refer other graduates to joinSNoG.

Fun colour run event – It’s fun, colourful, healthy and helps raise funds for a good cause.

Bake-off – This event will let us tap into our graduate community’s love of sweet treats,encourage some healthy competitiveness and raise funds by charging a small fee to enter thecontest, and charging per good.

World’s Greatest Shave with BBQ breakfast – I think this is a great initiative whereparticipants pledge to shave their heads (or long-lasting beards) to raise money for thenominated charity.

Promote diversity – Enhance awareness and acceptance of diversity amongst the graduatecommunity through fundraising events such as a multicultural food festival.

Cross promote with other organisations – Contact other organisations who may also reachout to SNoG’s target audience and given them incentive to cross-promote SNoG’s socialevents. We could make them an in-kind sponsor and given them registration discounts orother spiffs for helping.

Group Incentives – Advertise promotional options including 2-for-1 discounts and discountedticket prices for group purchasing. To take this a step further, provide more than simplediscounts. For example, offer exclusive meetings with any guest presenters/entertainers andfree drinks at the after party for groups larger than five. I think this is an excellent way totarget a large number of people and encourage them to help our social events go viral.

Old and new – This year I would like to implement new social event ideas, like winery tours,champagne breakfasts, Christmas garden party, Battle of Wits (trivia) and a film festival, aswell as revamping old favourites including the annual ball and ski trip.

SNoG Charity Ball – This brings people together to raise money for the nominated charityorganisation. Holding auctions, raffles and prizes/services donated by local businesses inreturn for some publicity are a great way to generative charity funds on the night. It can alsobe fun and charitable to encourage non-materialistic prizes that have no specific value (forexample, someone could offer their skills as a cook or beauty therapist).

Fun theme and entertainment combo – Having a Las Vegas/Casino Royale themed ballwith casino tables, a roulette wheel and musical entertainment.

Early-bird discounts – Offer incentives for early registrations for the ball, such as beveragespecials and transport deals.

Social Network of Graduates

Executive Committee Nomination

Name: Abhayjit Anand

Employer: IBM

Applying For:

Vice-PresidentSecretaryAssistant SecretaryAssistant Treasurer

Biography

At the outset, I wish to introduce myself as Abhay. I graduated early 2015 from University of South Australia and subsequently relocated to Canberrato commence a two-year graduate program with IBM.

Having never lived out of home before and not knowing anyone in Canberra prior to moving made it daunting initially, nevertheless, I met a lot of other graduates within IBM and externally through SNOG. It was not long before I realised that most gradates working in Canberra have movedfrom interstate and are in the same boat as myself. My first SNOG event was the Ski trip of 2015 and needless to say it was an absolutely fantastic experience. Had it not been for me perusing a dated graduate guide written by another IBM grad, I would have never found out about SNOG and missed out on meeting such an amazing bunch of people. The reason I mention the above is to emphasize that I have firsthand experienced in transitioning into Canberra. Therefore, I have a clear vision of where SNOGneeds to direct its efforts to fulfil its core function of getting new Canberragraduates connected and how I can contribute to the organisation’s strategic imperatives moving forward.

I crossed the one year mark with IBM last week; suffice to say that is has been a roller coaster ride so far. Currently, I’m managing a portfolio of border security/risk systems for Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Being in a delivery focused, high pressure role has made me accustomed to working hard, having immense responsibility and adhering to strict timelines. In addition, since July 2015, I have also been undertaking the role of IBM Canberra Graduate Representative – organising graduate networking events, executive roundtables,

contributing to newsletters, assisting with recruitment activities and helping new IBM graduates settle into Canberra. The work I have performed as part of this leadership position is directly applicable to the executive committee positions at SNOG. I’m described by others as an ambitious and self-motivated because I earnestly approach all tasks assigned to me and promise to do the same if appointed for any of the aforementioned positions.

My hobbies are inclusive of but not limited to – Tennis, fitness, reading, travel, and global macro/FX trading.

Thanks for your consideration.

Proposed Policies

1. Build on the work done thus far to increase sponsorship to enable members to enjoy exclusive offers from local businesses. The bigger we can grow the community, the more power we get for negotiating discounts.

2. Increase SNOG’s reach in the private sector graduate community. As anIBM graduate representative having a wide internal and external private sector network (graduates from PwC and Deloitte), I am in prime position to achieve this outcome.

3. Regularly engage with the SNOG graduate community to obtain feedback and suggestions in order to create events tailored to graduate interests.

4. Improve campus presence at universities and have SNOG representation on campus at Careers Fairs/Open Days. Employers and universities alike can leverage SNOG to attract talent from interstate thereby creating a win-win situation.

SNOG Executive Application

Name: Jackson Wright Smith

Employer: Australian Taxation Office

Application Position: Sports Chair (or Sports Sub-Committee) or Assistant Treasurer

Biography: I am a 24 year old from Sydney (sorry if this reads a bit like an E-Harmony profile). I moved down to Canberra this year to work as a graduate for the ATO. Before this, I studied a double degree of International & Global Studies/Law at the University of Sydney. At uni, I was active with a few different societies, mainly the Sydney Uni Law Revue (comedy skit show) and the Sydney Uni Australian Football Club. I was also involved with a lot of drama, sport and co-curricular activities at school.

I love playing sports, games and trivia, and so naturally I wanted to be a part of the SNoG Executive to be involved in these activities, so that I too may partake in them. As Sports Chair, I would try to expand the range of activities that SNoG members and other grads can participate in. Particularly I would like to see more games and trivia (“mental sports” am I right?), and having lived in Canberra for atotal of 3.5 weeks, I think I have an expert knowledge on this subject. But I have been to Guild, a board game pizza restaurant, and Reload, a video-game bar, and both of these would be staples on my agenda as Sports Chair for 2016.

But never fear my athletic brethren, Sports Chair will hopefully also involve somesports. I would love to organise a weekend sports gala day (correction: I would love to participate in a gala day, and I guess I probably will have to organise it too). Also I’m a big fan of after-work sports, and so touch football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, netball and maybe even tennis would be on my agenda*. I also think an organised mixed golf day would be pretty fun, mainly for golf carts and hilarious outfits.

Hopefully all this talk gets you excited to have me on board. Alternatively, if you are a cooler and more popular candidate, please steal some of these policies so that I can participate in them.

Policies and Ideas:

A chock-a-block calendar of sports, games and activities that hopefully willinclude most people’s interests (if you are a medieval knight, I may even consider jousting)

Sports gala day of mixed touch football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, netball and AFL 9s

Golfing day out at Capital Public Golf Course Monthly sessions of pub trivia, board games at the Guild and video games

at Reload

*I don’t want to be Donald Trump here and overpromise on things I can’t possiblydeliver on, so take these ideas with a grain of salt based on practicality and group interest

Stacey Borg

Department of Social Services

Positions Applying For:

- Vice President

- Secretary/Assistant Secretary

- Assistant Treasurer

- Social Sub-Committee

Bio:

Hi all! My name is Stacey Borg and I moved toCanberra 3 weeks and 5 days ago (please note myability to count, as one SNoG position I am applyingfor is Assistant Treasurer, provided voting does openMarch 4 ). I moved from Adelaide to Canberra (theland of opportunity) to begin the graduate program at the Department of Social Services. At the University of Adelaide I studied a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Economics, and aim to complete my Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice this year.

As a Canberra newbie I understand how difficult the move to a new city can be, especially if you don’t know that many people. But by saying yes to 50c Smoquewing on a Monday night, yes to games night and yes to social netball, I am getting to know other grads, finding new friends and settling in to these new surrounds.

We have all been told to get the most out of our grad year and for me becoming a Member of the Executive of SNoG is a great way to do that. I aim to foster a friendly and inclusive grad network and create many opportunities for grads to socialise between departments and expand their social circles!

Relevant Skills:

Vice President – I have great leadership skills developed from being a student mentor, and tutoring economic statistics at university level. My past experiences and commitment to services has given me a strong desire to help manage SNoG.

Secretary/Assistant Secretary- I am very organised, efficient, and have the abilityto manage the administrative affairs of SNoG. My legal studies and familiarity with shows such as Boston Legal and Ally McBeal also mean I have the capacity to ensure our legal obligations are met.

Assistant Treasurer- As mentioned above, a background in economics is synonymous to mathematical aptitude. Online shopping has also developed my numeracy skills as I need to consider exchange rates and those hidden shipping costs!

Social Sub-Committee Member- I am keen to help create an excellent SNoG year from a social perspective. My love of attending events can easily transfer to ensuring great events are organised!

Policies:

Create a diverse social calendar reflecting the wide ranging interests of APS grads (including sports, wine, comedy nights, arts and craft, and whatever else your heart desires);

Liaise with all the Grad Social Committees of the various departments to ensure there are events all year round, for when you want to be social;

Keep Grads informed with ‘What’s On in Canberra’ and recommend any new bars/restaurants/greasy take-away places that are a must; and

Ensure SNoG continues to be transparent and respond to any Grad suggestions or concerns.

Name: Darren Fong

Name of Employer: Department of Human Services

Nominating for: Treasurer

Biography

Hi! My name is Darren and I have just started as a Graduate with DHS within the professional pathway – Finance. I graduated last year with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Economics last year at Monash, with majors in Accounting, Finance and Economics.

I have always been heavily involved with Clubs and Societies at University. I was an Events Officer for MASA (Monash Accounting Students’ Association) in 2013. I was actively involved in organising and planning for our two flagship events, Corporate Cocktail and Trivia Night. They were a massive success with tickets selling out within 2 weeks. By the end of the year, I was elected to the executive committee as the IT Director for MASA. Within this role, I attended weekly executive meetings and actively participated in the executive decisions of the committee to ensure our Club was meeting our strategic goals, whilst embracing our values. I was responsible with liaising with our corporate sponsors to ensure our IT presence meet with our sponsorship requirements. I was also in charge of finding new social media platforms to advance our club’s membership. This was quite successful with attendance of our events increasing by 30%.

I am proficient with Excel after undergoing training as part of my internship with Westpac Institutional bank. I worked in the corporate and institutional banking division for 10 weeks, where I assisted the relationship managers with credit submissions. This involved deep analysis of the financial statements of our clients to ensure they met their debt converts. I also used complex Excel models to project budgeted financial statements.A major highlight was my securing of a $500 sponsorship for my University club at Westpac. I was able to negotiate a deal which was mutually beneficial to both parties.

I am very fortunate to have Amar, the current Treasurer, to be my buddy for the DHS Graduate Program. He has provided a comprehensive overview of the role and the expectations it entails. Through my university studies and experiences, I hope to be able to actively contribute to SNoG and bring fresh ideas to the team.

Policies

• Maintain a surplus of at least 10% of total assets of SNoG

• Increase SNoG’s social media presence by creating a LinkedIn page

• Have a weekly schedule post on social media to increase the engagement of SNoG members

• Diversify SNoG’s income stream by signing sponsorship deals.

Name: Sophie Saunder

Department: Department of Communications and the Arts

Nominating for: Media Liaison Officer

Biography: Born and bred in Melbourne, after high school I migrated north for thewinter/to study Arts/Law at Bond University on the Gold Coast. Naturally, I am a bit of an AFL tragic so it was a rough time being trapped in rugby country. I am a (tortured) Melbourne supporter, so it follows that around this time of year I can be heard saying, 'this is our year!' or claiming that I am a huge Melbourne Storm fan. My other interests include graphic design, cheesy 80's movies and incessantly quoting The Office.

The big move up to the nation's capital sadly concluded the end of my new lifestyle as a lady of leisure ('LoL') that followed graduation. I am looking forward to the year that is to come though and meeting many other graduates and attempting to learn the rules of touch footy and maybe figuring out how to navigate around Civic.

In terms of the Media Liaison role, I have had stints of blog and yearbook editing for various school and university groups. This has enabled me to develop a heightened attention to detail. I also completed a major in Public Relations and am well versed in publications and the organisation involved as well as writing appropriately to specific audiences. My enjoyment of design has also come in handy in these capacities and I would love to share this with you.

Policies:

1. Create a new format and style for the 2016 Executive Committee that suits our look and feel as a collective.

2. Implement a schedule for regular posting to keep the social media accounts and website as active and engaging as possible.

3. Maximise reach of posts and social media by creating custom and eye catching graphics.

4. Manage the MLO team to maximise external opportunities for SNoG and the development of partnerships that enhance graduate opportunities

Thank you for considering my application.

SNoG  Ski  Chair  Nomination  –  Helen  Ulcoq      Name:  Helen  Ulcoq  Employer:  Department  of  Employment  Nominated  position:  Ski  Chair      Biography    Hey  everyone!  I’m  Helen  and  I’m  a  graduate  at  the  Department  of  Employment,  currently  working  in  Labour  Market  Policy.  I’ve  recently  moved  from  Brisbane  where  it  was  way  too  hot  and  way  too  far  from  the  snow  for  my  taste.  I  love  Canberra  so  far  and  I’m  so  excited  for  winter  so  I  can  hit  the  slopes  on  the  weekends!  I’ve  been  an  avid  skier  for  years  and  have  attended  many  group  ski  trips  so  I’m  very  familiar  with  all  the  hard  work  that  goes  into  organising  a  successful  ski  trip.  I  would  love  to  be  your  SNoG  2016-­‐17  Ski  Chair  and  have  the  opportunity  to  organise  an  incredible  ski  trip  for  you  all!        Policies    

1. Ensure  the  ski  trip  is  inclusive  for  everyone.  The  venue  and  activities  throughout  the  ski  trip  weekend  will  be  inclusive  for  everyone,  whether  you’re  just  starting  out,  are  an  expert  skier,  or  even  a  snowboarder.    

2. Ensure  every  decision  made  for  the  trip  provides  the  best  value  for  money.  We  might  all  be  working  full  time  but  let’s  be  honest,  most  of  our  wages  end  up  in  the  tills  at  Mooseheads  so  I’ll  aim  to  make  the  trip  as  cost  effective  as  possible.      

3. Encourage  safety  on  the  ski  slopes.  I  will  promote  safety  on  the  slopes  by  encouraging  everyone  on  the  trip  to  wear  helmets  and  providing  information  on  exercises  to  help  everyone  get  ski-­‐ready.  

   

Name: Vishnu Chari

Department: Australian Taxation Office

Nominating for: Treasurer

Name Vishnu Chari

Employer Australian Taxation Office

Social Media: https://au.linkedin.com/in/ https://www.facebook.com/

Biography: To put it simply, I’m a man with a wide variety of interests. Playing andwatching sport, photography, bike riding, politics, public-speaking, cooking,coffee, reading, I’d like to think I’d give everything a go at least once.

As you can tell by my qualifications, I spent a fair percentage of the last decadeat university, during which I was able to get a diverse range of experiences tocomplement my formal education, through part time work and volunteeringpositions.

I’ve volunteered my time with the Department of Premier and Cabinet in theVictorian State Government, to reduce racial profiling in the police force, andwith a start-up student organization that works with not-for profit entities,improving the profitability of a multi-national NGO. Both of these opportunitieshave developed my interpersonal skills, creative thinking and attention to detail,whilst also giving me the opportunity to enhance my ability to analyse businessprocesses and enterprise structures and find solutions to unique problems in afast effective manner, while still being thorough and accurate.

During 2013-14 I also had the opportunity to manage a residential constructionproject from start to finish and work as a social media content manager for astart-up management consultancy. These experiences have given me theopportunity to build relationships with key stakeholders, lead and manageproject teams as well as deliver tangible results on budget and on deadlines.

I think my personality, along with my skills, both interpersonal and with a spreadsheet, and experience would make me an ideal treasurer.

Qualifications: Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) , Master of BusinessLaw (Taxation) , Master of Law(Juris Doctor) In-progress.

Prior experience

I’ve been assistant treasurer/secretary for my cricket club, the Treasurer of Toastmasters club I was a member and the Financial Officer of my family small business. Was founding treasurer for the Monash University Hindu Society.

Policies: Transparency: reporting the financial health of the organization to

members regularly, allowing them to see what the club is doing with its’ money and what it is planning to spend it on in the future, the cost of arranging events and profitability in regards to fundraising events we hold.

Social/Charitable Fundraising: I’d like to see SNOG take an active rolein promoting charities and fundraising for charities, including on its social media and by hosting events.

Regular events: As a not for profit organization run for the benefit of its’ members, I think it is paramount that we hold regular events for the members to attend. Whether it be a picnic by the lake, going to asporting event as a group, creating and maintaining active groups ( bike riding, golf, indoor soccer/netball etc ), tours to museums, and a number of other social events to keep the membership engaged and make the graduate year memorable and fun.

Social Network of Graduates’ Executive Committee

Media Liaison Officer Nomination

Applicant: Helen Ferguson

Employer: Department of Social Services

Biography: I am a 24-year-old Graduate who has recently relocated to Canberra fromMelbourne. I have combined Arts/Law degrees from Monash University and am currentlyworking in the Communication and Engagement Section of the Programme Office at DSS.My current role is multi-faceted, but I am involved in the development of variouscommunication tools which aid Programme Office communication with both internal andexternal stakeholders. This includes involvement in a new bi-monthly internal newsletter, andreviewing content for the external DSS Grants webpage.

My previous work experience includes 5 years as a Retail Supervisor for CampionEducation. There I designed a comprehensive training program for new staff largely focusedon developing their skills in communicating complex store processes and policies tocustomers under limited time constraints. I worked as part of a collaborative team to solveproblems on a daily basis.

I have completed three legal placements in Community Legal Centres working with a varietyof clients on a number of issues including criminal, insurance, family violence and childrenand parenting orders. I have extensive experience drafting legal correspondence anddocumentation such as affidavits and barrister briefs. This experience has sharpened myattention to detail and broadened my written communication skills by requiring me to write forvarious audiences. This aspect of my legal experience has direct application to my currentrole with DSS.

Outside of work in Melbourne I sung in an acoustic cover band at various venues. Thisrequired the management of our Facebook and Soundcloud pages. I have over the yearsbeen exposed to various computer system changes in my line of work, and adapt quickly tothem, often having to train others in their operation after my own learning.

I am interested in this role as a way to engage with and participate in the Graduate Network,but also as a medium for enhancing skills applicable to my current role.

Policies:

Provide an engaging and informative monthly newsletter designed to increase

member participation in events and provide a way to connect graduates acrossvarious Departments

Update Website content to provide more helpful hints and tips for those new to

Canberra Develop social media strategies to increase awareness of the work of other members

of the committee and member engagement in SNoG activities