Graduate Spotlight is a blog series, written by Orbit's graduate cohort to share their stories into the housing sector and their experience so far.
Why housing?
I found myself in this sector through my previous employment as a Trainee Lawyer within the Housing department of a firm. Prior to that role, I did not have much knowledge about the housing industry and wasn’t aware of the variety of roles available within the sector.
Joining Orbit has completely changed my perspective to the housing sector. Just like every other major organisation out there, Orbit requires the support of many disciplines such as HR, Marketing, Finance, IT and many more.
My main attraction to the housing sector is the rewarding, profit for a purpose culture and the great satisfaction of helping others.
Graduate experience so far?
My experience so far has been very good. The best part about becoming an Orbit graduate was the opportunity to gain a rounded insight of the housing sector by being able to rotate across roles within the organisation.
I have learnt so much already and it’s still early days, as it is just four months in. I am currently in my third rotation within the procurement team, and I have been involved in current tender processes, which has been very interesting for me.
Aside from my rotation around the business, I am currently working on a pilot for the responsive repairs team on ways to improve our current key managing system in our communal areas and void properties; which could potentially be rolled out across all 40,000 properties.
What does a typical day look like for an Orbit graduate?
A typical day for a responsive repairs graduate…
8:45am – The day starts with a catch up on emails, and any incomplete tasks from the day before. Ensure all outstanding emails are sent out.
9:30am – After the catch up on tasks from the previous day, I work on different tasks in-between the day depending on deadlines.
Sometimes we - the graduate cohort - have a Skype meeting to check in on where we are as a group on our project. This meeting is usually to identify any challenges or issues and clearly set out the actions for each member, to ensure the project is still on target.
11:00am - I attend the weekly void meeting with our contractors alongside the contracts operations manager and the area maintenance manager; this meeting is usually to check-in with our contractors, and ensure each property is on target.
12:00pm - After the meeting, I tend to use this time to get on with my project work. This can include creating and editing operational guides for complicated processes, gathering information from research, running reports, studying patterns and analysing reports, and raising orders for major and minor repairs.
1:15pm – Usually lunch time. I come in with packed lunch, so I have that time to catch up on news while having my lunch.
2:00pm – During the course of the day, I attend several meetings scheduled in my calendar. When I am not in a meeting, I manage the void inbox to ensure voids are raised appropriately before the close of day.
4:00pm – The last hour of the day is spent on any outstanding tasks and completing my portfolio on my housing management qualification. I usually also sort out work that needs to be actioned by tomorrow, and set out tasks and start planning for the next day.
Your opinion of Orbit so far?
Orbit is such a fun place to work; everyone has been warm and welcoming. The core values of the company are embodied in all staff, which creates that binding culture and unites us all together.
Another amazing benefit to this graduate scheme is the amount of exposure you receive within the organisation. We had the privilege to meet with the executive team; we also have meetings scheduled with various directors within the organisation during the course of the two years. We also get to visit numerous Orbit sites, attend various exhibitions and conferences and also gain a housing qualification.
I am so glad and proud to work within such an organisation that makes a difference to individual lives.