My CommBank Journey

ello.. ello..

cant believe it's been 2 months since i last blogged. I've been tied up.
So much that i want to post, but just the thought of typing it all made me exhausted.

Kinda feel like writing about my journey into Commonwealth Bank. I've been looking back recently, and I know that The BIG Guy up there was the one that planned this all for me. It fits so right, every single piece.

Lets start.

July 2008
I stumbled into a web ad about the Indonesian Festival 2008 in Melbourne. The PPIA (Indonesian Students Association in Australia) had a partneship with some companies that were looking for Indonesians students studying in Melbourne. There were Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Petrosea and others. So I applied.


August 2008
I got an email saying that my resume has been accepted and I was called for interview during the Indonesian Festival. A few companies couldnt send their representatives to Melbourne, so it ended up only CommBank, ANZ and Petrosea.
Petrosea & CommBank's interview fell on the saturday, whilts ANZ was on the Sunday.
I loved my interview with Petrosea & CommBank. (i'll skip the petrosea & ANZ part, since this is all about CommBank)
The Commonwealth Bank was the second interview, which came to be a very unique interview. There were 2 interviewers, Pak Denny & Pak Tjipto. It began very cliche, what do I know about CBA, why I want to work there and so forth. But then I came to a part where I asked questions about them & CBA and they became very enthusiastic in explaining it all to me. I also experience something that I have never ever have before in any of my past interviews:
1) We spoke about Ministry. Can you believe it?!! I couldnt. They asked me whether I wanted to work in Indo or in Aussie when I graduate. And i came clean. I said, everything is in Indo, but I'm involve with a ministry for teenagers in Melbourne, and its making me hard to choose. (fyi, I was honest bcoz i knew they had the same faith as me). And they told me that ministry can be anywhere. Even in the office can be a ministry.
2) One of the interviewers said that they had a DeJaVu the moment they were interviewing me. And he asked me whether I know what dejavu meant, and i said no. He told me that it means in the past God has already given him a vision that this was gonna happen. Unreal!
They were really supportive. Even though they knew I planned to work in Aussie first, They told me to contact them when im on vacation to Jakarta and have a chat with them. Who knows i change my mind, they said.
since that moment, I became interested in CommBank.

Nov 2008
i made my mind up that I would try and find a job in Melbourne and stay there for another year. I quit my current job at Woodland Group after working there for 1,5 years. Commbank, Petrosea & Anz? 2010 probably i'll contact them again.

December 2008
Exactly during my Graduation ceremony, I had phonecall from Jakarta - Commonwealth Bank. My dad was right beside me and heard me said 'Commonwealth Bank Jakarta?'. They invited me to come to a psikotest on January 6th, and asked whether I would already be in Jakarta by then. I couldnt lie, my dad was beside. so I said yes.
Tried applying jobs in Melbourne, but my agent told me to apply when I come back from Indo, which is around Feb 09.

January 2009
I came late to the Commonwealth test. my family had a feeling that I wasnt trying hard enought for the test and they didnt see any eagerness in me.
Yeah, they lectured me quite a lot. Questioning why i want to be in Melbourne so much. Little did they know that the answer was right in front of them (okay, different topic :P)
I didnt hear any news from Commonwealth for around 3-4 weeks. Thought i wasnt accepted. it was alright. honestly - it was really okay.
my families kept asking "have u heard from them? have they called you?" nope. nadaa. dont worry, im getting a job in Melbourne! or so i say :P

February 2009
Another phonecall came, surprisingly it was from CommBank. inviting me to another test, but this time it was for the Credit Analyst. Okay, I accepted the invitation.
Again, i came late. it was unintentional, but i thought it was just not meant to be. Coming late to 2 tests? Come on, that's just so not me.

the next week, i was invited to the FGD. I didnt think I did my best, but i just surrendered it all.
afterwards, they called me for an interview with the BoD on the following day.
okay, that was fast!

And then it was medical check up time - Right before I was flying back to Melbourne.
This was tough, because if i got accepted in CommBank, i had to come back to Jakarta for good. That was the deal with my dad.

I went through the Med Check Up, but that was just 90% of confirmation. I havent signed anything yet, i was not 100% sure i had been accepted. And i didnt want to be sure, because i wanted to stay in Melbourne.

i've renewed my apatment contract, i've applied my for 1,5years visa in Aussie, i've contacted the recruitment agent. I've planned it all for me to go and stay in Melbourne.

I told the HR that i needed to go back to melbourne to pack all my stuff. She said it's fine since the program starts early April. okay, so I had 1 month to pack in Melbourne and say all my good byes.. =(

March 2009
Seriously guys, 1 month to pack up and handle all the papers, etc. That was just too hectic! The stuff that I haf there is way too much, since they were my sisters' stuff as well. It was really God's grace that I could pack 30 boxes, handle all the apartment matters,finding new apartment &housemate for my current housemate, ministry matters and so on. I even started selling my furnitures 2 weeks before I left, and that was crazy!! but everything was sold just in time. really.. God's grace..

from then on i knew that if it was His plan, He'll take care of everything.

oh yeah, i signed the contract the very next day i arrived from Melbourne. :)


April 2009 - June 2009
and here I am, being one of the Graduates. With 15 new friends, they're also the reason i knew it wasnt a mistake to sign my life away for the next 2 years.

oh about those 15 new friends i have made, i'll make another post about them. they're just the greatest! (well, at least most of them are)

gotta go now!
cheers!

"Nothing in me that I may boast of, since all that I have accomplished are simply God's grace in my life" - honestly from the heart.