Name: Indhumathi Vivekanandan

Role: Salesforce Consultant, Auckland

When joined Merkle: March 2021

Where/what did you study?

Master of Information Technology at The University of Auckland

Why did you want to join Merkle's graduate programme?

I was intrigued and curious about Salesforce and Merkle provided all the means for me to pursue it. Its values and healthy work culture had me hooked. The interview process itself was very interesting, where I had to work on a case study and present it. It gave me an idea of how it would be like to work here and I liked my experience during that time. So here I am!

Tell us about your experience as a Merkle grad. How’s your experience been so far? 

It has been a very insightful and amicable journey so far. There is so much to learn, it excites me every day. The people are always ready to help and there is no shortage of knowledge. The respect, support and understanding from everyone makes me feel valued.

Biggest learning to date?

The consultant role in its whole is my biggest learning. Dealing with clients and understanding their requirements and helping them through the process without any hindrances is the definitely one of the biggest things I have learnt to date.

Most fun project or experience?

My first project has been the most fun one. The clients are cordial, and we have a lot of fun and interesting conversations that just pop up. Everyone in this team is a delight to work with. They provide prompt responses, which makes our communication between them very smooth. Hence, no misunderstandings occur, which I believe is very important in this line of work.

Best part of your role?

The versatility of it is the best part. You don’t always do the same thing every day, and there are many facets that need to be addressed. It is one of the main reasons I applied for this role of a consultant, as you get to deal with different things such as conversing with the clients, procuring requirements, building, and creating the solution, testing it, and handling all the errors that occur.

Can you describe a *typical* day in the life of a Merkle grad – from your experience (in less than 100 words?!)? 

A typical day in a grad life would include lots of talking. After all, communication is the most vital skill, be it with the clients or your teammates you need to voice out your opinions. Joining as a new graduate, I enjoyed getting to know others and socialising with everyone, and it helped me to build good relationships with them. The process starts out slow-paced, but once you get into the rhythm of it there is no going back. After I was put into a project, I started focusing on it and spend more time studying and learning about that specific cloud platform and its components to be able to work efficiently. I attend a lot of meetings where I’m able to bring out any concerns or questions that I may have regarding the tasks assigned to me. And after that I spend some time thinking about the solution before immediately making the change and I also converse with my teammates to make sure I’m moving in the right direction. Lunchtimes are great, very fun as I get some time to relax with puzzles or Jenga!

In no more than 10 words, how would you describe your Merkle grad experience? 

Exciting, challenging, intriguing, and definitely fun!

Knowing what you know now, if you could travel back in time and talk to your pre-grad self before you applied to Merkle's graduate programme/joined Merkle as a grad, what advice or tips would you give yourself? 

To always put myself out there, or else you may miss out on all the new possibilities that await!

What other tips, advice or insights would you give to grads looking to join Merkle through its upcoming graduate programme intake? 

You will love it. Always keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things. Never be afraid to take up new challenges.

What do you get up to in your spare time?

I just love being outdoors, whether it’s a day at the beach or taking a hike. I love taking trips with my friends to new locations and exploring around. I also like reading fiction storybooks and listening to music all day long.