Applications for the 2023 FINSIA Mentoring Program are now open. Find out more here.
Qualified Chartered Banker Yoong Bing Low knows the value of mentoring and used FINSIA’s program when moved to Sydney from Malaysia.
"I would say I had lost some career direction," he says.
"I used to work in a bank back home in Malaysia where there is a strong professional ethos - and I'm a qualified Chartered Banker.
"But when I first got here there weren't many opportunities available because of the pandemic.
"Then I came across the FINSIA online, which looked really good."
On joining, he inquired about the mentoring program.
"Fortunately, there were a few mentors available at the time.
"It has certainly helped me expand my network and get more connections.
"Mine provided me with a lot of guidance and tips on starting my career in Australia, which was great for a newbie here to the industry.
"He has been in financial services for so long and knows all the ins and outs of the industry. He understood that it was challenging for me to secure work at that time.
"But just having him spending time to speak to me and understand my situation was invaluable.
"And he was able to connect with a few other, personnel in the banking industry and I did manage to secure a job not long after. It wasn't entirely down to him. I know that is not what mentoring is about.
"I wasn't using the mentoring program as a way to get a job. It was about getting advice from a seasoned banker in Australia to understand what the local industry is like as it does tend to focus on local experience.
"But my mentor was able to give me tips how to use the international experience I have as a qualified Chartered Banker."
