Why I’ve Been with Objective for 17 Years

In a world where most people change jobs and companies every few years, I’m fortunate to be able to say I found the right fit at Objective early on – and today I’m thriving in my professional life as much as ever.

I’ve been at Objective for 17 years now, and in that time I’ve worked my way up from the technical support desk in the UK to my current role as Software Development Manager for the Connect product team in Sydney.

My time with the company has taken me across the world and enabled the sort of career progression I wanted, setting out as a new graduate.

My journey so far...

Like many graduates, my job search straight out of uni in the UK was a challenge. There was a lot of competition in the job market and I was finding it difficult to land a role. I’d just missed out on a junior graduate job with another company to a person with five years of coding experience, when that same recruiter I was working with recommended Objective to me.

At the time, the company had just started out in the UK, so it was hard to find out much about them. But I really liked the people I met during the interview process, so that sealed the deal for me.

After a few years working at the support desk, an opportunity came up to move to the Sydney office and into a new role in their freshly formed engineering support team. The company offered to sponsor me, and I soon found myself getting settled in as a new resident in Australia.

I loved the role because it gave me the opportunity to work on more challenging issues and work directly with engineers, but just four years later I was on the move again – this time between departments instead of countries.

After a few moves across different teams and roles – and gaining my PRINCE2 practitioners – I ended up in my current position on the product development team, which is equal parts agile scrum master, project manager and helping support the career growth of my team members.

Our customers do amazing work ranging from child protection to assistance for domestic violence victims to keeping our transport systems running. They’re all trying to create a better world, and it’s incredibly gratifying to be able to help them achieve their goals.

James Layton

Development Manager / Program Manager at Objective

The most rewarding parts of the job

At Objective, we progress a number of certifications of our work, which means we are constantly demonstrating value and providing assurance to our customers in everything we do.

Our customers do amazing work ranging from child protection to assistance for domestic violence victims to keeping our transport systems running. They’re all trying to create a better world, and it’s incredibly gratifying to be able to help them achieve their goals.

The tools that we provide, especially in the Connect area, allow them to securely share and collaborate with people outside of their business. Our product teams are continually creating optimisations and efficiencies, which aim to make our users’ lives better.

So many of the companies we work with have very positive stories to share, and for me, that’s the most rewarding part.

Support makes all the difference

I can honestly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support I’ve received at Objective.

First and foremost, the company recognised my abilities and sponsored me to come to Australia. I’ve also been able to move between different departments easily due to the size of the company. Very few companies allow that kind of mobility. Additionally, I’ve had access to a broad scope of training and skills development, and obtained a number of certifications along the way.

Based on my experience, I can easily say that anyone starting in a graduate position at Objective would have the same, if not more, opportunities as I’ve had. The company does a great job of keeping our culture in mind when hiring, and assessing to ensure a candidate’s values are aligned with ours. This creates great teamwork, innovation and results.

In general, people who have a strong sense of responsibility and want to drive innovative solutions through for the benefit of everyone – the customer, their colleagues and themselves – would find Objective a great fit.

Ultimately, the opportunities at Objective are always there. It just comes down to seeking out and taking advantage of them.