Career Stories: Hannah Gibson

From the Guest Experience desk at Bayside to Vicinity’s Legal team

Career move: Supporting a career transition that complements Hannah Gibson’s skills and academic commitments.

Hannah got her first taste of shopping centre management as part of a work experience stint at Bayside. Fascinated by all the teams that contribute to the smooth operations, Hannah pursued a casual Guest Experience position to work around her study commitments. Now midway through her studies, she’s putting her recently acquired knowledge and skills into a new role as Paralegal based at our National Office. We had a chat to Hannah to hear more about the transition and the support and mentors she has had along the way.

How long have you been at Vicinity?

I’ve been with Vicinity for just over six years, first stepping behind Bayside’s Guest Experience desk during my work experience in year 10. That week I met every team at Bayside, did centre walkthroughs with the operations team, met retailers and started to really see what goes into running a shopping centre. I loved my time with the team and reached out a few months later when I was looking for a casual part-time job and have been a casual Guest Experience Representative there ever since.

Tell us a little bit about you and your current role?

I’m currently completing a double degree – Bachelor of Law honours and Bachelor of Science majoring in Chemistry and working in Guest Experience a few days around my study commitments. My time is coming to an end at Bayside though, as I’m about to transition into my new role in the Paralegal team. The timing is perfect as I’m starting my Corporate Law units just as I’m diving into real-world corporate law here at Vicinity, so I’m really excited for the new role.

What led you to apply for the Paralegal role?

It was my amazing Centre Manager who suggested exploring roles within the Legal team while studying. She also studied Law, and when she saw an open Paralegal role a couple of years ago, she sent it to me to apply. While the team had already filled the role, I stayed in touch with them and when something became available last year, they reached out and I applied.

What's the best thing about working at Vicinity?

The people! Everyone works so well together, and I’m enjoying meeting so many people from different teams since accepting the new role. The culture around career progression is great too, people are encouraged to take their career in new directions whether trying a different role at the asset, taking on the same role in a new centre or heading into a corporate role that fits their skills. We’ve had lots of career moves at Bayside which definitely contributes to a positive and supportive culture!

What transferable skills do you bring from Guest Experience?

Working in Guest Experience has allowed me to develop my communication skills, ability to problem solve and understand customer needs. A big part of the Paralegal role is understanding legislation, so between the business understanding I’ve developed over my six years at Vicinity, and what I’m learning through my degree, there’s a lot of overlap that will certainly come in handy!

Is there a memorable project you've worked on or something you're particularly proud of?

Working in Guest Experience has taught me so much, the demographic surrounding Bayside is so wide, I don’t think there’s a type of person I haven’t met! Just like any role, there are challenging days, but it can be really wholesome too, like the regular customers who stop by the desk to have a chat.

What's your advice to people wanting to develop their career?

Find the right people and talk to them about what you want to do! Reaching out to people and being open about my goals helped me so much, especially having the Centre Manager and Bayside team in my corner, and being able to tap into their network and experience.  

What’s next for you?

My ultimate goal is to be a lawyer, but I’m not sure of the path I’ll take to get there. I’m halfway through my degree and right now I’m just excited to explore a new part of Vicinity and put what I’m learning into practise in the real world.

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Inspired by Hannah's career change? See which roles match your skills on our Careers page.