Land Your Dream Job Podcast with Inspired Careers– Smart Job Search Strategies, Motivation & Inspiration for Career Success

Hello and welcome to the show, today we have another absolute superstar on the show, a huge overachiever and I say that with love as I am a huge admirer.  Our guest today Trenna Probert lit the corporate finance world alight for many years before going out on her own. She has had a very varied and diverse career in finance and is proof that, if you don’t limit yourself there is a world of opportunity out there. She’s now CEO of an innovative organization she set up with her husband.
This podcast is a “must listen” for anyone keen to understand what type of organization you’re suited to, how you can crack into blue chip corporate and importantly get sponsored to succeed in those organisations, particularly finance.  This episode is absolutely chock-a-block with career advice on how you can, ultimately enjoy a diverse, rich and fulfilling career.
Kylie:
It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome Trenna Probert today.
Please talk me through your career starting from early days and right up to today.
Trenna:
I’m in my mid 40s now and like most people my pathway started accidentally when I was still in school, I took jobs in hospitality to earn money and through that process I discovered I have the ability to work efficiently and effectively and build connections with people quickly. I also discovered that I’m a people person and that’s what really underpinned my choices in my career to date. I found that hospitality is really a great place to start because you learn how to engage and read people, which are both crucial in the business.
Kylie:
Hospitality really is a great place to start and many of my successful guests on this show also started out in hospitality.
Trenna:
I was only 16 when I got to University and didn’t have a view of where I wanted to go in life. Coming from a traditional family, there’s a view that you need to go University and then identify a specific role. I was quite successful in school. I was commercially focused and hospitality was an interesting way to get a view of different types of businesses. It was during those early days that I realised I had an interest in business. I came through University thinking I had no interest in what I had studied and ended up coming to Sydney and got my first job. I was 21 and the company gave me a job in the sales and marketing – my role was to look after the VIPs. That really helped and I got an incredible grounding and quickly moved through the ranks and doing different things and getting exposure to a lot of people.
At 23 I was headhunted by a gentleman who was a Vice President in charge of corporate travelling and corporate cards at American Express. He created a role for me and that set the tone for the rest of my career. At AMEX, the role I took was in business analysis and I developed relationships with the CEOs of the top 100 corporate clients they had. I encountered a lot of resistance from a lot of the people already in the business and certainly encountered a lot of challenges within the organisation but had fantastic support. Over the next seven years I proceeded with a lot of different things.
Kylie:
It’s great to hear that you developed an understanding early on that you were a people person and that’s an important point. The more we know ourselves the more we are in the best position to find the role that’s going to light us up from the inside. Another fascinating thing you said was that you never really applied for a real job. Jobs were created for you. Another thing, you talked about was having a sponsor in the business. It really is important to have a mentor or mentors early on in your career.
Trenna:
Being a young women in business can be challenging. I certainly know that there were a lot of people judging me based on my age and what I looked like.
Kylie:
Keep going with your amazing journey...
Trenna:
In hospitality,