Levelling Up with Jamie
“I did things I didn’t expect to see myself doing until I tried. So I’d say, take the leap of faith, go out there, and just do it. Growth begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
“All my job rotations were new to me. From doing ground ops to driving revenue, they were all things I never thought I’d be doing in a full-time career.”
Jamie was visibly on edge before the cameras starting rolling, and understandably so, since being on camera sure wasn’t part of her JD. Yet despite initially being a bundle of nerves, her affable and cheerful personality was apparent. “Ok let’s do this. Let’s go guys,” she would say in between takes.
It later struck us when Jamie said she would be a Ditto if she had to pick a Pokémon character to transform into. But we were also not surprised by her answer. The diverse opportunities and variety of work scenarios that the General Track in CapitaLand’s Graduate Development Programme (GDP) exposes one to will require anyone to be adaptable to change and open-minded enough to take the next leap of faith, whatever that may be.
“I learnt many new things on the job and broadened my understanding of the real estate industry. But there are the soft skills too, which are no less important. For me, teamwork and resilience were the most critical.”
Jamie has tried her hand at different aspects of the business through her different job rotations in the GDP. She recounted an earlier stint in lyf Marketing & Operations and told us that while her team was based in Singapore, the work was happening in the Group’s properties in its overseas markets. Communicating remotely, understanding different cultures and business environments, and witnessing things take root in other countries were part of her steep learning curve. It was deeply memorable and exciting to be part of launching the lyf brand and properties across different regions.
Moving on to an entirely new role in Business Development threw Jamie into the deep end once again. There, she is currently learning how to boldly structure and negotiate deals that contribute to positive and sustainable business outcomes for Digital Platforms, while also aiding with strategic partnership development to strengthen the overall ecosystem.
“Teamwork was really important because my teams were all very close knit, and we had a lot of cross-functional meetings which required everyone to chip in and make things work. Having and building resilience was also crucial, especially because I joined the company when COVID-19 first broke, so we were met with many unprecedented obstacles and challenges. We really had to hold tight to stay the course and adapt to find alternative solutions.”
“Where I want to be is less of a certain position within the company. It’s more of being a better version of myself; and developing a more holistic perspective of things and how I can contribute.”
Jamie is clear where she wants to be in the next five years; although she doesn’t exactly put a particular job scope or wage figure to it. She says it’s not so much a job position she is aiming for. Rather, she hopes to hone her various skill sets and pick up new ones; and cherish the new experiences that come her way.
How about describing in just two words how her career has been going so far, we asked. “Dynamic. And definitely colourful,” was her reply. We’re heartened to know that she continues to level up and is pursuing the kind of career that her heart wants.
We are featuring exciting young talents from CapitaLand's Graduate Development Programme this January!
Stay tuned for new stories and videos!