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Name: Cromwel Flores
Age: 26
Qualifications: B. Science (Physiology), B. Engineering (Electrical) Honours
Institution: Monash University
Intake: August 2005
Current employment speciality: Medical Devices and Accessories
What were you doing before joining IP Australia and how did you hear about us?
Before joining IP Australia, I was studying at Monash University. I heard about IP Australia through a number of job seeking websites and since it was the only job that specifically said Biomedical Engineering, I decided to give it a shot.
Why did you apply to become a Patent Examiner?
To be honest, at the time I was only looking for a job that would let me use my degrees. While being a patent examiner didn’t quite fit, it was at least more engineering based than becoming a consultant. The salary was also really attractive, especially for a graduate.
How did you find the selection process and training program?
The selection process was pretty standard for most jobs, please send us your CV, references and why you address the selection criteria, etc. Once I passed that, I got flown to Canberra from Melbourne for the interview.
The interview was pretty relaxed, the questions they asked about interpreting law and patent claims seemed more geared towards making sure that you could see both sides of the issue instead of just seeing things in black and white.
The training program was great, starting in a group gives you a good sense of camaraderie, especially since everyone is experiencing the same things as you are. The training consists of mostly getting everyone up to speed on the legal side of patents. Coming in from an engineering background, it was a real surprise that I enjoyed learning about the legal side of things. I didn’t have much exposure to legal topics in Uni and thought it would have been extremely boring. But the training course was structured so that learning about the legal aspects of the job is tied into practical examination, which makes things much more interesting.
What do you like most about your job?
I love the chance of looking at the latest advances in the state of the art. While typically you get to see things that will only become available to the public in a few years, one of the best feelings is accidentally running across something in real life after you’ve examined the patent for it.
What do you think is the best thing about working at IP Australia?
The best thing about IP Australia is the people and the atmosphere at work. The people here are friendly and the work atmosphere is relaxed and having flex time and being able to apply for leave (pretty much whenever you want) gives you a chance to indulge in hobbies which might take up more time than just a couple of hours in the afternoon on a weekend.
This year, I’m taking a week off to perform at the Sydney Salsa Congress, it’d be hard to find another job which would allow me to take a week off on holidays so soon after coming back from the Christmas break.
What opportunities have you had since joining IP Australia?
IP Australia is full of opportunities for skills training. Since I’ve been here I’ve been sent on one day courses ranging from conflict resolution to speed reading. In Dec 2006 I was sent to a nanotechnology conference in Adelaide.
What would you highlight to potential applicants considering a career with IP Australia?
The best things about working in IP Australia is the flexibility and the atmosphere of the working environment. IP Australia is very supportive about having a healthy work-life balance and that’s reflected in the attitudes of the patent examiners.
How do you like living in Canberra?
I love it so much I’ve bought an apartment here. Even though it is not as large as Melbourne, I find the fresh air, good weather and almost no traffic is well worth the trade off of having the smaller population base.
Basically it boils down to this: In Melbourne you might have maybe 5-10 different places that stock what you’re looking for, and if any one place doesn’t have it you’re just out of luck. In Canberra, you might only have 1 or 2 places, but if they don’t stock it, they can get it in for you in a couple of days.
If you ever miss the suffocating crowds and polluted air of a big city, Sydney is only a three hour drive away and it’s easy enough to do a weekend trip there.
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