Nicola G.
About me
| Nicola G. | |
| Management | |
| Management | |
| Undergraduate | |
| James | |
| 2008 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Auditor | |
| KPMG | |
| United Kingdom | |
| 2008 |
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A day in the life of a Auditor in the United Kingdom
My career history
Since graduation, I have been working for KPMG in the Leeds office within the Financial Services Audit department, and I have completed the ACA exams.
Courses taken since graduation
ACA
My advice to students considering work
Apply for a number of positions, even if you are not sure whether they are right for you, as the more interviews you have, the more experience you can gain in these. Also, if you are definitely interested in joining KPMG or another similar firm, apply for the summer internship programme - if you get into this and enjoy it, then you do not have to redo the aplication process. You just have a final partner interview after your internship to apply for a graduate job.
What I do
I work in the Financial Services Audit department, which means I travel to client sites to undertake audits within teams. In an audit, we are verifying the numbers reported within the client's financial statements, and looking at the processes in place at the client's company in relation to these. I am currently in charge of some of these audits, which means I direct a team as well as interacting regularly with the manager and partner on the job. This job involves a lot of day to day client interaction. In my department, the clients are companies such as banks and building societies, as well as investment funds and pension schemes. I attend regular training courses, and have attended college for my ACA study every few months.
Skills I use and how I developed them
A class 2.1 degree was required for my job. However, the subject of the degree studied is not relevant for the job as people are hired from a range of different relevant and non-relevant degree subjects. I also had relevant work experience; a number of my colleagues haven't had this experience and therefore I don't think this is necessary, although it does show enthusiasm for the job.
Degree skills:
I studied accountancy modules within my course, which helped when I started studying for the ACA qualification within my job. I also worked in teams during my course, which helped me develop my team working skills, required in my day to day job.
Extracurricular skills:
I completed the York Award during my time at York University, which enabled me to demonstrate to employers the diverse skill set I had such as good communication and team working skills.
What I like most
I enjoy working in teams, and I enjoy accountancy generally.
What I like least
There is a lot of travelling involved in my job due to the need to work at client sites. There are also times of year when we work very long hours to meet tight deadlines.
Next steps...
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