Mike C.
About me
| Mike C. | |
| Physics | |
| Physics with Astrophysics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Alcuin | |
| 2011 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Finance Consultant | |
| Deloitte | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Finance and consultancy | |
| 2014 |
Like this profile?
Add this profile to your favourites so you can return to it later from your account.
A day in the life of a Finance Consultant in the United Kingdom
My career history
I started as a business process consultant helping companies accelerate performance and innovation using SAP. After just over two years in that role I moved to my current role and employer.
Courses taken since graduation
CIMA
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I aim/hope to stay with my current employer for at least 5 years. That will depend on opportunities and whether I feel I am still being challenged in what I am doing. After 5 years I will look at my options and either make a long term plan to reach partner level or seek a change of scene/industry.
My advice to students considering work
Don't be boring. As important as it can be to showcase a good education record (most of the time), one of the big questions an employer will be asking is "Do I want to work with this person?". Make sure you get your personality across as well as your job/education history. Do as many extra curricular activities as possible to show your versatility and willingness to get stuck into everything.
You should also read as much as you can, sign up for Google Alerts and the Financial Times, The Economist etc.
My advice about working in my industry
Read as much as you can.
Use Google Alerts.
Sign up for the Financial Times, The Economist etc.
What I do
I have only been in the role for three months, but initially I started working as a financial consultant. This essentially involved helping companies understand their finances better and optimizing systems and processes to improve their margins. More recently I have moved into a role advising on high-profile, confidential mergers & acquisitions.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Extracurricular skills:
Statistical Modelling - self taught/some degree experience;
Programming - self taught;
Networking - surprising how general pub/bar skills can be applied to work;
Financial Modelling - formal training;
Negotiations - self taught;
Presentations - developed skills from degree/formal training;
General Microsoft Office Skills - essential, generally self taught;
Research - degree;
Analysis - degree and experience;
Accounting - formal training;
SAP functional - formal training/self taught.
What I like most
I get to work with some of the best people in the business which is a constant opportunity to learn and improve. The size and scale of both clients and projects is both extremely exciting and very challenging. A nice bonus is that we get the opportunity to travel to some wonderful places.
What I like least
It is high pressure, and there are often long hours. When it is an enjoyable project (which so far all mine have been) then you don't really notice the hours because you get caught up in what you are doing. The travelling, while quite fun, can be tiring and have an impact on your personal life.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Mike’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Mike a message to find out more about their career journey.