Joe B.

Auditor
Happy to mentor
Happy to be contacted

About me

Joe B.
Mathematics
Mathematics
Undergraduate
Derwent
2010
United Kingdom

My employment

Auditor
KPMG
United Kingdom
2010
£20000
£26000

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A day in the life of a Auditor in the United Kingdom

How I found out about the job

Times 100 top employers

The recruitment process

Initially an online form akin to a CV was completed detailing work experience, expected degree grade, A level results etc.

The next stage involved online timed competency tests in numeracy skills and logic skills. The tests were designed to be time pressured and it was unlikely all questions could be completed.

Once the online tests were passed the next step was an interview with a local manager. The manager interview was based on key competencies which were detailed beforehand, answers were written down and processed centrally to compare to other applicants.

Finally I was required to attend an assessment centre and have a final partner interview. The partner interview expanding on the questions from the manager interview and included a short 10 minute presentation/Q&A section on a company of my choice which could be prepared in advance. The assessment centre was split between group discussion exercises and an individual timed exercise involving analysing information to answer questions. Like the online tests, the individual exercise was meant to be time pressured.

My career history

Working for a big 4 accountancy firm doing internal/external audits. As part of my job I go to clients around the North East and meet plenty of new people.

My job is part of a graduate scheme aimed at completing my professional qualification (ACA) within 3 years alongside gaining the required work experience. Once this is completed I will have the option to stay within the firm or to move out into industry.

Courses taken since graduation

ACA qualification through my employer

Where I hope to be in 5 years

I hope to move into industry to work as an accountant.

My advice to students considering work

Make the most of the career fairs and services available while still at University. Although it can be daunting to start applying for jobs while still completing your degree it's definitely better.

My advice about working in my industry

Despite the recession the level of recruitment in the big 4 hasn't slowed down so there are still opportunities to get onto finance graduate schemes.

What I do

I work as an auditor which involves going to various companies and checking their financial statements have been prepared on the correct basis. As a first year this involved lots of on-the-job training and completion of the more simplistic tests (agreeing items to invoice, bank statements etc).

As a second year onward I became more involved in the more senior aspects of an audit (assessing estimates made and a company's future) and also started to manage junior employees.

All of the above is done alongside college training for the ACA qualification. Time was allocated to go to college for tutition and revision (paid by KPMG).

Skills I use and how I developed them

The graduate scheme required at least a 2.1 degree.
However I feel that studying Maths helped me gain confidence working with numbers and give me the ability to quickly solve logical problems.

Degree skills:
Numeracy skills and problem solving skills. I also feel I learnt the skills to interact professionally with clients through building confidence in my abilities.

What I like most

I like the variety as I get to travel to new places every couple of weeks and meet new people. As I'm on a graduate scheme I work with lots of people with similar interests to me. I also have good career prospects following the completion of my ACA.

What I like least

Sometimes I don't enjoy the long hours/travel time

Next steps...

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