Graduate Profile: Commerce

Julie Humphrey is a graduate of the Bachelor of Commerce at Flinders University. She is employed as a Graduate Accountant/Business Adviser at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She works in the Audit section and her work involves preparation of work papers, liaising with clients, and researching potential clients.

What did you do to prepare yourself for the job search process?

"I went to the Careers Centre in my first year at Uni (I started off studying Arts before transferring into Commerce) to check out the direction I was taking, and to learn more about jobs and careers. Psychological testing was useful. I worked out my strengths and weaknesses, my goals, and my selling points. I attended seminars on professional skills, and went to employer visits on campus in second year. In January and February of Third year, I researched companies, prepared my CV, and worked on my letter writing skills."

We've seen several employer presentations this year, and many of them have commented on the importance of extra curricular activities... could you comment on this?

"In first and second year I got involved in AISEC, and this helped me to develop professional business skills as well as a professional manner. I was the Human Resources Director which involved organising recruitment programs for AISEC, arranging meetings, participating in Board meetings, ringing organisations for sponsorship, managing events, and liaison between University staff and students. Accounting firms are aware of AISEC, and this gave me an opportunity to talk about my skills.

I got involved in many things at University ...debating developed my public speaking and presentation skills, any club involved meeting people and developing social skills. Actually the debating was really useful when it came to interviews. In other words, get outside your comfort zone."

(Julie emphasised that there is much more to it than marks .. there needs to be a balance so that you can show you are well rounded, and have a life outside work. The preparation happens over several years.)

"It is the non course skills that set you apart and gets you the job It really plays a heavy part in the selection process, ... and cushions your entry into work."

How have the skills you developed at Uni been an important part of your job?

"The Business Planning topic was useful because we worked in groups. Professional English was important .. to develop a good writing style and to learn about formal reports. Accounting 1A and 1B were really important, and were good foundations, everything else was based on this."

"Pay attention to correct use of English and punctuation, have a good format, don't waffle, use a professional tone and get someone to check it like the Careers Centre. Make sure that it is pleasing to the eye and easy to read.

Also give evidence for skills in the CV to show that you have thought about it, for example ... organisational skills developed through XYZ. You may have been captain of a team, but you need to think about what that means, and how it is a benefit for the employer."

"I researched the employer. Use your research to help develop a list of questions to ask them. Find a recent article, ask questions around a new innovation ..this can help to turn the tables a bit. I read publications such as Business Review Weekly, Financial Review, Financial publications, The Advertiser, and did research using the Internet. I went through example interview questions from the Careers Centre and formulated key points in response.

Out of the employer research I made notes about how many offices they had, and so on. I also researched myself and listed my strengths and weaknesses. It was like exam preparation.

I even practised shaking hands, and learnt meditation to practice calming down and slowing down my breathing.

Tell us about the interviews…..

For Pricewaterhouse I went through two one on one interviews. They had people there before the interview to talk to you. I made good eye contact and talked in a calm voice. I suggest that people think through their answer before speaking, they don't mind if you pause. For an ice breaker they went through and asked about highlights in the CV, and points of common interest. There wasn't a major focus on technical questions. I was asked where do I want to go, about reasons for subject choices, what did I do for a good time? How you connect with the interviewer is important, use your conversational skills to facilitate the interview and try to get them talking. At the end of the interview I asked them "Why do you think I should work for you?": You have to sit there as if you have a choice (even if you have had a prior knock back). Follow the cues in the interview and don't keep talking if they do have a time limit. At the end of the interview, keep good eye contact, smile (even if you think you stuffed up). Be aware that people have different interview styles. I had different interviewers for the first and second interview - you need to gauge the degree of casualness and formality.

And you had a group interview …

Don't be put off by people taking notes in the interview. When it come to preparing for a group interview, prepare the same as for an individual interview. Feel confident and be yourself, don't be anything that you are not. If you don't know someone, go up and introduce yourself to them. They are looking for people who can sell themselves and are confident. They also want to know about your analytical, problem solving, teamwork, and leadership skills. But don't be intimidated if someone is dominating the scene. You may have to do presentations, teamwork, role playing, written work, and have the opportunity for drinks/coffee with partners and recently employed graduates. Try to look as though you have done this all your life. Interview skills can be learned and improved.

Is there anything that you would like to add?

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