Graduate Profile: Commerce

Name: Mark Selke
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting and Law Majors
Position Gained: Graduate Accountant
Organisation: DMO - Defence Material Organisation
Commencement Date: 4th February 2008

Could you give us a description of what your position involves or will involve?

As a graduate with the DMO I will spend 6 months in Canberra at the DMO's head office (Russel Offices) and do 2 more 6 month placements in other states (one placement possibly back here in Adelaide). The DMO supplies the Department of Defence with 43% of its total material needs such as the new FA-18 Super Hornet aircraft and has a budget of $11 billion. As a graduate accountant I will trained up on their systems and will be required to do budget forecasts, risk analysis and other aspects of accounting. It is a rewarding position and pays grads in excess of $50,000pa plus 15.4% Super.  

With your experiences in securing employment what advice would you give to students?

First of all, do as much career preparation as possible, attended the training days on how to do interviews and job applications that the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre put on. Research your possible place of employment (at least look at their website) and ensure you do your resume well. Regarding your resume get at least one professional in the industry you are applying for to read it and critique it and if possible get a HR employee or manager to go over it with you also (not from the place you are applying at). USE YOUR CAREER CENTRE -they will help you - bug them, they love it.

How did you go about finding employment?

Personally, I applied for at least 20 firms in Adelaide and about 4 government positions. Government applications are lengthy, time consuming and take a lot of effort to do well (but they pay very good). I went to all the careers fairs every year during my degree to learn who were the leaders in my chosen industry and get a feel for the different organisations, had constant emails from Peter Torjul (GRADJOBS) and attended the CA careers fair also. There are literally 100's of jobs in most professional fields, you won't have time to apply for them all so only apply for places where you want to work or feel you may fit in.  

Can you briefly describe the application process relevant to your position?

I am currently employed at Hoodsweeney - an accounting firm and it was as simple as sending in a well written resume, being prepared for the interview, attending the interview which was only 20 minutes long and the day after the interview I was given a position at the firm.

However for the DMO I not only had to upload my resume but fill in an online application, answer selection criteria questions (about 1200 words altogether), attend an assessment centre for 8 hours where they test your skills and give you an interview both individual and group, I also have to pass a secret level security clearance and physical/medical and relocate (at the DMO's expense) to Canberra. It is more work but the benefits are worth it.

What interview questions were you asked?

The usual questions such as 'what are your strengths/weaknesses' (it really pays to be prepared to answer this as weakness can be difficult - it should be something that can be turned into a strength in time). Also 'Why do I want to work for the particular organisation I'm applying for' and 'what are my short term goals' and where do I see myself in 5 years within the organisation.

They will ask you if you have any questions for them - have some - don't ask about pay but things like 'what are you expected to do in your first week and will they assist you in further study'. Ask the interviewers what motivated them to move or join the where they are now and what do they like about the organisation - they will be usually more then happy to tell you - remember people like to talk about themselves so ask them intelligent questions about the organisation and what they do there (even if you think you know the answer).   

In your opinion, what factors enabled you to be successful in obtaining employment?

I don't have very good grades but I did thoroughly research every firm and organisation I applied for and used my experiences in work life and University life as tools to show potential employers that I have what they are looking for. Also I'm very confident in interviews because I participated in mock interviews and prepared for them 100% and used the people around to help me prepare such as the Careers Centre.

Do you have any further helpful hints for graduates?

Prepare by researching and using the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre. Your resume is the key to getting an interview so spend weeks on it and have others look over it and before sending it anywhere get the Careers Centre advice on it. Never take criticism about your resume personally - use it to make it better.

Good luck.