Alumni Talks: Accountancy Career After Uni

Could you tell us more about yourself, what is your background and where are you currently in your career ?

I am an alumnus of SIM-RMIT and graduated with an Accountancy degree. I undertook an internship at one of the Big 4 auditing firms, Ernst & Young (“EY”), before joining them full-time as an audit assistant upon graduation. At EY, I was involved in the financial and regulatory audit of commercial banks and capital market intermediaries.

During my fourth year at EY, I left the firm to pursue an internal audit role at a commercial bank and thereafter I joined a payment service firm to head its compliance function in Singapore. A few years ago, I returned to EY and currently, as an Associate Director at EY, I serve as a specialist and team leader for various regulatory audit and compliance advisory service offerings for digital banks and payment service companies.

What are the reasons you came back to EY instead of pursuing other positions in the commercial world?

Previously, when I left EY, I would still keep in touch with my former bosses and colleagues. It was during one of the casual meet ups with my former boss, that we discussed the possibility of myself returning to EY, given my audit and compliance experience at a global bank and with a payment service company. When I returned to EY, I was given a managerial role and the opportunity to re-establish myself as a more senior person in the organization, to spearhead various audit and advisory projects.

I am happy to be back at EY to apply what I have learned in the commercial world. Also, my bosses were supportive of the initiatives that I have created for my team to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to service the clients. There are also various inter-department collaborations, as well as significant development and growth opportunities for me.

What traits make a good fit in the Big 4?

Beyond good grades, it is important that fresh graduates show strong self-initiatives, courage, enthusiasm, alongside business acumen, a global mindset and effective relationship management. Fresh graduates should have a learning mindset and willingness to step out of their comfort zone. You should also never be too scared to seek clarifications in fear of judgment.

Another important trait is to adopt a forward-looking mindset. This will not only motivate you but also enables you to be a star player as you are always thinking ahead and performing better than your peers. This can happen even at an intern level where you can seek to do associate-level work, and follow on by learning the senior associate's level of work at a junior associate position. As an intern or associate, you should never be afraid to ask questions as you will learn more and try on more work to get more exposure. This would not only improve your technical skills but also builds on your confidence to take on more major roles in the future as you progress within the organization.

What considerations should be taken before choosing a professional accounting qualification?

A professional certification can showcase your practical experience because it is granted not only with the examinations passed but also with the minimum required years of work experience. It is also a kind of brand stamp to certify the professionalism, knowledge as well as ethics needed to carry out the role as a professional accountant. Therefore, when considering whether or not to pursue one, the answer is that a professional accounting qualification is a must-have to go far in the industry.

When deciding which accounting certifications to embark on, like CPA Australia, ICAEW, ACCA or CA, there is no such thing as which is the better one, since all of them are equally good. To identify which is the best fit for yourself, it is recommended to speak with their certification program representatives and try to understand how the program is being planned out. Do consider factors like the fees, learning resources, mode of examination, work experience and the continuing professional education requirements.

On the other hand, some might ask since all of them are good should I obtain more than one certification? Depending on your career aspirations, obtaining more than one certification will allow you to work as a practicing accountant in different jurisdictions, for example, CA for Singapore and ICAEW for the UK.

What are the three most common resume and interview mistakes to avoid?

Candidates should avoid sending the same resume to multiple companies for different job roles. Irrelevant information such as unrelated work experience and job skills may potentially be included in the resume, which can be easily identified by an experienced HR personnel of the hiring company. Candidates should also avoid describing too much of the job duties in their past roles and missing out on elaborating more on their professional work accomplishments. Furthermore, candidates need to be mindful of any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors before submitting your resume.

Anxiety and nervousness are the most common feelings among the candidates which may affect the performance during the interview session. This can be avoided by practicing your interviewing skills with a peer or someone you are familiar with, so as to get yourself accustomed to the stress of an interview. Candidates should not rush into answering the questions which they are unsure of. Candidates should take some time to compose themselves first and organize their response to the interviewer’s question. Avoid verbalizing what you think of immediately, as it may lead to an incoherent answer.

Also, avoid asking the interviewer questions such as: “How much will be my pay?”, or “When will you get back to me?” Instead, do ask questions that show your interest in joining the company, such as: “What are the company’s values?”, or “What does success look like in this position and how will the company measure it?”.

How can students network effectively, especially during the Covid-19 period?

Networking with the professionals and peers in the industry which you are interested in, helps you hear tips and gain advice from others who have established themselves well in the industry. You can even learn important news and upcoming changes that may be happening within your field.

During this Covid-19 period, most networking events have been brought online and via web conferences. While the mode of delivery may have changed, the approach to networking does not change much. Essentially, networking requires a lot of self-initiative and first mover attitude – be the first to greet and introduce yourself. Also, at an event you may only have that one or two hours for networking. Therefore, you probably should know who you would like to approach by finding out who are the speakers or attendees for the event.

A good way to network is via LinkedIn. It is used by many industry professionals and usually after a networking session, I would invite the people whom I spoke with to join me as my LinkedIn connections. This is how I manage to keep in contact with them and be updated of their personal professional development and interests, as well as being informed on the latest news of the industry through the articles and publications shared by them.