Do you think I'd be a competitve candidate for big4 audit or other analytics schemes?
10
just a heads up this may be long
hey, so, im doing a degree in software engineering, however, im not sure if i want to become a programmer afterwards to be honest. I still like the problem solving aspects, and i like to code, however, i just dont think i see myself doing it for the rest of my life anymore
(
ive always liked maths, so i thought id get into maybe big 4 tax or audit, but im not sure how good of a position im in. I also thought about going for things like the barclays data and analytics grad scheme. So right now im thinking roles in data analytics, and/or finance (not IB - i dont go to a target or semi target so rip those hopes)
i guess the most "important" in terms of being able to apply - I'm predicted a 1st from a midrank uni (30 to 40th i think)
in terms of experience, i do have some tutoring experience of tutoring my sister and some other kids on my street, however idk how to say this in a cv to show any transferrable skills, like i got skills such as communication, organization?, planning, and from my dsgree ill get analytical skills too. due to this i was thinking of maybe doing a skill based cv but i dont know how this will be seen by like idk deloitte or other SMEs too
I play football and cricket, and so i guess this can show leadership and teamwork, and have volunteered some years ago to help organize a concert in my city, but again this was A WHILE ago so i have no idea if i could/should use it . Ill be looking for more volunteering for sure though, so ill put that on too
i also thought about doing a virtual work experience or internship, and they show initiative i think. I'm also part of societies but dont have a leadership role or anything.yet at least..and haven't had even a retail role to i guess talk about, but can i make examples for questions from life / tutoring" experience?
Also idk what to do regarding references - would i really need a lot of them/ any? and like would i just ask a lecturer or my personal tutor? tbh i dont speak to my tutor or lecturers too much so idk how to approach that. Also with the tutoring im not sure if/how i should try and get a reference for that or something
so yea, with all this in mind, plus some more things im sure ill do over the next year (im going into year 2 right now, any ideas for things would be appreciated!), would i stand a chance like..at all..for graduate jobs/schemes?
Also, if there's anyone here that got in a big4 grad scheme, or heck any other related to finance/data , any indication of what you guys put on your cvs would be super appreciated, but obvs u dont have to so dw
also does what im saying not matter too much - like is the application / assessment? different for these, i kinda figured id need a cv so
hey, so, im doing a degree in software engineering, however, im not sure if i want to become a programmer afterwards to be honest. I still like the problem solving aspects, and i like to code, however, i just dont think i see myself doing it for the rest of my life anymore
( ive always liked maths, so i thought id get into maybe big 4 tax or audit, but im not sure how good of a position im in. I also thought about going for things like the barclays data and analytics grad scheme. So right now im thinking roles in data analytics, and/or finance (not IB - i dont go to a target or semi target so rip those hopes)
i guess the most "important" in terms of being able to apply - I'm predicted a 1st from a midrank uni (30 to 40th i think)
in terms of experience, i do have some tutoring experience of tutoring my sister and some other kids on my street, however idk how to say this in a cv to show any transferrable skills, like i got skills such as communication, organization?, planning, and from my dsgree ill get analytical skills too. due to this i was thinking of maybe doing a skill based cv but i dont know how this will be seen by like idk deloitte or other SMEs too
I play football and cricket, and so i guess this can show leadership and teamwork, and have volunteered some years ago to help organize a concert in my city, but again this was A WHILE ago so i have no idea if i could/should use it . Ill be looking for more volunteering for sure though, so ill put that on too
i also thought about doing a virtual work experience or internship, and they show initiative i think. I'm also part of societies but dont have a leadership role or anything.yet at least..and haven't had even a retail role to i guess talk about, but can i make examples for questions from life / tutoring" experience?
Also idk what to do regarding references - would i really need a lot of them/ any? and like would i just ask a lecturer or my personal tutor? tbh i dont speak to my tutor or lecturers too much so idk how to approach that. Also with the tutoring im not sure if/how i should try and get a reference for that or something
so yea, with all this in mind, plus some more things im sure ill do over the next year (im going into year 2 right now, any ideas for things would be appreciated!), would i stand a chance like..at all..for graduate jobs/schemes?
Also, if there's anyone here that got in a big4 grad scheme, or heck any other related to finance/data , any indication of what you guys put on your cvs would be super appreciated
, but obvs u dont have to so dw also does what im saying not matter too much - like is the application / assessment? different for these, i kinda figured id need a cv so
Reply 1
Al3x235
OP
10
bump?
Reply 2
Al3x235
OP
10
Hey, im doing a unrelated degree (software engineering), but fell out of love with it a bit so was considering big4 audit or tech grad schemes, as tbh even when i was choosing last year it was either CS/SWE or Finance.
What did you have on your CV/ as part of your application? Do you need a CV or is it an application form or something?
Also, can you get in with little work experience? I only have tutoring experience right now so im not sure if id even stand a miniscule chance
What did you have on your CV/ as part of your application? Do you need a CV or is it an application form or something?
Also, can you get in with little work experience? I only have tutoring experience right now so im not sure if id even stand a miniscule chance
Reply 3
Hey there
•
I did an accounting degree and did a placement year at EY
•
Was offered a grad position but didn't take it up [application process and cohort was the same as grads]
•
I had zero prior experience working for an accounting firm
•
There are some psychometric tests big 4 firms make you do, but they're not accounting specific
•
So long as you're aware of recent news stories in the financial world etc, there's not much else you need - so long as you can show your motivations for applying
•
All the best!
Reply 4
Al3x235
OP
10
Original post by Forlornsoul
Hey there
•
I did an accounting degree and did a placement year at EY
•
Was offered a grad position but didn't take it up [application process and cohort was the same as grads]
•
I had zero prior experience working for an accounting firm
•
There are some psychometric tests big 4 firms make you do, but they're not accounting specific
•
So long as you're aware of recent news stories in the financial world etc, there's not much else you need - so long as you can show your motivations for applying
•
All the best!
hey!
wow thanks so much! i was kinda worried about it being so competitive as i go to a midrank uni, and that tutoring was all the experience i have, so its good to know all hope isnt lost 🙂 .
Would not having a placement year / internship screw me over? I heard theyre really competitive but i figured if i show i really am enthusiastic and willing to learn then someone has to give me a chance haha
but wow that sounds like a awesome experience! all the best to you too!!
Reply 5
I can’t imagine falling out of love with software engineering and thinking a corporate audit career is the answer.
Haven’t worked in big-4 (never pursued) although plenty of people i know work/have worked there, and ive done corporate recruitment including interviews in banking & consultancy (including IB/management consultancy as well as technical & engineering consultancy).
In general i don’t think you need anything spectacular (unlike other areas of finance or consultancy which have way less jobs & are much tougher on the CV), solid academic track record, have a couple hobbies and an internship probably would help. I suspect internships/experiences would probably be more beneficial when you do assessment centres or “super days” so you have good case studies you can talk about in interviews. I think its more about doing well at each recruitment round: hire view/online tests/ACs then if you make it to the final interview making a positive impression then.
Id also not unless you’re in London, Big-4 salaries really are not what you’d think (i was surprised how “standard” they were comparing across other corporate graduate positions)
Haven’t worked in big-4 (never pursued) although plenty of people i know work/have worked there, and ive done corporate recruitment including interviews in banking & consultancy (including IB/management consultancy as well as technical & engineering consultancy).
In general i don’t think you need anything spectacular (unlike other areas of finance or consultancy which have way less jobs & are much tougher on the CV), solid academic track record, have a couple hobbies and an internship probably would help. I suspect internships/experiences would probably be more beneficial when you do assessment centres or “super days” so you have good case studies you can talk about in interviews. I think its more about doing well at each recruitment round: hire view/online tests/ACs then if you make it to the final interview making a positive impression then.
Id also not unless you’re in London, Big-4 salaries really are not what you’d think (i was surprised how “standard” they were comparing across other corporate graduate positions)
Reply 6
Al3x235
OP
10
Original post by mnot
I can’t imagine falling out of love with software engineering and thinking a corporate audit career is the answer.
Haven’t worked in big-4 (never pursued) although plenty of people i know work/have worked there, and ive done corporate recruitment including interviews in banking & consultancy (including IB/management consultancy as well as technical & engineering consultancy).
In general i don’t think you need anything spectacular (unlike other areas of finance or consultancy which have way less jobs & are much tougher on the CV), solid academic track record, have a couple hobbies and an internship probably would help. I suspect internships/experiences would probably be more beneficial when you do assessment centres or “super days” so you have good case studies you can talk about in interviews. I think its more about doing well at each recruitment round: hire view/online tests/ACs then if you make it to the final interview making a positive impression then.
Id also not unless you’re in London, Big-4 salaries really are not what you’d think (i was surprised how “standard” they were comparing across other corporate graduate positions)
Haven’t worked in big-4 (never pursued) although plenty of people i know work/have worked there, and ive done corporate recruitment including interviews in banking & consultancy (including IB/management consultancy as well as technical & engineering consultancy).
In general i don’t think you need anything spectacular (unlike other areas of finance or consultancy which have way less jobs & are much tougher on the CV), solid academic track record, have a couple hobbies and an internship probably would help. I suspect internships/experiences would probably be more beneficial when you do assessment centres or “super days” so you have good case studies you can talk about in interviews. I think its more about doing well at each recruitment round: hire view/online tests/ACs then if you make it to the final interview making a positive impression then.
Id also not unless you’re in London, Big-4 salaries really are not what you’d think (i was surprised how “standard” they were comparing across other corporate graduate positions)
hey, yeah i know its a big change , so i get why you seem surprised by it lol, but tbh im just trying to explore every option i have - like i have a lot of interests and was/am never set on a specific career tbh, i just know id like it to involve maths/numbers, and i picked software engineering as at the time i was very interested in it (im still interested, just not as much as i thought i was/was when i chose the degree)
i know it seems like i probably shouldnt have gone to uni so soon, or chosen a different degree maybe in my case but im here now so im just trying things, and ive been interested in finance in general for a while so i fogured its worth a shot🙂
but yeah i know its weird lol, i have until 2026 when i graduate so hopefully ill find a thing i wanna do, but i have a idea of the kinds of jobs i want to do, just not a set role (again, i probably shouldnt be doing cs/swe in this case or be on a gap year but welp)
thanks for your response though, seems like some really valuabe insights so thanks!!
(edited 11 months ago)
Reply 7
Also you might want to consider investment banking as you have a numerate degree, the pay will likely progress a lot quicker
Reply 8
Al3x235
OP
10
Original post by Forlornsoul
Also you might want to consider investment banking as you have a numerate degree, the pay will likely progress a lot quicker
yeah i thought about that but i dont go to a target uni so idk if its even possible lol, i hears from here if you dont go to like LSE/Oxbridge, or a semi target its curtains
thanks though, ill look into it and see if its at all possible haha 🙂
Reply 9
Original post by Al3x235
hey, yeah i know its a big change , so i get why you seem surprised by it lol, but tbh im just trying to explore every option i have - like i have a lot of interests and was/am never set on a specific career tbh, i just know id like it to involve maths/numbers, and i picked software engineering as at the time i was very interested in it (im still interested, just not as much as i thought i was/was when i chose the degree)
i know it seems like i probably shouldnt have gone to uni so soon, or chosen a different degree maybe in my case but im here now so im just trying things, and ive been interested in finance in general for a while so i fogured its worth a shot🙂
but yeah i know its weird lol, i have until 2026 when i graduate so hopefully ill find a thing i wanna do, but i have a idea of the kinds of jobs i want to do, just not a set role (again, i probably shouldnt be doing cs/swe in this case or be on a gap year but welp)
thanks for your response though, seems like some really valuabe insights so thanks!!
i know it seems like i probably shouldnt have gone to uni so soon, or chosen a different degree maybe in my case but im here now so im just trying things, and ive been interested in finance in general for a while so i fogured its worth a shot🙂
but yeah i know its weird lol, i have until 2026 when i graduate so hopefully ill find a thing i wanna do, but i have a idea of the kinds of jobs i want to do, just not a set role (again, i probably shouldnt be doing cs/swe in this case or be on a gap year but welp)
thanks for your response though, seems like some really valuabe insights so thanks!!
Im not surprised because the change is so big - but something like Big4 & in particular audit would be a better alternative if you’ve fallen out of love with something. It sounds like you want a new passion to pursue, and to be frank I struggle to imagine anyone has a passion for the roles you’re now looking at. Most people go to big4 because the company is relatively prestigious and they are going to get on a respectable career ladder not because they are deeply passionate for the work.
The people I know who are deeply passionate/nerds for finance are more interested in something more directly aligned to capital markets.
(edited 11 months ago)
Reply 10
Al3x235
OP
10
Original post by mnot
Im not surprised because the change is so big - but something like Big4 & in particular audit would be a better alternative if you’ve fallen out of love with something. It sounds like you want a new passion to pursue, and to be frank I struggle to imagine anyone has a passion for the roles you’re now looking at. Most people go to big4 because the company is relatively prestigious and they are going to get on a respectable career ladder not because they are deeply passionate for the work.
Most people I know who are deeply passionate/nerds for finance are more interested in something more directly aligned to capital markets.
Most people I know who are deeply passionate/nerds for finance are more interested in something more directly aligned to capital markets.
hey thanks for the response
yeah im looking in to big4/other audit, and tbh idk if my passion is strictly finance or numbers in general to be honest...i feel like i have too many sometimes but none are like DEEP passions yk? i was quite insecure about that for a while becauzs idk i feel like i should have it planned out by 19, but i dont - not completely anyway
and the career ladder thing, yeah i suppose you're right, thats also playing a part in me planning to switch industries i guess 🙂 , it would certainly help thats for sure
i think what ive got to do in year 2 is maybe try a lot of things, and see what i like? or maybe i should pick one thing, im not sure yet ☹️ , but i guess ill see where it goes
thanks for your help though, its definitely helped calm me down somewhat thats for sure!
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