I Got Hired: Audit Associate at Ernst & Young

Posted on: 11 June 2020 in Graduate stories

Karolina is graduating BA Hons Accounting and Finance with a year in industry degree from the University of Liverpool in 2020. She has received an offer to work as an Audit Associate at Ernst & Young.

What was your best experience while studying your course at the University of Liverpool?

For certain, the social aspect of being a student at the University of Liverpool. The University itself has provided plenty of opportunities to meet many people, and it helped me make friends for life.

The highlight of my degree was the opportunity to travel to Suzhou in China during the summer of 2017. I was able to expand my network across the globe, learn about a different culture and learn a different language. After spending my summer at XJTLU, I continued Mandarin language classes at University by doing an additional course on top of my degree. (I still can't pronounce words correctly in Mandarin, but at least I tried). Therefore, if you do want to expand your skill set, there are plenty of opportunities whether it is through joining a society or whether it is taking on additional modules offered by the University.

The University of Liverpool provides plenty of opportunities for students to study abroad, whether it is for a year, semester, or summer and my advice would be to take that opportunity! You will never regret studying abroad and experiencing a different culture.

Which aspects of your course do you think have been the most beneficial to your career development?

Being able to take a year in industry was certainly the most beneficial aspect of my career development. I completed a 14-month placement working at BAE Systems, Internal Audit function.

The University has played a big part in helping and supporting me to secure this role. In first year, I completed a 'placement preparation' module. We have learned about the application process, what and how to research the company we want to apply for, completed a group task and presentation which has helped to develop my teamwork skills. As part of this module, University along with Careers & Employability organised us to have mock interviews with different employers. This certainly gave me a good insight into face-to-face employer interviews and was also able to receive feedback on how to improve going forward.

Can you describe your current role?

I am a final year student, working towards completing a degree in Accounting and Finance with a Year in Industry. (Sadly, I only got a few days left as a student)..

I have secured a Graduate role to join Ernst & Young as an Audit Associate. I was able to secure a role quite early in the academic year, which was all due to the support provided by the University. University of Liverpool Management School (ULMS) has organised several events where I was able to meet the employer's and get some insight into their recruitment process. I attended the event with E&Y which provided me with hints and tips on the application process and got an insight into what I would be required to know about the company to help me succeed in my application.

Given that many applications require us to complete numerical, situational, and judgemental assessments, it was super useful that University has provided me with free access to the 'Graduates First' website where I was able to prepare for these assessments in advance. The assessments on there were pretty challenging, which meant that I was more than prepared when I had to complete my numerical tests.

As part of my degree, I have completed a year in an industry where Careers & Employability played a huge role in helping me secure my placement. I was able to find my placement role advertisement through the CareerHub page! Even though I was unsuccessful in many roles that I have applied for to start with, being able to do mock video and face-to-face interviews have certainly helped me develop my interview skills and finally secure a placement.

Do you have any top tips to share with future and current students?

My top tip would be to get involved as much as possible at the university and take every opportunity presented to you.

Make the best use of resources provided by the university, whether it is the Career Studio, employer events, or workshops that are being organised to help students succeed academically! At the end of the day, you will only regret things that you did not do or make use of.

What is the first thing that you think of when you think of the University of Liverpool?

When I think of the University of Liverpool, I remember how much it developed me and how much support was provided to me to develop my skillset. My lecturers were always really helpful when it came to teaching the content and providing additional support where needed. Having friends at different Universities, I have always felt that I, at the University of Liverpool received much more support from University compared to my friends studying elsewhere.