I Got Hired: Risk Consultant

Posted on: 9 December 2022 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Cameron Lindsay is a BA Hons Philosophy & Politics graduate now working as a Trainee Risk Consultant at Mazars LLP.

Tell us a bit more about yourself

I joined the University of Liverpool in 2019 and so I experienced first-hand how COVID changed university education.

I've always been someone who likes their own time, perhaps I'm more reserved than others but even in a social environment like university, I've always managed to find time for myself. Music is probably the thing I love most in life. I'm a metalhead and I have played bass guitar for close to 9 years now (I can imagine my housemates had a hard time whenever I was playing my music loud).

Being more reserved, I found that I'd spend a lot of time thinking about myself. Who am I really? What do I want to achieve in life? Why do I want to achieve in life? Posing these questions to myself deepened my personal values, boosted my confidence, and ultimately prepared me for going into my career.

Can you tell us more about your current role and what you enjoy most about it?

I'm a risk consultant and my role is quite client-facing. I identify risks for a client (these can range from geopolitical to cybersecurity to financial risks) and create recommendations for them to implement.

A typical day would involve a meeting in the morning with the client, testing and general fieldwork throughout the day. Coming closer to the end of an engagement, I will begin writing up draft reports and having closing meetings with the client just so that there are no surprises when they read our report.

The central London lifestyle, while perhaps cliché for some, is something that I really enjoy. The team I work with are extremely welcoming and helpful. However, the best thing about my current role is the incredible exposure you get early on to managing client relationships.

How did you find out about the opportunity and what made it appeal to you?

I searched online for the 'biggest accounting firms' and found Mazars on that list! I never wanted to be an accountant, so I knew an advisory based role would be more suitable for me. Most big accounting firms offer a wide range of services and so did Mazars. Through their careers website I applied to what sounded like the role that would teach me the most skills. Risk consulting had exposure to a wide range of clients (ranging from public sector to finance sector to industry) and, from what I could tell, would provide me with an incredible understanding of business.

What was the application & recruitment process like?

The application process was not too difficult in my opinion (this is coming from someone that applied to up to 100 different companies). It starts off with maths and motivational tests (these are below GCSE level tests). Once I passed that, I had a telephone interview scheduled with Mazars' HR team (asking questions relating to the company and the qualification I would be undertaking).

Once I passed that, I was put through to the assessment centre (this was the final stage). Here, I had a one-on-one interview with the associate director of my department which included a short presentation I had prepared beforehand. Other tasks included a group exercise (this was a case study) and an individual case study. The team at Mazars did an incredible job at making me feel welcomed. This instantly relaxed me and allowed me to perform at my best.

How do you feel about the culture of your organisation as a recent graduate?

The culture here is extremely positive. We strongly encourage a work life balance. There have been times where I've stayed in the office an extra hour to finish of some work and my manager would tell me to go home. Everyone is incredibly kind, respectful, helpful and hard working. Given that this firm is growing quite rapidly, you can feel everyone is working hard towards our goal.

What advice would you give to students currently looking to secure a role like this?

Do not worry about your academic course or work experience in similar roles. I got this role with no financial experience and my course is completely unrelated. My work experience consists of working in a warehouse and a football stadium, but they helped me to develop lots of transferable skills.

Do not be concerned if you didn't get any internships, it is still very possible to secure a role in financial services. When you have your interviews, figure out what skills you have gained from your course and your work experience. Once you have figured what those skills are, pick out the skills that are transferable to the role you are applying to.

Pick out the transferable skills and tell the employer how these skills will add value to the company. Provide examples of what you have done to prove you have these skills. Answer questions concisely and chronologically. If you can, answer them in a story-telling manner to keep the employer interested. You want to leave an impression that makes them interested in who you are.

Finally, concentrate on your studies as a strong academic background always helps (but is not the end of the world). Don't try to be someone you aren't. Employers can pick up on that and you will come across as inauthentic and untrustworthy. Stick to your unique characteristics. Enjoy yourselves and look forward to having a career, it really is nowhere near as bad as some people may make out!