What I struggled with last semester

The month long holiday has reached an end and I will be resuming semester two next Monday. The holiday has certainly given me time to reflect on the past semester and what contributed to what has been my least impressive semester yet (not a record I ever intend on beating). This is something I've been avoiding for some time now but it's time to be honest and face it. As I suspected, I failed a subject. The frustrating thing was that the final exam was fair and I could have passed it if I had focused on the right topics. With the limited time I had to study for this exam due to the way my exams were scheduled, I wasn't able to revise every topic. Therefore I had to prioritise certain topics over others. In the past, I've found that trying to cram every topic results in shallow, surface learning and worse, it also confused me about the topics that I already knew. This resulted in neglecting entire topics even, as I was convinced that other topics would be tested instead. However, to my surprise on the day of my exam, topics that I had put extra time into were not in the exam while others that I had not put so much time into were. Of course, I tried my best to answer all I could, but it just wasn't enough.

Another struggle I had during the semester was time management. Although I am not the best with time management, I've never had any major dramas. However this semester was particularly challenging. I applied for several internships and was lucky enough to make it through several stages (but didn't make it through the end). The application process was intense, having several stages and I spent a large bulk of my Easter holiday going through the process. While I was lucky to have been able to get through to the online testing and interview stages, they popped up at inconvenient times (before class tests). I poured a lot of time into these processes by conducting further research and trying many practice ability tests. I lost a fair bit of free time and study time and this affected my marks.
I also lost about a week (not including meetings throughout the semester) from participating in the CIMA GBC. I am so grateful that my friends asked me to be part of their team because I gained so much from the experience but looking back, I could have managed my time so much better. The competition happened to be before revision week (the week before exam period) which was not optimal. (I'm just glad that I was able to get my voice back and recover from the flu in time for the competition.)

Alternating weekly class tests didn't help me either as I would neglect some subjects to study for the test, then neglect that subject to study for the upcoming test. So time was not on my side this time.

I'm going to stop there with the reasons because I don't want this post to sound like a big whinge. My point is that while the semester was chaotic with tasks that seemed to pop out of nowhere, I still could have been more prepared. Blaming the situation is something I generally try to avoid because once you start pointing the blame and adopting the 'victim mentality' you become 'reactive' and not 'proactive' and lose control of a situation. Instead, I thought I'd share some lessons that I learnt from this semester;

•  Get better at working on multiple projects at once - I really dislike multitasking because I much prefer giving my all on one task at a time and it stresses me out to be honest. But in some cases, it's the only way. I usually like to tackle tasks in the order they are due, like how I spent time on the CIMA presentation before revision as I thought that once it was over, I could fully focus on studying. I didn't take into account the time it took for concepts to cement in my head and lost valuable time due to this.
• Don't be fixated on perfection - Sometimes if I set high goals for myself and things don't go exactly how I planned, I get dismayed and even lose motivation seeing that I've already 'failed' or derailed from my original plan
• Move on quickly, minimise future losses - This point carries on from the point above. Say you've spent a lot of time doing research on a topic but later realise that you've approached it from the wrong angle. You can submit it, seeing that you've spent so much time on it and not using it would seem like a waste. Or you could just let it go, move forward and do the assignment correctly. Sometimes you need to let go of sunk costs, because what matters most is the end result.
• Be more flexible, be less rigid - Also related, be prepared to change your approach based on the situation. I was so set on doing things a certain way but when the situation changed, this was no longer the best approach. Not smart.
• Invest in the certainties - In this case, I should have spent a little less time in the uncertainties like job applications and competitions and allocated more time to the certainties; assignments, tests and exams. Deep down I knew I should not have sacrificed my short time goals for my long term goals.
• Stop procrastinating, have some discipline - well this is pretty straightforward. I could probably schedule some breaks in at regular times so I would have some structure and feel less guilt. DELAYED GRATIFICATION is also a good concept to keep in mind (Google the marshmallow experiment)

These are just the points I can think of at the moment (hope it wasn't too repetitive) but I'm going to keep this under 2000 words haha. If you are somehow reading this, thanks for dropping by and joining me in my journey of just understanding myself better. :)

The CIMA Global Business Challenge

Last year, shortly after winning the award for 'Best Presentation' in ACCG315, my team mates approached me about this CIMA Global Business Challenge and how they needed a fourth member to enter. At first, I was hesitant with being able to commit to such a large project and to give it my all. I told them that I wouldn't make any promises, and that they should ask just about everybody else first (they would be able to claim points for the Global Leadership Program) and I would join if nobody else wanted to. (They disagreed). One member started pestering me about it and I decided that it would be a good learning experience (from the in-depth case study as well as the team work experience). I thought that as the task was to write a report and my team mates were not native English speakers, I wouldn't be completely useless. (I'm kidding, just in case it wasn't obvious.) So I finally agreed to be the fourth member of their team. I don't know why they were so insistent on me joining them, somehow they were under the impression that I was intelligent.. (another joke.)

Not long after we registered as a team, we received a case study that was about 20 pages (not even exaggerating) plus a scenario that was about 6 pages (from memory). It was on the oil and gas industry and had five main issues that we needed to prioritise, address and provide recommendations for. Not going to lie, seeing the amount of information we had to process then produce a quality report out of was intimidating and seemed arduous. Thankfully, I had my team mates and being around them highly motivated me and prevented me from distracting myself. After reading the complete case study and scenario, I felt a lot more confident because it wasn't as hard as I had built it up to be in my mind. Soon, we volunteered ourselves to certain issues and got started. I had two issues to address, regarding ethics and the company's public image. Once I started, the ball was rolling and it pretty much flowed from my mind. I also put in extra research, checking on what other industries in the E&P (exploration and production) industry was doing.

Of course, I volunteered to then give the whole report a good once-over to check over grammatical errors. This wasn't as laborious as I thought it would be and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of our report, (not that I had ever doubted our team). I gained a lot of confidence after seeing the final product and was really proud of our team. I didn't mind if nothing came out of it because I was just proud of what we had produced. I was amazed by Julian's dedication to the project, even adding additional parts to what I had written. He really went above and beyond.

After a couple of emails back and forth to Nicole and some help from Macquarie's team last year, we made sure our report fit the requirements and finally submitted it. We were all happy, having completed the project and continued back to our daily lives, not giving the report another thought. To be honest, we undertook the project, not even thinking about the final prize; for the most part, my team wanted to be able to claim GLP points for our participation.

Then the unexpected happened. Several weeks later, we received an email, congratulating us as we had been shortlisted to the Australian national finals! About 40 teams in Australia had entered the competition. When my team mates first notified me of this, I was overjoyed. Then, a feeling panic set in. We were required to present our report to a panel of judges. In public. I generally don't have too much of a problem with speaking in public, except when I was required to memorize a bulk of information. Blanking out and forgetting what I had to say was my biggest concern. There was also the 10 minute question and answer session to consider too, which could easily make or break us. I was also worried that I wouldn't have enough to say but it turned out that I had trouble cutting things out. We had about a week and a half to prepare for our presentation which was during a critical time in the semester, I distinctly remembered having to submit 3 assessments, 3 days in a row the week before we had to present.

I think I spent about the same amount of time if not more trying to cut out parts of my speech as I spent writing it. But I spent countless hours rehearsing and trying to remember and practicing my speech. I was really worried because even when I was able to remember it without looking at my page, I still got nervous when I practiced in front of my team members. I think I also had the pressure of being under the time limit. I also volunteered to give a summary of our presentation so I had to remember a bit more information.

Even until the day of the final, I was still stumbling a little bit and it worried me and I could tell it worried Julian too. But after taking a break, as we traveled to the hotel, I felt calmer. I knew that I knew my speech by heart. When we arrived, we were led into a room and told that we were last to present. We had to wait one and a half hours before we could present. While this meant that we had time to practice, we wouldn't be able to watch the other teams present. The long amount of time 

before our presentation also made us nervous. We were told that it wasn't good if we were last due to strategic reasons, being compared to other teams but I don't think it made too much of a difference.

When it was our turn to present, I think for the most part, it went smoothly. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard with the questions. I had actually prepared some answers related to my topic but the question asked was not really connected to what I had prepared. It was a shame. Julian stepped in. I had never admired him more than at that moment. Even though he wasn't the strongest English speaker (he honestly has great English skills though) he really saved the day and had something to say about everything.

We came third which we were grateful for. Although we weren't going to Poland, I still think it was a great outcome. We made friends with the other teams and had a great night overall, for me, mainly because I had overcome another challenge and that after this, I would be able to focus on studying for the upcoming finals (but that is another story). It was a great experience and I couldn't have done it with better people. Without my friends' dedication and slight coercion (kidding) we would not have made it this far. I just have the greatest respect for my team mates and they just have this positive energy that is so contagious. Here are some photos from the night.

Getting our medals, a big thanks to Barclays

My turn presenting (thanks Mum)

Achievers and Solutions with Petroworld Consulting, enjoy Poland!

Busy

It has been too long since my last post here, it's not that I've forgotten or decided to abandon the blog. I've just been really busy. (That must be the world's most used excuse.)

In my two week 'holiday', I spent a lot of time learning more about how to write a good cover letter, how to answer applications, and completing oh-so-many practice psychometric tests. I actually discovered an entire market on the internet selling packages dedicated to practice tests, interview guidance and tips and tricks for getting into the Big Four. Did I buy them? No, not necessarily due to the price but because I was already pressed for time with all the time I was spending researching companies, looking at their social media, and tailoring my resume.

People really underestimate the time it takes to apply for jobs. For me, it was not necessarily the hunt for jobs as I already had a good idea of which companies I wanted to work for. But I wanted to give myself the best shot at applying for these companies so I dedicated a significant amount of time to these companies (possibly too long). At the end of the day, even though university is one of my highest priorities, getting into a great advisory position in a company I like is my dream. I feel that as soon as I at least gain experience with a big four company (or another great accounting company), half my worries are over. Regarding university or a career-wise anyway. Getting into an internship at these companies just meant that much more to me because I had no employment history, other than my volunteer experiences.

It also gave me the chance to see whether I really liked accounting earlier on, than being stuck in a position that I had worked over three years for and tried so hard to get into. So far, I have been rejected by two companies, no news from most and today I had just completed a video interview for one of them. I was so excited when I found out because I was convinced that I did pretty average in the last test I completed for the company. Maybe there weren't too many applicants for the location and area I applied for? Regardless, I was really happy that I had made it that far. I think after the video interview, the next stage is the partner interview or assessment centre, so it's getting pretty close. I would be a little crushed if I made it to the partner interview and got rejected as I had invested a lot of time and energy (especially emotional energy) into applying for the company.But it's all part of the learning process, right?

During the application process, I constantly told myself that all this time I was putting in, even though it may have seemed like it was 'all for nothing', was all contributing to making me better at the process. After all, when you make investments, more often than not, the results aren't always immediate.

I think the interview didn't go particularly badly? I mean sure, it started off awkward and right now, I can think of a couple of points that I should have mentioned but it wasn't a total disaster.. I really don't know. I think a good skill to have is being able to present yourself well on camera. That is definitely not an area of strength for me.

Didn't apply for as many places as my friends did. My one friend applied for over ten graduate positions, so I can't imagine how they were able to manage their time so well. While the process is somewhat exciting when you find out more about a company and what it's like to work there, at the same time, there is something just draining about it.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Next week is a huge week for me, got an in class test, the CIMA Case Study Report due, a groupwork assessment, homework and some catching up to do. Somehow ended up making plans with two different people which right now, I am not really looking forward to.

Happy Easter!

My rabbit, Zippy (thought it was appropriate)

The Easter holidays have started and one thing I am definitely doing is applying for Summer Vacation Internships. Now that I have finally decided that I am staying an extra semester (see post below), that makes me eligible to apply for the internships because 2015 is now my penultimate year. So I haven't quite escaped the job seeking. Hopefully, lack of accounting experience won't hold me back too much with internship seeking. The process seems to be just as long unfortunately but I can really picture myself fitting in to these organisations (especially after what I've read on their websites). This Easter weekend I have been spending time learning more about the organisations and I really need to get moving with my cover letters.

Of course as any Easter, going to church is an essential part of our celebrations. Our family went to the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday and tonight we will be going to the most important mass; the Easter Vigil. There is also one more mass on Easter Sunday. Other than that, no other big Easter family celebrations this year but that has suited me just fine as I really need to get on top of these internship applications.

I have also started a Microsoft Excel course. It's with Shaw Academy, where I took my Diploma in nutrition. While I do know how to use it (not as well as I know Microsoft Word) from year 10 and in university assessments I thought it would be good to gain more knowledge about it. It is made up of 25 modules and after each module is an assessment. Should be able to fit this in my two week break whilst applying for everything. I was also planning to go to the Easter Show this Tuesday but the weather isn't really looking too good. It's going to be a busy day as after the gym, I will be spending the day with my best friend celebrating his belated birthday, then I will have to rush back to Macquarie University chiropractic clinic. Ideally, my GT application should have been finished before Tuesday as they close that day.

Found this on Instagram the other day, thought this was funny (and no, I did not lie, I know how to use Excel)

Thinking about all this is beginning to stress me out, but as long as I write everything down in my diary and form a plan, I should be able to get everything done. I can only imagine how stressed my other friends are, applying for all these graduate positions.

Also, I just found this website, Accountants Daily and spent almost an hour there. I've actually been looking for a website like this (and it happens to be Australian) because in the newspaper you find the Business and Finance section which I read from time to time but sometimes it's like the accountants live in a secret world. Unless there is a scandal or fraud. So when I get the time, I will try and post my thoughts on events that are relevant to accounting.

Cold Feet? (I have some news)

I think most university students at one point of their student life wonder whether they are doing the right degree and wonder if it is something that they are willing to spend the rest of their life doing. A great proportion of students I have come across in university have switched their degree/major at least once. I would be lying if I said that I never had second thoughts about whether I was completely happy with my degree.

In high school, all I knew was that I always wanted to work in business/commerce. At the time, my idea of accounting was working in a tall skyscraper in the city, being dressed in corporate wear and heels and dealing with money. Sort of. Of course, I gained a greater understanding of the discipline when it came time to decide what it was that I really wanted to do. . My Dad was an accountant, many of my relatives were accountants and because of the fairly good job prospects and job stability, it appeared to be the reasonable decision. So I went with accounting. I loved my first year of commerce, and surprisingly, I also loved the accounting units. I also really enjoyed and connected with marketing and principles of management.

I also enjoyed second year overall. As an elective I chose Organisational Behaviour which I found interesting but I later learnt was just not my thing. When I entered my third year, I came to terms that my life as a student was coming to an end. I realised that I didn't really want to leave. Not yet. Like I hadn't experienced all there was to experience in university. Something was missing (sounds cliched but true).

Later, doing Consumer Behaviour (my second elective), I reconnected with Marketing. I remembered how much I enjoyed learning about it back in first year and everything just seemed to make sense to me. I wasn't too sure if it was worth taking the risk because I wasn't sure if I could create a viable future with marketing. I knew I still wanted to be an accountant, and continue with CA or CPA. So for a while, I debated back and forth about whether I should major in both accounting and marketing, and what implications this would have.

I wondered if it was worth investing extra time and thousands more for something that was purely for my own personal interest. I looked further into it and discovered that all I needed was to complete only 5 required marketing units to graduate with a second major in accounting. I would be able to finish this easily in an extra semester and not a year as I had previously thought.

But even though it was only an extra semester, this still meant that I would not be able to apply for all the graduate programs that I had been preparing myself for. I would have to wait an additional year. My life would be pushed back by an entire year. This was a big deal. Or at least I thought it was. I made a friend this semester  who was taking 3 units a semester and would graduate next year too. And I thought to myself, 'what is one semester, out of the rest of your life?'. The only expectation of graduating this year was put on by myself. It didn't matter to anyone else if I graduated later. Graduating a semester later didn't make me a failure. It meant that I was willing to make a choice for myself. After all, life is not a race.

So there it is. I am staying back another semester at Macquarie University so I can graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Marketing. Notice that it's not a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Professional Accounting and Marketing, That is because it doesn't exist. This means I could probably graduate this year if I really wanted to because I would just need to complete the required units for both accounting and marketing BUT because I intend on being an accountant and moving on to CPA/CA next, I will be completing all the Professional Accounting units with the addition of the required marketing units.

Busy week recap

Just making a quick post while I have the time. This week has been/will be jam packed. I have become that person on the train or bus working on their laptop. On Tuesday was the CPA Career's Evening, on Thursday I attended a Linked In workshop and tomorrow is a series of workshops hosted by Performance Education on Professional business skills and communication in business settings.

Earlier today, I wrote a post on the CPA Career's Evening (just below) but it was definitely worthwhile going. The Linked In workshop was hosted by the Macquarie Accounting Student Association and Performance Education. While I found the workshop entertaining, I'm not sure if I learnt anything new from it. There was pizza at the end though. I really do appreciate the opportunity for events like these.

Tomorrow is going to be the busiest day yet. Firstly, we will be heading to the public school for the election around 8am. Then by 9am, I need to be at the chiropractic clinic for my appointment. Then straight after, I need to rush over to the university where the first session will start at 10 and end at 12. This will be followed by the workshop which will end at 1. Then I plan on having lunch with friends for a little while. At 2pm, the next session starts and ends at 4pm. The workshop ends at 5. When I get home, hopefully I'll be able to start and finish my corporations law homework. So that is what I have planned tomorrow, Sunday will just be filled with trying to get my accg301 and accg308 homework done which realistically takes about a day with church and food prep. Not sure how I will stay zen throughout all this but thank God that it is week 6 next week, and the Easter holiday right after.

CPA Careers' evening

So a couple of nights ago I went to the CPA career evening which was held at Docklands in Darling Harbour and I got to meet Alex Malley! It was also great to see new corporations with flexible, modern cultures that attracted me.

There was a corner where corporate fashion was discussed (note to self: get another blazer) , a corner where a photographer took linked in profile pictures, a resume checking station (which was so beneficial for me), the stalls and of course the book signing area (my main reason for attending the event).

Alex stayed until the very end which was just so admirable of him. The line was pretty much never ending all night and he said that he signed thousands of books. We waited about an hour while the stalls were all packing up (it wasn't too bad, we played eye spy). In the 30 seconds where I was able to talk to him, he really was as charismatic as they said he was. I told Alex how his book encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone more, even if it's just little things like having a conversation with someone new on the bus. There was a warmth about him and he was genuine. The girl who met Alex just before me was crying and I overheard him telling her that she could ask him any question she wanted and he would answer her, in video.
The night definitely ended on a good note and I am so glad that I was able to have met him!

________________________________________________________________________

(Previous posts on The Naked CEO; http://accountingstudentjournal.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/chapter-one.html
http://accountingstudentjournal.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/update.html)
I really need to write a closing post on the book!

Careers Day

So I got back from the careers fair awhile ago and it was pretty worthwhile. Talked to a bunch of employers, some that I had previously considered joining and some that I had not. I did a little research on some companies that I predicted might be there and mentioned a couple names from presentations I had attended. Think I'll save it for the interviews.

Most companies had set programs, like vacationer programs or graduate programs which I was eligible for. Everything was mostly online, I only handed in one (paper) resume. One thing that was reinforced today was the flexibility of working with smaller to medium enterprises, and accounting firms that weren't the big 4. I really appreciated how many graduate programs had rotations and gave you flexibility in where you wanted to go; whether it was taxation, auditing, or advisory.

I am mostly still set on advisory though after talking to a couple friends and people I am more open to also trying auditing and even tax? What I am most interested in, I guess is an experience where I am exposed to all aspects of a business and all aspects of accounting.

I also asked a couple people how big a part experience plays in being selected and I got some different answers. I am hoping that the AEC gets back to me because I think working for a couple days will be a really interesting experience.

I am coming to terms that since this is my last year of uni that job seeking starts now. This can be a fun experience but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't slightly nervous.

Pre-Career Day Jitters

Tomorrow is Careers Day at Macquarie and I'm not quite sure what to expect. I have an outfit planned out and several copies of my resume printed out just in case. But other than that, I can't help but feel a little unprepared. I wasn't sure whether to include this blog in my resume; whether it would help me or whether my complete honesty would be the very reason I get turned down.

I wonder how many organisations will be there tomorrow. I am still going to be somewhat selective of which organisations I approach tomorrow because I will only approach an organisation that I admire or see myself working for (i.e. not an organisation in the tobacco industry).

I really wish I was able to go to that workshop on how to make the most of Careers Day workshop. I wasn't sure if it was worth skipping class for. Apparently anyone who went was able to gain insider information about the day. I can only guess which organisations will be there.

Anyway, those are just my late night thoughts, I have a big day ahead of me and I really need to get some rest. Until next time!

Long University Update

I am currently typing from a computer lab in uni. The internet at home is down since we're in the process of switching providers and the family is in distress (slightly). So for at least another 8-10 business days we are going to have to stick it out. I have missed blogging, even though it's only on a weekly basis. Blogging, writing, or just getting my thoughts out just has a calming effect on me and basically helps me function.

So uni has started and I am pretty happy with how things are going, still on top of things but it is still week two. It has been busier than I expected though. I tried to make the most of o-week by attending a lot of employer presentations which were mainly about things like what employers look for. Thankfully, they were all of some value to me because I know that all these graduate programs can get pretty competitive and I'm sure that knowing what they look for will give me an edge.

I was more determined to join some clubs since it was my last year of university. I was already a part of the Accounting Students Association, and the Bhakti Yoga club (which never really got back to me). This round I joined the Toastmasters because I thought it would be great to brush up on my public speaking skills and gain more confidence. I also joined the Global Leadership Program (really wish I joined sooner though) and the Food Society since I thought it would be good to meet people outside accounting.

Our team has also officially joined the CIMA Global Business Challenge 2015. We have met up with our mentor and the task is to write a report giving our recommendations based on the case study and scenario given to us. Looking at the case study, it's not for the lighthearted. I will somehow have to find some time out of my overloaded schedule to fully process it before even thinking of the report.

Lots of old friends and some new. Speaking of friends, a friend came across my blog searching accg315, was slightly embarrassed! (Hi Kristen if you happen to be reading this haha) 

I am doing my last elective, consumer behaviour and it is refreshing to meet different type of people from the usually reserved accounting students. 

I am also doing 'Organisational Planning and Control' and it reminded me; I actually LOVE management accounting. Formulating strategies, thinking about the direction of an organisation and being a part of the action (at least I hope).

For a long time I also entertained the idea of doing marketing, I love how it is multidisciplinary and combines elements of psychology and commerce (along with other disciplines). I never really pursued it because I wasn't really a strong writer. At least not under exam conditions. But lately I've been thinking about it more seriously, giving myself another chance so I chose consumer behaviour as my last elective. If it goes well, I'll take it up as a second major. I think marketing could go nicely with management accounting too. But I definitely want and intend to do advisory (as I had always planned).

Anyway, that is just an update on returning to university. Sorry if it lacked structure!

Auditing

University is starting in 3 days and I am a little nervous and excited. I am wrapping up my nutrition course and I am in the process of writing a cover letter to an accounting firm that I have been interested in for a while (but I can only do so much). Today I'll share another reflection from last semester.

1. Describe the work environment as presented by the industry partner.

The work environment of KPMG is challenging with a steep learning curve, however most of the work involves working in a team rather than individual work.

2. Describe the role that a new graduate employed by the industry partner would be expected to play in the organisation

A new graduate employed by KPMG (in auditing) would first be an associate accountant.
According to KPMG (2014), associate accountants have a number of responsibilities such as;
• Assisting with audit working papers and documentation including researching and recording facts and findings
• Recognising and reporting accounting and auditing information to management and partners
• Discovering opportunities to improve in financial performance
• Communicating with clients to confirm that there is mutual understanding between both parties
• Having a working knowledge of KPMG Audit Tools (still yet to get this)

3. Skills & Attributes Required

To work for KPMG, technical skills are a must. Technical expertise is necessary to understand all aspects of client’s business. Analytical skills are what makes a good auditor, being able to make use of the information given, to best serve the needs and interests of your client.  Presenting insights, understanding and recognising the client’s needs and wants, are all ways analytical skills can add value to clients.

An associate accountant will need to keep up to date with all new accounting standards, trends and their impact on clients, in time to issue warnings to clients.

Time management is very important as five tasks can be due at the same time. Therefore setting priorities are important, to keep up with deadlines.

Interpersonal skills are necessary as you will be constantly around people on the job, having interactions with clients and management; first impressions and building relationships are very important. As a bulk of the work also involves working with a team, leadership skills are also useful. This means being able to create a balance between people and the task while getting results, and dealing with different personalities on different projects.

Integrity is also an attribute which has become increasingly important not only in KPMG but also in the accounting profession in general. Auditors are trusted with sensitive information in their day to day work life and should act in the best interest of their clients. If financial information is abused through alteration, corruption, loss, misuse, or unauthorized disclosure, this can adversely affect the client’s organisation. (WebFinance,2014)

4. Critique to the extent to which your skills and attributes align with the skills and attributes required to work for the industry partner, formulate a strategy to address areas for improvement.

Interpersonal and leadership skills tend to come more naturally to me as I have experience in the past such as taking charge of group work tasks in university, being a peer support leader, being selected to go to leadership camp.

According to the results of the Prelude Character Analysis (2014), I am an ESTJ (Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) and tend to be ‘the organiser, of materials, of people, of deadlines making sure tasks are planned and coordinated and that everyone is clear what is expected and what should happen next.’ I also have the ‘ability, to adopt a decisive stance, take charge and get the job done which makes 'natural' leaders whom others will readily follow’.

Integrity is an attribute I value and exhibit in my daily life. I believe that a person is as only as good as their actions and that trust is essential in all relationships, personal or professional.

Time management and technical skills are areas that I am weaker with. While I am competent with the technical side, I still need to improve my analytical skills and the ability to pick up on details that may not be obvious to others.

Completing AFIN253 and ACCG350 should significantly increase my analytical skills. Widening my knowledge about accounting standards and keeping up to date with new accounting standards is also important as my current knowledge on accounting standards is still limited.

To improve with time management, I should get into the habit of being more productive and organised. A first step I could take would be to write my daily tasks in a diary or planner. (Which I am now doing)

References

KPMG 2014, Associate – Audit, accessed 10 September 2014, http://www.kpmg.com/mm/en/careers/pages/associate-audit.aspx

Prelude Consulting Limited 2014, ESTJ Work, accessed 10 September 2014, http://www.preludecharacteranalysis.com/types/estj/work

Webfinance Inc 2014, Sensitive Information, accessed 10 September 2014, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/sensitive-information.html#ixzz3CcvOHXdS

(Note: I wasn't aware that I hadn't posted in a while since I was sure that this post was queued. Nevertheless, here it is now and there will be another post again after university starts.)

Happy February!

Time really flies when you're busy (or having fun). Lately I've been focusing on my nutrition course which I have been enjoying, watching the Asian Cup and The Australian Open and I have also recently opened my accounting textbooks for revision. I studied Intermediate Financial Accounting in the first semester of 2014 and I will be doing a continuation of that next semester so I really need to brush up on everything to not only stay afloat but to do well. So in the upcoming weeks before uni starts again, I have allocated  the more challenging topics to revise and hopefully I haven't forgotten too much.

Also set up my timetable the other day and for the first time I am completely happy with how it is set up. Last semester I had a couple of lectures ending at 8pm which was what I was trying to avoid. I have an equal amount of classes on each of the three days so I won't be going to uni for just one class and I'll be able to attend all lectures. I never like watching lectures online because it gives me chances to procrastinate and to put it off. I find that deadlines and being in public (not alone) motivate and keep me going. I also have enough time in the mornings to hit the gym if I'm not too busy which is nice. Having this timetable almost excites me to get back to uni and get prepared. Next on the list: getting back into a decent sleeping pattern.

Analysis Paralysis

http://focusnjoy.com/daily-inspiration/sowharvest/#.VLZX9dKUf-s

I've been really enjoying these holidays, especially considering that it may be my last 3 month holiday as I should be graduating next year. So what have I been up to? Going to the gym, finding new recipes, reading up on articles, getting my regular dose of my favourite youtubers, seeing friends, decluttering, selling things, helping around the house, volunteer work, hiking and doing a nutrition course. What did I plan on doing these holidays? All of the above but also having either an internship or part time job. And why haven't I gotten a part time job or internship?

I came across an article the other day which I found described my situation perfectly. It was called analysis paralysis. It explained analysis paralysis as delaying something you've been meaning to do because in your mind, you keep telling yourself that you're not prepared enough or you keep waiting for the right time or optimal conditions. Excuses are constantly made, the perfect time never comes and the task never gets done. (So I may have paraphrased). A good example of this is starting a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes people think that they have so much weight to lose that they don't see the point in trying. Or, they might compare their journey to others and feel overwhelmed, think that they may never come close to the level of others and think that it would be better off sparing themselves the shame.

This is exactly what I have been doing with job searching. For the longest time, I put off writing a resume and finding a job because I felt that my resume would be quite dull and inadequate. I didn't look for a job as I knew that most employers wanted someone with experience, something I didn't have. (Experience is always something you get right after you need it.) I felt disadvantaged because it seemed like everyone had a job at 16. My parents did not approve of me having a job in high school. As tragic as that was, what I should have done was just get out there and try anyway as soon as I graduated high school. But instead, I used it as an excuse. Even though I didn't have a long list of awards from high school, didn't become school captain, didn't have a resume as sparkly as others, didn't mean I could keep putting it off until the last minute. Comparing myself to others never really does me any good.. I guess I got so overwhelmed that I never gave myself a chance.

http://healthypsych.com/compassionate-ways-increase-motivation/

This year, it will be different. While many accounting students have internships or accounting jobs in their second and third years, I will not let that deter or overwhelm me because I know that I have a lot to offer. Instead, I will use that as motivation. End of pep talk.

Chapter One.

I was reading The Naked CEO by Alex Malley and while I planned to write a post on the entire book, I decided that it would be much too long because there is so much in it. So in this post, I will just be talking about the first chapter.

Firstly, I like the style of the book. It's an easy read and doesn't over-complicate. It really feels like Alex Malley has taken you under his wing as he tells you about his own personal experiences. Each chapter also ends with an anecdote of a past mentee.

Reading chapter one, I found myself nodding in agreement and thinking, 'wow that is so true.' This was especially the case when he explained the importance of self awareness. It feels like that today people are so concerned about crossing off the things in their daily to-do lists that they often don't realise what habits and quirks they develop along the way. Some people are so fixed with having things pan out in a certain way that they don't realise how they treat people and how they make others feel. And after years and years of developing habits and continued behaviour, before they realise it, they can become someone that they barely recognise. A little dramatic, I know, but self awareness is a crucial part of being critical of yourself in order to deal with your issues and become a better person. And not to go off on too much of a tangent but I think that a large part of this is reliant on having emotional intelligence.
Having emotional intelligence can earn you a great deal of respect (and possibly prevent embarrassing situations). When you are able to pick your battles and have control over your emotions then you do appear more.. well intelligent!

This chapter is all about learning to let your guard down in order to be your genuine self. Somehow, I had gotten the impression that in a work environment, you needed to hide your personality so that you would be taken seriously but after reading this chapter (and talking to industry partners) I've discovered that this is definitely not the case and your personality can work to your advantage.

Personal Branding and Networking

Our second reflection was all about the importance of personal branding and networking. We were instructed to compare and contrast 3 linked in profiles of accounting professionals. We were also to discuss the strengths of their profiles. Then we were to create a linked in profile then assess it, in relation to the three profiles of the professionals. This is what I wrote about my profile at the time;

Currently my Linkedin account has skills such as financial statements and journal entries listed. The background section is empty. I have included the ‘Causes I care about’ and “Organisations that I support’. Listed in ‘Education’ are Macquarie University and the Sydney Institute of Business. I have also included my hobbies, that I am a member of the Accounting Students Association and that I am bilingual. Hopefully by the time I graduate, future employers will see me as qualified, someone with outside interests and employable.

A strength in my personal brand is that I feel comfortable at social events and consider myself friendly and easier to approach so I will not find networking as deterring as other students in my position.

The biggest weakness in my personal brand is my lack of experience. One action I can take to strengthen my personal brand before graduation and joining the accounting profession is to gain some experience. I currently have no experience in the workforce which can be a large disadvantage for me when competing against graduates who have had experience. Getting a part time job, an internship or even taking up volunteer work will instantly enhance my personal brand.

Since this reflection, I have changed my profile by adding my volunteer work. I am still yet to add a profile picture which would actually be very beneficial for my personal brand and image.

2015 resolutions?

First post of the year, happy 2015! In the past, I've usually been a cynic towards the whole 'new year, new me' mentality many people adopt in the beginning of each new year but this year I have set (and written down) some goals. After all, a study conducted by Harvard in 1979 showed that 3% of the surveyed ended up earning an average of 10 times more than the 97% who had no goals or did not have their goals written down. My goals range from performing 5 consecutive chin ups to continuing to get credits and above in my uni grades. Getting an internship would be amazing too.

I am both hopeful but slightly anxious for 2015 as I am entering my final year of my degree. It won't be long until I'll be trading my late nights and early mornings studying, for late nights and early mornings in the office. Random fact: in my 15 years of education, I have never had to pull an all-nighter, or failed a subject which doesn't sound like much but more than others in my position can say (not to brag).. I plan to keep that record. 

This year, I will be sure to make the most of the last of my uni life. Join a bunch of clubs and get involved on campus. Do something to stand out, who knows. I learnt so much from 2014 and I hope that this year will be just as unforgettable.