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.)
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