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!

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(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!

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.

Update

It's been a while, so glad that exam period is finally over! For me anyway. It's been a tough couple of weeks, I remember when I used to consider staying up until 12am as 'late' but apparently 2am is the new normal for me. Well not for long.
Feeling pretty confident with my exams actually. There's always that concept or topic that you seem to dismiss when you're studying because you assume it won't be tested later, then you walk into the exam to find it is worth 5 marks. Student life problems.

So about a fortnight ago, I was on the way back from the gym when I saw that there was a new Co-op store and guess what was in the window? I remember making a mental note to get my hands on it after the ACCG315 awards ceremony in week 12. Anthony was going on about the book and how important the way you present yourself is in the professional world and it motivated me to prepare myself for the corporate world so I would know what to expect.

Every day since buying the book, I would walk past and it would call to me but I resisted since every bit of time before exams was valuable. (If only I had this much self control with social media..)
So now I finally get to read it. Of what I read on the bus trip home, it looks promising. 'The story of Alex Malley, a suspended schoolboy to CEO', sounds enthralling. Haha. Expect a future post on my thoughts of the book.