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Nicole's KPMG Adventure
More graduate experiences. This time, Nicole Sterry shares her experiences as a new recruit at KPMG, after recently graduating from Newcastle University with a Mathematics degree.
Hi my name is Nicole Sterry and I've just commenced my second year at KPMG. I graduated in summer 2009 from Newcastle University with a degree in Mathematics and started KPMG that autumn. Although I found Maths pretty tough I loved my time at university and made some really good friends there who I still keep in touch with.
I got my job at KPMG in October of my third year. I knew it was where I wanted to be and knew it would be best not to leave it until too late as places can fill up fast. It meant I could relax knowing I had a job to go to when I graduated and instead concentrate on those all important final exams. I would definitely recommend Newcastle University's careers service if you're considering applying. They really helped me with the application process and even helped me practice my presentation for my interview (which really isn't as bad as it sounds!)
Whilst at university I think it's important to bear in mind that thousands of students graduate every year and jobs at top companies are very sought after. You should make the most of your time at university to do things that will set you apart from other graduates such as taking part in Open Days. I ran the Maths Open Day 'Party Bus' Tour of Newcastle, which was a great for me as I'm a chatter box anyway!
"I work in the audit department at KPMG and really enjoy the chance to be out and about all the time, meeting new people and visiting different places."
I was one of thirteen graduates to start at KPMG last year and this made it really easy to make friends as I was with a lot of people in a similar position to myself. It also makes such a massive difference that everyone in the office is really friendly and due to Newcastle being one of the smaller KPMG offices it doesn't take long to get to know everyone.
I work in the audit department at KPMG and really enjoy the chance to be out and about all the time, meeting new people and visiting different places as you move between different client sites. I would definitely say that is my favourite part of the job.
I would say the hardest part of my job is the exams. When you join KPMG on a training contract you start studying towards a professional qualification, usually ACA. In total there's 15 exams to do; 6 multiple choice knowledge exams, 6 written applications papers, 2 advanced papers and a case study. The exams are tough but coming out with such a well respected qualification at the end is definitely worth the effort. You also get a lot of support from people in the office and study with one of the best financial training colleges going which makes a big difference.
KPMG attends several graduate recruitment events during the year and so if you're looking to find out more information about what it's like to work for KPMG and also meet more of the people who work there, why not pop along to one?
Hope to see you there!
Nicole xx
If you would like to find out more about KPMG's graduate recruitment schemes, visit the KPMG Careers Website.
You can also check out what graduate recruitment events KPMG will be attending.
