Graduate Opportunities

University attended: University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Stephany is a graduate accountant in Assurance at Ernst & Young. She also spent time as a vacationer with Ernst & Young, and undertook several volunteer roles as a student at university.

What are your responsibilities in your current role?

My role is with the Assurance team at Ernst & Young, which means I am generally responsible for reviewing clients’ accounts and conducting financial analysis. I work closely with other team members on each client engagement. Work varies on a daily basis and between clients and includes a mix of both qualitative and quantitative work.

Much of your time is spent interacting with clients. What skills or training are required to prepare you for these activities?

It is an advantage to have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Retail work experience and extracurricular activities helped me to develop these. Ernst & Young provides ongoing learning and development opportunities to help improve our skills further. My first week was spent in training to help me prepare for client and team interactions.

How has working for Ernst & Young as a graduate and vacationer helped your professional development?

Getting a career head start as a vacationer was a huge benefit as it allowed me to gain invaluable practical work experience. Now as a graduate, Ernst & Young has continued to provide fantastic client opportunities and is supporting me as I study for the Chartered Accountant qualification.

What are the benefits of volunteering?

Volunteering and involvement in extracurricular activities at university are great ways to gain skills in non-academic areas – for example teamwork, leadership and time management skills – while also meeting some fantastic like-minded individuals. Besides this, it was an outlet to express myself creatively and enjoy activities outside of just academic pursuits, which is really important.

What is the best career advice you would offer to others?

I’d definitely encourage others to give everything a go, whether it is applying for jobs or getting involved at university, because the experiences are always valuable for future employment. It is important to remember that demonstrating the practical application of your skills is just as important as academic excellence.