www.realworldmagazine.com
2008
presenting graduates REAL PEOPLE IN REAL JOBS, DIRECT who love their FROM THE RECRUITERS careers
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© 2008 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, is a subsidiary of KPMG Europe LLP and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative.
A bigger stage for your talents.
Put your career first by joining KPMG. With specialist training and graduate opportunities across Europe, you’ll have the chance to shine in a role that’s right for you. Find out more at kpmgcareers.co.uk/biggerstage
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Real people | 2008
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foreword Real World magazine is all about the real world of work: how to train for your chosen profession, what your financial prospects could be, and where your career path could eventually take you. Real People is our sister publication giving you an insight into everyday working lives with case studies from employees in a range of industry sectors. They discuss what it is they actually do, what they love about their jobs, and give advice on what you really need to succeed. If you can’t find a case study for your chosen career path in Real
People, then log on to www.realworldmagazine.com, where you’ll find hundreds more giving you the lowdown on the world of work. Whatever you decide to do in the future, good luck!
Dee Pilgrim, Editor
content Ernst & Young...........................4 KPMG.........................................6 Logica.......................................8
PricewaterhouseCoopers.....10 Shell..........................................12 Teach First...............................14
Editor Dee Pilgrim • Designer Yang Ou • Features Writer Hannah Davies • Sales Paul Wade, Harmesh Sansoa, Terry McNally, Mitul Patel Marketing/Distribution Manager Poonam Sharma • PR Coordinator Madhvi Pankhania • Client Services Manager Marie Tasle Managing Director Darius Norell • Real People is a publication of Cherry Publishing: 22-26 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ Tel: 020 7735 4900, Editorial – 020 7735 2111 Fax: 020 7840 0443 • Email: info@realworldmagazine.com Website: www.realworldmagazine.com • Copyright © 2007 Cherry Publishing No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher. We cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs or for material lost or damaged in the post. The views in this publication or on our website are not necessarily those held by the publisher.
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RP sector Banking & Finance
apply now
www.ey.com/uk/careers
Ernst & Young Potential? It’s a funny thing, potential. Everywhere you look there are things that could be great, that could be a cut above the rest. And that probably includes you. But things don’t just become great on their own - they need advice, support and guidance from people that know the territory inside out. Ernst & Young has 114,000 people, in 700 locations across 140 countries around the world that are working to help companies realise the potential in their business. If you choose to join us, you get access to a breadth and depth of experience that’s unparalleled, to help you realise your own potential. We help our clients with Audit, Tax, Corporate Finance and Business Advisory. Which means that from early on you’ll be working with real people, with real problems, to help them overcome the challenges they face and get the most from their business. The support to succeed But you won’t be on your own in making that happen. As you should expect from a firm that promises quality in everything we do, the training you’ll get is first rate. So, whether it’s a professional qualification you’re after, or the broader business skills needed to advise the biggest and the best, every single person at Ernst & Young has a
dedicated counselor and mentor to help them develop, look out for their best interests and push them to be even better. You are not a number Yes, most of what we do involves numbers. But that doesn’t mean that’s all you are. Our clients want to deal with real people, not corporate clones, so individual personalities matter a lot. Delivery to the highest standards, on time, every time ensures the flexibility to balance working life with a life outside of work and keep personalities personal. Make it happen If you’re not looking for a graduate position just yet, think about taking part in our Work Experience, Summer Internship or Industrial Placement Programmes. And if you’re ready now to get your career started, we’ve got what you need to turn what you could be, into what you are. Please visit www.ey.com/uk/careers for more information.
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sector Banking & Finance RP
Chongo Sokota
sh Ernst & Young
Job title: Tax Advisor Degree: Law University: Birmingham University Joined Ernst & Young: June 2006
It’s a funny thing, potential. Everywhere you look there are things that could be great, that could be a cut above the rest. And that probably includes you. But things don’t just become great on their own - they need advice, support and guidance from people that know the territory inside out. WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM RP 5
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RP sector Accountancy & Actuarial
Areas of specialisation: • actuarial • assurance • corporate finance • corporate recovery • financial accounting • forensic accounting • internal audit • IT/technology • public sector • regulation • risk • tax • advisory
apply now
www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/graduates
the maximum three ‘Big ess in the Community. antly, we also maintained our consistently exceeding tes’ average pass rates in d CIPFA professional exams Salary: £competitive we believe, to both the highwe recruit and the extensive Benefits: vide at every stage. • bonus (discretionary) • car/allowance • gym membership/subsidy • life a business-related degree to assurance • pension scheme (with will need to meet our entry company contribution) • private These include at least 300 healthcare • season ticket loan nts (or 24 UCAS points) and a • days’ holiday – 25 • subsidised lunch E Maths. Please note allowance or the Audit ACCA programme stage for your talents Number of vacancies (UK): 1,000 60 UCAS Tariff pointsA(orbigger 20 your career by joining KPMG, one of the us a grade B in GCSEPut Maths. Number of first employees (worldwide): gramme, you will need grade UK’s leading employers of graduates. With over 100,000 and 300 UCAS Tariff points (or specialistInternships: training yes and graduate opportunities ). across Europe, you’ll have the chance to shine When: all year you will need to be on course nd will have good in a role that’s Degrees right sought:for you. n skills, a real interest in As one • all disciplines ofdegree the UK’s leading business advisors n ambitious approach to Locations:audit, over 20 offices in the UK, KPMG provides tax and advisory services ssional development. nearly 150 offices worldwide a wide range of clients - from football clubs 20 different graduateto career Apply to: e from within KPMG,and most ofgovernments to charities and major www.kpmg.co.uk/careers ighly respected and valuable corporations. ualifications. Full details of of the UK, German and Swiss firms aths can be found on ourThe merger Closing date: open
KPMG
to form KPMG Europe LLP will create the largest accountancy firm in Europe. This will not only enable us to look after the interests of our clients more effectively, but also offer our own people the opportunity to develop their careers on the international stage.
CV & EAF letter Onlin E-mae il
Career opportunities There are over 20 graduate career paths to choose from within KPMG. We have graduate programmes across all three of our service areas - Audit, Tax and Advisory - as well as in business services like HR, Facilities and Sales and Marketing. Whichever of our structured programmes you join, you will enjoy high-quality, bespoke Applications training.accepted
Audit The largest of KPMG’s practices, Audit focuses on developing a deep understanding of organisations and helping to assure stakeholders that the published annual accounts are a ‘true and fair’ reflection of their financial positions. Our Audit programme allows you to develop broad-ranging commercial understanding, valuable technical skills and in-depth knowledge of different industry sectors. Tax Tax is a challenging and rewarding area of KPMG that offers graduates a remarkably wide range of career paths. If you can bring the intellectual ability to stay ahead of a complex, demanding and constantly evolving field, Tax can give you excellent opportunities to work closely with important clients, developing valuable technical skills and genuine commercial insight. Advisory Graduates play a key role in our Advisory teams. With us, you can experience varied projects and significant challenges. These could range from restructuring an underperforming business, to advising on which systems and technology might best suit a client’s commercial needs. Find out more at kpmgcareers.co.uk/biggerstage
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sector Accountancy & Actuarial RP
baron anyangwe
I
was attracted to KPMG for three main reasons: the large portfolio of
clients, the professional development, and the recognition of working for a top firm. I preferred KPMG over the other Big Four firms because they seemed genuinely passionate about ensuring their employees’ happiness. This is confirmed by the fact they’ve been named in the top
KPMG
Job title: Tax Assistant Degree: Mechanical Engineering with Business Management and French University: University of Surrey Office: Salisbury Square, London
three “Best Big Companies to Work For” for the last three years. Since joining the firm in January 2006, I gained a range of experience, from assisting clients with their annual tax returns to working in a team providing tax advice to participants of a Group Litigation Order against the Government. Because KPMG has a large portfolio of clients, I’ve also been able to work with FTSE 100 companies in a variety of sectors including pharmaceuticals, construction and retail. My training involves a three-year programme to become a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor. The advice I’d give to potential applicants is to think carefully about how attentive and supportive potential employers will be to your needs. The work culture at KPMG is remarkable and the firm is very supportive. I feel this is the competitive edge KPMG has over other organisations.
I preferred KPMG over the other Big Four firms because they seemed genuinely passionate about ensuring their employees’ happiness. WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM RP 7
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RP SECTOR Information Technology
APPLY NOW www.logica.com/ukgraduates
Logica Logica is a leading IT and business services company, employing 39,000 people across 36 countries. It provides business consulting, systems integration, and IT and business process outsourcing services. Logica works closely with its customers to release their potential - enabling change that increases their efficiency, accelerates growth and manages risk. It applies its deep industry knowledge, technical excellence and global delivery expertise to help its customers build leadership positions in their markets.
We recruit a significant number of graduates in the UK each year. We have always recognised that graduates are essential to our success, as their ability to provide fresh ways of thinking and challenge traditional ideas is vital to our future progress. We are interested in graduates with a strong background in information technology - including software development skills - combined with excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and an appreciation of the importance of customer service.
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sector Information Technology RP
wendy day
I
began my career as a Business Process Analyst on O2 Airwave. This involved integrating processes using Abydos Workflow into Remedy CRM system. I really enjoyed this role even though it was quite different from the software background I was used to. In fact I saw it as a challenge and actually decided I would like to follow the career path and become a Business Analyst/Consultant. Following on from this position, I applied for and secured a challenging role as a Business Process Engineer on a project to re-engineer processes for BT’s core planners. I travelled the UK interviewing planners at telephone exchanges and observing the way they worked. It was my job to capture and document their ‘as is’ processes and re-engineer them into ‘to be’ processes, working with BT senior management to define what these should be. The new processes would save time, money and integrate new systems developed by BT. This role was very client facing and taught me a lot about working with people, how to probe for information and how to deal with change in the workplace. It also gave me valuable experience of writing documents and designing processes following a specific methodology. The big challenge was getting buy-in from the planners who were resistant to change. They weren’t fully aware of the benefits of following processes and why this would improve productivity and, most importantly, make their lives easier! Recently, my career has changed slightly as I’ve expressed an interest in gaining experience of project management. I’ve therefore become involved with project finances and bid work within Energy, Utilities and Telecoms. Currently I’m studying for a PRINCE II accreditation, while also supporting this with roles in junior project management. I’m keen to progress my career further in this direction and then decide where my interests lie – Project Management or Business Analysis? Who knows?
Logica
Job title: Bid Co-ordinator Degree: BSc Computer Science, MSc Multimedia Information Systems, MPhil Integrated Multimedia Information Systems for Archaeologists University: Brunel University
This role has taught me a lot about working with people, how to probe for information and how to deal with change in the workplace. WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM RP 9
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RP sector Accountancy & Actuarial
apply now www.pwc.com/uk/careers/
pricewaterhouseCoopers LLp PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) is the one firm for all talented graduates. As one of the world’s largest professional services firms we have a lot to offer. Exciting opportunities, with an enviable range of clients - from public and private companies to governments and charities - we work in partnership with all our clients to create leading-edge solutions. Not only that, we have been voted the UK’s number one employer in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers survey for the last four years. We believe this all adds up to make PwC the ideal employer for any budding business professional. What you need to bring Whether your degree is art or science related, we offer breadth of career opportunity where you can build on the skills and experience you’ve gained at university, and tailor and develop your career. We expect a 2:1 and at least a 280 UCAS tariff. But just as important are the personal qualities, enthusiasm and ideas you bring. What we offer you We offer a wide range of possibilities within our business groups, each of which boasts an eye catching client list. Some of our groups are
renowned as breeding grounds for the best business minds in their field. Others are at the forefront of developments in the challenging e-business arena. Wherever you join you’ll need to be prepared to work hard from day one and in return you will benefit from the development experience we invest in our people together with the breadth that the variety of work can offer. All this combined will give you what you need to excel both professionally and personally within a supportive business environment. In return for your talent and commitment, we pay a competitive salary and have an innovative flexible benefits scheme. How to apply Detailed information about our recruitment process, how to apply, and our online application forms can all be found at www.pwc.com/uk/careers/ Alternatively you can call us for a brochure and find out about other ways to apply. Call 0808 100 1500 or alternatively +44 (0)121 265 5852.
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sector Accountancy & Actuarial RP
katie
What did you look for when choosing a career? I looked for a well respected company that would give me a recognised qualification at the end of my training and opportunities for a long career. I found the training and support at PwC far superior to that offered by other firms.
learn from but there is also plenty of time within the day to have a laugh with your colleagues. When you start you’ll be placed in a year group and my intake has introduced me to some of my best friends!
What’s the best thing about working at PwC? The flexibility it gives me. This is not a 9-5 job and there are times when you have to work long hours but hard work is rewarded with group outings (e.g. I’ve been to Paris, Barcelona, Dublin), flexibility around home commitments or even just time off to achieve challenges you have set yourself. What’s the working atmosphere like? Every job is different; I work on big clients so I’m often in a team of 14 people. The atmosphere is great, there are always senior members to
Plans for the future? I start a 6 month secondment to corporate finance next month. It’s something I’m really looking forward to as I’ll actually be working on the deals that are reported in the FT! This is just one example of how PwC’s one firm attitude allows you to mould your career into anything or anywhere you want it to be. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced? Definitely getting through my professional exams – they are hard work and require a lot of effort and dedication but the celebrations on results night make it all worthwhile!
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Job title: Executive (Assurance) - As of March 08 I will be an Executive in Corporate Finance Degree: BSc Sports Science (Physiology) University: Liverpool John Moores Joined PwC: September 2005
I found the training and support at PwC far superior to that offered by other firms. WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM RP 11
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RP sector Engineering
apply now www.shell.com/careers
Shell Shell is one of the world’s most successful organisations, at the heart of the energy and petrochemical business, and committed to a business strategy that balances profits with principles. We are dedicated to attracting, training, developing and rewarding world-class people for this truly world class business. There are three routes into Shell for you to choose from. So it’s worth finding out more now, as you’ll be asked to select your preferred route during the early stages of the application process. To get started, simply complete our online application form, attach your full CV and complete the two Shell questionnaires.
Contact details: 0845 600 1819 Email: graduates@shell.com
If successful at interview stage, you’ll be offered the chance to gain direct experience of Shell through one of three routes: Option A: Shell Recruitment Day. Option B: Gourami Business Challenge. Option C: Internship. You can find more information about these opportunities on our careers website, www.shell.com/careers
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sector Engineering RP
Simon
Why did you choose Shell? As an MSc graduate in Petroleum Engineering, my choice of career was naturally towards the oil industry. The internship that I did with Shell played a central role in my decision to join the company, because it gave me an accurate and true picture of how the company works. Has Shell met with your expectations? I knew that Shell was a renowned multinational company that could offer challenging projects and many international opportunities. But it was only after my internship that it took full meaning to me. Indeed, I worked on the latest analysis technique developed in well testing with the opportunity to apply it to various oilfields over the world. I’ve also noticed the
order to exchange essential information. My role is to interpret data obtained from the field in order to make prediction and to suggest the best strategy for maximum production. I also closely monitor the reservoir behaviour such as pressure evolution so that operations are carried out safely. What do you enjoy most about your job? I really like the way I get to work with people from different disciplines. In fact, I learn a lot every day thanks to them. From a technical point of view, I really appreciate the fact that I was given the full responsibility of a Reservoir Engineer on day one, although my technical coach and peers were always available for discussions if necessary.
impressive, balanced working environment that the company provides. My department was at the same
What would you like to do in the future? In the short-term, I’d like to build up a solid
time a business-competitive place where everyone could progress and make important decisions from
petroleum engineering background so that I can tackle more and more challenging and exciting
day one, and a friendly community, where help and cooperation were ever-present. Those qualities and
projects. In the long-term, I’d like to focus more on the coordination of multidisciplinary subsurface work
the possibility for me to handle my own career were definitely the main points that motivated me to choose Shell for a full-time position.
and field development proposals.
What is your current role? I’m a Reservoir Engineer in charge of managing a cluster consisting of three different fields. My work includes daily reservoir surveillance in order to ensure that operations are carried out safely and that the reservoir behaviour is well understood – and production optimisation, which includes analysis of water injection strategy and reviewing of possible opportunities over the fields.
Shell
Job title: Reservoir Engineer Location: Aberdeen Studied: MSc in Petroleum Engineering University: Imperial College London Joined Shell: December 2006
What advice would you give someone who was thinking about applying to Shell? Because of its technical excellence, Shell can provide exciting and challenging projects that lead to many opportunities. Moreover, the working experience that you get with Shell is extremely valuable, as it’s one of the most successful international oil companies. Shell’s size and international presence combined with the possibility to handle your own career allow you to achieve any goals you wish, as long as you have the determination.
Please describe a typical day: I work closely with the onshore and offshore team in
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RP sector Teaching
apply now www.teachfirst.org.uk
Teach First Teach First is a unique two-year opportunity for you to be different and to achieve something special. Your energy, intelligence and creativity can transform the futures of students in challenging schools around the UK. At the same time Teach First is an opportunity to dramatically enhance your own career potential and to make a tangible difference to our society. Consider the way your life has been changed by the education you have received. Knowledge and the tools to solve problems, insight and appreciation of the world around you, and above all opportunity. Imagine if you could help other young people to access all that. Teach First takes exceptional graduates and transforms them into inspiring leaders – your leadership, inspiration and your example can be the key that unlocks the future for students confronted by a wide range of personal and social issues. Your development And while you are transforming the lives of young people in schools around the country, Teach First will help you to maximise your own potential, discover new skills and build on those you already have. High-profile recruiters from all
sectors recognise that the skills and strategies developed in the classroom are highly relevant and applicable to management careers. That’s why over 80 companies, government agencies and public bodies back Teach First to develop top talent for the future. Put simply, if you can engage, manage and stimulate a class of under-performing teenagers, you can handle pretty well any situation in any business. How it works Teach First recruits high-calibre graduates for two years to train and qualify as teachers. Initially you will attend six weeks of intensive training at one of the UK’s leading teachertraining institutions before being assigned to a school. Parallel to your teaching experience you will participate in the Teach First leadership programme – designed and delivered in collaboration with our business supporters and education partners. This will further develop your leadership skills and provide you with valuable contacts, coaching and internship opportunities, and business training. And, as a Teach First Ambassador, you will continue to benefit from engagement with the Teach First network of supporters and alumni long after you complete the programme.
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sector Teaching RP
RECRUITMENT VIDEO
Teach First
Contact details 14 Heron Quay, Canary Wharf, London E14 4JB T: 0844 880 1800 F: 020 7900 3304 E: faq@teachfirst.org.uk Work locations London, the North West and the Midlands Degree disciplines required All disciplines – greatest demand in Maths, Science, English and ICT Entry requirements Minimum 2.1 or above and 300 UCAS points (excluding General Studies).
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“I used to feel out of my depth...” There’s nothing more exciting than doing something for the first time. And as you grow your career you’ll be doing that a lot. What counts is the support to make sure you swim not sink. With structured career development and the personal guidance to make the most of it, we’ll give you the skills you need to stretch your ability and make the most of every situation. www.ey.com/uk/careers
Ernst & Young is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. The UK firm Ernst & Young LLP is a limited liability partnership and a member practice of Ernst & Young Global. FULL_ads.indd 6
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