BSOC Comunieco Issue 1 2008 by UNSW Business Society

Contents President’s Welcome Editors’ Notes

Director’s Profile - Ada Wong Unsw Info Stall Express

Cinematalkgrapher The Other Boelyn Girl

Erratic Extemporaneous Ensembles How To Make Uni And Life After Uni Less Painful

The Commoner: The Glass Ceiling

Comsoc Calendar

12-13

The Big Payout: The Upside of Procastination

14-15

Careers Corner

17-25 26

Interview Tips

The Team Publication Team Writers Katherine Choo Larissa Lee Davis Raymond Lee Eric Liao Jaja Luo Tiffany So Jo Duong James Hu Feng Ying Lin Jack Zeng

Graphics Jack Huo

Angela Lung

Zoe Yang

Publication Directors Shirley Weng s.weng@unswcomsoc.com

Leslie Wong l.wong@unswcomsoc.com

President’s Welcome COMSOC and I have been together for almost two years now. We met in my first year of uni at Orientation Camp and became firm friends. We enjoyed spending time together so much that soon we became inseparable. The best thing about COMSOC is that he looks after the people around him. Whether its career advice or throwing a good party, he’s always there to help. It hasn’t been smooth sailing all the way - far from it actually. COMSOC is a jealous, jealous partner and will often throw a tantrum as I’m on my way out to the beach or a party. Sometimes I won’t sleep until 4 in the morning listening to him grumble about not getting enough attention. But how can I stay mad when he’s been there for me every step of the way? Life without him would just be boring.

Wynne Xie President of COMSOC

I love COMSOC! And welcome all to the April edition of COMUNIECO!

Editors’ Notes Comunieco Editors: Shirley Weng & Leslie Wong Fun fun we are all back at uni …yay! April Comu nieco April Comunie nieco Ap Well another welcomenieCocomuto the years in relation to finding out the co April ril Co first April Comu munieco April Co Comunie co Ap nieco Comu ril April April munie nieco nienieco munie co ApApril April Comu Comu co April CoAprilCoComu nieco co April Co ril CoComu April mu nie nieco munieco nieco nieApril co April Coit real costs of going to uni . Yes isn’t the ability to figure out how Comu munieco co ApComu Comunie April Comu ril Cojust April Comu April Comu munienieco April Comunieco April April nieco munienieco nieco co Comu Comu co Ap Comu April nieco April co April Ap ril April nieco nieco April April Comu ril Co nie Co nieco Comunieco Comunieco April nieco Comunie April Comunieco April Comu nieco Comunieco nieco April Comumu April Comu mu April April Comunieco April April April Comu nieco co April Co Comunieco April nieco Comuco Comunie Comu April Comunieco April nieco April Comu Cowhy nieco nieco April Apyou, munieco Comunieco April Comu ril Comu Co the lecture will help but to figure out it cost you yourmu munieco April April April Comunieco April co Ap nieco Coalso nieco nieco Comunieco April Ap ril Comu Co mu Comu nie April Comu munieco April Co Comu ril Co April mu nie April co April Comunie mu nieco nieco April Aprilnieco nieco April Comunieco April Comu Comuconieco Comu April nieco April co April nieco April niecoApril Comunieco April Comu Comu nieco April Comunie Comu nie April Co April Comunieco April Comu nie co nieco Ap April mu nieco co Ap Comu ril Comunie nieco nie co April Co April Comu Comunie nieco AprilrilComu co April Co Comunieco April Comunie nieco April Comunieco April co April Co Comunieco April Comu Comu co April dollar munieco (aka Comunieco nieco Ap conieco Comunie April Comunieco April April nieco ComuApril Comunieco April weekly party money toComumuget paper weights textnieco April ComuApril muApril Comu muyour ril April Comunie nie100 co April niecoComu Comunieco April co April nieco April Comu Comunie co April Co Comunieco April April Comu nieco April Comunieco April Co nieco April April Co nieco Comu nieco April Comunieco April Co mu Comu nie April co April Co Comunieco mu April nie co nieco Co April munieco nieco nieco April co nieco April Comu April Comu April Comu ril Comunie April munieco April Comu munieco April Co Comunieco April nieco nieco nieco Ap Ap Comunieco April ComuComunie ComuCo Comu co April mu nieco April Comunieco April April Ap nieco nieco nie co nieco ril Co Comu mu nie Comu co April Co April Comu Comu ril April Comunie Comunieco munieco nieco April co April Co nieco April books). munieco co April Co Co April Comu April April Comunieco Aprilnieco Ap munieco nie April nieco ril Co mu nieco co nieco Comunieco April Comu Ap Comu Co mu Comu nie Ap Comu ril April mu nie April co Ap ril Co Comu nieco munie nieco co Ap Ap nieco April ril Comu Comunieco Ap ril Co munieco nieco Ap April April Comu co April Co ril Comunie ril ComunieApril Comu nieco April Comunieco April April Comu munieco April Co Comunieco April ril April Comu April Comunieco April nieco munie nieco co April niecoComunienieco co co ApApril co April Co Comunieco April April Co nieco April Comunieco CoComu munieco nieco April ril CoComu CoApril munieco munieComu munieComu April munieco nieco April Comu munieco April Co nieco April Comunieco Comunieco April Comu co April Conieco Ap Comu co Apnieco April ril Co April nieco April Comunieco April Comu munieco April Co Comunieco April ril Co April Comu munienieco Comunieco nie nieco April Comunieco April Comu Comu munie April Comunieco co April Co April April Comunieco muComunieco April co Ap nienieco April co Ap Comu Comu-nieco Ap Co Comu mu April Comunieco April co April Co April April Comunieco April ril ComunieApril April nieco ril mu nieco mu Comu Comu nie nieco April ril Comunie nieco April Comu munieco April Co ComuComunieco April co Ap April Ap nieco April Comunieco Comunieco munie nieco nieApril April co April Comunieco ril Comu April Co co Ap Comunieco Comunieco ril Co April April co Comunieco April Co mu mu April nie nieco co Ap nieco ril Co mu nieco Comunieco April Comu nie nie Comu co Ap ril Comu Co mu Comu nie co co April Ap ril Co munieco April nieco Ap April Co nieco ril Comunieco Co munieco nieco April Comunieco Ap Comu Comu Comunieco April April Comu Comunieco ril April Comunieco Aprilco April ril Co April Comunieco mu nieco nie April Comu munieco April Co Comunieco April nieco April Comunieco Comu munieconieco nie Comu conieco Comu April Comunieco April April Comunieco April co AprilApril nie Aprilnieco co April Co Comunieco April AprilApril Comu Co munieco April nieco April Comunieco April Comu muniecoApril April nie Comunieco nieco April Comunieco Co April Comunieco coComu April mu Comunieco nie April CoApril April Comu April Co Comunieco munieco nie co Ap April ComuApril nieco Ap co April Co nieco April Comunieco rilComu nieco Comunieco April Comu ComuComu muComu April April Comu munieco April Co Comunieco April Comu AprilrilComu nie nieco co ApComunieco Comu ApApril April Comunieco April Comu munieco niecoComu conieco Aprilnie ril nieco Comunieco April CoApril ril nieco Comunie Comunieco CoComunieco munieco nieco April April Ap Comunieco ComuApril munieco rilnieco April Comunieco April April Comunieco April nieco April Co munieco nieco nieco co April munieco AprilApril Comunieco niecoApril Comu April Comu Co Comunieco ApApril April Comunieco ComuComu nieco April Comunieco April Ap ril April Comunieco Co April Comu Comu ril April CoComunieco muApril Comunieco April nieApril April Comu munieco April Co Comunieco April Comunieco ComunieApril Comunieco mu April nie co nieco nie nieco co Ap nieco Comunieco April Comu Comu Comu co Ap Comu ril April nieco April co ril Co ril Co April April Comu CoComunieco munieco nieco April nieco April April Comunieco nieco munieco nieco nie Comu Comunieco April munie Comu April co Ap Comunieco April April Comunieco nieco April April Comu nieco ApApril Comunie April mu nie Comunieco co Comu Ap ril Co Comu Comunie Comu co Ap April ril Co mu April April Comunieco April April co Ap nieco ril Co mu nieco nie co April Co nieconieApril April Comu ril Comunie munie ComuComunieco co April Co Comu nieco April April Comunieco co ApComunieco Ap April nieco April Comu nieco co Ap ril April Comunieco Comu ril Co 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All other years, you see another year of first years and deny that you have been out of high school for that long. And yes, it did happen x +1 years ago! We would like to make a warm belated welcome to our new writers Jaja , Larissa and Eric. Nevertheless we would like to welcome back our returning writers in Katherine , Raymond and Tiffany. In this edition they will prove to you that business students not only study hard to be smart but do not need to study to bring you humour.

Director’s Profile Ada Wong

Vice President - Internal Affairs First things first. Contrary to popular belief, I actually hate talking about myself. I’d rather walk up the Basser stairs (I have a rule about those stairs – no talking until we get to the top) than to write a director profile starring yours truly. So what exactly do I do? Apart from sounding like COMSOC has a severe bout of indigestion- I make sure the COMSOC engine so to speak is well oiled and functions properly as an organisation throughout the year. And by that, I really mean I sit with the Office Intern and we send emails to everyone – which may or may not be work related, steal the cookies from the cookie jar, play bull-rush on swivel chairs - you get the idea, right? So I asked people to describe me in 3 words, and this is what they came up with: Apples – apparently it’s because I like apples a lot. I own an apple clock pendant, apple lip balm, apple earrings and I’m searching for an apple radio. Like not an APPLE BRAND one, I mean like a radio shaped like an apple. I found an apple TV at Dicksmiths if that helps, but I kind of just want a radio. Witty – Ha. That was a pleasant surprise. Lazy, fat and ugly – that one came from the best friend. Yes I love you too. Has loyal friends – please see above comment. To all of those people reading this out there, I want to sincerely say that I feel very excited abut this coming year and eagerly anticipate the ideas that we have all worked so hard on become a reality. It’s going to be awesome!

UnSW Info Stall

Express

All stops via Careers, Publications, Education, Sports and Social then express to UNSWCOMSOC Information Stall. The UNSWCOMSOC Express departs daily from 11-3 Monday to Friday at the Colonade (outside the upstairs Quad Food Court) and is your one stop shop to find out all you want and need to know about our upcoming careers, social, sports and educational events. Our UNSWCOMSOC representatives are more than happy to answer any of your questions – ask about our recruitment process and available positions today! While you’re at it, why not pick up your copy of COMUNIECO– available first week of every month. Need to pay your camp deposit? Lost your peer mentor? Rushing to buy your cruise ticket? Wondering when the Big 4 Accounting BBQ is? Jump onboard the UNSWCOMSOC Express. As a general rule, the stall is there first week of each month and open for ticket sales and payments pretty much every day preceding major events. Please check the website (www.unswcomsoc.com) for departure times closer to event dates.

Cinematalkgrapher The Other Boleyn Girl

Written By Raymond Lee

So I was surfing the net last week, deciphering through the extensive “Coming Soon” list on the Hoyts website, when I noticed a movie starring both Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. My heart skipped a beat. This was cinema’s ultimate wet dream for fanboys and the like and I couldn’t wait. Yet to my pleasant surprise after viewing, I’d discovered a sense of contentment far exceeding my initially shallow expectations. The Other Boleyn Girl may not satisfy your typical testosterone driven teenager, but it sure offers quality cinema for mature audiences seeking an alternative interpretation of imperial romances of the Tudor period.

Based upon Philippa Gregory’s popular novel of the same title and directed by award winning British director Justin Chadwick, the film takes audiences back to beauty of 16th century England. We are presented with two sisters - Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) who, under the influence of their ambitious uncle, endeavour away from the innocent country life to the dangers and complexity of the imperial court life to win the desire of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Initial aims to heighten their family’s status are substituted with a three-way struggle encompassing greed, love, lust and ultimately power. Though Mary seeks the true love of the king, Anne has other ideas and when jealousy plays it part, things get down and dirty immediately. Upon the surface, the film is a romanticised memoir of the intriguing relationships between our three protagonists, yet it extends much beyond that. What lies for audiences who are willing to milk every frame for its worth is an insightful journey into the depths of human greed and the sacrifices one must commit to deliver oneself to unparalleled greatness. Personally, I was apprehensive on the possibility that Natalie Portman will deliver anything more than eyecandy after she disappointed me with her performances in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Yet playing Anne Boleyn, she delivered a showing of sumptuous quality that completely destroyed my false preconceptions. Our beautiful Natalie plays her difficult role to perfection, delighting audiences in every frame of her inclusion that combines to illustrate a slow but controlled transformation from a girl of naivety and innocence to a woman who can manipulate England’s strongest at her fingertips. Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana both deliver competent displays that oozes class, but Natalie Portman is undeniably the epicentre of this film. Despite this though, Chadwick fails to establish a genuine connection with the wider general audience due to the film’s slow pace and sometimes inconsistent timing of occurrences that will surely irritate many. Its historical inaccuracies may also fail to satisfy those searching for the truly authentic. The film’s cinematography is first rate however, as Chadwick paints old England with rich saturation, and this complemented by an inspiring score will serve as consolidation for those who fail to digest the abovementioned negatives. The Other Boleyn Girl is not without its faults but if fanboys and the like can forget their plain lust for the female leads for approximately two hours to marvel at the stunning mise en scene and the astounding chemistry between the Portman, Johansson and Bana axis, they may be rewarded with much more than they expected.

How to make Uni and life after Uni Enjoyable ul! f n i a P Less

Are you on top of life? Or is life smacking you around like a rag doll? Ever thought what it might be like without your folks supporting you? Here are a few ideas to test your living experience!

Written By Eric Liao

Funds

Do yo u kno w have in you how much r bank m know where accou oney you nt? Do a does it disa ll your mon you ppe ey go trace? es or Or ev ar on you rate? en yo w it h out If u should you don’t, r bank inte a rest th fi all, it is nd out and en maybe yo you wil your hard e budget it. A u arn l need ft to learn ed money er budge t aside and for thin how to save future. an gs like bills in d the

Activities, Societies and Clubs

clubs? Do you Are you part of any societies or want to do get bored at university or do you hanging out something more productive than about what with your friends everyday gossiping then join a Well ing? wear is door the girl next be at uni, to have n’t does It society or a club! has are usualthough the ones the university wanted to ally cheaper than ones outside. Ever ting? Or Deba ities? activ ting Spor ing? do danc many are e Ther es? gam d boar just want to play join to achieve societies and programs you can with fun and these things! These will provide you le and also, peop new ting mee of pect pros the le who have future employers love active peop many interests!

Uni Pla degree out? Or do your entire d r)? If ne an by semeste Have you pl y (semester da able to by g y in da be e t liv no u yo m of to the proble ter, you cular semes you’ve run in do in a parti to rtant to po se ur im co is find a mean. It know what I do because, to g in will probably go e urses you ar enly want know what co e, if you sudd er set in ston atic, how ev am is g dr in th ng hi no ors or somet aj m plan, you a ge ve an to ch en? If you ha pp ha ill some dew d t and wha s around, ad work course finding out by t ar St can simply re e. fin d you will be ur major. lete some an to obtain yo are required s e which se se ur d co an ch book whi draw UNSW hand e en th th to d an go Then e offered, . e courses ar ses in a plan ur co e semester th th t sheet and pu up an excel

Work Experience Are your universit y marks top notch ? If not you better ha ve some very good experiences and ext ra curricular activities to make up for it. Nowadays employers also look for other things other than marks! You can also earn money to buy all those thin gs you’ve wanted but never got for you r birthday. Anything to show you have maturity, willingness to learn and all tho se other qualities is extremely helpful!

ÂŠ 2008 KPMG, an Australian partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative. January 2008. VICN00395HR.

Open

to all bright minds

N00395HR FMMA Careers08 A4 AD.in1 1

18/1/08 12:47:33 PM

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18/02/2008 11:08:15 AM

The Commoner The Glass Ceiling: Can You See It? Mind you, being a female, I know our opportunities in Australia are vast and have improved dramatically in the past few decades. However, despite there being increases in female labour force participation in Australia, on average, full time women now earn about 75% of their male counterparts which hasn’t improved much in the past 30 years. For all the talk of equality between men and women, with statistics like this, should Australia’s working female landscape be better?

Written By: Tiffany

Despite being classed as one of the most modern countries in the world, Australia’s women are still faced with the same difficulties as were the case 30-50 years ago. The pay variances most likely occur as women are more likely to have breaks throughout their careers due to family commitments. However a lack of access to paid maternity leave (which Australia is highly lacking in) means that women must often miss out on valuable training or in some cases start their career all over again. According to the ABS, only 34% of women have access to paid maternity leave in Australia which is vastly different to figures in Europe and other Western societies. With all the talk of obstacles and the limits placed on women, I was surprised to find that female employment in the developed world has been a main cause for growth in the past few decades. In developed countries, girls have tended to do better than boys at school (sorry boys, but its true), with a higher percentage attending university. In fact in Britain, more women than men are training to be doctors and studies have linked women to higher returns on investments. The additional world GDP that women have contributed towards in the past century, have outstripped new technologies as well as both contributions from China and India. While Australia’s prospects for women are far better than some places in the world, like Italy and Japan, for women who are faced with slight obstacles like giving birth, that obviously would impede upon their careers, it seems that Australian women are still faced with a glass ceiling in more ways than one. Maternity leave, child care services and greater equality in the workforce are often mentioned in political agendas. What is needed is well known and repeated by many government parties yet legislation remains unsupportive. As Lya Sorano once said “when we talk about equal pay for equal work, women in the workplace are beginning to catch up. If we keep going at this current rate, we will achieve full equality in about 475 years. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait that long.” And neither can I.

The Big Payout The Upside of Procastination Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au

Written By Katherine Choo

Saves on paper. Wealth of national and world news at your fingertips; need I say more? If you’re old school like me you might prefer to keep up to date with world happenings on weekend mornings in your pyjamas, sipping coffee and stuffing your gob with eggs. There is something therapeutic about smoothing the thin pages out on the dining room table, with the trusty papermate pen in hand ever ready to doodle a moustache on anyone who displeases you.

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FOol!

an er be v e N OH NO THEY DIDN’T! l You’l http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/ Keep up with celebrity news. Hey there, don’t snort. Sure, you’re all grown up now, an adult. But don’t be an old fart. I want to spare you from receiving that heart breaking ‘omg-I-just-can’tbelieve-you-don’t-know-that-how-can-I-ever-love-you-now-man/ woman’ look from your 6 year old relative when they discover you have no clue who Miley Cyrus is. You know the look. Yes you do. It’s the same look you give your mum when her pronunciation of the brand Esprit rhymes with a certain soft drink.

Grab Your Fork

2. You ’l

http://www.grabyourfork.blogspot.com/ God bless the foodies. At this blog you will find detailed reviews and mouth-watering pictures of great Sydney eats. Browse by location or cuisine. Updated frequently, it offers reviews of everything from cheap eats to the 10-course degustation menu at Tetsuya’s.

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Exclusively Food

http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/

If you fancy yourself a good cook, or like many other poor university students must make do with home cooked meals, take a peek at this blog. It’s a compilation of sweet and savoury recipes that are easy and quick to prepare. It’s an Australian site so there is no need to whip out your mobile phone to convert measurements.

n 3. Procrastination ca

be fun and games!

ORISINAL Games

http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/

Created in 2000 by Ferry Halim, I have fond memories of diverting my attention away from doing Microsoft Excel tutorials in high school by playing games like The Amazing Dare-Dozen and Winterbells. The games are simple but totally addictive. Everything looks beautiful and the American pianist Steven Cravis composed the music featured on some games.

Ragdoll

http://pekkasandborg.com/portfolio/?id=2 More bizarre than fun, there is really no objective to this game except to grab the floppy ragdoll-like (half-naked) woman with the mouse and watch her fall and contort herself though the scattered globes and - ewww, look at how it moves!

Makeupalley

http://www.makeupalley.com

This is where thousands of women congregate to review and lust over the latest cosmetics and skincare. If you’re obsessed with finding the ‘holy grail’ of foundations for your oily-but-still-prone-to-flaking skin or mascara for your lashes so-thin-it-can’t-hold-a-curl-to-save-its-life, this site may be your guiding light.

pping trip!

o 4. Plan your next sh

Vogue Forums

http://forums.vogue.com.au/

Where can you go to get handbags and shoes made to order? Is there anything worth emptying your bank account for in the latest Alannah Hill collection? What stores are having sales, and when will such and such brand be available in Australia? This forum is like a Mecca for fashion-obsessed girls (and boys).

Careers Corner A Big Month Ahead

Whats On in April?

Meet the Accounting Firm Barbeque Welcome to the Careers section of the comunieco, newly April 3rd| Morven Brown Lawn | 12:30 - 2:00PM named the “Careers Corner”. April is going to be massive for the careers portfolio and we want you to be right in the thick of it! Remember to check regularly at unswcomsoc.com for Institute of Chartered Accountants Employment Evening regular updates! April 3rd | Sydney Convention Center | 5-8PM So what should you expect in the following pages? Well Narges Khabbaz gives us a report on the Employer Information Sessions, while Feng Ying gives us a taste of what it’s like to be running a COMSOC Barbeque. Kim Lim from Protiviti answers a few of our questions and Dr Martin Fahy of Finsia directs our attention to some economic issues. To top it all off we have a feature article by Fallacy, which will surely brighten up your day! I dearly hope you enjoy reading the Careers Corner for April. Goodbye for now. See you in May!

Jack Zeng

Registrations Close for JP Morgan Share Trading Competition April 4th | www.tradingplaces.com.au UNSW Careers Expo April 10th | Randwick Race Course | 12-5PM Deadline for UBS IB Challenge April 18th | www.ubs.com/challenge Registrations Open for Industry Mentoring April 28th | www.unswcomsoc.com

Careers Section Editor

Dining With Your Career Most commerce students come to UNSW with a dream. Either they dream of being an accountant (god forbid), an actuary (your courage is admirable), and investment banker (your friends might miss you), a management consultant (ah yeah these things do exist), a trader (buy a blackberry NOW) or a few of those other occupations that are so often forgotten. But either way, I find that not many people actually know what it is really like, so let us place a few of these people in a scenario and have a look at what goes through their heads. So one thing all humans have to do is eat. Being a professional usually necessitates eating out at a restaurant but as each of the above people stare at the menu after a day of work they can’t help but do what they do best… The Accountant - Looks at the menu and works all the prices into his budget (which he knows off the top of his head) to find the most suitable item and then chooses the one cheaper than that. He ends up paying for dinner. The Actuary – Looks at the menu and pulls out her laptop and inputs all the data into her risk assessment model to find the most risk free items on the menu and orders it. She is later diagnosed with high cholesterol. The Investment Banker – Looks at the menu and then has a look around on the street. Next he asks to see the manager and starts convincing her to acquire the restaurant next door. They walk off and he misses dinner all together. The Management Consultant – Looks at the menu and makes a phone call to her office. A few minutes later she gets out a pen and starts writing up a list of possible ways to improve the business. Unfortunately the recommendations were accidently thrown out as rubbish by the waiter. The Trader – Looks at the menu and consults his blackberry. After finding out all the latest prices of fresh produce and meat in the country; he finds the most underpriced item and orders it. Oblivious of the fact that it contained peanuts he ended up in hospital later that night. …… oh that’s right I forgot the last person! The Economist - Unfortunately he wasn’t invited to dinner. So there it is! A little insight into the mindsets of those we all dream to be. If you would like to read more about this weird little group please email a scenario to j.zeng@usnwcomsoc.com and keep a look out for the next issue of Comunieco!

Fallacy

Employer Information Sessions Missed out on the Employer Information Series? No problem. Narges Khabbaz is here to share all her experience for those who missed out. The banners are up, the representatives are sitting in pristine suits, hair combed back, eyes looking eager and comfortably relaxing back in the front row of the Tyree Room. The room is full of students, mostly commerce students – some are there for the information, others are looking out for the personnel and picking up business cards and others are there for the opportunity to have their questions answered. The Employer Information Series run by the Careers Office are a great way to meet firms personally and obtain information about firms. Some firms have more information to offer at the session than you could find at their website, for example Boston Consulting Group gave a quick run-down of what they expect and regard highly in graduate applications. Other firms don't add too much perspective to what you should or would already know from browsing through their website and pamphlets. Nevertheless, the large majority of these presentations are useful for, at the very least, exposing you to the culture of the firm first-hand from recent graduates through to often senior staff present. The opportunity to chat with various representatives and the human resources executive is invaluable and highly recommended for any commerce student at any stage of their degree. The sessions tend to be quite full so it is recommended that you arrive early if you wish to get a seat. It is also recommended that you attend as many as possible even presentations of firms you never thought you would apply to because, you never know, you might learn something which will shape the direction of your future career. After most sessions there is time for mingling with the staff, sometimes over lunch, drinks or snacks. It is highly worthwhile chatting to the staff where you learn so much more about their personal experiences and what to expect. This is aspect of the presentation which you cannot obtain elsewhere. It is also an opportunity to impress human resources and staff, so dress nice and be friendly!

Behind the Scenes Careers Director Feng Ying Lin spills the beans on the thrills and spills of having a barbeque right in the middle of the Morven Brown lawn. COMSOC Careers has been busy lecture bashing, sticking up posters along Basser Steps and cooking sausages, with two major BBQ events held in the past week. Shout out to all the committee members who helped with the hectic setting up. They say you learn something new everyday and organising the BBQs was definitely an eye opener: •Demand always exceeds supply when shopping for sausages at your local supermarket (no matter how many you go to) •You appreciate the invention of the humble wheel when forced to carry a table and BBQ from the Roundhouse to Morven Brown. •It takes three lifts to avoid all stairs when traveling from the Roundhouse to Morven Brown (handy when you need to carry a table and/or BBQ) – A big thank you to Ada and Tracy, dutiful Yellowshirts, who knew their stuff, and for sharing your wisdom on this topic. So if you’re up for lecture bashing fun, sticking up posters around uni, have the guns to do heavy lifting, would like to contribute ideas and want to rub shoulders with the rich and famous (of the Business world, i.e. firm reps and grads), drop us an email at

f.lin@unswcomsoc.com

Meet the Accounting Firms BBQ COMSOC will again host the popular ‘Meet the Accounting Firms BBQ’, with PriceWaterHouseCooper, Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and CPA Australia as confirmed attendees. This provides an excellent opportunity to have all your questions answered, whether they be about the recruitment process or workplace experiences. It is a unique opportunity to make a good impression with future interviewers so all Business/Commerce single and double degree students are encouraged to attend.

Meet the Entrepreneur

Students who go through the lecture halls and classrooms of UNSW will receive a world class education in business. You will learn accounting, finance, how to hedge against risk, how to long calls or short puts or even short shorts (I didn’t go so well in that area). However, business from a textbook and business in the real world are very different things. Learning the art of business is not a 3 year degree but an education that span entire careers. On Thursday the 15th of May, you will get a taste of that education and hear from a man whose career has spanned the whole gamut of the political and corporate spectrum. Michael Easson AM has been such a significant force in Australia’s political and business community that he has a page dedicated to him on Wikipedia. An alumni of UNSW, Harvard and Stanford, a member of the Order of Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Michael Easson has held positions ranging from Vice-President of the ACTU and UNICEF Australia to serving on the boards of Telstra Stadium and the Macquarie Infrastructure Group. His entrepreneurial drive eventually led him in 2000 to form the EG Property Group of which he is Executive Chairman. As part of the Meet the Entrepreneur series of talks, this is an unique opportunity to meet and listen to Michael Easson speak about his university experience, his career and the importance of entrepreneurial spirit and what it takes to truly make it in today’s business world. All UNSW students are welcome. Please register at unswcomsoc.com to attend this event and check back for further details.

Industry Mentoring Program

In everyone’s circle of friends, there is always that person who we envy because they have “connections”, because their uncle is the senior partner of this firm and their cousin works in the HR of that company. The reason we envy them is because they get a first hand account of what it takes to succeed in the corporate world, how to maximise their university experience and what work experience will contribute most to their desired career paths. The Industry Mentoring Program is here to give you that same experience. In semester 2, this unique leadership development scheme will pair you up with a mentor from some of the most prominent firms in the professional services world. The mentoring experience will NOT involve any Industrial Training or on the job experience. There is much more to it than that. Through social networking activities such as lunch meetings, outings and regular correspondence, your mentor will educate, motivate and inspire you and your career. Learn how to maximise your university experience, find out what subjects are best for the career paths you are seeking and learn more about the industries and companies you are thinking about entering. The number of places available for this exclusive program is highly limited. Applications will open late April. All undergraduate Commerce and Economics students are welcome to apply. Please visit unswcomsoc.com regularly for further updates and information under the Careers section.

BBQ Tips Joanne Duong gives a few tips on how to impress! Graduate BBQs and Luncheons are a fantastic way to ask HR recruiters and current employees questions about the application process, the firm and career opportunities. However these internship BBQs are also a great opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your future interviewer, who is always on the lookout for the best students. Here are some tips to maximise your time spent at COMSOC Graduate & internship BBQs

BE PREPARED! 1. Find and register for upcoming COMSOC Careers events on www.unswcomsoc.com. 2. Research attending firms: What they do, their different areas of operation and the available graduate opportunities. 3. Start filling out your application: If you encounter any questions you can ask the attending HR managers. 4. Prepare 3 good questions that showcase your preparedness, interest and enthusiasm. Keep in mind firms will be on the lookout for outstanding candidates so you might receive a few important business cards. 5. Have a realistic career goal & decide where YOU want to work. Recruiters appreciate honesty and want the most suitable employees rather than those who give the “right” answers. 6. Self assessment: this is useful for making informed career decisions. Identify your values, interests, abilities/skills and personality. This will be good preparation for your interviews and perfecting your application. Be on your best behaviour: Etiquette 1. Don’t eat while speaking!!! 2. Introduce yourself, shake hands firmly, long enough to notice eye colour. 3. Ask & Remember names. 4. Don’t barge in to grab freebies (it’s rude). 5. Positive body language & importantly smile!

Business Opportunity! Accenture and Young Achievement Australia offer you the opportunity to develop marketable skills through the Business Skills Program. Enhance your employability skills whilst participating in a fun, experiential, business venture mentored by Accenture staff. This program, particularly suitable for 2nd year undergraduates involves, groups of 25 students meet once a week for two hours at Accenture premises in North Sydney to set up and run their small business with the guidance of mentors. Together you will sell shares to raise start up capital, develop a business plan, develop, market and sell a product and finally liquidate the company and distribute the profit to shareholders. In the process you will develop your skills in planning, decision making, teamwork, negotiating, risk taking, innovation, commercialisation to name a few. The free Program starts in April and continues for 24 weeks. You will meet in North Sydney on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday late afternoon /early evening for 2 hours. If you register you must be prepared to commit to the once weekly meeting for a period of 24 weeks. Please do not register if you cannot commit to that period of time. Registration To register and find out more information go on line to www.yaa.org.au Successful applicants will receive notification of the first meeting.

Inside the Business Kim Lim, a consultant working for Protiviti gives us the insiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective.

What does Protiviti do? Protiviti is a leading provider of independent risk consulting comprising of three different divisions: Technology Risk, Business Risk and Internal Audit. We look to identify, assess and manage the financial, operational and technological risks of our clients within their industry. Protiviti looks to provide clients a full range of internal audit services, tool implementations, quality assessments and readiness review. What do you do in your particular role? As a graduate I drift between the three different service lines. I am currently working on an Internal Audit project requiring me to reconcile information from the client documentations and our test sheets. I have also assisted in the reconciliation and construction of the file index. Typically graduates would be required to analyse documents, conduct field testing, develop their report and work paper writing skills. How did you get into this role? I undertook a B Science/Commerce majoring in information systems and accounting at the University of Sydney. I had a strong interest in the accounting and technology field and believed that the graduate role at Protiviti would present me with the opportunity to utilise my knowledge and skills. The qualities required to obtain this role would be to a strong desire to continue learning, the ability to listen, a high level of professional mannerism, strong analytical skills and strong communication skills. Describe your typical day. As a graduate at Protiviti there is no such thing as a typical day. Days typically start at 9am and finish at 5:30pm. I typically get into the office around 8:30am and check my email replying to any queries. At 9am the team and I head out to the client site to conduct some reconciliation of documentation which is then uploaded onto a central server. I have lunch around 12:30pm come back to work at 1:30pm where we continue to reconcile and upload the information. At 5pm it is time to head back to the office. We wrap up any loose ends and take note of what is to be done the following day. I get back to the office at 5:30pm and check my email one last time before I head home around 5:45pm What are the best parts of your job, what are the worse? The best part of my job I would have to say is the people, the culture, the Melbourne induction training and the clients. Protiviti offers such a diverse range of clients ensuring fun and interesting work. Moreover, Protiviti presents me with the opportunity to develop both my professional and personal goals working in unison to provide me guidance and support. The worst part of the job would have to be waking up at 6.30am to make it to work on time at 9am. However, your body clock adjusts to waiting up early this after a week or two becoming part of your daily routine.

Investment Banking Challenge As part of their commitment to bridging the gap between university studies and industry, UBS have designed the challenge as an ideal way for students interested in a career in investment banking to apply their academic knowledge to a real-life case study. The UBS Investment Banking Challenge is an M&A competition designed to offer students a flavour of what it is like to work as an analyst on a live deal. Key dates:

Registration: 7 April - 18 April 2008 Case distribution: w/c 21 April 2008 Campus final: w/c 5 May 2008 Campus heat round: w/c 28 April 2008 National final: w/c 12May 2008

PwC Graduate Program

Be who you want to be

PricewaterhouseCoopers is looking for inspired graduates ready to make their mark on the world. Is that you? If it is, we offer a diverse range of careers for graduates in any discipline with a focus on developing, motivating and inspiring our employees. By joining us, you could also enjoy the option of overseas secondments, flexible working hours or become involved in community projects. As one of the world’s largest professional services firms, PwC will encourage you to develop, achieve and inspire, with exposure to challenging and interesting work with great clients, growing companies and entrepreneurial individuals. Most importantly, we’ll let you be who you want to be. For more information including entry requirements or to apply on-line, visit www.pwc.com/au/careers Applications for the Sydney office close Wednesday 17 April, 2008.

Jaycar Sunswift III, Australia's most energy efficient solar car, was designed and built by students from the UNSW Solar Racing Team

Affairs of the State While learning about economics many people forget about its application in real life. Dr Martin Fahy of Finsia bring some perspective to our studies with his analysis on recent issues within our economy. Open to Opportunities Treasurer Wayne Swan’s affirmation that the Government will always take a decision regarding a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) investment “in the national interest,” highlights the importance of separating SWFs from foreign investment applications generally. A sovereign defence against sovereign funds would be a retreat from the open markets that have fuelled Australia’s recent growth. Whether we like it or not, the recent market turbulence caused by the sub-prime lending crisis has seen SWFs emerge as Wall Street’s white knights. Indeed, the SWF capital bailout of Citigroup and Merrill Lynch strongly indicates that these funds can play an important role in ensuring ongoing financial stability. While the growing concern regarding some dedicated SWFs is warranted, we should distinguish valid governance and disclosure concerns from knee-jerk protectionist reactions such as those recently proposed by Germany and France (i.e. legislative restrictions designed to block SWFs investing in domestic companies). The Treasury’s recent Spring Economic Roundup suggests that in “most cases, a specific regulatory response from host economies may not be justified. Most investments by SWFs take the form of portfolio investments and rarely amount to a controlling stake…” With this in mind, is protectionism at the core of these concerns? The track record of Australia’s Future Fund (FF), which is highly regarded internationally as demonstrating best-practice in governance and accountability to Government for the safeguarding and performance of its assets, highlights the potential leadership role which Australia can play in demonstrating the benefits that SWFs can bring. The political reaction to SWFs so far, has been to confuse issues of fund disclosure and transparency with foreign investment more broadly. This confusion suggests that an open and honest debate regarding Australia’s foreign investment and acquisitions regime is overdue. Since the negotiation of the US free trade agreement (FTA) and other bilateral negotiations in recent years, Australia’s reputation for applying a level-playing field to foreign investment applications may be compromised. Increasingly, opportunities for Australian companies in emerging markets will depend on the success of bilateral FTA negotiations. Therefore, we must demonstrate that Australia is open to opportunities. Priority should be given to developing a consistent and transparent approach to foreign investment applications. With SWFs, Australia should take the initiative by responding positively and with the same emphasis on disclosure and governance that underscore current law on managed investments. Dr Martin Fahy F Fin is chief executive of Finsia - the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. Formerly Asia Pacific director for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), he is widely-published in the area of finance transformation. Prior to CIMA, Fahy was an academic at National University of Ireland, Galway.

Join Finsia at www.finsia.com/become

Interview Tips Written by Westpac’s HR Manager Susan Yazbeck The biggest piece of advice I can offer students is to be prepared. This may sound straight forward and fairly obvious however there is much more to being prepared then reading a website. My recommendations for preparing for and attending an interview/assessment centre are: Research the organisation before for the interview – get on the internet, look at what the organisation stands for, the type of generalist and specialist work that they do, the information provided about their graduate programs and specifically the one(s) that you applied for. Look at how they compare to other organisations and how they benchmark in comparison to their competitors. Think about how you like to operate and see if this is the type of behaviour that is valued in the organisation. Speak with people that work there - where possible before the interview, speak to people that work at the organisation you are researching. You can ask them a whole range of questions and provide with you an insiders perspective. Uni lectures and careers fairs are a good way of doing this. The careers fairs for UNSW is on 10 April – great opportunity to speak to the employers where you have submitted applications. Don’t be shy about your achievements - during our interview process we will ask you about major achievements so you have the opportunity to demonstrate some of your key successes. This is the time to provide us with this information. Talking about what you personally did throughout this time may feel a little uncomfortable and you may feel like you are big noting yourself but we want to hear about your key achievements and situations that you are proud of. Remember that you are one of many candidates being interviewed and we are looking for high performers and high potential candidates for our graduate positions so this is your opportunity! Think about some of the competencies that you think employers are likely to ask you about during an interview e.g. leadership, time management etc and start to pull together strong examples of situations you have been at through work, uni, sporting teams etc that may relate to these competencies. Best to be clear about this before the interview so you can easily draw upon these situations Be on time – ensure you know where you are going and have factored in travel time Greet your interviewer with a firm handshake Maintain regular eye contact Smile – look calm and stay relaxed Speak clearly - communication skills are an important factor that the assessors will also be looking at If you are doing a group exercise, include the others around you – being the loudest person during an exercise doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the best candidate. Listen – if you don’t understand what is being asked of you, it’s ok to politely ask the assessor to repeat the question/instructions. Have some specific questions to ask managers/assessors - you can ask about the organisation, what their role is, what their involvement is with their graduate program, what they like about the organisation they work for etc. This doesn’t have to be a formal process or too scripted but can be casually worked into the interview. Be suitably dressed and groomed. Business attire is expected during an interview Relax – this may not be easy but this is your opportunity to learn more about us as much as it is an opportunity for us to learn more about you