geTTIng In
InvesTmenT bAnKIng
FInAnCIAl servICes
EMPLOYERS
www.efinancialcareers.com/students | Careers in Financial Markets 2014
55
career insight shawn goff
Salt Lake City managing partner, Ernst & Young
Shawn has a master’s degree in accountancy from Brigham Young University (BYU). He joined Ernst & Young in 1997.
The most challenging part of the job for me is getting to an answer I know is right, but may be difficult for my client to accept.
Audit, perhaps unexpectedly to some outside the sector, requires leadership, relationship building and communication skills to be successful in the long term. In my job, it’s important for me to provide exceptional service to my clients, manage accounting and audit issues companies face and continue to develop new business in the Salt Lake City market.
Typically, I spend my days out at client locations, working with our engagement team and the company CFOs
and controllers to resolve any accounting issues. Even at the senior level, the job is still very hands on. Today, for example, I spent the morning on calls discussing the accounting treatment for several equity transactions for one of my emerging growth audit clients, then the afternoon was taken up performing a review of a public company’s second-quarter results.
Most of what I do every day involves building relationships both internally and externally. In client service, you never know when a difficult issue is going to arise and I want to make sure my relationship bank is full of credits before I need them.
Despite being a large global firm, most new business is built through word of mouth and reputation and therefore we need to provide excellent client service. Problem-solving and
team work are central to this.
We have a very serious responsibility to the investors we serve. I somewhat jokingly refer to us as the ‘protectors of the capital markets’. The most challenging part of the job for me is getting to an answer I know is right, but may be difficult for my client to accept. Managing through these challenges and finding a solution can be difficult, but it’s also when I learn the most.
The advice I give students is to treat the first years of public accounting as an extension of your education. Come in with the idea that you will constantly be learning, asking questions and challenging what was done in the past. In public accounting, we also emphasise developing leadership skills, as two years into an audit career, people advance into a leadership position.
recognised with over 320,000 members worldwide, while most management accountants tend to study the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) exams.
On the European continent, meanwhile, there is a host of local qualifications. In France, for instance, there is the DCG (Diplôme de Comptabilité et Gestion), equivalent to a three- year degree, and the DSCG (Diplôme Supérieur de Comptabilité et Gestion), equivalent to a master’s degree. In Germany, accountants work towards becoming a ‘Wirtschaftspruefer’, but must first take their chartered adviser exams to qualify as a ‘Steuerberater’, and most firms also provide vocational training.
The national industry body in Australia is the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, and to become a member it’s necessary to complete the Chartered Accountants Programme. Singapore has just launched the Qualification Programme (QP), which is mandatory for any chartered accountants in the country, and the Hong Kong Institute of Public Accountants runs its own CPA programme.
Jonathan Chesebrough, managing director and head of risk advisory at Royal Bank of Scotland, says: “What makes someone a great accountant is communication and strategic thinking, being able to convey complex topics in a simple and lucid manner, and ensuring others appreciate the strategic relevance.”
Everything in a Big Four firm, from audit to consulting, involves working with clients – even at a junior level – so employers look for evidence that graduate recruits have excellent
communication skills and are well-rounded individuals. This means that extra-curricular activities, as well as academic achievements, are assessed during the recruitment process.
“As I liaise with a large variety of internal and external stakeholders - clients, regulators, staff and other professionals - it is important to have strong interpersonal and communication skills,” says Ivy Cheung, audit partner, KPMG China.
Even once you attain your accounting qualification, the on-the-job training continues, not least because the accounting profession is always being required to evolve, Cheung explains.
“The accounting profession faces many challenges as a result of significant changes to the global business environment. We need to ensure we meet regulatory and compliance requirements, continuously enhance our technical knowledge as well as diversify our skill sets,” she adds.
pay and bonuses
Product control salaries – mid-level role ($k) Country
US UK
Japan Singapore Source: Robert Walters salary
130-210 125-175 131-182 75-120
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66