Moving from the student lifestyle of Dunedin to the corporate world was a daunting prospect for John Bedford, but his first year at KPMG has felt like an extension of the university experience.
“The graduate programme at KPMG offers an environment where every day you learn something new and provides you with a challenge, and working with other grads that are in the same position as you makes the transition a lot of fun”.
"The graduate induction camp was an amazing experience to start our time with KPMG, and it really instils the KPMG values straight away by focusing on working effectively in teams and putting you outside of your comfort zone. This camp made everyone feel like part of the team from the outset, and showed us that KPMG are passionate about developing the most important resource; their people.”
A wide range of clients
According to John, being a grad in the Audit Division is the perfect place to learn business in the real world as you are constantly face to face with clients.
“The biggest draw card for me is working on a wide range of clients who operate in differing industries, with each facing different opportunities and challenges. I also love continually working with new people, with each audit offering new social and business interactions, both with the client and team mates. Being a graduate at KPMG exposes you to working with and learning from colleagues with a wealth of experience, the managers and partners have a really hands on approach which creates a great environment to develop technical and professional skills.”
Philippa Cooper joined KPMG as an Audit graduate in 2009 after completing a summer internship.
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“I found doing an internship was a valuable opportunity to help decide whether auditing and KPMG were right for me and my career. I am an active person and have enjoyed being part of various KPMG sports teams and taking part in the social events.”
“I have had the benefit of working on some of the biggest and high profile companies in New Zealand and this combined with the training and starting my CA has given a great kick start to the beginning of my career.”
An active social life
John is also a fan of the social life KPMG offers.
“The firm has a fantastic social side, with regular events and functions (such as paintball and ‘the amazing race’). There is always something to look forward to. These firm wide social events really create a feeling of being one team, and create strong friendships with your workmates.”
“Outside of work my passions include surfing at Auckland’s many beaches and trips to the mountain in winter; KPMG offers a great work-life balance allowing be time to do the things I enjoy the most. I couldn’t think of a better place to start my career than with KPMG. “
As a graduate, Jing Liu enjoyed the time spent at client sites right from the start of her career.
“When you are out there at the client you’ll find the audit work itself very challenging as you are often given responsibility to finish certain sections of the audit on your own. This doesn’t mean you are thrown in the deep end, far from it. Everyone in the team, including the manager and partner, provide you with all the support you need.”
“Of course you are also expected to assist others with a range of administrative tasks – photocopying, scanning, referencing – “ticking and bashing” on the reports prepared by the client. But this is nothing compared to what you learn from being part of the audit team and being on site. One of the major reasons why I chose Audit was the exposure to the diversity of clients and I enjoy how I really get to understand their businesses from the close interaction with each of them. It’s amazing what you learn about a client even after just a week!”