Accounting Cadetships 2009 (4 Viewers)

[blue_chameleon]

Yeah guys, CV's need to be kept to 2-3 pages maximum.

Especially given you're still in HS. They need to be succinct.

 

[gibbo153]

Aw man, I just listened to my sister's bf =(

how on earth did you fill in 11 pages?

 

[lsdpoon1337]

11 pages for 11 awards
or
11 pages for the CV?

 

[hungwell1337]

isnt your cv meant to be 1 page?

 

[blue_chameleon]

isnt your cv meant to be 1 page?

Cover Letter = 1 page.
Should take them about 30 - 45 seconds to read.

CV = 2 - 3 pages.
Short, concise and relevant. Recruiters don't have time to read through 6 pages of how you won a McDonalds Award when you were 7.

 

[hungwell1337]

i digged all the way back to year 7, and 1 page was able to sum up everything

 

[blue_chameleon]

i digged all the way back to year 7, and 1 page was able to sum up everything

The year 7 comment was more to illustrate a point. If there are significant events/awards/skills that you obtained 5 years ago and you can communicate them succinctly, then there's no issue.

The older you get (hence the more work experience/extra currics you get), the more lenient recruiters will be with reading through what you consider important enough to show them.

More often than not, if a year 12 student presents a 10 page CV with their application, the recruiter will hold suspicions that their written communication skills aren't up to scratch.

Don't stress about it, as long as it's not massive you all shouldn't have a problem. Goodluck.

 

[mishmashmosh]

I think usually you're supposed to include achievements/awards for the past four years.

 

[gibbo153]

HLB Mann Judd were so sneaky. yesterday they gave me an impromptue phone interview. impromptue in that they gave me no notification of it. just called me and started it. got invited to the group interview day in the hols. hows everyone else going with it all?

Aw man, I just listened to my sister's bf =(

your sister's bf is either a lecturer/professor of some kind, for whom the CV is expected to include some scholarly works the applicant has published, or he actually just doesn't know what he's talking about lol

 

[blue_chameleon]

HLB Mann Judd were so sneaky. yesterday they gave me an impromptue phone interview. impromptue in that they gave me no notification of it. just called me and started it. got invited to the group interview day in the hols. hows everyone else going with it all?

Gibbo, next time the recruitment team from a company do that, just tell you can't talk with them at the moment and ask them to call back in 30 minutes so you can relocate to an environment that you can give them your full attention. There's absolutely no issue with doing this.

Doctor Jolly: I wouldn't worry too much about not getting the call back this afternoon. They will contact you. It's not as if they cull applicants if they aren't available the very second that they call.

Also, there may be cases where CV's have large amounts of pages, but this would never apply to someone who is applying for undergrad programs and still at high school. A quick google search regarding CV's/Cover Letters reveals the usual size is 2-3 pages. I'd say the recruiters may be more accepting of deviations from this though, given that you all don't have a great deal of experience with preparing applications.

 

[blue_chameleon]

Thanks for that. Do you think it would be wise that I call them back tomorrow? My sister is scaring me, saying that they have forgotten (rejected) me =(

I wouldn't call them tomorrow, but maybe if they don't call by end of business tomorrow, then give their HR department a call on Thursday.

 

[gibbo153]

Gibbo, next time the recruitment team from a company do that, just tell you can't talk with them at the moment and ask them to call back in 30 minutes so you can relocate to an environment that you can give them your full attention. There's absolutely no issue with doing this.

yeah i know its ok =]
they said that would be fine at the start of the interview, but as it happened, i was sitting right here in front of the computer, checking over my list of responses for just the sort of questions that she asked me except i was preparing them for another firm haha. so i was quite ready to go. i think its good that i was able to just start straight away, because she doesn't know that i luckily had an answers guide in front of me =D so any good answer i gave will seem extra good seeing as it was more or less unprepared for in her eyes! tehehe.

 

[gibbo153]

Thanks for that. Do you think it would be wise that I call them back tomorrow? My sister is scaring me, saying that they have forgotten (rejected) me =(

don't freak out =]=]
my friend missed the pkf call, they said they'd call back later that day.. they got back to him 6 days later.. and they offered him an interview.

HR are really busy with all this stuff =] most firms have said that they won't be able to finalise it all until a whole month after the applications close.

don't stress =D

 

[gibbo153]

Wow, that's really quite fortunate and a good idea to do!
I betcha you aced it Gibbo

haha i'm not excessively confident.. i can't remember ever learning the ratio of interviews offered to the places available for HLB, or many of the other firms for that matter.

they're offering 8 positions.. and its a group interview day. i'm not even sure if this is the penultimate stage or if there is some other stage after that.

but yeah it was really fortunate.. in a way there was a high chance of it happening though.. these applications take a fair while.. even with nearly the same cover letter each time hahaha.

 

[hungwell1337]

so theoretically, theres more of a chance to make big 4

 

[gibbo153]

not really.. i guess mid tier and smaller firms probably know that the cream of the crop candidates are possibly out of their league. just as Big 4 know they are able pick and choose from the most desirable applicants. i know some 'super achiever' students who are good at everthing (the sort of people we hate) and they are only applying for big 4.

to an extent i basically reckon: more spots =/= greater chance, especially in regard to big 4

 

[hungwell1337]

yea, i think ive said this before... but my friend got rejected from spry roughley

and got interviews for pkf and uts co-op

 

[gibbo153]

oh really? guess reverse is true as well.
i guess big 4 also have the ability to trial a big group of candidates less discriminately. if you have the resources to do it, you obviosuly want to keep your options open. guess smaller firms are kinda forced to only trial a few.

i also reckon it comes down to individual HR workers as well.. each of them is going to have a varying response to a given applicant, especially based on something like a cover letter and resume.

 

[gibbo153]

first one i've done.. i'm fairly confident though, i'm very very good in that sort of situation, my relatively meagre resume is what i consider the weak part of my overall ability to present a good image.

not to say i'm a shoo in or anything like that. i'd be quite surprised to actually get an offer, just on my interpretation of myself, i'd say an interview is a less difficult place for me to market myself.

 

[gibbo153]

You downgrade yourself too much. Have some more hope and optimism, employers look for this

haha thanks.

ok i changed my mind.

i am,
God's gift


to the labour force