Day one newsletter for students - August 2009 - Ernst & Young - New Zealand

Welcome to Day one - your Ernst & Young network

Hello again, we hope you have been enjoying the mild winter weather!  It was a glorious day in Christchurch and Auckland today…. and we hope that those of you in Wellington survived the earthquake with no major damage!

This month we have more business updates for you, as well as career profiles and information about our presence on campus.  It is getting close to the recruitment season again (career fairs for next year have been announced) so we are looking forward to seeing you all again over the next few months…….

See you on campus.

 Business update

Increasing transparency, improving control

The world is demanding greater corporate transparency. Investors want access to more accurate and relevant information about companies, transactions, markets and risks. Regulators are moving to exert more control.

“The economic crisis presents an opportunity to modernise financial regulation in a way that will help to prevent future financial meltdowns, while also promoting global economic stability and opportunity” said EY Chairman and CEO Jim Turley in a speech to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.  Read his speech here. 

 Worldwide fiscal stimulus — tax policy plays a major role 

 Governments around the world are fighting the first global recession we've experienced since World War II, and tax measures are playing a major part - 56%, according to recent OECD figures - in the range of stimulus packages being rolled out globally. Tax policy has gone global in a major way, and in this study from Ernst & Young, tax measures in 24 major jurisdictions are analysed, and a key set of common themes are apparent, resulting in both challenges and opportunities for the tax function.

Listen to the webcast and find other webcasts/podcasts in our Thought Centre.

Entrepreneur of the Year finalists announced

Auckland, 13 AUGUST 2009 – Sixteen of New Zealand’s most successful entrepreneurs have made it through to the finals in New Zealand’s leading business awards, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®. The finalists represent a cross section of industries throughout New Zealand.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists for 2009 are:

   60 seconds with our campus ambassadors

Bridget Taylor is currently at Otago University – she completed an internship with us in Auckland in 2008/2009 and will return to Ernst & Young as Graduate in 2010:

Q: Which university do you attend and what are you studying? 

University of Otago. B.Com majoring in Accounting and Marketing

Q: How would you describe Ernst & Young as a place to work? 

I really enjoyed my internship at Ernst & Young, I found everyone was really friendly and willing to help and answer any questions.

Q: Was it worth giving up your summer holiday to become an intern? 

It was definitely worth giving up my summer holiday to become at intern, I met a lot of cool people and it was great to be sent straight out to audit clients, I learnt a lot!

Q: What were your first impressions of life at Ernst & Young? 

Everyone was friendly and approachable.

Ernst & Young finds talented expat recruits online

High performing Kiwis returning to New Zealand wanting the best career options are all within easy reach for our People team through www.trackmeback.com – an organisation that offers people living and working overseas the ability to speak to companies back home.

Through Track Me Back EYNZ made contact with Greg Alford who is now working as a senior manager in our Performance Improvement area. Greg shares his experience of returning to New Zealand to work at EY.

“After eight years working as a consultant in the UK I decided to return to New Zealand. The difficulty I found after so long away was not having employment contacts and not knowing which recruitment agents had the necessary specialization to find me a suitable role. I was attracted to Track Me Back (TMB) because I could log my details and role requirements, and just wait for employers to contact me with targeted roles.

EYNZ was one of the first organizations to contact me. The firm made initial contact approximately six months in advance of my planned return date. The process was extremely easy and relaxed. Recruitment Manager, Suzanna Pomeroy and I quickly formed a rapport over a series of conversations and email exchanges and Suzanna facilitated a number of phone and video interviews with EYNZ partners. She also did an excellent job giving me feedback and letting me know what the next steps were throughout the process. I much preferred having direct contact with Suzanna and the EYNZ partners to my experience dealing with an intermediary when I was applying for UK roles. 

The structure of the recruitment process, and the opportunities that I had to talk to different members of the team, meant that by the time EYNZ offered me the role, I was certain it was the right career move for me. Prior to joining, EYNZ accommodated my needs, giving me time to work out my notice in the UK and to have a holiday before starting work in New Zealand.

Whilst it was difficult to leave the UK, I am thoroughly enjoying living and working in NZ. Some of the work is on a slightly smaller scale than I am used to but I find that I am able to work more closely with clients now, which gives me a greater depth and breadth of experience.

I know I have made the right move. I am able utilise my UK experience to bring a different perspective to clients and I have the opportunity to learn and continue to grow as a professional. I am confident that EYNZ will provide me with the experience, tools and clarity of process to follow to make that progression.”

We're on campus

We are on Campus in August and September:

AUT Management Consulting Club

Braden Dickson, Partner, is speaking to the AUT Management Consulting Club on Careers in consulting and how Ernst & Young operate at 7am on Thursday 27 August 2009.

Auckland University:

Commerce Cougars Rugby Tournament – come and support the Commerce Team during August, September and October!  Visit the Commerce Society Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14844993788  Next game is September 26 against Engineering at the Tamaki Campus.

We will also be running Career/CV advice sessions in October – times and dates will be communicated nearer the time.

 Otago University

Visiting Executives Programme – Warren Allen, Partner, will be speaking on the 21^st of September – more information will be published on Campus nearer the time.

Cutting Edge Series – Naomi Aporo, Snr Consultant and Stuart Mutch, Partner, will be speaking on the 28^th of September – more information will be published on Campus nearer the time.

Waikato

Members of our Maori focus group will be at The Nga Kaitatau Maori o Aotearoa Hui-a-Tau - being held on the 28th & 29th August, the venue for this year's hui is He Raupapa - Waikato Management School, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato - The University of Waikato.

Career Fairs for 2010 have been announced!

You can find out more about the dates at http://www.nzunicareerhub.ac.nz/

Accounting and Finance 

Tue 9 March - University of Auckland

Wed  10 March - Massey Albany

Thu 11 March - Auckland University of Technology

Mon 15 March - Massey Palmerston North

Wed 17 March (AM) - Lincoln University

Wed 17 March (PM) - University of Canterbury

Thu 18  March - University of Otago

 Commerce & Law

Tue 16 March - Victoria University of Wellington

 Law

Tue 9 March - University of Canterbury

 Law Distribution

Wed 10 & Thu 11 March - University of Auckland    

We will look forward to seeing you at the Career Fairs next year and at a variety of events on campus before and during application time.  Keep an eye on www.ey.com/nz for more information.

 EY no-brainer quiz

Q.  What is the name of the Auckland University Business School Rugby Team that Ernst & Young are sponsoring? 

Be the first to email us at gradhelp@nz.ey.com with the correct answer and we'll send you out a student gastronomic pack!

Last month’s winner was Shoel Palli from AUT in Auckland.

 Thinking about applying for an internship or graduate role in 2010?

A graduate role in Assurance can open up a world of possibilities for you in the accounting field.

Why should I work for Ernst & Young’s Assurance Services? 

Assurance gives organizations and their investors the confidence that the results they report give a true and fair picture of their business. As an assurance professional at Ernst & Young, you’ll work in a high-performing and inclusive environment that offers you great opportunities to develop an interesting and fulfilling career, wherever you are in the world.

As one of our auditing and accounting professionals, you’ll deliver efficient and effective audits for businesses across a range of sectors. Working closely with clients, you’ll identify the areas most significant to their financial statements and critical to their risk profile, and evaluate the performance of the key controls that govern the quality of the financial statements.

You’ll work in multidisciplinary teams to handle complex issues and resolve challenges for leading companies. We’ll support you in your professional development so you achieve your potential. At Ernst & Young, we know it’s your point of view, energy and enthusiasm that make the difference.

You can find out more about Assurance services at EY at http://www.ey.com/NZ/en/Services/Assurance/About-Assurance

Next month we will tell you more about opportunities in Tax.

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 Kind regards
Suzanna Pomeroy

Ernst & Young People Team

Join us on Twitter@ http://twitter.com/EYNZCareers