Client adviser, Br Wellington
Q. What are your qualifications?
I have a Bachelor of Commerce (accounting major) from La Trobe University in Melbourne. 
I moved from Mildura (located in country Victoria) to Melbourne to study; living away from home was a challenge, but a rewarding one.
I had the time of my life at university, which included six months
of study in London.
Q. What made you decide to pursue a career in accounting?
I considered myself to be good with numbers as well as a logical thinker, but I didn't want to be stuck working fulltime in mathematics
or science. I wanted to be able to use these skills to help people directly.
Q. Where do you work and what does your role involve?
I work at Br Wellington as a client adviser (an accountant). My role mostly involves tax compliance work and tax advice, together with business advice and services. I've been at this firm since I graduated three-and-a-half years ago.
Br Wellington is a boutique firm which allows me to work more closely with both the partners and clients than I would if I was working in a big 4 firm, for example.
I honestly enjoy my work more and more everyday, as each day brings a new challenge.
Q. What are the challenges and rewards of your job?
It's very challenging working with a wide variety of clients from different businesses and with individual structures. I continually test my tax and business knowledge in order to help them make the right decisions to achieve their financial and life goals. Assisting people with your own skills and knowledge is very rewarding.
Q. In what ways have you found being CPA Australia member useful?
My CPA Program study has assisted me greatly in providing the services and advice mentioned above. I've found the following CPA Program subjects especially helpful: Taxation, Personal Financial Planning and Superannuation, and Business Strategy and Leadership.
This sort of study not only greatly assists you in the learning processes but also gives you greater confidence in your own knowledge and skills.
Q. Do you have a mentor?
Yes. My manager at Br Wellington, Mert Karabardak, has been my mentor for the past three-and-a-half years. He has been fantastic in providing me support and advice.
Q. What advice do you have for graduates nervous about going through the recruitment process?
Each recruitment and interview process you go through will give you experience and greater confidence in yourself for future opportunities.
It's important to know what your unique skills are and that you have confidence in these skills. In an interview try to inform the interviewer of these skills. It is these skills and the confidence you have in them that differentiates you from other graduates.
It also helps if your unique skills come from outside your education. Most applicant will have a degree, and a lot will have strong marks, so don't rely on this to differentiate your self.
Q. What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were younger?
Get a clear understanding of accounting businesses and what your role will entail - make sure it is what you actually want to do. If you're not fully committed to your profession, this industry can be tough.
Also work out what your unique skills are (everyone has at least one) and have confidence in the fact that these skills are desirable to a future employer. If you're not confident in your own skills, how can you expect a future employer to be?
Finally, once you get a job, treat it as a privilege not a right.