How does fresh graduate gets a job?

[regit]

I am guessing he meant PW = PriceWaterhouse , EY = Ernst and Young

Accenture will work you to death from 8am - 3am, daily if need be, with low pay.
But with them in your resume as your first job, it's a great stepping board for second job.



How are your grades?? Accenture is always looking for people because of high turnover rate, so if you are rejected by them, you might want to aim lower. You have to revise and keep up with programming because most good IT companies will test your programming skills during interviews.

Admittedly, my undergrads scores were not that great. I was too young and playful to know any better, but I think I recovered from that and subsequently top my Masters class (all HDs with 1 distinction), won a prize and scholarship for my PhD. Did some publications as well during my PhD... Since my programming skills are a bit outdated, I'm trying for consultancy instead, which is closer to my latest studies.

Accenture didn't ask for my scores though, maybe they have some advance screening technologies! Oh well, I'll keep looking...

Again, thank you all for the tips and tricks

 

[quekky]

try applying for all jobs that interest u in jobsdb, jobstreet, etc. it's only clicking "apply" or emailing them your resume. even if 5% of them to call u it good enough already. u can still reject them later during your interview

 

[sulhan]

experiences are PREFERRED...

you can just pop in, if you prove stronger than those with experience, then you get the job, or you offer a price more competitive than experienced...

experience doesn't mean everything, they can have 10 years experience in the line, but dun even know a thing about it... cos some just suntanning in office daily...

Yes,

Experience spells it for most firms. Usually those having related relevant experience would be most likely to be shortlist. Experiences may compensat for "not that super grades" at times.

 

[dan_1337]

like all the names listed above, Accenture, McKinsey (good luck hahah), BCG (good luck x2), PWC, EY, KPMG, Deloitte, IBM are the big name consulting firms. I'm pretty sure that all of them have IT/IS consulting but in different amounts:

- Accenture and IBM are all IT/IS consulting with risk audit
- The big 4 (PWC, EY, KPMG, Deloitte) have a SMALL IT/IS consulting arm mostly specialising in risk, assurance and security
- McKinsey and BCG are mostly management consulting and the liklihood of them having IS/IT is slim to none

I'm also graduating from IS and will be trying to move away from IS into something else with what i view as greater prospects and greener pastures. Not really fond of IS.

 

[sandyforever]

Admittedly, my undergrads scores were not that great. I was too young and playful to know any better, but I think I recovered from that and subsequently top my Masters class (all HDs with 1 distinction), won a prize and scholarship for my PhD. Did some publications as well during my PhD... Since my programming skills are a bit outdated, I'm trying for consultancy instead, which is closer to my latest studies.

Accenture didn't ask for my scores though, maybe they have some advance screening technologies! Oh well, I'll keep looking...

Again, thank you all for the tips and tricks

You can't consult without having experience. That's why you are not getting bites. Accenture likes young fresh degree grads work horses that can slog from day to night and promote them internally after 3 years or so to do sales. Sometimes Masters/PHD degrees, esp technical ones, actually cause you to lose interviews. Meaning the person is over qualified with no working experience and little hands-on (programming) skills yet expecting high pay because of his education. This may sound silly but sometimes people "downgrade" and hide their PHD, using degree or Masters to apply for jobs if they have no solid working experience.

You might want to try to apply for teaching positions in tertiary schools while hunting for that position in a consulting company. You will get to meet the right people in your field.
It will help your resume and they pay PHD's well.

 

[sandyforever]

like all the names listed above, Accenture, McKinsey (good luck hahah), BCG (good luck x2)

good luck? haha? :dunno:

I'm also graduating from IS and will be trying to move away from IS into something else with what i view as greater prospects and greener pastures. Not really fond of IS.

:dunno: :dunno:

Ok, i just realized you are only 21.
I shall keep my comments to myself. :bsmilie:

 

[kongping]

wow... from all the replies here... quite a few of you guys have worked at Accenture eh?

 

[dan_1337]

good luck? haha? :dunno:

:dunno: :dunno:

Ok, i just realized you are only 21.
I shall keep my comments to myself. :bsmilie:

hahah i just think that McKinsey and BCG are almost impossible to get into...but if you do, they pay 6 figures straight out of uni =D

yes...i'm 21 and graduating in a couple of months. please share ur comments :think:

 

[Nikonnew]

I'm new to the job market and I've been flipping the papers for the last 2 weeks. Seems that all jobs posted on the recruitment pages are asking for experiences :cry: ... Any idea where to start for a freshie?

BTW, what are the big IT/IS consultancy firms in Singapore?

Thank you.

Any job that says 2 years experience needed is good for fresh grad also, but if it says 5 years or more then no chance lah

 

[SNAG]

Hope this is not grossly OTed:

But is anyone here a i-banker? Recruitment season for summer analyst positions is going on, and I'm interested to give it a shot.

Understand that it's tough to get into a decent i-bank (Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Citi, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley etc..), but just want to hear from another perspective from the horses' mouth.

Campus recruitment sessions seem biased to me, as I feel that they tend to "polish" up about their organization - not really the true side of what you'll experience when you enter in.

 

[dan_1337]

Hope this is not grossly OTed:

But is anyone here a i-banker? Recruitment season for summer analyst positions is going on, and I'm interested to give it a shot.

Understand that it's tough to get into a decent i-bank (Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Citi, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley etc..), but just want to hear from another perspective from the horses' mouth.

Campus recruitment sessions seem biased to me, as I feel that they tend to "polish" up about their organization - not really the true side of what you'll experience when you enter in.

One of my close friends worked last summer at Deutsch Bank and will be working this summer at UBS (both in Melbourne). From what he's said, it was a tough process that needs u to think under great pressure and utilise all the financial and economic skills you've had to solve problems. It's very maths intensive as he had to anlayse different stocks, futures and derivativesas part of the interview.

He got to work every day at 8am and was the last to arrive in the office. He left every day at 6pm and was the first to leave. When reporting season came around, he was in the office from 8am to late at night. Other friends that were at DB were set projects that required so much work they were there from 8am to 3-4am (and this is in Australia where people like to work 9-5) for days on end jsut to get it completed.

Investment banking sounded tough, but the rewards come when u see the paycheque. He was paid AUD$70,000pa pro-rata to 3 months for the summer vacation as a student doing vac work. He was then paid AUD$35 an hour once his contract was over to help them at the start of the semester before leaving as he got a place at UBS. First year out of uni = minimum of AUD$100k + bonus.

Hopefully that helps.

 

[regit]

You can't consult without having experience. That's why you are not getting bites. Accenture likes young fresh degree grads work horses that can slog from day to night and promote them internally after 3 years or so to do sales. Sometimes Masters/PHD degrees, esp technical ones, actually cause you to lose interviews. Meaning the person is over qualified with no working experience and little hands-on (programming) skills yet expecting high pay because of his education. This may sound silly but sometimes people "downgrade" and hide their PHD, using degree or Masters to apply for jobs if they have no solid working experience.

You might want to try to apply for teaching positions in tertiary schools while hunting for that position in a consulting company. You will get to meet the right people in your field.
It will help your resume and they pay PHD's well.

I applied for a entry/graduate position (which by nature don't require exp) and since I don't have relevent experience, I put a relatively low expected pay to match ... but they didn't bite :cry: Had to put in the PhD since prior to this, I've been teaching in the Uni and this is reflected in my employment history.

I think getting a lecturing job in the Uni is even tougher than consulting firms. There are only a few Uni in Singapore to begin with, and unlike commercial firms, turnovers are substantially lower. Apart from this, I'm really looking forward to gain some industrial experience and not going back to uni for a while...

One begs the question, won't 'concealment' being frowned upon if found out?!?!

 

[SNAG]

One of my close friends worked last summer at Deutsch Bank and will be working this summer at UBS (both in Melbourne). From what he's said, it was a tough process that needs u to think under great pressure and utilise all the financial and economic skills you've had to solve problems. It's very maths intensive as he had to analyse different stocks, futures and derivatives as part of the interview.

He got to work every day at 8am and was the last to arrive in the office. He left every day at 6pm and was the first to leave. When reporting season came around, he was in the office from 8am to late at night. Other friends that were at DB were set projects that required so much work they were there from 8am to 3-4am (and this is in Australia where people like to work 9-5) for days on end jsut to get it completed.

Investment banking sounded tough, but the rewards come when u see the paycheque. He was paid AUD$70,000pa pro-rata to 3 months for the summer vacation as a student doing vac work. He was then paid AUD$35 an hour once his contract was over to help them at the start of the semester before leaving as he got a place at UBS. First year out of uni = minimum of AUD$100k + bonus.

Hopefully that helps.

Thanks for the insight - I've heard 'horror' stories like this too.

But what I personally like on i-banking is that although it's tough, you'll get to learn at a much quicker pace than almost any other fresh grad job - so much so that almost everything else becomes easier to handle.

But at times, I wonder how these i-bankers rejuvenate themselves to prevent "investment banking burn out"...

 

[wind30]

hahah i just think that McKinsey and BCG are almost impossible to get into...but if you do, they pay 6 figures straight out of uni =D

yes...i'm 21 and graduating in a couple of months. please share ur comments :think:

I don't think they pay 6 figures for fresh grads in singapore. I got a friend in Mckinsey and that is what he says he could be lying though.

I can say a little of the Mckinsey BCG selection process some years ago when I applied after my Graduation.

Mckinsey: they had a written test which consist of business stuff and some IQ stuff. I probably aced the IQ stuff but failed the business stuff as I did not really prepare for it being an EE grad. I did not pass the test. Later on is a few rounds of business case interviews according to me friend.

BCG: They have a pre-interview dinner where they shortlist like maybe 6-10 tables of people and invite them to a nice dinner at some hotel where you eat with the working BCG consultant and they do a presentation to sell you the company. Then they schedule you for interviews which also consist of business cases... which I failed again

Bottomline, is Mckinsey and BCG is very business oriented.

Anyway, a word of advice, although the consulting/IB world looks very glamourous, the work is super tough. I am now a lousy engineer but I think my annual pay is higher/onpar than my mckinsey classmate due to favourable stock options.

If you are a PHD/technically inclined, there may be more lucrative pastures in US based tech firms, esp those with listing potential. Not all people excel in consultancy/IB fields.

Good luck in all your job searches. Sometimes it is really just luck....

 

[sehsuan]

DSTA interview xiong la.. my friend got some really got cert majoring in physics and etc also dun wan.

best part. shes super smart and pretty.... too bad dsta dun wan her... now she become teacher...

hahhaaha....

Interesting. Let's see how long she stays. Hopefully she's in it for the long haul.

 

[Nisa]

how about approaching a Headhunter company? :dunno:

 

[dan_1337]

how about approaching a Headhunter company? :dunno:

but isn't the headhunter company meant to approach you?

 

[Nisa]

but isn't the headhunter company meant to approach you?

Yeah, but then sometimes it's good to give resumes to ppl. I meant for all you know, they will have jobs which much be suitable for you. Esp when u are highly qualified with Phd and so on....

 

[pl4nx]

Accenture will work you to death from 8am - 3am, daily if need be, with low pay.
But with them in your resume as your first job, it's a great stepping board for second job.

How are your grades?? Accenture is always looking for people because of high turnover rate, so if you are rejected by them, you might want to aim lower. You have to revise and keep up with programming because most good IT companies will test your programming skills during interviews.

i second this.. 'lovely' experience while i was working in accenture project.
it's really good for experience and resume...working in big IT consulting firm.
just be prepared to give up personal lives, mental and physical health.
i've seen nice and literally healthy people was changed in matter of months..

 

[raincool2005]

sign on SAF... :think: