Testimonials – Senior Roles

Hi Teresa,

I just want to tell you that I have been successful in securing a full time job as an Office Manager (All rounder) in a government funded employment services agency. I received the job offer today and I will be starting on the 7th of December in their Clarkson site. I am really excited about this job opportunity as I was just been referred for the position by my employment consultant meaning the job wasn’t really posted on seek or other job website. On the job description I will be doing administration, accounting and reception duties.

I really thank Platinum team specially Teresa for everything that I learnt in my 2 1/2 month stay in the firm, I have joined the Assistant Accountant and Senior Accountant training with the intention of broadening my scope (be equipped not just in public practice but also in commercial accounting), get back to the accounting scene (as I ended my last accounting job 11 months ago) and enhance my skills primarily in financial management and analysis. I also thank my junior assistant accountant for sharing their experiences in job hunting as with them I have drawn my motivation to go on despite a number of rejections.

Maybe its also beneficial to mention some of the questions that was asked during my interview:

1.) How would you handle a difficult client?

2.) How do you handle multiple work load and manage your time?

3.) Can you give us example of how you demonstrate the value of confidentiality.

4.) What is your biggest weakness and how do you handle it?

5.) Can you give us an example on how you handle a workplace dispute

I hope everyone kept their head up and don’t be downhearted with any rejection they may have encountered. Turn all negativity into positive and learn something out of the experience. Try to look for things that went wrong, be open to suggestions and improve yourself. I definitely benefited on the resume revision Teresa has done for me and the interview pointers she mentioned.

I hope other interns gets inspired with my success story and I will definitely miss everyone in the firm.

Kind regards,

Lemuel

Hey Scarlet!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter break. Just keeping you updated that I got offered as an Accountant role in the commercial sector. I start commencement next week. I just want to say thanks for the internship program and your support to help not only to me but to all interns. I also like to thank Jeff for providing a reference check as well. It really helped me out. The internship experience was great for me to further develop my knowledge and skills with accounting in the real world and understanding the month-end process.

Tips to the job hunters out there,

Remember what you’re applying for and meet their key requirements that are listed on the job ad. Do some research about their company and why do you think you’re best suited for the role.

The ads will list the type of person that suits the role for example, “high achievers, thirst for knowledge and passion to succeed. Someone who is self motivated and an eye for detail.” Knowing your advertisement is crucial to remember when going into the interview.

When going into the interview they will likely ask questions based on ad.

The questions interviewers asked me,

1. What do you know about our company?
2. Tell me about yourself.
3. What was your experience like and your responsibilities at Platinum Accounting?
4. Relating to the month-end, how did you deal with completing deadlines?
5. Did you experience any conflicts, if so how did you deal with it?
6. Are you able to work and adapt to changes in a working environment?
7. What are your salary expectations?
8. DO you have any questions for us?

Remember to be well prepared. Don’t get discouraged if you get denied. Usually when you get a call for an interview, you know you’re shortlisted from 50 applicants to usually 3.  So keep your head high and stay positive and an offer will come around.

Again, thanks for everything Scarlet and for staying in touch with me. I want to thank everyone who I’ve met and have supported and nurtured me at Platinum. It was worth the time and for the experience which will continue to develop further down my career path.

Warm regards,

Richard

Hi Yolanda / Jeff,

Please be informed that I have successfully secure an offer from ****** for an Senior Auditor role. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for all the assistance given to me during the Internship program. Special thanks to Jeff for your positive feedback during the reference check.

As requested, please find below some of my relevant interview questions:

1. What can you offer to the firm
2. What are the challenges you face in your previous job and how do you solve it
3. How do you deal with difficult clients
4. Describe the process involved in audit planning
5. How do you manage multiple datelines
6. What is your definition of success
7. What makes a good team player
8. How do you manage disagreements with your superiors
9. What do you do outside of work
10. How do you manage stress

I wish the Firm and the team all the best in your future endeavors.

Best regards,

Aaron

Hi everyone,

Hope you all are having a lovely day and ready for a good long read

I wish to officially inform you all that as of 12^th October, I have finished my employment tenure with Platinum Accounting.  I have started my new role as an Assistant Accountant at a CA firm in ********* as of 19^th October.

My new role is quite exciting and full on in terms of dealing with tax compliance, returns, and work load. The practice is in the top 100 firms in Australia and has a strong presence locally. The training and support I am receiving is fantastic and all staff are almost too friendly and laid back. There is so much to learn and it was an opportunity too good to pass by at this stage in my career.

I like to thank Platinum has played a massive role in my professional development in this field. I myself, started as an intern in 2013 and couple months later was offered a role as an Junior Accountant with them in Adelaide and then a good couple years in Melbourne as an Assistant Accountant. During this time, I accumulated wealth of experience. I learnt how crucial communication and interpersonal skills are when dealing with real people. I learnt the value of hard work, time management and pretty much everything you need to survive and excel in this industry. Considering I never looked for, or ever had an interview opportunity besides with Platinum, it is quite remarkable. Clearly, without this experience, I would never be where I am today

As per my previous email, I again wish to thank Platinum team for a wonderful journey over the last few years. It was absolutely amazing, I will not forget any of it. I would also like to thank all Platinum trainees, it was a pleasure knowing and supervising you all. That being said I would like to provide some feedback from my successful transition and job interview process with the firm so future job hunters and current platinum trainees can get a bit of perspective and motivation from it.

Basically, it is quite simple. In this current market, if you have local experience, you are going places. If you don’t, you need to consider seriously if accounting is a profession you want to pursue as a career in Australia or not. If so, then grab any opportunity you can get to accumulate some practical experience and invest in yourself to grow technically. Over the years, I have realized that employers extremely lean towards pre-trained and experience job seekers than there is to fresh graduates or even professionals with overseas experience in senior roles.

Having some experience under my belt was crucial in securing this role. The role came about due to internal changes and retirements within the firm and they were looking for some graduates and experienced accounting staff to join the tax and business services department. The role was referred to me by a recruitment agent in my professional network to whom I had referred several candidates. Yes! Networking and scratching backs helps too.

Having such experience and being through Platinum’s tax and accounting experience programs, I felt it was the ideal role to move my career forward towards becoming a specialist in tax. I got a call from the agent and following my interest and availability he wanted to setup a skype interview as I was overseas. During this time I researched the company, their goals, values, mission statement, and the job description. This just helped me prepare for any short answer or behavioral questions they could ask me.

Few keys for a video based interview:

• Always look at the camera, not the screen.
• Suit up!
• Speak slow, clear and concisely.
• Have notes prepared to refer to during the process.
• Check time zones and internet connection. I gave my interview at 6am while overseas lol!

The skype interview was straight forward. I would like to thank Jeff for sharing his experience and expertise in this area during my employment. The agent asked me the following to which I provide my template:

• Tell me about yourself?
  • Professional profile in terms of academic qualifications, current experience, and key technical skills in terms of the role.
• What are you looking for at the moment?
  • Stick to the job details. For me, it was perfect as it was a stable role, room for growth, close to home providing work and life balance.
• Tell me about the company you work for?
  • List out you previous company’s background, services and clients.
• Major technical skills
  • Any 2-3 from the job description followed up with examples of achievements regarding them
• Why would you like to move?
  • Could be similar to what you are looking for. Or, could be that it is your dream role etc. Never criticize your previous employer though. Past behavior is an indicator of future too.

Finally, be honest. I did admit that considering my experience being only a couple years, I do consider myself a professional with experience but not in depth tax yet and am open to taking up further training if required. This happened to be exactly what the firm was looking for. Honesty pays off! Following this, I was immediately called the next day by the agent. He informed me the employers were happy with my profile and want to setup a video group interview the very next week.

In preparing for this, I went through the company website to learn the profiles of the Accounting Managers and the HR person I would have the session with along with understanding the job profile better. I prepared for any technical questions they could ask by reviewing my tax and day to day procedures as well as behavioral, by preparing stories surrounding my achievements with Platinum in terms of communication, interpersonal, teamwork, problem solving and initiative.

On the day of interview, I did the formal greetings with all the staff and expressed pleasure in meeting them. The first hour was about skills assessment. They sent me a set of fictitious company client financials requesting me to analyse and summarize any documents required to begin the company tax return work along with noting down any findings the managers would need to be aware of. In doing so, all my experience in bookkeeping, tax compliance and month end reporting over the last 2 years was finally paying off. Understanding of accounting control procedures, latest tax guidelines from ATO and experience handling financial records of internal and external clients is crucial for such assessments. It separates the experience candidates from the bunch. Information like, super contribution rates, tax free thresholds, payment summaries, contractor invoices, asset write off thresholds, federal budget guidelines is good information to start with.

Following this I had a 1 hour video interview with 2 Accounting Managers and HR person. It was relatively straight forward and similar in structure to my video meeting with the agent. They did not try to trick me with behavioral. They just wanted to get to know me better to determine a cultural fit.

The following is my recollection:

• Tell us about your background?
  • As you can tell, you need to know your professional background pretty well.
• Have you heard of us before?
  • Upon confirming, they requested further details. Be prepared to provide a summary of the firm and what interested you.
• What do you currently do in your role and tell us about the firm.
  • Having years of consulting and presentation experience and detailing it for them impressed them.
  • Focus on key tasks you excel in.
• What is your biggest achievement?
  • Describing my move from Melbourne to Adelaide as a recently hired intern to be an Assistant Accountant managing the entire new Adelaide branch for over 6 months with direct partner support was a really big learning curve in my professional career and helped me mature quite a bit.
    • It also made for a great achievement!
    • I think there was a connection there and appreciation of such a feat at a young age.
  • Think of yourself long and hard and list any value you added to the company through your work in terms of process improvements, initiative or cost savings.
• What motivates me / my 5 year plan?
  • For me it was this industry, my former partner’s career success, and having short to long term goals of where I see myself going in my career. Confirming that, I was honest in admitting there will be a LOT for me to learn in a short space of time and that is what excites me.
  • I also explained my patience with professional qualifications like CPA as if not done at the right time in your career, they will become obstacles rather than platforms to success.
• Preferred manager style?
  • Being a big firm, they have many managers and essentially I was honest about preferring a macro-managed style and reporting myself on any tasks assigned as needed without having magnifying glass on me.
• A time where you made a mistake. (self-add “ and how you resolved it or learnt from it”)
  • Yes, everyone has them. Identify and explain but try not to make it your biggest.
  • While training interns, it was normal to not know every procedure or piece of info out there. Admitting to your mistakes, taking steps to avoid them in the future and always improving your self is probably the key.

Following this I was asked if I had any questions. Coming prepared always helps. Familiarizing yourself with the role helps you understand what obstacles you could face or what kind of support you would require. Keeping it short, following are what I roughly inquired on:

• What is expected of me in the first few weeks and how can I be a success at this role.
• Will I be working under different managers and workgroups?
• So far, where do you see myself fitting in
  • They said it depends on my previous assessment
    • Following it up with Jokes help. E.g. I really hope you get my email attachment then lol!

Concluding the interview, I thanked them for their time and stated my excitement to hopefully join the team.

They day after I got the offer and my partners helped me fast track the process while I was away and helped me get the role with only a single reference check. Thank heaps Jeff! The rest is imaginable.

For that and more I hope this detailed info really helps you all understand how to approach your job hunting, the experience and skills required (technical and soft) and how to be prepared when the opportunity comes knocking!

Please do keep in touch and let me know if there is anything else I could assist with in the future.

Will always hold Platinum dear to my heart.

Sincerely,

Humam *******

Signing off

Hey Jeff,

Sorry for the late reply.

The program really helped me in understanding the australian economy, especially superannuation. All the areas we were trained in, especially the financial plan development was very helpful.

I have been thoroughly tested in the areas we were trained, was asked normal interview questions and was asked to perform some tests which were covered in the program. My confidence in excel also increased, the whole program was a confidence booster. The last class, interview preparation was fantastic. The tips given are really helpful.Thank you Jeff.

Jeff, I am still giving interviews for a full- time job. They might need to talk to you. I will give you an update if you are supposed to get a call. Thank you again!

Also just as a feedback, if you could show the future interns how to fill in data in Xplan, it would be helpful for them. Xplan has become a pre- requisite in most companies to get an internship/job.

Have a great day!

Best Regards,

Sakshi

Hi Teresa

Yes, I’ve got the job and the contract was sent to me just now and I’ll be starting next week and please note the company gives some time flexibility since I’m still studying, guaranteed full time work after uni. It is a logistic company Just to share my experience, it was a panel interview with all the executives asking behavioural, technical and scenario questions.

The interview session from Platinum gives me the whole idea how to attack the whole thing since technical is given and it just the way you portray and package yourself with confidence. Some questions been asked as far as I remembered are the bad debts account, budget analysis and cashflow.

Hope this will help others especially international student like me, you’ll always have a place in this society because I believe we can make a difference. Just work for it and chase your dream.

Thanks Teresa and the rest of platinum staff.

KUDOS

Salvador

Dear Coco, Jeff, Yolanda, Humam and Jenny,

Hope all of you are well.

I received the job confirmation today after 2 rounds of interviews.  I will be starting work tomorrow.

Thanks, Coco, for the advice re my jobless situation and the assurance that I will find a job.

Thanks, Jeff, for reviewing my resumes and providing a good reference.  Much appreciated!

Thanks, Yolanda, Humam & Jenny, for the assistance rendered during the internship.

Only 1 technical question (how do I calculate annual leave?)

The others were –

• What is my management style?
• Have I done payroll?  For how many staff?
• What does my friend say about me?
• What do I do during my free time?
• What is my expected salary?

…. can’t remember the rest!  I think I spoke too much and asked too many questions!

As much as I would like to share more, apologies!  Perhaps, my success story may not be very relevant for junior positions. But if you would like to apply Accountant or Senior Accountant Position, please feel free to absorb any info that you prefer.

Thanks & regards

Linda

Dear Dear Dear Yolanda,

I started my Part-time Financial Accounting job this week.

Finally I start my accounting career now~ It took me over five years to get into it. I’d like to say thank you for everything that I learnt from Platinum Accounting, and for all the support that I got from you, Jeff, Humam, Amy and Kat.

For the Interview Questions, I been asked some of the followings:

1, What is your Company’s Monthly Flow and what about your daily routine job contents?

2, How you deal with Vendor and PO Issues in your current job position?

3, We have multi-countries and multi -currency issue, can you work in multi -cultural environment?

4, How to prepare, submit and perform reconciliations to the ATO/IRD as well as upload the bank with payment on FBT?

5, Do you know anything about NRWT(NZ)?

Also, I been asked about Inventory System, BAS, Prepayment and some Accrual issues. Luckily, I have been practise all these with Platinum before. With Platinum, I really build up my confidence for interviews, refreshed my knowledge and found my path to accounting career.

Many thanks again, Dear Platinum Team!

Warm regards,

Tracey^^.

Hi Scarlet and Michelle

Hope you two are doing well. I got a job of financial planning assistant in P******. It is a good start although it is a part time job. And I would like to thank for all the help you offered and knowledge you taught to me. They are really helpful.

There was not too many questuons in the interview as I was referred by my previous manager, rather, the employer was explaining more about the duties of the job to me. And we talked about half an hour, unfortunately I can only remember few questions being asked:

1. give me some information about your background
2. Do you understand what financial planners do
3. Do you like to be an analyst and which subject you like most in the uni?

I hope these questions are useful for other interns who are looking for positions in finance field.

Warm regards

Mia

Dear Jeff and Humam,

I hope you are well.

My apologies for sending this email late, I have already gotten an offer from one of the big four accounting firm as an senior accountant.

I would like to thank you all for your professional training which was useful to me in my job search.

I would also like to thank Jeff for the interview session he had during the intensive training. It was very useful and it helped boost my confidence and Humam for always being there to answer question and help me solve problems.

Please see below some questions I summarized from my interview as follow:

1. Introduce your self
2. Introduce your study experience
3. Why choose this company and not the other big 4’s
4. Give a scenario when you have shown leadership
5. How would you deal with conflict in the work place
6. describe a situation where you went above and beyond
7. Tell me about the situation you met the strict deadline.
8. give a scenario where you found a issues with client internal control
9. How do you inform clients of internal control issues and successful responses
10. If you find some weakness in internal control, how can you deal with this?

I really hope the afore mentioned interview questions can help others in their interview.  Thanks again for all of your help.

Kind regards

Azu

I can say without a doubt that in current times being a recent university graduate and trying to find a graduate position is an uphill battle.  +Over the past twelve months I have applied for numerous jobs (I mean a lot)without any success.  I received good grade from a reputable university (UQ), but sometimes you need an edge over your competition.  The finance internship through Platinum Accounting gave me the practical skills and more importantly experience to get a foot in the door of the finance industry.  Within in a month of completing the internship I received a job offer from a great firm based in Canberra that will set me up for life.  Thanks Jeff and the team at Platinum.

Kind Regards,

Joshua *******

———————————————————

On 2015-07-01 11:38am, Mr Joshua *********** wrote:

Hi Jeff,

Just an update to say that I have been offered the job in Canberra!  I’m really happy and looking forward to tackling the new challenges of starting a new career in an unfamiliar city.  Thanks for the reference as I think it helped a great deal in securing the offer.  The company seems very supportive and the role looks like a great opportunity.  Thanks again.

Kind regards,

Joshua.

Hi Platinum team,

I am so grateful for the thorough preparation and immeasurable support you have provided me since I joined Platinum.

I am really thankful to Jeff, Coco, Yolanda, Humam, Tyna and all my trainers and supervisors, for all you have done to prepare me in terms of attitude, technical skills and perseverance in the job hunt.

By adapting the interview techniques that were taught in the training sessions, I have been able to land a job after three unsuccessful interviews.

I applied for so many jobs and after not getting any bites on my resume I decided  to join Senior Accountant training. I must say that this Senior Accountant training has exposed me to the complex world of accounting but I really feel confident when I am at work because of the training I received.

I think that employers who hire interns from Platinum are very lucky because at Platinum we receive such good training such that we are an example to others in our good technical skills and other skills we have learned at Platinum.

During the interview, they asked me to explain the kind of work I do at Platinum. Then they asked me to tell them in depth accounts of my accomplishments. I cannot stress enough how putting your accomplishments on the resume can make the difference. Thank you Jeff and the entire team for helping me with my resume.

Kind regards,

Brian

Dear Platinum

My apologies for sending this email late, I have already gotten an offer from one of the big four accounting firm as an senior accountant and will start work next month. I would like to thank you all for your professional training which was useful to me in my job search. I would also like to thank you for the interview session as it was very useful and it helped boost my confidence. I would also like to thank Humam for always being there to answer question and help me solve problems. please see below some questions I summarized from my interview as follow:

1.    Introduce your self

2.    Introduce your study experience

3. Why choose this company and not the other big 4’s

4.    Give a scenario when you have shown leadership

5.    How would you deal with conflict in the work place

6.    describe a situation where you went above and beyond

7.    Tell me about the situation you met the strict deadline.

8.    give a scenario where you found a issues with client internal control

9.    How do you inform clients of internal control issues and successful responses

10. If you find some weakness in internal control, how can you deal with this?

I really hope the afore mentioned interview questions can help others in their interview.  Thanks again for all of your help.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Kind regards

Amy

Hi there,

This is Lillian one of your former trainees in Platinum Professional Training! I’m now in Shanghai and I just want to let you know that I found a job as an accountant in E**** L****** Company. I just want to express my sincere gratitude to you and your firm as it gave me a very good opportunity to do some hands-on jobs in the accounting area, which is really helpful when entering the workplace. I miss Sydney very much and am still waiting for my PR to be granted. I believe that I will come back soon and I’d like to pay a visit to you and your team when I’m back. Thank you very much for everything!

Best wishes

Lillian

Hi

It is Rajitha. I just want to let you know a good new. I found a job as an Accountant in ******* Airlines in last March and currently working there. In the interview, I was very confident and they did not bother to ask any reference. Just after I was hired, i was lucky to be sent overseas for SAP training. I was kind of very busy with a new job and relocation and could not get a time to let you know. At the moment, I just have to handle AP side in SAP.

The purpose of writing to you is to thank you for all your supports and advices that you gave me and I do sincerely appreciate and value them

Hope everything is great at your end and I will update any changers of mine in terms of career wise.

Thanks Again.

Best Regards,

Rajitha.

Hi Platinum,

My interview with S****** was not very hard. After I applied the role online, they required all applicants took an online test (The data entry, word, excel…), I got the highest score in advanced excel (the basic requirement of the role, and after I left Platinum, I learnt advanced excel skills by myself).

Then My interview with agent was very easy (she said she was very impresses with my test score in excel then I was not nervous anymore) :

1. Tell me about you last role as Assistant Accountant ( job duties, company size, team size)

2. Since this role is analyst role, she asked me a lot of question about my analysis ablitity as Assistant Accountant–I just answered based on the knowledge I learnt from Platinum: cost analysis, P&L analysis, sales analysis, stock analysis, assisting with Budget and Forecarst

3. She asked about my SAP skills, I just said I was familiar with finance function of SAP (after the course in Platinum, I purchased other finance function of SAP and practiced in home), she said it was very good, this role will provied training in other functions of SAP.

Interview with S*****: two interviewer–Business Analyst and Return Management Team leader

1. lots questions related my analysis skills–the detail processes of those analysis reports

2. How I used SAP data to perform analyze in previoius role–basic SAP applicant questions.

3. Not too much behavior questions: tell me about yourself, why did you left last job, what the least things you like in last company, how do you orgnize your tasks.

Actually I got another full time job offer before I had the interview with S*****, it’s a property service company, the role was accounts administration/accounts all round. They asked me to send my answer to almost 30 behavior questions through email, then I had an interview with their CFO and Senior Accountant. The interview last almost 50 mins and at the last they offered me the job and agreed to wait for my final answer. In this interview, they talked much more then I answered, I assumed they already knew my answer through the previous email, just let me know how their company functioning and what were my job duties.

It is not an easy way for me to find a job, I went to several interviews, and in the last two I sucessed, I was confident and not nervous, thats were very important during interview. TheI learnt in Platinum are very useful, I went througn all details after I finish my course to make sure I would not made mistakes in technical questions, that’s very important as well.

Thanks again

Jane

Hello Platinum

I just thought I’d do an email visit, especially to let you know how much I appreciate the Platinum Professional Training training. I’ve just completed my probation period as an Auditor for the Office of the Auditor General here in the Solomon Islands and I can say that I am performing very well auditing company financial statements, thanks to your level 1 & 2 trainings. I’m working on a 12 months contract ending July next year so might ask you some questions in the mean time.

Well, keep up the good work.

Wish you a splendid week.

Best Regards,

Alan