Did you choose to do your course with a specific career in mind?

I originally started out studying Business Management because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Since I’d always enjoyed business throughout school and sixth form, it felt like the natural choice. I’ve always liked the business and economics side of things, so the Business Management course seemed like a good fit.

In my first year, we had a finance module, and it quickly became my favourite topic. After that, I spoke with the university and was able to switch onto the Business Management with Finance course in my second year. I also took a placement year, which gave me even more experience. That’s when I realised, I enjoy business, but finance is more my thing.

Where did you go on your placement year?

For my placement year, I worked at Wakefield District Housing (WDH), which manages social housing. WDH was originally part of Wakefield Council before becoming an independent organisation. I spent a year in their accounts payable department, where I was mainly responsible for processing supplier payments and preparing invoices.

After finishing my placement, I returned to working part-time at Sainsbury’s. I’d worked there before, so I reached out to see if I could start work again, which thankfully was possible.

I really valued my time at WDH and appreciated the people and the work they did. However, it wasn’t somewhere I could progress in the way I wanted. My goal was to pursue the ACA qualification and become a Chartered Accountant, which WDH couldn’t offer. That’s why I decided not to return after my placement, I wanted to find a role that suited my ambitions.

The ACA is recognised worldwide, and I’ve seen colleagues use it to open doors abroad. Some have even travelled to places like Australia, where the ACA is still highly respected.

To get a job before you graduate is pretty good isn’t it!

I know that graduating can be tough, as there aren’t always enough graduate positions available. Doing a placement year really helped me prepare for that challenge. I also attended an insight day at the firm I work for now, and the team who ran the session even remembered me when I came for my interview. Experiences like that make a real difference, so I think it’s important to have something like that behind you.

What does your day-to-day look like now?

I work hybrid between the office and home. Sometimes I’m out on client sites or in the office meeting clients. A big part of my role involves audit testing, which means I spend a lot of time working with Excel spreadsheets. I used Microsoft Excel throughout university and even had a whole module dedicated to it on my course. At Armstrong Watson, most of our testing is done in Excel, alongside specialist audit software where we record all our work.

We cover a wide range of finance areas, including income and expenditure, as well as balance sheet testing. For example, we look at debtors, customers who owe money, and creditors, companies that owe their suppliers.

Alongside the testing, I spend plenty of time communicating with clients, both face-to-face and via email. Most of our clients are family-owned businesses, but we work with a wide variety of organisations across different industries too.

What would you say are the main things you took away from your course?

One of the biggest benefits of my course is that it gave me exemptions from several ACA exams. For example, I completed a business strategy assignment, around 80 pages long, which meant I didn’t have to sit a 2.5 hour exam. I also studied financial management and advanced financial management in my third year, which earned me further exemptions. Altogether, my business degree gave me three exam exemptions at the certificate level.

Beyond the exemptions, studying business has been useful in understanding how businesses work. It gave me insight into why companies have different departments and how they operate, which has been helpful in my role.

Did you benefit from any Beckett Careers support?

During my placement year, I really benefitted from the Placement team’s support with applications. My friend also received a lot of guidance when deciding whether to do a placement, and we both ended up securing one which was great experience to have under our belt. We attended a CV workshop too, which helped us refine our applications and gave us more confidence when applying for jobs after university.

I met my current employer at the annual Beckett Careers Fair, which feels surreal looking back. The fair included partner talks, and I chose to sit in on the Armstrong Watson’s session. At the time, I wasn’t sure if it would be worthwhile but now I know it definitely was! Even something as simple as smiling while I listened made an impression, because they remembered me at my interview.

I also spoke to Jess who works here and connected me with Armstrong Watson, which explained the recruitment process to me. I learned there were three stages, an online assessment, a group video interview, and then individual assessments. It was quite a lengthy process, but having recommendations and guidance made a huge difference.

Another valuable experience was attending a mock assessment centre day, organised in collaboration with Beckett Careers as part of my course. My tutor encouraged me to go, and I’m glad I did. It gave me helpful feedback on my interview skills. Finally, I attended an insight day at Armstrong Watson, where a partner gave a talk about the company and what it takes to secure a job. That event really gave me a foot in the door.

What does the future look like for you now?

I’m currently working towards my ACA qualification and have completed 8 out of 15 exams so far. They’re extremely challenging, but I’m focused on passing them and reaching Chartered Accountant status. Since graduating, I’ve already been promoted to Associate, and my next step will be Senior Associate. Hopefully by then I aim to have finished the ACA qualification.

At Armstrong Watson, there’s a strong culture of promoting from within, which means once I’m qualified, I’ll have the opportunity to progress to Assistant Manager. My goal is to keep building my career here, taking on more responsibility and continuing to grow within the firm.

What would your top tips be for someone who’s thinking about improving their employability?

Looking back, I’d tell myself to get my CV sorted early with the Beckett Careers team. I’d also encourage anyone to attend the annual Careers Fair and take the opportunity to speak directly with employers. Don’t be shy about putting yourself out there.

I’d recommend getting on LinkedIn too, since most employers use it, and it’s a great way to get your name noticed by connecting with those you’re interested in.

And if you have the chance to do a placement year, go for it! Work experience, whether it’s through placements, internships, or part-time jobs, really helps you stand out when you graduate.