Reece Chana | Rising Star of the Year

How did your nomination come about for the awards?

I checked my student emails! That’s why it’s important to see what’s coming in from the university. Beckett Careers had sent one about the Awards for Excellence and thought I should probably apply for the Rising Star award, so I nominated myself.

Brilliant! What were the attributes that you felt qualified you for an award?

I’d say it’s mainly my career development skills, like my dedication to not just my academic dedication, but my professional experience in the work place. I also asked one of my lecturers and a few friends to nominate me as well.

I applied for a 3-day work placement with one of the big four firms in accountancy, Ernest and Young, and managed to get it. I got to go down to London for one of the days, and it was great. I met a lot of students from different universities, like Oxford, Cambridge, and tried to network with them. It was a busy day but I can’t complain!

What do you feel like you got out of that experience?

I think it was a great opportunity to learn from the best, to network with other EY employees and students alike. Everyone had the same mindset of trying to develop their careers, and better themselves.

There’s a saying going round that first year doesn’t really count. It may not count towards your grades, but because I took the initiative to find work experience, I’ve now got experience with one of the best accounting and finance companies in the world, and won an award! I’m trying to develop myself that way while I have some flexibility.

In second year, I’m planning on trying to get a summer internship, and then in third year hopefully get to do a graduate scheme. In the long term, I’d like to progress professionally into investment banking. It’s great to be ambitious!

I’m also working at Sainsbury’s part-time. After my last exam, I thought about what I could be doing over the summer, and lucky when I checked the Sainsbury’s website, they had their 4-minute walk away hiring experience. So I applied, and got the job as a Trading Assistant. I also work in the Bakery and because I’m a responsible colleague it means I can manage two other employees too. Doing 12 hours a week works well with my university work too.

What would be your most proud achievement or highlight to date?

I think it’s getting experience with one of the top four firms in the world! It’s a good one for the CV! That’s a standout moment for anyone, but especially coming from a non-target university. I did experience some Imposter Syndrome while I was in London because everyone was from the top southern universities.

What are your hopes for your future?

So I have a plan A and a plan B. Plan A is to start my own thing, do my own business, whether it’s in accountancy and finance or something different.

Plan B is to go into accountancy, work my way up and try and get my ACA qualification, and then make a lateral transition into the finance world, and see where it takes me in the future. I’m working towards that at the moment. I wanted to study accountancy to get to see the way companies work with finance. I find it really interesting.

What would be your top tip for students and graduates when it comes to being work ready?

Be outgoing and find the opportunities yourself. Whether that’s knocking on businesses doors asking, can I shadow an employee for a day, or do you have any internships or work experience available.

Try and use the internet as much as you can to find experiences, because some of them are listed on certain websites. I use a tracker to find them. It shows you the opening day of certain experiences, the closing date, how to apply, and it’s got around 700 experiences on there. I mainly prioritise finance and accountancy, but there are lots of different areas on there.

Also, when it comes to interviewing, although it’s still important to know the company you’re wanting to work for, the interviewer isn’t looking for who knows more about the company. They’re looking for someone they can sit next to in the office at 8am in the morning for a few hours without getting bored or tired of hearing your voice! They’re looking for a person at the end of the day, so be yourself.