Why were you interested in working for Hood Sweeney?
The main attraction that drove me to apply for a position at Hood Sweeney was the organisations culture, vision and values. These reflected how I wanted my career in Accounting & Business advisory to be shaped. Hood Sweeney also offered a lot of support through the graduate program including structured professional and soft skills development. For example Hood Sweeney provide outstanding internal training for employees completing their CA/CPA studies. The other reason that attracted me to apply was due to Hood Sweeney being a mid-tier firm that offers multiple services as this provides exposure to work closely with managers and Directors from all service lines and bridges gaps in learning you can only gain from experience.
How’s the work/life balance?
Hood Sweeney offers a healthy work/ life balance and wants to ensure it’s employees are allowing time for extracurricular activities and to spend time with their families. Hood Sweeney actively looks for ways to change the normal routine of work by challenging people to take part in different activities. Most recently a group of us took part in a ‘Sweat Session’ at F45 which was both challenging but rewarding. I am also involved with a social mixed netball team which is great because I am able to train and play against my own managers and Directors which helps to build relationships and participate in team building while playing sports.
Hood Sweeny also offers flexibility with my study towards the CA qualification. Balancing this study with work can prove challenging, however Hood Sweeney do an excellent job at providing support with study groups and also offering paid study leave. With these extra commitments it does mean that you may have to work longer hours to complete tasks by set deadlines however by putting in the extra work you know that you will benefit in the long run.
How does the grad program work?
The graduates at Hood Sweeney get practical, hands-on experience from day one. We are assigned a mentor to discuss any matters personally or work related for career development. We are also involved in structured internal trainings such as monthly sessions held by Tax Banter. These are very important to cement our understanding in certain topics and to improve our technical skills.
A great aspect of the graduate program is the ability to liaise with graduates from other service lines within Hood Sweeney. This is essential in developing personal and professional relationships moving forward in my career, as well as sharing the journey of entering the workforce with others.
Advice I would give myself if I were still a student at University.
While studying at University it is essential to get as much practical experience as you can. This will not only help when applying for your future ‘dream’ job, but it will also help you to decide the exact career path you want to take. Firms are interested in the practical experience you have had and how you can adapt and change within the industry.
It is also important to immerse yourself in any networking and social events available. Never underestimate the power of networking as one day someone that you took the time to have a brief conversation with may turn into a future client.