Good morning.  

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci is credited with writing the first professional resume in 1482? He wanted to work for the Duke of Milan, so he listed his skills and abilities in a letter. Talk about a Renaissance man!

As you dive into today's challenges, remember this quote from Helen Keller: "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

Applications Closing This Week

• Accounting &Financial Services: UHY Hacker Young

• Engineering: EP UK Investments

• Law: Weightmans

• Pharmaceuticals & Science: Johnson Matthey

• Wholesale & Retail: Dunbia, William Grant & Sons

What is happening at the Big4?

1. 🌐 The 'Big Four' auditors play a pivotal role in the global economy, providing essential services like auditing and consulting to ensure market transparency and trust.

2. 🤔 Despite their expertise, scandals like Wirecard's raise questions about the effectiveness of audits, highlighting the need for vigilance and improvement in the industry.

3. 💼 Conflicts of interest can arise in auditing due to the dual roles of firms providing both auditing and consultancy services, calling for a clear separation to ensure independence and integrity.

4. 🏛️ Regulatory responses to auditing failures, like Germany's Fisk law, aim to strengthen the financial market and impose stricter rules on auditors, but debates continue about the best approach to reform.

5. 🎓 For aspiring professionals, understanding the complexities and challenges in the auditing field is crucial for navigating and improving the industry's future.

Have you missed the boat for graduate schemes?

1. 📅 Apply early for graduate schemes, ideally in September, as they close once vacancies are filled.

2. 🕵️‍♂️ Research specific companies to find their application timelines; some, like Aldi and Deloitte, hire year-round.

3. 📚 Use any waiting period to prepare: compile a list of target companies, learn their application opening dates, and get ready to apply as soon as they open.

4. 🚀 Leverage the time before applications open to enhance your skills and experiences, making your future application stronger.

5. 🌟 Don't stress about age limits on graduate schemes; focus on self-improvement and reapply with a stronger profile if needed.

What’s the deal with Case Interviews?

1. 🕵️‍♂️ A case interview is a job interview with business content, used to assess how candidates think and analyse business problems.

2. 🎯 Interviewers use case interviews to evaluate candidates' problem-solving methodology, analytical ability, and business intuition.

3. 📝 A common case interview question might be: "Apple has recently seen falling profits. How can you help?"

4. 🌟 To excel, candidates should focus on finding the root cause of problems, breaking big problems into smaller, mutually exclusive, and collectively exhaustive (MECE) parts.

5. 🔍 Develop hypotheses to prioritise which areas to investigate first, ensuring a focused and efficient problem-solving approach.

6. 📚 Preparation is key: Practice consulting math, learn tips and techniques, improve business intuition through reading, and engage in mock interviews to refine your skills.

Submit your answer! We'll review it and provide feedback to ensure you're on the right track! 🚀 

Test yourself with this real interview question?

Situation: It's late January, and your team has been working towards increased targets for nearly a month. Most advisors are meeting the new targets despite a 20% hike, but the likelihood of significantly exceeding the offshore bonds target is low. However, you've noticed one team member, Rick , falling behind and not even matching his third-quarter performance. Rick, who has been traveling to meet clients, looks tired and harassed. You've heard he's suffering from terrible insomnia. Today, he's due in the office with only one client appointment this afternoon, leaving him free this morning.

Task: As a manager concerned about Rick's performance and well-being, decide the best course of action from the following responses. Your choice should reflect a balance between addressing performance issues and offering support.

Responses:

A) Empathise and Inform: When Rick arrives, take him for a coffee and express your sympathy about his bad insomnia. Remind him of the bank’s employee health insurance. (Note: This response might intrude on a private matter and does not link personal issues to work performance.)

B) Discuss and Support: Arrange a one-to-one chat with Rick this morning. Discuss his current performance issues and ask for his views on tackling the underperformance. Offer help as needed. (This is considered the most effective response, as it acknowledges Rick's situation and invites him to collaborate on a solution.)

Let us know your thoughts, comments and feedback! 💌