Making my way into advisory =)

So anyone who knows me knows how depressed I was as an auditor. Like seriously. Since my first day out at client's I've already been complaining about work. And wanting to resign.

But I still hung on for close to 3 years. Despite being treated like dirt by PwC. Everytime I tell people about how unfair the March 09 batch of people are treated, I somehow get the response that if you're so unhappy, why are you still there? If you can't accept how they're treating you, stop complaining about it and go somewhere else.

So I did.

(A little background about what shit we had to go through. First they said economy is bad so they had to scrap the Dec '10 promotion. So our whole batch had to wait till Jul '11 to be promoted, Which is 2 years and 3 months since we joined. Normal people get promoted in 2 years, good people in 1.5 years. The only people who gets delayed are those who can't perform. Our whole batch of 100+ people were all delayed. We're retarded it seems. Then they didn't promote us but we still had to take on the role of seniors. Leading jobs and stuff. So we were doing senior job getting associate pay. Crap. And that year they had peak period allowance. We didn't qualify for the senior allowance. Coz we were associates doing senior job. Crap. And when they finally promoted us, they brought back Dec '11 promotions. So people who joined one year later are now same level as us. !@#$#!@##@$!@##@$#@%%^&^&*. And then they had salary revision for second year seniors and the executive seniors (a.k.a. assistant managers). We would have been second year seniors had we been promoted in Dec '10 but we weren't. CRAP)

So anyway, I was on the verge of depression so I tendered my resignation on 6 Dec. Which was the day right after my exam. =P Study leaves are withdrawn once you tender so I waited till the day after exam lo. Hehe.

When I tendered I had no job offer. I only sent out one application. I took a great risk. But I still did it anyway. I couldn't see myself going through another peak period.

And about 3 weeks after I submitted the application I finally got a call for interview. I took a half day EL and went for it. BOY HOW STUPID THEY MADE ME FEEL IN THE INTERVIEW.

So you're familiar with consolidation?
No. I don't do much consolidation at all.

Have you done many listed companies before?
No. My industry doesn't have any listed companies at all.

(I work in the middle market & growing industry so all our clients are not listed yadayadadyada had to explain to them about how my industry group deals with all the ciku clients)

Are you familiar with the new MFRS?
Urm. No. My clients mostly report using PERS. Rarely do FRS stuff.

So do you know any high profile KPMG cases?
Not that I can recall reading. (I was like crap.....!)

How about some high profile cases that PwC handles? PKFZ?
Err. I know we handled that, but don't really know the details about what happened.

Have you heard of what happened at Olympus?
I only saw some news about Olympus on CNN at the reception area. No details =S

How about local news? Proton? Sime Darby?
No. No idea at all.

What do you know about Enron?
(I read up about Enron a few days back out of curiousity but I REMEMBERED NUTS FROM IT UGH). [insert random blurt about bits and pieces that i remembered]

No not really. So you don't read the newspaper.
Err. I do. Just not so much the business section I guess.

Are you familiar the Anti Money Laundering Act?
Err. A bit.

How about the Data Privacy Act?
If I'm not wrong in Malaysia they're still trying to push that through right?

No. Data Privacy Act has been around for about 2 years now. How about the Whistleblowers Act?
I know that's effective in M'sia already. But details about the act I'm not sure. Haven't read up the act.
(But seriously, who in a right mind reads the act for leisure purposes?!)

So the interview went on. They gave me case studies and I totally screwed them up. Proposing something that is a total no no in an investigation. I'm like. SHIT.

Then they asked if I could commit to them for the next 5 years. FIVE YEARS. ZOMG. I told them honestly. No. Coz I have plans to further my studies in the next 5 years. So no.

Then they saw my current salary in the application form. They said I might have to take a pay cut. I sorta saw that coming. Coz a friend of mine had to take a pay cut moving from audit to forensic. So I told them I'd still consider it even at a lower salary.

And before leaving the interview, they say they would get in touch with me coz they are also considering other candidates. I'm like. CRAP.

So I walked out of the interview thinking like I achieved peanuts in my 3 years of audit. And possibly live under a rock. I felt they were SO unimpressed okay. To the point that they have to tell me they're considering other candidates.

So ok whatever. I'm going to be jobless soon and I just screwed up the only application I sent out. Great job Chi Yao *pats myself on the back*

So I was gonna get myself ready to send out more resumes when I'm on leave. Historically I have been very blessed. I only send out ONE application before I graduate and I got the PwC job. I sent out ONE application to SC and got the job but turned it down. So I thought I was gonna fail this time around. Gotta send out more applications.

Then on 16 Dec, 2 days after the interview, while leaving my client's place, I saw 2 missed calls from the number that the HR person normally calls me from. I'm like. CRAPPPPP. Why I didn't hear that call one. ISH. Called back, asked for the HR person, asked if she called me.

And she told me I got the offer, Senior Associate, Forensic and matching my current salary. I'm like HALLELUJAH. Dream job. No pay cut. God is definitely to thank for this.

So that's my story. Second real job. =)