‘We want you’: Accounting firms reveal the perfect graduate

Commerce and finance degrees were traditionally fertile recruiting grounds for accounting firms, but now uni grads who understand new technology such as AI have a better chance of standing out.

The major consulting firms are currently in the middle of vetting graduates for their 2025 intakes.

Graduates are being courted by the major professional services firms offering better perks and the prospect of an enriching career solving problems for the country’s biggest companies.

Major firms are in the middle of recruiting graduates for 2025 and are looking beyond their traditional recruiting fields of commerce, business and accounting and increasingly looking for graduates with backgrounds in technology and engineering as the needs of clients shift.

And with Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC spearheading the industry’s push into generative AI, firms see the “digital generation” of Gen Z as having an understanding of the emerging technology and a willingness to learn how to implement that knowledge.

Firms have told The Weekend Australian that the rapidly changing world has meant that the focus has shifted from traditional degrees to other attributes which can be brought to the table.

Deloitte Australia chief human resources officer Tina McCreery said firms are looking past city-based universities and targeting universities and institutions which house a variety of different cultures, socio-economic and degree types.

“As we’ve diversified as an organisation, we’re now hiring more engineers for example. As the needs of our clients shift we are also shifting the degrees we look at,” she said.

“Graduate recruitment is not just about the skills capabilities and your technical requirements, but also about wanting a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.”

KPMG head of talent acquisition Rob Dunderdale.

KPMG head of talent attraction Rob Dunderdale said the impact of AI has had a significant effect on firms work and what can be achieved, adding that emerging technologies meant graduates needed to be more adaptable.

“Yes, EQ (emotional quotient), IQ are important but also the AQ (adversity quotient) of that individual character. We also want a willingness to learn,” he said.

“Leaving your degree is by no means you’re finishing with the learning. It is that continuous learning mindset.

“We will constantly be upskilling and re-skilling our workforce in order to meet the demands of our clients today and in the future.”

While Ms McCreery said the knowledge of AI was not a prerequisite, it was widely assumed that the cohort had an understanding of the technology and how it worked.

“Our grads are going through their Google certification in gen AI, and those that come in with no gen AI capability, take a fast-track program to quickly lift their capabilities,” she said.

PwC Australian data and AI partner Jahanzeb Azim said it was likely that firms would eventually expect that all graduates to have experience with using AI.

“There will be expectation for people coming out of university and equally switching jobs that they know how to use AI,” she said.

“If you look at universities they are recognising that and a lot have pivoted to offering specialised AI courses, as well as more sort of horizontal coverage of the topic as well.”

EY Australia AI leader and partner Lisa Bouari agreed that AI knowledge would become a necessity within the industry, and said that while it doesn’t mean someone needed to be the best at it, it would be advantageous to have an understanding of the technology.

“I would say it’s a necessity to learn AI. I think the organisations and the clients and the people who are using AI will be outpaced by the ones who aren’t,” she said.

KPMG paid graduates anywhere from $65,000 in its external audit division to $73,500 in data and tech, while the graduate consultants at Deloitte had a minimum pay rate of $67,000 and EY offered auditors $66,500 including super. PwC paid graduate auditors $72,000 including super.

The current crop of graduates were seen as more forthright in what they want, which has resulted in firms adapting by having flexible policies, better pay and greater opportunities to attract talent

“Graduates want progression quickly through the organisation. They want learning, development and a competitive salary,” Mr Dunderdale said.

Deloitte had 800 graduates start at a 12-week bootcamp in the month which focused on problem solving, influencing, generative AI skills and knowledge to succeed within the company.

Ms McCreery said that investment was valued by graduates, who also want flexibility in how and when they work.

Partners in Performance director Michael Huggins.

“We offer hybrid work and have no mandate on how many days you need to be in the office – as well as flex their time both from a personal and work perspective is incredibly important and also culture,” she said.

Consultancy firms have been under pressure in the wake of the PwC tax scandal last year and surrounding issues such as ethics and governance, but firms say that spotlight has had little effect on the appetite from graduates.

University of Sydney Business School Professor Christopher Wright said consulting was attractive because it gave graduates exposure to variable client situations and the ability to network and mix with large corporations.

“It is still a pretty desirable path for business graduates. People who have worked at a consulting firm seen as sharp, nimble and with a good toolkit,” he said.

“There’s also this alumni network that graduates buy into, and say ‘well even if I don’t get on in the consulting firm I can still have it on my resume, which is attractive to corporate employers because I’ve got skills in managing projects, managing clients, managing change’.”

Many small to medium-sized firms are a popular choice for university leavers wanting a small team environment and exposure to a range of different fields.

Michael Huggins, a director at Partners in Performance, a consulting firm with 200 people in Australia, said many graduates were attracted by the chance to work closely with partners and gain experience across a range of fields.

“We have 200 people, so it has a family feel and all partners know the consultants and each person knows everyone. They’re not a small cog in a big machine, which gives people more opportunities in areas they may not have access to at a big firm,” he said.

“We’re still looking for people that are smart, that engage well with clients and have that sense of curiosity. And for us, we’re very results focused so we want people that aren’t into just studying something forever, but want to get on and make something happen.”

All firms said that graduates should allow their true self to shine through during the application process and think about why a career in the professional services was important to them.