Application Questions 2012

 

c = character

w = words

Academic transcript requires upload of transcript.

Education requires describing your education and sometimes marks to individual subjects.

Work Experience requires filling out work experience.

Languages requires listing of language ability.

Referee requires listing referees.

 

 

Companies

Accenture

Ashurst

AT Kearny

Booz

Clayton Utz

Clifford Chance

Deloitte

Dibbs Barker

DLA Piper

Ernst & Young

Freehills

Gadens Lawyers

Herbert Greer

King & Wood Mallesons

LEK

Maurice Blackburn

McCullough Robertson

McKinsey

KPMG

PFK

PwC

Sparke Helmore

Towers Watson

RSM Bird Cameron

 

 

Accounting

Deloitte

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language Skills

• Why do you want to work in this Service Line?(4000c)
• Why do you want to work in this second Service Line?(4000c)
• Please describe your leadership experience.(1000c)
• Please describe your work and extra curricular activities.(1000c)
• Please specify which student societies you are a member of if applicable.(1000c)
• Why have you chosen to apply to Deloitte?(1000c)

 

Ernst & Young

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education University & High School/Citizenship/Language Skills

• What attracts you to a career at Ernst & Young? What motivates you to work in your preferred service line(s): Assurance, Advisory, Tax or Transactions? (1000c)
• Tell us a little bit about yourself. What kind of extra-curricular activities have you participated in? What are your hobbies and what awards or achievements (which may include examples from accomplishments in sports, clubs or charities) are you proud of? (1000c)

 

Grant Thornton

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education University & High School/Citizenship/Language Skills

• Please provide details of any extra-curricular activities you have been involved in or any other special achievements?
• Can you describe the most satisfying team experience (university, work, sport) you have had in the past 12-24 months? What made this team so effective? How did you contribute?
• Based on your work and/or university experiences, can you describe a situation in the last 12-24 months where you had to learn and use a new concept or skill? How did you go about developing your knowledge or skill in this area?
• Can you describe 2 strengths that you will bring to the graduate role at Grant Thornton and provide an example from your work or university life where you have demonstrated these strengths?
• What has attracted you to a career in accounting?
• Why did you choose your first Service Line preference? What is your understanding of this Service Line?
• Why should you be selected for the Grant Thornton Graduate Program? (100 words or less)

 

KPMG (Audit/Forensic/Private/IT Advisory/Government Advisory/Financial Risk Management/Internal Risk)

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education University & High School/Citizenship/Language Skills

• Please list the student societies you are associated with and your status within the organisation. (4000c)
• Please let us know if there is any additional information you would like us to know about your university studies when considering your application. (4000c)
• What do you like to do when you are not studying? Please include any sporting, university, social and/or community activities in which you regularly participate. (4000c)
• If you have won any awards or scholarships in the past three years, please provide us with details. (4000c)
• What specifically attracts you to working in your preferred business groups at KPMG? How do you think working in these areas will help you to achieve your personal and professional goals?. (4000c)
• KPMG’s values guide the way we interact with each other and help create an open, supportive culture. Tell us about two examples where you have used KPMG values to achieve a positive outcome. (4000c)

 

 

PKF

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Education/Languages/Work Experience/Professional Qualifications/Referee.

• Please list any achievements and awards received in the past four years including the date obtained.
• Have you failed any subject(s) in your recent course of study? If yes to the previous question, please provide a brief description of circumstances which affected your academic performance.
• What skill have you confidently developed that you believe will be invaluable in your accounting career? Why do you believe that skill will be invaluable?
• When you are looking for a new employer, what is important to you?
• Why do you want to pursue a career in accounting?
• PKF values collaboration, expertise, integrity, enjoyment, client commitment and a practical approach. Which value do you feel that you best relate to and why?
• Area of interest. First preference. (Please visit our careers website for more information on each business unit). Briefly explain your reasons for your first choice.

 

 

PwC

General Preparation: Academic Transcript/Education/Involvements/Citizenship

• Additional Education Information i.e. Scholarships, Academic awards etc.(unlimited)
• Responsibilities and Achievement(unlimited)
• Please explain why you have selected your first preference listed.(1000c)
• Please explain why you have selected your second preference listed .(1000c) 
• From a life and / or work experience in the previous 24 months, tell us about a goal that you’ve set yourself and worked towards that you feel proud of. What personal strengths or skills did you draw upon to achieve this goal?(1000c)
• From a life and / or work experience in the previous 24 months, tell us about a time when you’ve held significant responsibility. What initiatives or ideas did you promote while in this position? What impact did they have?(1000c)
• From your experiences over the previous 24 months, please detail any regular activities you’ve been involved in outside of work and university studies (i.e. sporting commitments, club memberships, community events). What do you value about these activities?(1000c)
• Is there anything else you’d like to add in support of your application? You may wish to advise us of future study plans, or perhaps make us aware of any mitigating circumstances etc.

 

RSM Bird Cameron

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Work Experience/Professional Qualifications/Industry Skills/Computer Skills/Language Skills/Referees

 

Consulting

Accenture

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency/Work Experience

• Tell us why you are interested in a career in consulting?(Maximum 3000 characters including spaces
• Please list any vacation work, work experience and/ or extra curricular activities you would consider relevant to your application (3000c)
• Please rank your location preferences among the following seven Accenture locations: Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth (ranking preferences 1-7).

 

AT Kearney

General Preparation: Resume/Citizenship/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Work Experience

 

Booz and Co

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency

 

Capgemini

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter

 

LEK

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency

• Please detail any clubs / society involvement or any other voluntary commitments / interests.(150w)

 

McKinsey

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency

• Please add any additional comments that you feel are important to your application. (1800c)

 

PPB Advisory 

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency

• Why are you interested in a position with PPB Advisory? (4000c)
• Describe a time where you have worked as a part of a successful team, what contributed to the team’s success? What did you do to contribute to this success? (4000c)
• What value have you gained from your university education? How do you believe this will assist with your professional career? (1000c)
• Is there anything else you would like to add in support of your application with PPB Advisory? (4000c)

 

Towers Watson

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency

• Briefly outline your reason for wanting to work with Towers Watson? (750c)
• What do you think are the three top attributes of being a good consultant? (750c)
• What do you believe is a major issue that employers face today and why? (750c)
• How have your extra-curricular activities assisted in your overall development? (750c)
• List your level of proficiency with any computer programs and/or computer languages (400 character limit)
• Are you fluent in any foreign languages and what is your level of proficiency? (400c)
•  Is there anything else you would like to tell us in support of your application? (750c)

 

 

Government

Australian Securities Investment Commission

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Citizenship/Language/Location Preference/Residency

Q1. I am interested in starting my career at ASIC because:

- I want the opportunity to explore career opportunities outside my degree discipline

- ASIC pays a competitive graduate salary

- I can develop practical skills to build on my academic knowledge

- ASIC offers a solid career path

- Some of my friends have also applied

- ASIC will provide a good foundation for my career in other industries

- I've heard a government role will allow me to balance my job, development and personal interests

Q2 The role of ASIC is:

- Two-fold, corporate regulator and markets regulator

- Three-fold, corporate regulator, markets regulator and financial services regulator

- Four-fold, corporate regulator, markets regulator, financial services regulator and consumer regulator

Q3 When undertaking a group assignment at uni, I:

- Pitched ideas to the rest of the group

- As the group assignment progressed, I become more responsible for directing other people's work

- As the group assignment progressed, I become more responsible for compiling the final report

- Went with the group decision, although I didn't agree with the approach

- Took a leadership role when roles were not clearly defined by the group

- Often needed to be reminded to complete allocated tasks

Q4 When faced with an urgent problem, I usually:

- Ponder the issue for several hours then move into solution mode

- Consult with others, weigh up pros and cons, then move into solution mode

- Quickly gather critical data and make a decision

Q5 When making important decisions, it is most important to:

- Get a result immediately and consider the impact later

- Think about how the decision will impact and influence other people and processes

- Consider how the decision might impact others but go with your own judgement

Q6 Good problem solvers usually

- Develop solutions now, consider risks later

- Weigh up risks and opportunities to develop balanced solutions

- Consider some risks but ultimately go with their gut feel

Q7 I prefer to:

- Explore a range of innovative options and alternatives as part of the problem solving process

- Make decisions based on tried and tested methods to ensure reliable outcomes

- Look at some alternative ideas but generally solve problems based on my own experience

Q8 When working with others, I tend to:

- Treat everyone as an equal and celebrate our differences

- Understand that everyone is different and appreciate some differences but prefer to work with people with a similar approach to me

- Prefer to work with people similar to me because this is the best way to get great results

Q9 My approach to tedious, detailed projects is to:

- Work as quickly as I can so I can move onto something more interesting and intellectually stimulating

- Persevere with every aspect of the project as I understand how it fits into the big picture

- Get so involved with the detail that I sometimes lose sight of the big picture

Q10 My philosophy on professional development is to:

- Balance learning with other interests like sport and socialising

- Gain as much exposure as possible to personal, technical and professional learning opportunities

- Participate in some training when required but it's more important to focus on my job and career

Q11 After making a mistake, I typically:

- Learn something new about myself and adapt all future behaviour accordingly

- Move on quickly and try not to make a big deal about it

- Learn a lesson and may or may not utilise the lesson in future, depending on the situation

Q12 I admire people who:

- Follow procedures and meticulously uphold the rules

- Have the courage to consistently challenge existing processes and invent new ways to do things

- Question procedures but also respect that things have always been done that way for good reason

Q13 Reflecting on times of major change in my life, I usually:

- Feel the pressure and give myself permission to take some time-out during the change

- Avoid the change process and associated pressure, and return when things return to normal

- Work through the pressure, accept support from others and commit to enduring the change process

Q14 If a colleague did something wrong, I would:

- Being a good corporate citizen I would confront them to make sure they would not do it again

- Tell a manager and ask them to address the situation

- Talk to them about what they did and the impact of their actions, and discuss different ways to do it next time

Q15 If I saw someone unknowingly drop $10 in the street, I would:

- Although tempted, I'd walk on by without touching the cash as it doesn't belong to me

- Pick it up and keep it as its only $10, not $100

- Pick it up and give it back to the person

Q16 When working on projects for uni, I generally:

- Set reasonable standards I knew I could meet, whilst still maintaining a balanced lifestyle

- Set high objectives and standards and worked hard to exceed them

- Achieved an acceptable work standard without too much focus or effort

Q17 Reflecting on some of my personal projects, I tended to:

- Work diligently and feel proud when I finished the project

- Stay focused to a point, but get distracted by more interesting things and take my time to eventually finish the project

- Have a number of projects on the go at once, finishing some but not others

Q18 If I was driving my friends to a party and someone suggested an alternative route I would:

- Listen to my friend and if they have a good alternative, try the new way and explore something new

- Given I’m the driver, I’d stick to the route I usually take as I know it well

- Consider their idea and go the new way if everyone agrees, but privately feel more comfortable driving my familiar route

Q19 When I think about how I worked with others in my extra-curricular activities, I tended to:

- Follow my own interests and interact with others when required

- Encourage others and offer praise when warranted, but stay mainly focused on my own pursuits

- Inspire others by leading by example and praising them for their achievements

Q20 Reflecting on a time when I had to debate a topic I was passionate about, I:

- Became frustrated and showed strong emotion, but managed to present a good case

- Calmly presented an evidence-based case and engaged in active debate

- Managed to overcome most of my emotion to get my point across, but later thought about things I forgot to say

Q21 When communicating with others, I prefer to:

- Present all my ideas and conclusions first, then ask for input

- Listen to their point of view, reflect on their thoughts and build on their ideas

- Listen to their ideas and interrupt with my similar views, to establish common ground

Q22 At uni, I received feedback that my written communication was:

- Always clear and concise, and relevant for my audience

- Generally easy to read, but sometimes could have been clearer

- Not my greatest asset, my spoken communication was more of a strength for me

Q23 I like to ask people the type of questions that:

- Get people talking about their ideas, aspirations and perspectives in an open-ended fashion

- Require a yes or no response to help me gather facts

- Require them to give some information in a structured and succinct fashion

Q24 When I gave verbal presentations at uni, the feedback I usually received was:

- A good balance of content and communication, but could develop confidence in public speaking

- A compelling communicator, combining interesting content with an engaging style

- Very strong analysis of the topic and thorough conclusion, however the presentation could have been more engaging and compelling

 

 

Australian Bureau of Statistics

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Residency/Referee

1.  Role of the ABS

Describe the role of the ABS and how you will contribute to the organisations goals and vision.

• Why are you interested in working for the ABS?
• How do you think you will be able to contribute to the mission of the ABS?

 

2.  Experience and knowledge 

Please outline your academic, work and extra-curricular activities. 

• Highlight the skills and abilities you have developed through your experiences and how these specifically relate to the graduate opportunity you are applying for.
• For applicants who would like to be considered for the Methodology & Data Management Division, please describe your knowledge of mathematical, statistical, quantitative, survey design and/or data collection techniques for the analysis of economic data and/or time series analysis.
• For applicants who would like to be considered for the Technology Services Division, please describe your strong academic achievement or evidence of significant relevant work experience in one or more of the following areas: business case development, business analysis, solutions architecture, project management, systems integration, applications development; data communications; systems administration; data administration, software support, ICT security, web design and development, knowledge management or librarianship.

 

3. Analytical thinking and achieving results 

Describe a time when you were faced with a task or problem.  

• How did you go about understanding and defining the task or problem?
   
• What skills and techniques did you use to identify and analyse appropriate sources of data?
   
• How did you use this data, including underlying issues, to identify appropriate solutions?

 

4. Building productive working relationships

Describe a time when you worked as a part of a team to achieve a common goal (university, work or extra-curricular activity examples are appropriate).

• How did you lead or support team members to work together?
   
• What interpersonal and team work skills were most important to building productive working relationships with other team members?
   
• How did the different working styles of team members impact on the team working together to achieve your desired outcome?

5. Flexibility, adaptability and initiative

Describe a time when you were working towards a goal and circumstances changed (university, work or extra-curricular activity examples are appropriate).

• What skills and personal attributes did you use to adapt to the change in circumstances?
   
• What was the outcome?

 

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Residency/Referee

• Academic Achievements (250w)
• Work Achievements (250w)
• Personal Achievements (250w)
• Why are you interested in a role with APRA?
• Please select all areas you would like to be considered for.
  
  • Banking industry focus (analysis and supervision)
  • Insurance industry focus (analysis and supervision)
  • Superannuation industry focus (analysis and supervision)
  • Policy
  • Statistics
  • Research
  • Risk Management
  • Legal
• We employ a diverse range of highly skilled professionals. Opportunities exist for graduates in the supervision of banks, insurance companies and superannuation funds and also as part of teams providing policy, statistics, research and risk management advice. Please detail where you feel your skill set lies.
• Describe a time when you had to work on an assignment or project which was in an area in which you had little knowledge or understanding. Describe the process you went through to complete the task.
• Describe a time when you got co-workers or classmates who had different points of view from each other to work together. How did you accomplish this? What was the outcome?

 

 

Law

Ashurt (Blake Dawson)

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language/Residency

• Please describe a significant achievement of which you are proud. How does this achievement support your application for a seasonal clerkship with Ashurst?(200w)
• What are your views on Blake Dawson and Ashurst combining our practises and what opportunities do you think this will present to our clients and lawyers? (200w)
• Which division are you interested in?
  
  • Banking & Finance
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction
  • Corporate
  • Employment
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Insurance
  • IP Competition and Technology
  • Property
  • Resources
  • Tax

 

 

Clayton Utz

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language Skills

• N/A

Clifford Chance

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language Skills/ Work Experience

• Please add a brief description of responsibilities, experience and knowledge gained.
• Please give details of your main extracurricular activities and interests in the last three years, your level of involvement and why they were important to you.
• Please give details of any positions of responsibility you have held in the last three years.
• Please explain why you have decided to pursue a career as a lawyer with Clifford Chance.
• Please add any further information which is relevant to your application (e.g. any particular skills or aptitudes, experience).

 

Dibbs Barker

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education

 

DLA Piper

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language Skills/Residency

• What attracts you to working at DLA Piper Australia? (200w)
• Have you completed an overseas university exchange?

 

Freehills

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language Skills/Residency

• What has prompted you to pursue a career in commercial law? Please provide examples if possible. (200w)
• What areas of law particularly interest you and how have you come to develop that interest? (200w)

 

Gadens Lawyers

General Preparation: General Details/Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Residency

 

Herbert Greer

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language Skills/Residency/Work Experience

• Why do you want to work for Herbert Geer? (150w)
• Which division are you interested?
  
  • Commercial Dispute Resolution
  • Corporate
  • Employment Workplace Relations and Safety
  • Family Law
  • Leasing & Franchising
  • Planning Government & Infrastructure and Environment
  • Projects and Construction
  • Property Services

 

 

Maurice Blackburn

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Language Skills/Residency

• What do you know about Maurice Blackburn and why are you interested in a career with our firm? (200w)
• What skills do you think a lawyer needs to succeed in a career at a firm like Maurice Blackburn? (200w)
• Why did you choose to study law and what areas of law particularly interest you? (200w)

 

 

McCullough Robertson

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education

 

 

Sparke Helmore

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Residency

• What appeals to you about working at Sparke Helmore? (150w)
• What areas of law are you interested in and why?
• Please outline your university achievements e.g. prizes, scholarships, public speaking competitions and other university activities.
• Please provide a brief overview of your work experience to date.

 

 

BANKING

 

NAB

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Residency/Passport/

• In 250 words or less please tell us why you would like to be considered for your preferred stream*
  
  • Wholesale Banking
  • MLC & NAB Wealth
  • Risk
  • Group Strategy & Finance
  • Technology
  • Marketing and Communications
  • People (HR)
  • Generalist
  • Personal Banking
  • Business Banking
  • Operations
• In 250 words or less, please provide an overview of the key learnings that you have taken from the pre graduate employment experience that you have gained.
• Reflecting on the past few years, what would you consider to be your greatest achievement? Specifically what made this achievement so significant and what challenges did you have to overcome in pursuit of your goal?
• Which qualities do you feel constitute exceptional service? Can you describe a situation where you feel you have displayed these qualities?*

 

ANZ

General Preparation: Resume/Cover Letter/Academic Transcript/Education/Residency

• Why are you interested in working at ANZ and the specific divisional program(s) you have applied for ie. Institutional, Commercial etc. (Max 200 words)?
•  
• What skills and attributes do you have that will help you contribute to ANZ and our vision of becoming a Super Regional Bank (Max 150 words)?
•  
• In addition to the above, we are interested to know more about you. Please list your involvement in any sporting or other groups/associations, notable achievements/awards, outside interests/hobbies, overseas travel/work, etc. (Max 100 words)