Paul Douglas thought the door to his dream career had closed until he heard about the wide range of opportunities available in our graduate program.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Business and a major in marketing, Paul discovered he didn’t have a passion for marketing after all – he wanted to pursue a career in accounting.

Last year KPMG introduced an opportunity for nonaccounting graduates like Paul to enter graduate roles previously only available to those with an accounting degree.

This enables us to attract more of the best and brightest graduates to the firm and is designed for graduates who hold a non-accounting degree but have a genuine desire to pursue a career that will open up a world of opportunities.

National HR Manager for Graduate Recruitment, Claire Strik, says it is a common misconception for graduates to think they need to have an accounting degree to apply for KPMG’s graduate program.

“We encourage applications from graduates from nonaccounting degrees and recruit more each year as part of our annual graduate recruitment program,” Claire says. “In fact this year alone, around 25 per cent of our incoming
graduates hold a non-accounting degree and we hope to see that figure increase again in next year’s intake.”

Graduates entering into areas of the firm such as Audit and Middle Market Advisory complete a 12-month conversion course approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, which provides a foundation in financial and management accounting, finance, taxation, audit and corporations law.

The course equips graduates with the technical requirements needed to enter the Chartered Accountants (CA) Program. Now an accountant in our Audit practice, Paul is halfway through the conversion course and hasn’t looked back.

While initially apprehensive about working alongside graduates with an accounting degree, he says his background has its own benefits.

“Having completed a marketing degree, I have strong communication skills, which increases my confidence when dealing with clients,” Paul says. “It has also been
easier for me to adapt to the KPMG way of doing things because I didn’t come in with any preconceived ideas about what an auditor does.”

Paul says the support and encouragement his team has shown has confirmed that he is on the right track. “I’m now on my way to achieving a highly regarded
professional qualification in a job where no two days are the same,” he says. “The experience I am gaining working with different clients on their unique and challenging projects has been incredibly rewarding.”

An adviser in our Internal Audit Services practice, Jed Buffier, is also one of many graduates who entered our graduate program with a non-accounting degree.

With a combined psychology and commerce degree, and a major in finance, Jed’s broad education was the perfect background for his current role, particularly the
detailed report writing skills he developed as part of his psychology degree.

Having worked as a vacationer with the firm a few years earlier, Jed says he knew he would continue his career with KPMG in the graduate program.

“I was attracted to the program because of the diverse career prospects available and I knew that there was a genuine focus on people,” he says.

While not required to obtain the CA qualification like Paul, Jed decided to undertake further studies and is completing the same conversion course for the CA Program.

“After joining KPMG and considering my options and future plans, I decided to do the CA because of the career opportunities it opens up, including the ability to work overseas,” Jed says.

KPMG recognises the value of recruiting people who have
broad education and background and embraces the unique
experiences and perspectives that add value to the firm.

Open your mind to the possibilities and KPMG can open the door to a challenging and rewarding career in audit, tax or advisory that can take you anywhere in the world. It’s the first step in an exciting career with one of the world’s leading professional services firms.

Visit the careers section of kpmg.com.au for more information about our graduate program.