Case study

Liz's placement leads to graduate role at top financial firm

Liz Hayden has secured a graduate role at top financial firm Deloitte after a successful placement year with the company. Accounting and Finance graduate Liz is now on the path to make her ambitions of being a Chartered Accountant a reality.

Experiencing industry

Liz says her work placement in the Pension Auditing team at Deloitte gave her the extra edge during her final year, as well as inspiring the topic for her dissertation. She says: "Upon coming back to university to complete my final year, I found that I had a stronger work ethic and was a lot more productive."

“I was also able to apply the knowledge I was learning in lectures to real-life situations I was involved in while on placement. And I used my experience on placement to aid in my studies – my dissertation topic was surrounding how the quality of audit was impacted by remote working."

Making an impact

Liz knew she wanted to study Accounting after enjoying studying it at A-level. And she knew Derby was the place for her after attending an Open Day and speaking to our Head of Accounting and Finance, Parminder Johal.

While studying at Derby, Liz became treasurer of the Accounting and Finance Society and, in her final year, treasurer of the Business Society. During her time in the Business Society, Liz and the committee ran a session every week for members, and their hard work paid off when the society won Society of the Year, Academic Society of the Year, Most Charitable Society and were also nominated for Best Committee at the University of Derby Union of Student awards. Liz also achieved runner-up for Most Inspirational Student.

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Securing a graduate role

Liz has secured a graduate role at Deloitte as an Associate, auditing Pension Schemes and working as a Pension Asset Valuation Specialist on corporate audits. Liz credits the support she received for helping her to make the progression from University to industry.

She says: “I secured my graduate role through a job offer upon completing my placement with the company. The University was really supportive through my placement application process and gave me opportunities to practise my interview skills and gave me tips to improve my CV, all of which led me to getting my placement and graduate role.”

Looking to the future

Liz’s next goal is to become a qualified Chartered Accountant, which she aims to do by mid 2024. She says: “My time at the university made me a much more confident and well-rounded person. You don’t just benefit from your course, but also the societies you get involved in and the people you meet.

“If it wasn’t for my time at Derby, experiences provided, and making the most of the opportunities I had, like getting involved in committees of societies, I may not have been offered my placement at Deloitte and therefore may not be where I am today.”