Norman Qu’s Analysis of Career Development in Accounting and Finance for MBA Students
Jun 12-2014
On May 12, 2014, Norman Qu, senior campus recruitment manager of human resource at Deloitte China, founder of Caihui Net, was invited to speak at National School of Development at Peking University. Qu talked about future of professional development in the field of accounting and finance and discussed interview techniques in leaderless group discussion (LGD) for BiMBA students. This was the 12th event in a training program developed by BiMBA Career Development Office to improve students’ career skills. In order to help students to discover their deficiency and learn the evaluation process from the perspective of interviewer, Qu led LGD simulations and practiced with students.
The discussion started with a simple IQ game called “Square Challenge.” The game illustrated that “a person will find success in his future only if he releases his full potential.” Qu encouraged the students to challenge authority and question established principles. He pointed out that the former dominance of Cannikin Law has been gradually replaced by the theory of comparative advantage in modern psychology.
Three Career Opportunities in Accounting and Finance
Qu pointed out that MBA students have different career opportunities in the realm of accounting and finance. Three major categories cover the majority of them: accounting firm career, corporate career, and financial market career. Qu thoroughly explained each category, illustrated the keys for MBA students to improve their capabilities, and identified the directions of career development.
Qu specifically emphasized on the career opportunities at the Big Four (audit firms). He pointed out that the Big Four offer numerous career advantages including decent wage, predictable path of future development, mature training programs, professional teams, broad social connection, and etc. Qu explained the Big Four’s evaluation and process of recruitment, which includes “Internet application, resume screening, aptitude test, LGD, manager/partner interview, and final offer.” Many rounds of elimination are designed in the evaluation process. LGD is one of the most important parts of the entire process, and thus requires special attention from the students.
A Reality-based Simulation
Genuine knowledge comes from practice. Based on his explanation of the basic process and theory of LGD, Qu ran a simulation of LGD during the discussion. He divided the MBA students into groups of applicant and observer. Each group was made up of six students. The discussion topic was “whether a MBA student should purchase Mac Air or Ipad?” During the limited time of discussion, the applicant group had to reach at a conclusion and brief the observers by a group member. In the end, the observer group chose two applicants and hired them as “management consultants.”
During the simulation, the applicant group started off with brainstorming. Their analysis focused on the rigid demand of MBA students and the relative strength and weakness of the two products. Because of the limited time, the group reached at a conclusion after intense discussion and briefed the audience. Then, Qu pressured the applicants with follow-up questions: “Whether the discussion can be carried out in other perspectives besides rigid demand and strength/weakness analysis? How can the conclusion be improved if the group is given another 30 minutes?” These follow-up questions pushed the applicants to think further and deeper. Afterward, Qu specifically questioned students who remained relatively quiet during the previous discussion to understand their ideas.
The observer group decided on the two students who will be “hired” based on their leadership and presentation skills. The observers also provided feedback on the performance of each applicant. Based on their feedback, some students exceled at teamwork and time management; some had superior analytical and presentation skill; some were good at details; some were mature and thorough; some could think and respond quickly. The observers also pointed out problems including the lack of individual opinion and creativity.
At the end of the simulation, Qu shared his observations. He favored two types of applicants in this simulation – contributors who provided numerous opinions and details to group discussion and trailblazers who thought outside the box and brought creativity into the discussion. Qu said: “Normally, LGD does not have a correct answer. Interviewers use this approach to examine the way that students think and express their ideas. They are not looking for the best applicants but the right ones because each work position requires different qualities and skills. The most important thing for an applicant in LGD is to show their true characters.
Six Enlightening Pieces of Advice
Qu provided six pieces of advice for the students to improve their performance in LGD through study and practice:
1. Be brief and accurate. Keep your statements below three sentences.
2. Be frank. Gain trust from the others.
3. Be focused. Stay focused on the case; know your performance and your teammates’ but don’t let it to become a distraction.
4. Be calm. Solve the problem like you do in every day.
5. Be prepared. For example, start with the proper dress code.
6. Be yourself. Let the professionals to help you finding the best position, which is also the most important advice here.
In the end, Qu emphasized on the importance for MBA students, especially MBA students of the National School of Development at Peking University, to focus on academics, utilize valuable resources and opportunities, consistently improve professional skills, overall competitiveness, and presentation skills. These are the best ways for students to stand out from LGD.
The lecture ended with a short clip of employment encouragement. After the lecture, students actively communicated with Qu. They expressed that this event had greatly improved their theoretical and practical understanding and skill of LGD. This understanding and skill will be highly valuable in the interviews that they will face later in their careers.