Values Audit
The following values are what I personally hold in high regard, and have assisted me to do well in my
undergraduate degree:
Respect: ‘value every contribution, opinion and voice’. Strong and trusted relationships are
built upon respect.
Integrity: ‘always do what is right’. Honouring my word, and behave ethically and honestly.
Accountability: ‘be responsible and own my actions’. Admitting I make mistakes, and to
embrace all forms of criticism.
Excellence: ‘be your best.’ Never cut corners. Challenge my own thinking, and look for
creative and innovative ways to approach certain tasks.
Leadership: ‘take charge and be the example’. Leaders are role models. Consideration of
values is crucial to career management because it guides my attitudes and actions toward a
particular situation. According to Añaña and Nique (2010), personal values are essential in
making career decisions, as it can assist an individual decide whether something is fit for
them or not. Holding personal values will enable me to identify and work for potential
employers who share my views. Kapanidis and Shaw (2013), hold a similar sentiment to that
of Añaña and Nique. They state that students who have personal values are more likely to
make informed decisions with respect to their careers. Simply put, ‘individuals will only
pursue a career that are harmonious with their value systems’ (Vigoda-Gadot & Grimland
2008, p. 334), and I intend to do the same. The field of work I intend to pursue are in the
areas of Auditing, Financial Risk Management and Compliance.
During my degree, I have acquired numerous hard skills that can be utilised in my field of work.
Construction and management of investment portfolios: with this I will be able to assist potential
clients to manage their investment, and grow their wealth.
Preparation, analysis and interpretation of Financial Reports: as a future investment advisor, I must
be able to provide future clients with accurate and reliable information based on these reports.
Audit processes: my strong attention to detail will aid me in ensuring companies adhere to
Accounting standards.
Personal Financial Planning: I intend to use this knowledge to advise others how they can increase
their wealth optimally, and legally.
Risk planning and mitigation: an understanding of risk and compliance will help me ensure
prospective clients minimise their risks, and are regulatory compliant.
Capability Audit
Lee (2000, p. 5) states that ‘individuals who have good communication skills is seen by employers as
an indicator of potential success’. Experiences, such as working with, and alongside senior managers
of the ANZ bank, preaching at different churches within our movement, and doing presentations of
all types, have enabled me to communicate effectively, and professionally. When I was working at
ANZ, I had regular meetings with all levels of management, and thus possessing this skill wasparamount. Similarly, as a minister of religion, I must ensure I do not just merely engage my
audience, but to also connect with them! My last role with ANZ was a Risk Manager of the bank’s
consumer mortgages division. In this capacity, I was responsible for managing a team of 15 risk
officers, as well as attending to administrative duties within my department. Strategic planning and
execution, strong time management, and prioritising tasks as they arose were critical in ensuring my
department operated effectively and efficiently, particularly when upper management made
unexpected work requests. Furthermore, balancing university, social and church life, demands good
organisational and administrative skills. Fortunately, I am a planner and according to Reitman and
Williams (2006), people who plan and are well organised are more productive and efficient with
their job and what they do. Throughout my undergraduate degree and past employment, the ability
to work as part of a team has been a standard requirement. Victoria University runs a stream of
units called Professional Development, wherein students must work collaboratively and cohesively
to solve business problems, propose business concepts, and engage in other team work-related
tasks. At ANZ, my team was responsible for mitigating risk in the bank’s consumer mortgages
division. The success of my team in both the learning and professional environment can be
attributed to the excellent teamwork each person demonstrated. Teams can function effectively and
be more successful, when members’ goals and objectives are aligned, and have an attitude of “your
success is my success” (Klimoskoi and Amos). I am a current member of the Customer Service
Institute of Australia (CSIA), and completed a Certificate IV in Customer Contact under their
supervision. I have a wealth of experience in this area, having worked as a Customer Solutions
Representative, and Disputes Resolution Officer with Vodafone and ANZ respectively. In these roles,
I dealt with customers who had unresolved complex issues, or experienced terrible service. Building
rapport, showing empathy, displaying a “can-do” attitude, and demonstrating a genuine interest in
their concern(s) are some of the customer service skills I have developed. According to Bunn (2014),
these are the pillars needed for customers to have a memorable experience. Examples to prove my
ability to manage projects are as follows: I managed the development of a Quality Management
Framework for ANZ’s onshore contact centres. This was a quality control criterion to assist team
leaders when providing consultants with coaching and training. Then General Manager of ANZ’s
contact centre, Pam Rebecca tasked my department to develop and implement a quality framework
that incorporated both risk and compliance, and the customer experience. Another project I
managed was with Concept Logistics, Schweppes’ offsite distribution centre. I was contracted to
rearrange their inventory (3500 pallets), and enhance their inventory system to allow for greater
scrutiny and tracking of incoming and outgoing stock.
Personal Brandi : Graduate ‘Elevator Pitch’
Job: Risk and Compliance Manager – XYZ Limited
Hi, my name is Raj Kumar Tamang and I am a recent Business graduate, with a wealth of experience
in risk and compliance, risk management, and customer-oriented service. I am looking for
opportunities in Melbourne’s CBD area amongst finance and insurance companies. My strong
academic results, coupled with my extensive professional and volunteer work experience, make me
a strong and preferred candidate to join your team. As a former Risk Manager with the ANZ bank’s
consumer mortgages division, I have an innate understanding of the importance of minimising risk,
for both the company and its customers. During my tenure, I managed a team of 15 risk officers, and
developed and implemented a Quality Management Framework for ANZ Contact Centres to use on-shore. The framework enabled each business department to ensure their teams were compliant
with bank policies, and the law. Given its success, it was rolled-out abroad. My personal values,
respect, integrity, accountability, excellence, and leadership have been the pillars of all my
achievements. The skills I have acquired in my degree, such as financial planning, auditing,
investment management, risk planning and mitigation, are essential in delivering business outcomes
and client needs. My ‘cando’ attitude, ability to communicate effectively, excellent organisational
and administrative skills, and ability to work as part of a team, is the recipe for continued success
and growth. I hope my interests and experience have been intriguing enough to meet with you, as I
am confident I could add value to you and your customers. I am ready!
References:
Da Silva Añaña, E., & Meucci Nique, W. (2010). Personal values in relation to graduate career
choices. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 23(2), 158-168.
Vigoda-Gadot, E., & Grimland, S. (2008). Values and career choice at the beginning of the MBA
educational process. Career Development International, 13(4), 333-345.
Reitman, A., & Williams, C. (2006). Career moves: take charge of your training career now!. American
Society for Training and Development.
Klimoski, R., & Amos, B. (2012). Practicing Evidence-Based Education in Leadership Development.
Academy of Management Learning and Education, 11, 685-702.
Bunn, H. (2014). Customer Experience: It’s not that easy: Customer experience program for B2B
companies. Ronin Corporation.