Pension Fund Graduate Accounting Trainee, Finance – Pension Fund, Treasury and Investments at Kent County Council

The following is a Graduate Review for Kent County Council.

Kent County Council scores 3.8/5 based on 168 reviews.

All reviews are based exclusively on results of feedback from employees from Kent County Council. Employees are asked to rate Kent County Council on a wide range of work place topics, which is broken down through star ratings on the right hand side.

To find out how your Graduates can leave reviews of your company, please contact our Brand Manager Grant on 01825 725291.

What are the Best and Worst things about your job?

Best

- The professional/personal development. There is lots of room to progress both personally and professionally and there's a huge emphasis on training and networking. The fact that I can work towards a professional qualification is a huge bonus.
- My team. Everyone gets nervous starting a new job but it can be made a lot easier depending on the people you work with. My team are very easy to get along with and everyone is there to help each other if they have any issues. I feel confident and comfortable talking to each of them.
- Flexibility. In this day and age everyone seems to be working remotely. However, it is still nice to have the option. Sometimes I can work from home and start early and others I can choose to go into the office and maybe start a little later. I feel like this has a massive impact on productivity as less people are taking time off ill as they are still able to work from the comfort of their own home.

Worst

I think the worst thing about my job is probably not having some of the background knowledge to complete other tasks, although this is not an issue caused by this role. This comes from completing a degree in a different background.

I would say that this is the worst as I want to ensure I help out as much as possible and I would love to get involved in some other tasks, however sometimes I do find myself asking what something means or what a certain process is. However, once I begin my professional apprenticeship I will start to develop this knowledge and I will say that I have already learned a lot in the short time I have been here.

What is the annual salary for this role?

Starting salary: £25,000 - £27,000

Current salary: £25,000 - £27,000

What hours do you actually work, on average?

Start: 08:00

Finish: 16:00

What advice would you give to someone applying to this role?

Take your time with the application and ensure you think about and prepare your answers accordingly. It is easy for graduates to rush through applications as it can be tough to secure a job and so most think that by applying to as many as possible you have a higher chance. However, I would say this is not the case. Take your time and really think about why you want to work for that company and what interests you in this role.

Also, I would say to ensure your CV is up-to-date and is adjusted to ensure it meets the criteria for that role, without lying. Each role/sector/company is different and so they may have different requirements so it is important that they see that you have what they are looking for.

Do you have any interview tips?

My interview was virtual and so my tips will relate to online interviews. I would say, first of all, to ensure that you are in a quiet, bright location and there is nothing around which will distract you or the interviewers as this can cause you to forget your answers and may leave a bad impression on the examiners depending on the situation.

Secondly, I would say to research the organisation/sector and find common interview questions for that role. Take your time and really think about your answers, ensuring you prepare accordingly beforehand. One thing I would do is record myself, through my laptop camera, answering these questions and then I would watch them back. This allows me to see my facial expressions and ensure I remember to look into the camera rather than at the screen. It also helps with remembering your answers.

I would also say to try not to overthink it. Of course it is important to come across well in an interview, however interviewers and looking to embarrass you or for interviewees to fail. They want you to succeed. Just take your time with your answers and if you need a few seconds to think then do not hesitate to ask or even ask if you can come back to that question at the end. This may even make you seem more confident, as opposed to an awkward silence and not having a great answer to their question.

Finally, ensure you ask the interviewers a few questions at the end. As much as this is an interview for the company to see if you are a fit for their company, you should also be asking yourself if they are a fit for you and somebody you would like to work for. Try to ask questions about what a day in that role usually looks like and what the culture is like to get a real insight into the team and people you will be working with.