Guiding career paths for skilled graduates

Opportunities for graduates as Deloitte plans to add 300 new roles to its workforce in Cork over the next three years

Jennifer Gallivan, head of talent acquisition, Deloitte, says a ‘buddy’ is assigned to ensure new graduate joiners form a strong connection with people from across the firm.

The Deloitte graduate programme is underpinned by a central purpose — to make an impact that matters for the firm’s people, clients, communities, and the planet.

This sense of purpose gives graduates the opportunity to work in an organisation where they can grow their careers alongside a world-class team on real client challenges.

“At Deloitte we recognise the big transition students make when joining the workplace, we invest heavily in our graduate induction programme with leaders from across our organisation welcoming the group to the company,” explains Jennifer Gallivan, head of talent acquisition, Deloitte. “The induction is designed to share our culture, and commercial insights, ensuring the graduate joiners form a strong connection with each other, and with people from across the firm.” 

To achieve this sense of connection, a buddy is assigned to all graduates, this is a current graduate that has been with the organisation and will help them to settle into their business service line.

“Our new graduates are also paired with a coach upon joining, this is a seasoned professional from our management team that will mentor and foster their learning and development during their graduate journey. This coaching model ensures our graduates are consistently benefiting from feedback and the experience of their coach.

“The Deloitte graduate programme offers continuous learning alongside commercial insights through working directly with clients, and provides a great structure to those looking to launch their careers. We have one of the highest pass rates in Ireland for professional exams because of the support we give our students from day one.

“Not only financial support, but our in-house exam support also includes introductory sessions, tutorials, exam preparation workshops, an exam helpline and very generous study leave allowances. You will also make lifelong connections with your graduate intake and wider teams,” Jennifer adds.

“Through their graduate journey, our students go through a rounded pathway over three to four years, experiencing formal learning in bite-sized modules, online and informal on-the-job, coaching and experiences.

“It offers a suite of four-year-long leadership programmes which enhance the graduate experience, and improve their soft and technical skills, empowering these talented individuals to own their careers. We are committed to ensuring Deloitte is the best place for graduates to launch their careers, so our Programme also provides invaluable networking and industry exposure opportunities.”

 Deloitte has just announced plans to double its workforce in Cork over the next three years with the addition of 300 new roles. The expansion will be across all business lines, including audit & assurance, tax & legal, consulting, financial advisory and risk advisory. The roles will range from experienced hires to graduate roles, the majority of which will be based in their newly establish technology and analytics hub.

Deloitte hosts guest lectures and workshops by industry experts to deepen students' knowledge on topics such as Sustainability, Cyber Security, Tax Transformation, and Audit Advisory, amongst others, which allows them to also gain insights into emerging trends and challenges.

“Our leaders of the future also work on and lead projects as they progress through their graduate journey, getting first-hand experiences with client organisations, so they can understand different organisational cultures and practices. Our multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to projects enables the establishment of professional relationships, which supports graduates accelerate their careers.” 

Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between employers in the professional services industry. Finding the right 'fit' for you is essential and not the same for everyone.

“For me, what makes Deloitte different is our continued growth across Ireland and the enhanced flexibility we give our people. Graduate recruitment is kicking off later in the summer and we will have positions available in every business area, some for the very first time, in our Cork office which is very exciting.

“Regarding flexibility, our hybrid strategy, 'Deloitte Works' is all about trusting our people to decide when and where they work. We don't have anchor days; the working week depends on the project and team as well as the individual's working preference. During the summer months, we offer a 2pm Friday finish, giving people an opportunity to stretch out the weekend. We also offer people the ability to apply to work from anywhere for up to four weeks during the year.” 

Jennifer is particularly proud that the graduate programme's culture of continuous growth and learning has been recognised by students as the most popular graduate recruiter in accountancy/professional services in the GradIreland Recruitment Awards 2023, and 'Graduate Training Programme of the Year' by industry experts at the 2023 Irish Accountancy Awards.

“For anyone interested in learning more about our programme I'd encourage them to look at our summer internship and co-op opportunities and visit us when we're on your campus. We are very active on Instagram, meet some of our talented people across the business and hear about their career journeys. To learn much more about life at Deloitte follow us and sign up to our graduate e-zine through our website, to get a real sense of our organisation.”

Graduate Spotlight: Andrew Quirke 

“I am an audit manager in the Consumer and Technology Business department at Deloitte Cork. Following a six-month work placement in Deloitte as part of my undergraduate degree, I joined the graduate programme. My workplace experience gave me the opportunity to enhance my skills and knowledge in a real-world setting. It also opened the door for me to continue my professional development with Deloitte, it prepared me for the day-to-day of the role and helped me to bridge the gap between theory and practice, surrounded by a team committed to supporting my growth. 

Andrew Quirke said his workplace experience allowed him to enhance my skills and knowledge in a real-world setting.

"One of the things I enjoyed most was that I was not working solely in one industry, which keeps things interesting. Once I started the Graduate Programme, I was assigned to a wide variety of audit engagements, working on both large multinational clients as well as family-owned medium-sized businesses across Munster. I learned a lot from working on these projects.

“I also worked with fellow associates, seniors, managers, and Partners across multiple teams. Deloitte prides itself on having an open and flat culture, where there is always someone available to answer questions, help on complex topics, give guidance, and advise regardless of their level, and I really felt that. Another important part is that I always had a Coach. A person more senior to me who, at every step, gave me guidance around my wider career. They have played a pivotal part in getting me to where I am now. 

“I obtained my ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) qualification during the graduate programme. I needed enhanced support to pass the exams, and our Professional Education team went above and beyond to help me, with additional sessions with experienced lecturers and a generous study leave. The social aspect is also a large part of the graduate programme.

“Following the completion of the graduate programme, I was delighted to be offered a role in the management group. As a result of both the people I worked with and the variety in the job, it was an opportunity I jumped at, and was warmly welcome into. As a manager, I have the chance to engage with audit clients at a more in-depth level, and I've also been lucky enough to get involved in even more areas of the business including recruitment, data analytics and the onboarding of a new audit system. More recently, through a Partner in Deloitte, I joined the Chartered Accountants Ireland Cork Society, a fantastic opportunity to further expand my network. Deloitte has provided me with a dynamic and enjoyable career to date, all rooted in my work placement and Graduate Programme experiences.”