Gaining an edge

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Gaining an edge

3 minute read

As Jiayue Mou sat through another job interview, she naturally felt anxious. However, that anxiety ceased to exist when her interviewer, now employer, learnt that she graduated from The Australian National University (ANU).

“My interviewer was very impressed with my academic rigour, on-campus volunteering and internship experience. Studying at ANU gave me an edge over other applicants and helped me land my first professional job,” shared Jiayue, who recently started working as an accountant with Papandrea Partners.

Through my academic journey at CBE, I have learnt many tricks of my trade.

Jiayue graduated from the ANU College of Business and Economics (CBE) with a Master of Accounting. In addition to her degree, she believes she has amassed a “holistic university experience” that her employer recognised during her interview.

In her two years at CBE, Jiayue was a part of several on-campus activities, most notably as the Treasurer for Robogals, an international student-run group that encourages young women to study. She was also the Treasurer for Frank Fenner Foundation, an organisation that promotes dialogues on public policy.

The CBE alumnae also regards her internship with the accounting firm Solutions In as a pivotal industry experience since it was her introduction to Australia’s regulations.

Originally from Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan, Jiayue was tossing up her options between UK universities and ANU.

“I ultimately chose ANU for its flexibility and its programs. The UK universities that I had been accepted into were comparatively rigid in their degree structures and had overall provided limited information and communication after I submitted my applications,” she recalls.

Jiayue distinctly remembers looking up ANU and CBE on Baidu, a popular Chinese search engine. She was awestruck by the pictures of the campus and the “tranquillity” they projected.

“I’ve admired numerous details of the ANU campus, ranging from the nature to the architecture, but my favourite part of campus remains to library at the ANU School of Arts. It projects the same tranquillity that I witnessed through the images on Baidu,” she said.

Jiayue believes that her student experiences will continue to significantly shape her professional outlook.

 “Through my academic journey at CBE, I have learnt many tricks of my trade. I have been trained to quickly adopt to important accounting-related software such as SAP, MYOB and advanced Excel. I am now capable of learning and using a new software in no more than 30 minutes,” Jiayue asserts.


The ANU College of Business and Economics offers an extensive range of specialised programs in Accounting. Click here for more details.