Interview season for CA articleship aspirants

Zara Anwar · 09-28-2005, 11:31 AM

Unfortunately that is the only thing on my mind nowadays. i sleep, breath and relive all the interviews that i have given in the big three firms for my articleship.

I was surprised by the difference in the attitude of each of the firms. In Ford Rhodes, i was treated like someone special. in Taseer Hadi Khalid and Co i was treated nicely, in A F Fergusons i was treated like trash. I have immaculate record, yet my interview at the coveted firm i.e A F Fergusons was controversial.

I was interviewed unfortunately by the best Fergusons has, 2 managers hell bent on making me lose my composure.

Right answers to questions were mocked and tagged as wrong and ridiculous. I was scolded at the very beginning of the interview on not writing "not applicable" in sections on the form which were not applicable to me, yet there was no instruction on the form to do so. CA(MODULE A,B,C AND D) FOLKS OUT THERE BE PREPARED...........

iahmad · 09-28-2005, 01:46 PM

Zara its just the Beginning, others yet to come!

tahir.rauf · 09-29-2005, 03:16 PM

HELLO ZARA DEAR! i am feeling sorry for u at the same tie happy coz i,m over from all this. n as a matter of fact i was getting trained @ ford rhodes then i got an offer from sajjad haider & co dubai n on 6th october 2005 i,m coming back to pakistan to rejoin FORD RHODES,well let me tell u that A.F.FERGUSON personnal has a better fame than FORD RHODES but for training purposes i think FORD RHODES is better.if u r @ lahore after few days i might find u my assisstant @ FORD RHODES.
any ways best of luck for ur upcoming career.ALLAH HAFIZ

for more details u can cotact the author @ [email protected] author is doing CA-INTERNS @ SAJJAD HAIDER&CO DUBAI.

unseendemon · 03-09-2007, 03:02 AM

so are they (ferguson) still like that ? (

mcabaloch · 03-09-2007, 02:20 PM

SARA...
to be very honest..these are the rules of the game..and each company org has its own norms and procedures to be followed up...
yea i totally agree with you..that most of the time i hav been the victom of these sort of situations a couple of time in big 3 GIANT in pak...but i make u sure that they dont do it to demoralize you...the only thing they wanna seek is that how you control and response to the challenging sort of situations..and to be very honest our professions does require from us the same sort of temperment and the ability to react at the spot instantaneoysly in a more than a perfecy way...
you just dont worry at all..as we are learner at this stage of time as we never appeared befoe an interview...so i hope we beginer will get familirized with these sort of circumstances...
sorry could'n mention my name...
m AMMAD BALOCH
CA (INTER)
DELOITTE
ISLAMABAD..
good to share these sorf of feelings with peers...
accountancy forum is just like a FAMILY FORUM
salam to all...

<blockquote id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Zara Anwar
 Unfortunately that is the only thing on my mind nowadays. i sleep, breath and relive all the interviews that i have given in the big three firms for my articleship.

I was surprised by the difference in the attitude of each of the firms. In Ford Rhodes, i was treated like someone special. in Taseer Hadi Khalid and Co i was treated nicely, in A F Fergusons i was treated like trash. I have immaculate record, yet my interview at the coveted firm i.e A F Fergusons was controversial.

I was interviewed unfortunately by the best Fergusons has, 2 managers hell bent on making me lose my composure.

Right answers to questions were mocked and tagged as wrong and ridiculous. I was scolded at the very beginning of the interview on not writing "not applicable" in sections on the form which were not applicable to me, yet there was no instruction on the form to do so. CA(MODULE A,B,C AND D) FOLKS OUT THERE BE PREPARED...........
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

mcabaloch · 03-09-2007, 02:32 PM

SARA....!
plz do inform where u have been selectetd.if not yet..wats ur next plan to appear before...
best of luck !..

kamranACA · 03-20-2007, 09:01 PM

Dear,

It's rediculous if someone endeavors to disgrace the others. Still, perhaps the attitude of interviewing people is not aimed at the disgrace of the candidate, specially in the CA firms.

Unfortunately, students at the stage, where you are, do not and cannot estimate / anticipate the days coming ahead. The practical life is a bit harder and tougher than what we imagine at an early phase of life.

Further, we are from a nation which need not to think for any developments, improvements or research work. Our all efforts are to find a way out to the bread and butter for the rest of life. I wonder how the people of other nations spend all of their lives searching something new in various jungles and islands where they have to live with monkies even. I wonder how people of other nations work with dirty snakes, birds, animals and other stuff like that at far off places from the luxurious life of homes for the improved life of general mankind. There must be a reason behind the fact that they are ruling the world at the moment.

Our students (including myslef) are always thinking on what will be the best way to get financial benefits from doing anything in the shortest possible time for the safety of our future.

I come back to the subject matter. Whenever a student gets into a firm for interview or whatever, I have experienced, he/she is either a very shy candidate or is an over-smart candidate. No body likes a candidate who seems to be shy one and who cannot properly present his qualities due such so-called shyness. Likewise, over smart people are normally pushed to the corner. This situation appears to has been in vogue for decades and resultantly has made the people somewhat harsher than what is actually required.

Moreover, as a third nation we also have a big problem with our attitudes which is not seen by us. If some assistant has a good english accent, his/her superior will not feel good about it, at least at some corner of his/her mind. Same could be seen in case of better car, better mobile set, better dressing and better family background etc. All such unseen factors make the sttitude of superiors harsh. I have so many times observed it in practice.

Problem lies on both sides. Juniors sometimes show or even unwillingly/spontaneusly act to show that they are oversmart. On the other side, the superiors always intend to create undue pressure from the outset, so as to continue it till the end.

In my view the students should be determined, focussed, restricited to what is being asked with confidence and ignore if anything is treated adversely. The person who is a student, at a given time, will one day be on the other side of the table. The people who have positive minds should apply this positivity when they come to the other side of table.

We must restrict our expectations and ignore what is wrong in our view and concentrate on the ultimate objective we have.

At the same time, I would like to point out that we all should revisit our goals. No doubt bread and butter is a necessity but the goal of life must be something over and above this bread and butter.

Best regards,

Kamran

unseendemon · 03-26-2007, 06:11 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by kamranACA
 Dear,

It's rediculous if someone endeavors to disgrace the others. Still, perhaps the attitude of interviewing people is not aimed at the disgrace of the candidate, specially in the CA firms.

Unfortunately, students at the stage, where you are, do not and cannot estimate / anticipate the days coming ahead. The practical life is a bit harder and tougher than what we imagine at an early phase of life.

Further, we are from a nation which need not to think for any developments, improvements or research work. Our all efforts are to find a way out to the bread and butter for the rest of life. I wonder how the people of other nations spend all of their lives searching something new in various jungles and islands where they have to live with monkies even. I wonder how people of other nations work with dirty snakes, birds, animals and other stuff like that at far off places from the luxurious life of homes for the improved life of general mankind. There must be a reason behind the fact that they are ruling the world at the moment.

Our students (including myslef) are always thinking on what will be the best way to get financial benefits from doing anything in the shortest possible time for the safety of our future.

I come back to the subject matter. Whenever a student gets into a firm for interview or whatever, I have experienced, he/she is either a very shy candidate or is an over-smart candidate. No body likes a candidate who seems to be shy one and who cannot properly present his qualities due such so-called shyness. Likewise, over smart people are normally pushed to the corner. This situation appears to has been in vogue for decades and resultantly has made the people somewhat harsher than what is actually required.

Moreover, as a third nation we also have a big problem with our attitudes which is not seen by us. If some assistant has a good english accent, his/her superior will not feel good about it, at least at some corner of his/her mind. Same could be seen in case of better car, better mobile set, better dressing and better family background etc. All such unseen factors make the sttitude of superiors harsh. I have so many times observed it in practice.

Problem lies on both sides. Juniors sometimes show or even unwillingly/spontaneusly act to show that they are oversmart. On the other side, the superiors always intend to create undue pressure from the outset, so as to continue it till the end.

In my view the students should be determined, focussed, restricited to what is being asked with confidence and ignore if anything is treated adversely. The person who is a student, at a given time, will one day be on the other side of the table. The people who have positive minds should apply this positivity when they come to the other side of table.

We must restrict our expectations and ignore what is wrong in our view and concentrate on the ultimate objective we have.

At the same time, I would like to point out that we all should revisit our goals. No doubt bread and butter is a necessity but the goal of life must be something over and above this bread and butter.

Best regards,

Kamran
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I`m gonna print this and get it framed. Words to live by.

Sunny84 · 02-22-2009, 05:51 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by kamranACA
 Dear,

It's rediculous if someone endeavors to disgrace the others. Still, perhaps the attitude of interviewing people is not aimed at the disgrace of the candidate, specially in the CA firms.

Unfortunately, students at the stage, where you are, do not and cannot estimate / anticipate the days coming ahead. The practical life is a bit harder and tougher than what we imagine at an early phase of life.

Further, we are from a nation which need not to think for any developments, improvements or research work. Our all efforts are to find a way out to the bread and butter for the rest of life. I wonder how the people of other nations spend all of their lives searching something new in various jungles and islands where they have to live with monkies even. I wonder how people of other nations work with dirty snakes, birds, animals and other stuff like that at far off places from the luxurious life of homes for the improved life of general mankind. There must be a reason behind the fact that they are ruling the world at the moment.

Our students (including myslef) are always thinking on what will be the best way to get financial benefits from doing anything in the shortest possible time for the safety of our future.

I come back to the subject matter. Whenever a student gets into a firm for interview or whatever, I have experienced, he/she is either a very shy candidate or is an over-smart candidate. No body likes a candidate who seems to be shy one and who cannot properly present his qualities due such so-called shyness. Likewise, over smart people are normally pushed to the corner. This situation appears to has been in vogue for decades and resultantly has made the people somewhat harsher than what is actually required.

Moreover, as a third nation we also have a big problem with our attitudes which is not seen by us. If some assistant has a good english accent, his/her superior will not feel good about it, at least at some corner of his/her mind. Same could be seen in case of better car, better mobile set, better dressing and better family background etc. All such unseen factors make the sttitude of superiors harsh. I have so many times observed it in practice.

Problem lies on both sides. Juniors sometimes show or even unwillingly/spontaneusly act to show that they are oversmart. On the other side, the superiors always intend to create undue pressure from the outset, so as to continue it till the end.

In my view the students should be determined, focussed, restricited to what is being asked with confidence and ignore if anything is treated adversely. The person who is a student, at a given time, will one day be on the other side of the table. The people who have positive minds should apply this positivity when they come to the other side of table.

We must restrict our expectations and ignore what is wrong in our view and concentrate on the ultimate objective we have.

At the same time, I would like to point out that we all should revisit our goals. No doubt bread and butter is a necessity but the goal of life must be something over and above this bread and butter.

Best regards,

Kamran
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
OMG - this is one of the best posts eva!

rafay321 · 02-24-2009, 02:05 AM

you just dig off a topic dated back 2005/2007

A.S · 03-24-2009, 03:55 AM

Zara can u plz telme wen did u recv the call for the interview frm FRSH?? ....coz i havent...
uptill nw. i hav been interviewed at AFF and KPMG

bilalansaree · 03-24-2009, 08:18 PM

Hi Guys and Girls...

Sorry to hear that Zara... actually my wife tried twice in PWC i guess its AFF... and she got the same treatement which you mentioned... i guess they have some superiority complex... and frankly they are not superior at all...!!! and I have done 1 and half year articles from DTT... i.e M yousaf Adil... in Lhr... and i was treated as the black sheep of the firm... every got paid 4K and they always pay me 1thousand... hehehe.. money wasnt the issue for me.. but even then.. I guess this is the culure in Pak... yes I can assure you on one thing... Life after that is sooo good you will not even think about these things as a bad.. you will definately laugh on it with your friends afterward... Like I do... )
and Just because of the Big4 Name you will be treated specially not in PAKISTAN ) but outside Pakistan...

Regards

Bilal
Canberra, Australia

kamranACA · 03-26-2009, 12:16 AM

Bilal,

It's nice seeing you here, almost 3.5 years after Zara's post. It's also good to hear about your wedding with Zara.

It would be good if you introduce yourself at General. Hows bhabhi (Zara) doing? Did she complete her CA?

Regards,

KAMRAN.

mr.4hm3d · 03-26-2009, 03:15 AM

lolz , i dont think bilal got married to zara.
the way he wrote his post gives the impression of him getting married to zara but i thnk if we read it two or three times we can sense that zara and bilal's wife are two diff persons P)

Rana Gohar · 03-26-2009, 06:01 AM

ahhahahahahahahaha...... nicely written.....