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Recruitment Process
A recruiter’s guide to commercial awareness by Lucy Wilton
By Lucy Wilton, Graduate Employer Brand Manager for UK&I at EY. Everything that we do at EY has a commercial goal in mind. It’s no
good theorising for our clients if we can’t show them how it will work in practice. Building commercial awareness takes time and on-the-job experience. But having some understanding of the business world, and being able to look at situations from a commercial perspective, will strengthen your position. Developing a commercial awareness can make you a better fit for potential employers. Taking an interest in the business world will show employers that you can bring something valuable to their organisation – but more importantly, you will really need it when you work with clients. Here are some tips on how to broaden your awareness of the business world:
- Read the specialist press for the industry you are interested in
- Keep informed about business in general by reading business publications, listening to the news and staying up to date using social media
- Develop opinions about current affairs and think about the impact on firms across various industries. A good way to achieve this is to buy a copy of the Financial Times, choose three companies from the FTSE 100 and follow their progress over a year
- If you have a part-time job while you’re studying, you can start to think about the real business challenges your employer faces
- Research the wider issues that affect the organisation you want to go into, and their position in the market
- Join a society – they are like businesses. They can teach you about financial responsibility and planning to enhance your understanding.
“I’ve found EY to be very accommodating, providing support whenever I’ve needed it. I have sign language interpreters who come with me when I attend training courses and a palantypist who converts speech to text during conference calls and other meetings which helps me to participate.”On our website, we have a whole section about how to join us. Find out more: How to join us
