ACYA Alumni Spotlight Interview: Sean Teh

HELLO FROM SEAN!

'Hey, everyone! I’m Sean. I am from Malaysia, but I grew up and spent my life in Perth. I had the opportunity to study overseas a few times. I studied in China Mainland and Hong Kong and worked in Singapore. Now I’m currently based in Melbourne. I am actually working as a management consultant at EY.'

THE INTERVIEW

For me, ACYA was a great way to connect.

Lucy: What first got you interested in joining ACYA?

Sean: I think it all stemmed from my background in Malaysia by heritage. When I was young, I was bullied because of my Malaysian accent. So I thought I did not want to have anything to do with China or Malaysia. But when I went to high school, there were a lot of Malaysian people in general. And that’s when I thought - oh, it’s not too bad. Then I wanted to pick up Chinese and kind of regretted that I never continued it when I was a kid.?

In that timeframe, I first encountered ACYA. I was new to uni. There were a lot of great clubs, but ACYA was a little bit more on the professional side, and that’s what I was looking for. The societies within were great, people got to know new friends from China and Australia, and I could see behind the scenes and be involved in more social events where it was a little bit more out of my comfort zone - that’s what caught my attention at first.?

And also, I thought AYCA is such a great initiative that really focuses on Australia and China’s bilateral relationship. Plus, there was my interest in Chinese at that time. So I really thought this was a growing market, a growing relationship.

Lucy: Do you have any unforgettable memory from your time with ACYA?

Sean: I feel the main things that really stick out for me are the people and the connections.?For me, ACYA was a great way to connect, especially in ACELS. The first time I joined ACELS, I realized that was a really good site for relationship building, a really good start and I was getting to see the power of networking. And the funny thing is that a guy I met in the ACELS was actually living on the same floor with me in the same dorm.?

Lucy: Did your experience in ACYA assist you when you were applying for a job or during your work??

Sean: Most people are involved in ACYA during their uni days, but I got involved after I’d started work. So I can’t really say it helped me in terms of finding a job.?

But otherwise, in my work, I wasn’t initially really involved with Chinese clients coming to Australia and vice versa. But?knowing a little bit more about China really helped to break the ice, like – “hey, Sean is not just a random person coming in without an understanding about my culture and my work”. And it was really good to meet other people from Asia, especially those who are interested in Australia too. In other words, there is traditional heritage there for me, but now it’s these different cultures I am engaging in also, not just with my family or tied to any particular location which makes everything very different. And I learned from experience that it’s important to keep an open mind.

As well as that, I realized it was also a good thing to see how nonprofits differ from commercial organizations, for example, board meetings are different. And from our technical perspective of how to do things, that were effective ways to run a nonprofit in the right way, which might not work in a different organizational context.

Knowing a little bit more about China really helped to break the ice.

Lucy: Do you have any suggestions for students or others who are still in ACYA? Like, how they can apply this experience and make it more helpful for their future life and career?

Sean: There are so many things I think. Though I think two in particular - one I really want to emphasize is the great network. It is important from both a friendship and professional perspective. For friendship, you get in touch with so many people from different countries and when they’re around you can always say “hey let’s meet up”. And?when you’re in a new city or a new place, you can always be like “oh I know someone to call”. Personally, I’m still in touch with many people I met in ACYA. And professionally, networks are always essential. No matter what industry you are in, corporate, research or teaching – a network makes a difference.?

And number two, I would say - learn the skills you can pick up from ACYA. Don’t feel that what you’re doing there is not valuable because there are so many soft skills that you pick up. For example, stepping out of your comfort zone to try public speaking, even only if very short speeches, or running events because that whole event management and project management thing has applications in many areas of life. And also, you can try sponsorships, I think that’s something I wish I’d actually looked at more because the business development side of things is so key. And again, building relationships with people outside of the network, for example people who are already in the corporate setting.?

Don't feel that what you're doing there is not valuable because there are so many soft skills that you pick up.

Lucy: How did you plan your career and why did you choose the big four?

Sean: Actually, I am still thinking about my future career. Ultimately, my goal is to have my own business. But, looking back to the start of my career, it was clear to me that the learning opportunities available in the big four would be invaluable.?

And also, I chose finance and accounting and found them interesting, but I always kept thinking that what is happening in the real world is going to be different to what I was learning in the classroom for sure. So I wanted to go out and get exposure. But as I didn’t know what I wanted to try, I did all the vacation programs and internships, and applied to many places and tried different things. Somehow, everything led me to one particular area of tax. And that’s the reason I focused on transfer pricing, which is a part of international tax. At first,?I didn’t just aim at one firm, I attended all the career fairs and built up networks because I think it’s important to try as many things as you can, especially if you’re not stuck financially or you don’t have any obligations, and so on.

Lucy: As we all know, working for one of the big four is a dream for a lot of students, some are from business schools like you and some are not. So, what I’m wondering is do the big four prefer business school students?

Sean: It depends on the department you’re applying for. For example, in audit, most likely you will be an accounting student or you’re likely doing the CA or CPA. You need to have that pre-qualification. But for the consulting side, you’re not necessarily a business major. For this part, you need to focus on how to solve problems. You need people from different industries, like engineers, scientists, or people from the health industry and so on.?

So I think in this day and age, you don’t necessarily have to have a business background. What matters more is what you can bring to the firm and how you are different.?

Lucy: That’s a piece of good news for people who are not currently majoring in business! Except for that, what kind of things do the big four want to see from candidates? Is there any advice for them from your experience?

Sean: If we’re looking at just students specifically, then?I think it is worth mentioning that your grade is not that important. It is important to maintain a decent grade but that doesn’t mean it has to be a top grade. The grade only needs to show that you have a level of ability to learn and deal with the concepts involved. But?the more important thing is that you have life experience, and that you are able to think beyond just what you learn in the classroom.

For example, compare a Harvard graduate who was like 90% average versus someone who maybe went to from a less brilliant university with maybe a 65% average. But this second person has also done a lot of things like getting involved in ACYA, or some other jobs or volunteering and things like that Then, as a recruiting manager, I think I’d prefer this person. Because, what the Harvard grad learned is all theoretical, like how well you can talk the talk? But what we need to do involves real-world work life, for example in consulting or any professional services. Firms need people who can think outside the box. This is why the big four cast a wide net to gather an experienced workforce from many different places. They need people who can solve problems which are not within the typical framework.?

The more important thing is that you have life experience, and that you are able to think beyond just what you learn in the classroom.

So my advice is to get involved in different activities and things and be conscious of what you do. Enjoy what you do and see if you can find something you’re passionate about. Because if you find something that you’re passionate about, it really gives a better impression, rather than just doing something so you that sounds good on your CV but has no substance.?

If our interview with Sean interested you, check out his LinkedIn and Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/seanaayy/