Emeris Students Get Real-World Lessons On Entering The Workplace

From navigating their first job interview to gaining workplace experience and even thinking about buying their first car or home, students were given a practical look at life beyond graduation during the recent Career Services Week held by Emeris Durban North and The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga.

The week focused on helping students prepare for the transition from campus to career through employer engagement, CV workshops, interview preparation and interactive sessions which covered some of the realities they were likely to face as they entered the working world.

At Emeris Durban North, independent audit and accounting firm PKF Durban offered students opportunities ranging from vacation work and CV reviews to on campus interviews as well as Articles opportunities for Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA) students.

Approximately 20 first year students will be selected to participate in PKF Durban's vacation work programme, while opportunities were also available for PGDA students looking to complete their Articles in 2027.

Jamie Moore (Human Resource Officer PKF Durban) said the firm looked beyond academic results when considering potential employees.

“At PKF, we value our people and therefore look at the whole picture when deciding to hire someone - academics, personality, achievements, hobbies and enthusiasm. We want someone to fit into our firm and to feel that they are the right fit for our culture, not just technically competent,” said Moore.

Her advice to students preparing for their careers was simple.

“Be a sponge. Take it all in. There are so many professionals and people who you can learn from if you are paying the right attention”.

Career preparation also extended to managing money once students entered the workplace.

The PGDA students at Emeris Durban North received practical financial advice from Investec representatives, who took them through real-life scenarios including buying their first car or home and the financial commitments involved.

For Shaival Gopi (Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting student Emeris Durban North) the discussion highlighted the importance of planning ahead.

“The talk was something we definitely needed, especially because they have industry experience and the advice came from a lot of past experiences,” said Gopi.

Investec also gifted the PGDA students custom Investec and Emeris hoodies as partof an initiative which has been running with the brand for several years.

At The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga, a Careers Readiness Workshop hosted by Anele Yeni (Student Experience Co-ordinator Intern at The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga) and Nadira Sewnunan (Deputy Head: Student Administration at The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga) focused on workplace scenarios, CV preparation, interviews, volunteer experience and salary expectations.

Students compared examples of strong and poorly prepared CVs and identified differences in layout, spelling, grammar and content. Yeni encouraged students to tailor their CVs to the positions they were applying for and, for those without formal work experience, to start building it through volunteer work and part-time employment.

She also advised students to research the organisation and position before an interview, to dress professionally and to arrive early.

“Think about how you could stand out in the interview and remember to be your authentic self,” said Yeni.

Sewnunan guided students on approaching salary expectations and understanding an appropriate starting salary for a graduate.

“This workshop was very useful. While I’ve had interview experience before, the workshop helped me with how to approach and answer the different interview questions. It also made me rethink my CV content and layout,” concluded Nokhwezi Magewu (first year Bachelor of Communication Design student The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga).