South Asian Gazette Worldwide News Work
Most students work their entire university career towards the goal of walking across the stage on graduation day and into their first job. But fourth-year accounting student Ryan Murthi has already lined up his dream job even before graduation, thanks to the career support he has received at the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM).
Come August, he’s going to be the newest member of the forensic accounting team at PwC.
“One of my bucket list items was to work in one of the big four [accounting firms] and being able to get to that level, it’s something that I’m proud of,” said Murthi, who came from Indonesia in 2015 to study business in Toronto.
So, how was he able to secure such an illustrious position right out of school? He says through networking events at TRSM and utilizing the resources available to students right on campus.
“I would say the biggest, most beautiful moment of my life is when I went to the Business Career Hub (BCH) because I’ve never used it, so I just went there and I wanted to speak with someone.”
From that initial meeting, Murthi impressed the managers in the Business Career Hub (BCH) and was encouraged to apply to an open position as an International Career Booster. He soon discovered his passion for data analytics after that and even applied his knowledge to help the BCH.
His skills with Excel and data helped drive BCH business decisions, said Graham Sogawa, Executive Director of the Business Career Hub. The BCH team was so impressed with Murthi’s talent, they created a data analytics role on their team.
But Murthi’s eyes were still on the prize – a job with a major accounting firm.
In summer 2018, while still working full-time at the BCH and taking three evening classes a week, Murthi attended as many events at TRSM as possible and networked with as many people as he could in hopes of securing a role in one of the big accounting firms in Toronto.
Throughout his journey, the BCH supported him and helped make time for Murthi to meet with the team’s consultants and even attend events as he navigated his career moves.
All the coffee chats, networking and resume help paid off when Murthi interviewed for an internship position with not one but two of the coveted big four accounting firms – PwC and Deloitte – for their summer 2019 program. Given how competitive the programs were, he was surprised when he received offers from both companies.
He says meeting people from each company at earlier campus events not only gave him an edge in the interview process but also helped him make his decision about which offer to accept.
“They’re both great firms to work for and I recalled all of my experiences talking to each company’s representative over the summer and made my decision to go with PwC,” said Murthi.
Murthi says that even after he began his internship, he used the networking skills he learned at TRSM to keep building relationships within the company.
According to Sogawa, if there was a textbook way of landing your dream job while still at school, Murthi did it.
“Ryan has done a remarkable job to get the most from his Ryerson experience. In addition to working with the Business Career Hub, Ryan has participated in case of competitions, accepted leadership roles with student groups, and attended countless networking events,” said Sogawa.
He also recently received the CPA Achievement Award and the Tax Executives Institute (TEI) Scholarship.
For Murthi, he says his underlying motivation throughout his time at TRSM parallels his reason for coming to Canada in the first place; to start a new and better life here and also to make his parents proud.
“I am working towards getting my permanent residency and citizenship…I feel Canada is a really nice place to call home,” said Murthi. “[My parents] sacrificed everything to pay for my tuition and the only way for me to pay back what they have given me is to make them proud.”
He says his biggest advice to students is to get out there and shake hands and to get involved with student groups.
“The easiest way to start is to go to events hosted by student groups. We have so many student groups here. It’s a pretty great way to start because with student groups you learn lots of leadership skills.”
Sogawa says Murthi has always been upbeat and positive and truly enjoys what he is studying.
“I believe Ryan is a great example of how getting involved and engaged can make your studies more relevant and as a result more enjoyable.”
