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Pitcher Partners

4.2
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

5 things you should do to get hired at Pitcher Partners

Jaymes Carr

Careers Commentator
We asked our graduates for their insider tips on how to land a graduate job at accounting and business advisory firm, Pitcher Partners.

Pitcher Partners is a full service accounting and business advisory firm with a strong reputation for providing quality advice to privately-owned, corporate and public organisations. Launched in 1991, Pitcher Partners now has firms in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Newcastle.

A value-driven organisation, one of Pitcher Partners’ stated priorities is ““to care for employees on an individual basis and provide them with great careers”. This, combined with its industry success and community involvement, makes Pitcher Partners an attractive place to work for many students.

When we interviewed a group of graduates who had successfully secured jobs at Pitcher Partners, they were particularly enthusiastic about the culture of the company (employees can access various perks, such as yoga and pilates classes, healthy food, and subsidised gym memberships), the approachability of managers, and the opportunities for career growth. We asked them for tips that might help current students enter the graduate program, and they responded with five insider tips.

1. Emphasise your credentials, but don’t forget to show that you’re a cultural match too!

Pitcher Partners tends to hire high-achieving students from a range of academic backgrounds (though a commerce or finance degree is necessary if you’d like to complete the chartered accountants program). It also prides itself on a positive culture built around a diverse and inclusive workforce.

SO, while it’s important to take advantage of your academic success, especially if it’s impressive, that may not be enough on its own. Pitcher Partners also aims to hire students who will contribute to its culture because of what makes them unique, whether it’s a hobby or a passion. Our insiders recommend sharing the things you enjoy outside of work (if appropriate), or using the STAR technique to discuss things you’ve done that will show interviewers that you’re a good cultural fit for Pitcher Partners.

“Pitcher Partners looks for a culture fit. Most people in the firm work hard but are also very social and enjoying spending time with other staff.”
– Graduate, Melbourne

“Apart from preparing the usual type of questions and STAR approach, be yourself, be natural. As it seems those types of people best match the PP culture.”
– Graduate, Melbourne

“Be well rounded and don't hesitate to sell yourself and your abilities.”
– Graduate, Melbourne

2. Be patient and persevere

While it may vary from firm to firm (Pitcher Partners is a consortium of independent firms), the recruitment process will generally consist of an online application, which will involve uploading your resume and academic transcript. If you make the shortlist, you’ll be invited to do an online aptitude test, attend an hour-long information session and/or an assessment centre and do a 30-minute interview. If all that goes well, you’ll receive an offer.

Our insiders encourage patience: it can be frustrating to wait for a call, but the process will proceed at its own pace. The good news is that our insiders agreed that the interviews were friendly, professional, and fair.

“I had a phone call, a short online assessment, an in-person interview with HR and two managers, and an interview with two partners. I received an offer at the end of the second interview. The interviews all very relaxed and involved casual conversation.”
– Graduate, Melbourne

“The process went well. As I was doing my interview process outside the standard periods, there was a bit of follow-up required by me. Other than that it went all quite smoothly.”
– Graduate, Melbourne

3. Take advantage of the Pitcher Partners website

Almost all of the insiders we interviewed encouraged new applicants to visit the Pitcher Partners website, which offers invaluable information about life at the business and its hiring processes. It’s also a great way to learn more about what Pitcher Partners does, how it differentiates itself from other accounting firms, and what qualities it looks for in job applicants. Namely: it aims to hire “people who are passionate and committed to self-development, possess excellent interpersonal skills, can demonstrate initiative, and are keen on working with interesting small to medium enterprises”.

“Do their research, and be prepared. Be charismatic and friendly and enthusiastic to meet new people.”
– Graduate, Melbourne

4. Use the graduate profiles on GradAustralia’s website to get a detailed understanding of what life at Pitcher Partners is actually like

When asked what sort of questions they faced during their interviews, most of our insiders said the questions had, for the most part, been behavioral. They ”asked me to explain a time where I used certain skills such as organisation, teamwork, or communication” said one. Another added that the interviewers were interested in how he responded to different situations.

Interviewers were also eager to evaluate how well applicants understood what their day-to-day work would require. If you’re still unclear about this, then it’s time to study up: and GradAustralia’s website is the place to do it. You can learn, in detail, what an ordinary day is like for a graduate employee. This will give you a sense of the context in which interviewers might ask about specific skills and attributes.

“Every now and then, you will be fortunate enough in Insolvency to spend some time in the courts located just up the road on William Street.”
– Jack Featherby

“As a graduate you experience a wide variety of service lines and client projects. No project is ever the same allowing you to grow and develop every day you work. The firm encourages you to get involved in projects as soon as you start. Personally I have worked on over 30 projects the past 12 months.”
– Hayden Taylor

“As a graduate in consulting, you get to be involved in a lot of different projects across various service lines. You may not know exactly what you want to do, but it helps to get involved in as much as possible to maximise your exposure to working with different types of people in different environments – this makes you adaptable and helps build your soft skills which are essential when it comes to working in consulting.”
– Lingyun Li

5. Prove that you can communicate well under pressure: you’ll need this skill on the job!

Remember that in interviews, you’ll be assessed not only on what you say, but on how you say it: interviewers will want to know that you can communicate in a clear, professional, and open way. After all, as our insiders pointed out, a graduate position at Pitcher Partners often involves communicating in high pressure situations, such as with demanding clients or with regards to large financial transactions. So don’t be surprised if the interviewer puts the pressure on a little: instead, be calm, take your time, and demonstrate a professional command of the situation.  

“Be thick skinned, persistent and have the ability to think on the spot. You will deal with angry creditors and employees. In insolvency you are in a position where you need to liaise with different people who may not be understanding or reasonable, so need you need to be able to converse with people depending on the situation.”
– Tina Lau

“I don’t think the technical aspects of the job are the major hurdles early on. No matter what your background is, if you have a crack and conduct yourself professionally and positively, people will be willing to teach you and give you the opportunities to grow those technical skills.”
– Jack Mackintosh

Read Pitcher and Partners graduate stories, first hand, on the GradAustralia website.