How to gain a broad skill set without job hopping

Staying with one company for the entirety of her career (so far) wasn’t exactly what Leslie Hee Song had in mind during her days as a uni student. She envisioned a career that would see her working across many organisations and even industries. Fast forward five years and Leslie has surprised herself by continuing to be a valued member of our community since joining us as a Vaccie, and subsequent Grad, in Trust & Risk.

“I honestly never thought I would work at any place for this long. But every year so far, I’ve continued to be challenged and have learnt so much. Looking back on all my experiences – I don’t ever regret submitting my online application to PwC all those years back.”

And while the company line on her LinkedIn profile mightn’t have much variance, the work she takes on here certainly does! What’s kept Leslie happily stationed within our firm so far has been the ongoing ability to explore new opportunities and areas of work that align with her interests and passions.

“All the way, I can’t say that I’ve known exactly what I’ve wanted to do from the beginning. But in the process of working at PwC, I’ve been looking for and finding things that I enjoy doing and have pursued those things.”

Since joining, Leslie has enjoyed the natural progression to her current role as Manager in our Trust & Risk team. These are the people who bring together data and analytics, technology, financial, regulatory, and business process experience to empower our clients to drive growth and create competitive advantages. The team helps clients to ‘see around corners’ and take a holistic approach to managing potential risk.

Speaking of her work, Leslie says she particularly relishes getting to know the inner workings of each organisation she works across and harnessing the knowledge she garners to equip clients to make well-informed business decisions. It’s this unique combination of being curious and forward-thinking, Leslie says, that makes for a successful Trust & Risk team member.

“I am naturally a very curious person, so I really enjoy finding out about what businesses do, how their processes work, and – in doing so – identifying what things could help improve the way things are done, by addressing their risk.”

Contrary to popular belief, assessing risk isn’t simply achieved by sifting through endless documents behind a desk. Much of what Leslie does requires her to go on-site and visit companies in-person – many of which are far removed from Financial Services.

From exploring the manufacturing facilities of a construction company, to taking a sneak-peek into the production line of a prominent food supplier, Leslie enjoys the variety of experiences working in Trust & Risk brings. In the past year alone, Leslie’s role has taken her interstate and to several overseas locations.

“This year has probably been the most eventful year so far in terms of opportunities to travel… I’ve had the opportunity to travel to New Caledonia, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapore, and now Perth! These opportunities arose for a whole variety of things, including audit of program funding, a payroll review, attending a privacy seminar, and helping facilitate a workshop.”

Now in a senior position, Leslie is involved in hiring new people to join the team. And what she looks for is surprisingly simple – ‘A great attitude’.

“The most important attribute, far more than any accounting knowledge or acquired skills, is the attitude and keen willingness to listen, to give things a go and to learn from mistakes.”

So if you’re contemplating whether to establish yourself at one company or to job-hop to gain the experience and exposure you’re craving, maybe the answer is both – join a company that offers you the flexibility to work on a diverse range of projects, and enjoy the best of both worlds!

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How to gain a broad skill set without job hopping

Is it better to stay with one company or job-hop? For Leslie Hee Song, it was the dynamic nature of Trust & Risk that quashed the dilemma.

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