Liya Lu

7.00 AM

My alarm goes off and I wake up. I brush, make breakfast (normally muesli or bread because they are easy to make) and get dressed up! From Monday to Thursday, I wear formal clothes to get ready for work. On Fridays, I wear relatively casual clothes, such as business casual, jeans, a T-shirt, or whatever floats your boat! Before leaving for work, I like to pack my lunch from home which I made the night before. I stay at an apartment near the company which only takes me around 10 minutes to reach the office on foot. 

8.10 AM

I reach the office at 8.10 am. Everyone has an allocated workstation with their team! I would say hi to my manager and colleagues who are already there and go to my locker to get my laptop. I also get a cup of water and some fresh fruit from the kitchen to prepare for the day ahead. After that, I log on to my laptop and look over my emails. 

I get emails mostly from my manager, and I will check if I have any jobs pending, or any updates on ongoing tasks. I also check on new meetings. As a graduate, I receive plenty of training sessions from the company, such as monthly tax training and the CA program planning.

8.30 AM

After the preparation, I start to work on a specific client. I would put my working tasks into my timesheet (7.5 hours per day). I begin working on more difficult tasks in the morning because I am able to concentrate more after a good night’s rest.

10 AM

Every fortnight, the team would have a workflow meeting and our code partner would join us. We will have a walk-through of the tasks the team is working on and adjust the workload accordingly. We also discuss the monthly budget and team movement in the meeting.

10.30 AM

After the workflow meeting, I would move back to work. As a graduate, I’m always learning and asking questions to my colleagues and my manager. The team is very supportive and relaxed, I was a bit nervous at the start but I am getting more and more confident with handling tasks simultaneously and gleaning knowledge from the team. At my first workflow meeting, I was awarded the Employee of the Fortnight by my manager which was the cherry on top!

1.00 PM

It’s lunchtime! I usually unpack my lunch box and heat it in the microwave in the kitchen. Once a month, we get a catered lunch from the company. On top of that, when it comes to festivals, like Diwali and Chinese New Year, we get an extra amazing free lunch! I often sit with other colleagues and chat about our mornings or what we did over the weekend. After having lunch, I would like to take a 15-minute walk around the office building to enjoy the good weather (if it’s not raining) and help me re-energise myself for the final few hours of work.

2.00 PM

By the afternoon, I have completed my difficult morning tasks. I would send my manager an email about my work being ready for his review, together with a draft query list of what information we need to request from the client.

My manager lets me know where I need to make adjustments after reviewing my work. As a graduate, I take notes to improve my skills. After making changes, I would send the completed document to the client to sign.

As I have some spare time, I help my colleague with their work. Assisting my colleagues enables me to gain valuable insight and experience on tasks usually meant for more senior accountants.

4.45 PM

For the last 15 minutes, I review my day and complete my timesheet. I also take quick notes to remind me what needs to be done tomorrow.

I start to pack my things, mark my day as complete on my calendar, shut down the laptop and put it into the locker. After that, I say goodbye to my manager and other colleagues and head back to my home at 5 pm.

That concludes my day. Hope you enjoy the read. Waiting to hear your story soon!

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