1. ung People
Developing our people
from day one
After being accepted as a PwC summer student in his third year at
McMaster University, Fahad Meer thought his next few years as a CA
in training were mapped out. But when the firm approached him
about taking on a special two-month secondment at the Canadian
Cancer Society rather than completing typical training in audit, he
sought advice from PwC recruiters and coaches, decided to take the
opportunity and now helps other new employees make similar choices
for their own careers.
position at the Canadian Cancer Society
because that meant going right into
industry as opposed to being exposed to
audit like the rest of my colleagues. But
after talking to the recruitment team and
my coach, they told me that I could work
70% in industry and the remaining time in
really good with flexibility even when
they worked out with me gave me
expect as a first-year associate. His efforts
did not go unnoticed. He received positive
feedback from his teammates, coaches
barriers
between a senior manager and a new
myself, I really feel PwC has made my
transition from school to work an easy
Fahad was given another opportunity
when he was chosen as the only first-
year blogger for the campus recruitment
website, Brilliant Futures. His blog
received the highest amount of traffic
from both new employees and recent
graduates and he quickly became an
informal coach to students. Ayaz
Umarwadia recalls meeting Fahad at
true coach and mentor, someone I look
up to. During the search for my co-op
placement, Fahad provided me with a lot
of insight, especially after attending his
Interview Prep Workshop at McMaster.
Not only did he take the time to prepare
me for my interview, he also helped to
improve my resume and cover letter. His
blogs, which I am a true fan of, always
provide me tips and advice on how to
improve my game. I cannot wait to begin
my co-op term at PwC, a firm that
For his part, Fahad is only too happy to
intimidating that can be. The advice I give
is that there are so many options at PwC
and the more you are willing to go out of
your comfort zone like I did, the more
38 Empowering our people to make a difference May 2012
both great exposure at the firm and an
opportunity to work directly with a CFO
at a well-known not-for-
The on-the-job learning opportunities for
just gone through a similar experience as
recent graduates, Fahad began
informally speaking about PwC at
campus events and in time was asked to
become a recruitment ambassador,
hosting presentations and networking