My Grad story – Finance programme

Ross McKeogh is a third-year finance grad. Here he talks about the programme, the skills and education required for the role, and what he enjoys about it.

How did you go about getting your grad role?

When I was in college, I spoke to a Musgrave representative at a careers fair. They spoke about the benefits of the programme and told me about the history of the business. From that conversation I decided to apply for the Graduate Programme.

Describe a typical day?

The average day starts with distributing the sales information from the previous day. That is usually followed by a catch up with team members to discuss that day’s priorities and divide workload as required. This work can be individual projects or group assignments.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

Weekly reporting, for example: sales & margin reporting, posting journals and the month-end accounts process as part of financial reporting standards.

What are the main challenges?

Keeping standards to a high level through accurate reporting of the financial information. The industry is very fast-paced and as a result the needs of the business are constantly changing and therefore you need to adapt quickly.

What’s cool?

Being able to see how a few of the different areas of the business function, as there are significant differences between the retail and wholesale businesses.

What’s not so cool?

There are times where the pressure is turned up and additional effort and work is required. This only happens a couple of times a year, but you need to be mentally prepared to put in the work that is needed.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

High energy and positivity are some things I bring to work, I enjoy most aspects of my work and I try to have fun in what I do and I think that I can then help others have that mindset.

What is your education to date?

I have a 1st Class Bachelor of Business Studies in Finance & Economics, and I am currently studying to become a CIMA qualified accountant

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

My Finance modules are probably more important than others as they provided information I use in my everyday job

Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?

CIMA Qualification – this is a professional qualification in management accountancy which is a requirement of my role.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Passing my first accounting exam was a huge milestone so far in my career. Presenting my year two graduate business project to our CEO and the Senior Management Team was the biggest highlight.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Research the exams and the career progression through accountancy and see if this is something you can see yourself in long term

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Interpersonal skills, these are key as I am in constant contact with different people in the business and being able to build a relationship with them is critical. Organisational Skills are very important as you need to allocate time efficiently for yourself. Good work ethic is key, there are times in the year where everyone needs to give a little bit extra to hit deadlines around the budgeting and forecasting process.

Find your answer in our frequently asked questions.
APPLICATION PROCESS
What do I need to consider before I apply?

Add musgravegraduates.support@aon.com to your email contacts to make sure you receive our application updates

– Make sure your CV is saved in PDF or Word format as other formats may not be supported on our recruitment system

– Are there specific academic criteria for your preferred role? If we are looking for specific qualifications, we will apply these criteria for shortlisting candidates. You may be considered for your second preference if you do not meet specific criteria for your preferred role.

I've submitted my application, what happens next?

We’ll email you within 24 hours of submitting your application inviting you to complete our online assessments. This email will come from musgravegraduates.support@aon.com so make sure you mark this email as safe. Depending on your email filters, it may be directed to your spam folder. Keep an eye on the inbox and spam of the email you used for your application. If you have not received this email within 48 hours, contact us on earlycareers@musgrave.ie requesting this to be resent. This will be resent where applicable within the time-constraints of the application process.

I haven't received details of the online assessments after submitting my application.

This email will come from musgravegraduates.support@aon.com so make sure you mark this email as safe. Depending on your email filters, it may be directed to your spam folder. Some spam folder settings will automatically delete all emails after 30 days. If you have not received this email within

48 hours of submitting your application, or believe that it may have been deleted from your spam folder, contact us on earlycareers@musgrave.ie requesting this to be resent. This will be resent where applicable within the time-constraints of the application process.

When will I find out if I have been successful?

We’ll contact you as soon as possible after each stage of the recruitment process. Correspondence up to the assessment centre stage is through email so please check your email regularly. Depending on your email filters sometimes our email may end up in your spam folder, check this out if you haven’t heard from us and ensure you have marked our email musgravegraduates.support@aon.com as safe.

How many graduates do you hire each year?

We’re a fast-moving business and our opportunities change from year to year to meet our business requirements. We typically hire between 10-20 graduates each year.

Can I reapply next year if I don’t get onto the programme this year?

Yes, you can apply the next year if unsuccessful in your application.

GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS
Do I need a specific degree to be considered for Musgrave?

Many of our opportunities are open to graduates from all degree backgrounds. Where we do look for a specific qualification, we’ll specify it in the role description so check out Our Opportunities page. If we are looking for specific qualifications, we will apply these criteria for shortlisting candidates.

How recently should I have graduated?

Our roles are aimed at grads who are looking for their first or second job. However, if you are interested in a career with Musgrave and have more experience you can apply directly for any of our vacancies.

What is the minimum requirement to be eligible for the graduate programme?

Successful applicants must have graduated, or be on track to graduate, with an Honours Primary Degree (Level 8 NFQ). For roles where a specific degree or discipline is specified, we will apply these criteria for shortlisting candidates.

I need a work permit. Are you able to organise that for me?

It is a requirement that you are eligible to work in the Republic of Ireland. If you do not hold an appropriate work permit, regretfully we cannot take your application further. If you are successful in your application with us, we will support the required documentation for future permit application. We do not provide financial sponsorship for permits.

Why do I have two role choices on the application form?

We ask for your two preferred graduate roles to understand how you want to develop your career. We’ll consider your application based on your first preference as much possible. We may consider

you for your second choice if we feel this would be more suited to your profile or if your academic qualifications do not meet criteria for specific role if required e.g. if you apply for an IT role and you do not hold a relevant IT/technical degree or masters.

THE PROGRAMME
Do I need to know what area I want to work in?

Our graduate roles are designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge to progress to business roles in specific areas e.g. if you join our buying programme, you will work in buying teams for the two years of the programme to gain the experience needed to become a buyer for our leading retail and wholesale brands. We recommend you go through our Opportunities carefully and make an informed decision on which area appeals most to your career ambition.

What is the duration of the graduate programme?

The Programme runs for two years, apart from the finance and commercial food leadership programmes, which run for three years. We hire on a fixed-term contract initially and will work with high performing graduates to provide you with suitable career moves in our business post-Programme.

Will I change locations during the programme?

Depending on your graduate role, you will work in at least two of our divisional headquarters throughout the programme. These may be located in Dublin, Cork or Belfast. Check out our Opportunities to see where the roles are based and whether the role has a geographical rotation. If such a rotation is required, it forms part of your contract.

What's involved in the IMI development programme?

The IMI programme is a bespoke development programme developed by the IMI and Musgrave to support the professional and personal development of our graduates. It comprises 6 modules over 2 years focused on areas such as personal growth, strategy, financial acumen, project management. You will also receive individual coaching as part of the IMI development Programme and will work on a business project in Year 2 which you will present to our CEO and senior leaders. Some modules will be facilitated in person at the IMI campus in Dublin and others will be delivered virtually.

Can I work remotely?

All Musgrave colleagues in office-based roles have the option to work in a hybrid role, with time spent in the office to collaborate and engage, and time working remotely. We calling this Work Smart @ Musgrave and details will be shared with successful applicants. Typically colleagues will spend 1-2 days in the office per week however it can vary by team.

OTHER
Will I work with specific brands or across the whole business?

Depending on the role, you may work across several brands while on the Programme to give you wide exposure of our business. Details of the brands involved in each opportunity are included in the role descriptions on Our Opportunities

I want to study for a professional accountancy qualification, will you support this?

We support our Finance graduates in studying for the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) qualification via the CGMA Finance Leadership Program provided by CIMA. This is an online learning program, similar in scope and rigour to a master’s degree, that teaches the finance, business, people, and leadership skills needed to succeed in the finance team of the future. All learning, assessments and Case Study exam preparation takes place within the comprehensive FLP platform. Musgrave provides financial support and study leave for our Finance graduates to undertake this study pathway. We do not currently support other accountancy study pathways.

Where can I get more information?

Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter for regular updates, you can also visit our corporate website to find out more about Musgrave

Are there opportunities to work abroad?

Currently all our graduate roles are based on the Island of Ireland.