What's your name and job title?
Steven Sizgoric – Performance auditor.
What did you study? When did you graduate?
I graduated from a Bachelor of Business and Commerce/Bachelor of Arts at Western Sydney University in 2017.
Where did you grow up? What has been the most important stage of your life?
I grew up in Western Sydney. The most important stage of my life would be doing an exchange program at St Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, Canada for four months.
How did you get to your current job position? For how long have you had it?
I got my current job position through the NSW Government Graduate Program. I have been working at the NSW audit office since February 2019.
How did you choose your specialisation? Were you weighing up any other alternatives before choosing this specialisation?
There are three placements on the graduate program. Before I had my first placement at the NSW audit office, I was unsure of which branch of government I should start in. I made the decision to not specialize in a single branch and leave myself open so that I could be flexible in my placement and grow into the role that I fell into.
What was your interview process like? What kind of questions were you asked?
The interview process for the graduate program consisted of various exercises, including a group activity and a behavioural interview. The group activity consisted of six potential graduates discussing a case study. The case study revolved around the implementation of a policy proposal in the community and the potential challenges that would arise. The behavioural interview was centered around my personal experiences to gather evidence of my capabilities.
What does your employer do?
The Audit Office of NSW helps keep the NSW Government accountable for the public resources that it uses. The Performance Audit branch, my team, reviews whether public funding is being utilised effectively, efficiently and economically.
What are your areas of responsibility?
I am currently responsible for the planning and conducting of two audits. Within these audits, I am responsible for liaising with relevant stakeholders to help scope the audit, conduct research into areas relevant to my audits and assist with budgeting and creating timelines for these audits.
Can you describe a typical work day? What was the last thing you worked on?
Due to the evolving nature of my audits, it can be quite hard to describe what a typical day looks like. On one day I might be visiting various government departments and having meetings to help scope the audits I’m working on. The next I’ll be identifying types of evidence that I will be needing to analyse when the audit is being conducted.
What are the career prospects with your job? Where could you or others in your position go from here?
The career prospects of a performance auditor are worldwide. Governments in most countries have an audit office so the potential to move countries while still maintaining career progress is a real possibility.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely! While it may seem daunting at first, as audits look at government systems and processes, you become more familiar with the Department as the audit goes on. One of my colleagues told me during my first week that working at the audit office is great because it feels like you have a completely different job with each audit.
What would your career be if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now?
My career would most likely be somewhere in advertising or digital marketing if I wasn’t at the audit office. I studied marketing at university and worked in marketing before the NSW Government Graduate Program.
What do you love the most about your job? Which kind of task do you enjoy the most?
The best part of my job is learning how each government department operates. As an auditor, you are on the outside looking into the department and I find it very interesting seeing all the different moving parts that go on behind the scenes of policies and procedures.
What’s the biggest limitation of your job? Do you bear a lot of responsibility? Do you have to work on weekends? Are the stress levels high?
At the moment, the least favourite part of the job is travelling between different stakeholders for meetings. Whilst I do feel like I have quite a bit of responsibility, I don’t feel stressed as I get a lot of support from my manager and the NSW Government Graduate Program.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current university student?
Three pieces of advice I would give to students are: