How many times have you heard someone tell you to “be confident?” Whether it has been before an interview, networking session or an exam, I have been told many times, “Fahad, just be confident. That’s all that matters.” But what does that even mean? I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard, and told, students the same thing because it always sounds like the right thing to say. How exactly does one just “become confident?” I do not know about you, but I don’t have a button on my body labeled “confidence” that I can just turn on and off as I please. Lucky for you, I know that recruiting season is fast approaching and your interview with PwC (fingers crossed) is right around the corner. That is why this blog post will teach you how to turn the “confidence switch” on the next time someone tells you to just be confident!

Nervous. Excited. Stressed. Confused. Restless. This is only a fraction of what students feel before the recruiting season takes over their lives. Read on to familiarize yourself with my personal set of tips and tricks on what you can do now to stay ahead of your competition before recruiting season sweeps you off your feet.

Failure: a topic that many dislike reading about and more so, a topic that many dislike experiencing. Whether you have previously failed an exam, an interview, or any other situation that you have crossed paths with, you must realize that failure is inevitable. Everyone has failed at some point in their career and everyone is bound to fail at some point in the future. I am no exception. Regardless of however much I have “achieved” to-date in my career, I have failed multiple times in life. Failure has made me the relatively “successful” person I am today. Dealing with failure for the first time is not an easy task, but once failure is overcome and dealt with face-to-face, there is nothing in this world that you should fear, not even failure itself. Read on to find out how I have capitalized on personal failures and how I have turned them into success stories that hopefully you can learn from!

Sweaty palms, gelled-back hair and a brand new suit. You think you are ready for your first day at work, but are you? As I look back to my first day at PwC as a New Associate, besides being nervous and excited, I can tell you that it was definitely one of the greatest feelings of my life. I knew I had made the right decision by choosing PwC as the firm where I would launch my career given the transition from university to a professional environment was seamless. Everybody at the firm was smiling, welcoming and equally as excited as I was. Having completed my first year at the firm, I want to take this opportunity to share with you what I believe are the five most essential things you should keep in mind before you head out for your first day at work, which hopefully will be at PwC!