Critical Questions Flashcards
(9 cards)
Why do you want to work at BDO?
It goes without saying that BDO is a hugely successful organisation with an impressive reputation and incredible training opportunities. However, the thing that really drew me into a career with BDO is their commitment to contributing to the wider community by providing an inclusive and sustainable service that has their customers and people at its heart. As a woman, it is really important to me to have strong and successful women to look up to at work and to encourage my own growth within BDO so I was excited to learn about your commitment to increasing female partners to 20% this year as well as your involvement with the Women in Finance charter because this just gave me real confidence in a long term career with BDO that would support my growth and along with your Race Action Plan there would be a range of diverse voices in leadership positions. Alongside this, I am really passionate about creating a sustainable future and so I really wanted to work for a firm that took this seriously and BDO certainly does that, with all of their offices being carbon neutral and fantastic goals to continue reducing their emissions in line with the Paris agreement. I think this is so important as lots of organisations are talking about change but BDO is actually achieving these goals and constantly setting more. This really gives me confidence in having a long term career with BDO as they are future focused and working to create a better world.
When researching which service line I would like to apply for, I was drawn to working in audit as I felt it was an extremely expansive area that also incorporated elements of other service lines I am interested in. For example, Audit includes aspects of consulting when managing client relationships, giving feedback and identifying areas of improvement and I would also gain familiarity with tax such as PAYE, corporation tax and VAT when analysing financial statements. I believe this would enable me to develop a broad range of skills and learn about a wide range of accounting practices. I also feel, on a more personal level, that a career within audit mirrors my strengths as I would love to build upon my prior experience building client relationships and love to work collaboratively to solve problems and be out in the field creating tangible results. I would also really enjoy the variety that would be created by meeting a range of different people and travelling to client sites and I love to get out there and get involved.
My experience in the client facing team at Citizen/as a Digital Project Executive has really equipped me with so many skills that are extremely transferable to working within audit. A big part of my role was project managing, so this means I’m able to efficiently work to strict deadlines and manage time, we had really firm deadlines such a product launches and events, work successfully as part of a team, often I was working with graphic designers, website developers, freelancers and other project managers, and the success of the campaign really hinged on our ability to work well with lots of different people delegate effectively, and create a supportive environment for everyone within the team and also taught me how to communicate really effectively with colleagues and clients alike, both in person with face to face meeting or over the phone and email.
Also talk about innovating at university and utilising new technology.
CEO/Service Lines/Biggest Clients/Revenue
Alison Rose
10 billion in 2020
Why do you want to be an accountant?/Why accounting from songwriting?
My love of interpreting data and analytical analysis was sparked when I had the opportunity to create weekly and monthly reports on client engagement and through analysing areas of strength and weakness and implementing strategic solutions that promoted growth, I developed a thirst for helping organisations succeed through analytical data analysis. This, alongside assisting the accounts team to manage client budgets, drove a passion for accounting. I also feel this is a career that mirrors my strengths and skills, as I love to work collaboratively to create tangible results and challenging myself to reach my full potential which I think is a really important element of studying the ACA alongside working.
I would like to study the ACA in particular, as alongside it being a globally recognised qualification, it will provide me with the technical knowledge and skill to put my best foot forward in my everyday responsibilities and set me up for a successful long term career with x.
What is your greatest weakness?
Trying to be more confident in asking questions when I’m not sure of something. Tend to try and figure it out myself or think I’m asking a silly question. Working on this at masterclasses - asking three questions.
Sometimes I lack the confidence to contribute or ask questions in a group setting. I realised this was a weakness that I needed to work on when I found myself sometimes lacking clarification on tasks that I was completing that I realised could have been easily remedied by asking other people for clarification. So following this I made it a goal to challenge myself to ask questions in situations that I may have originally been hesitant to and I’ve actually continued doing this throughout university as well. So an example of this is we have regular masterclasses where industry professionals give demonstrations or lectures and I challenged myself that in every class I would ask at least 3 questions. I found that through doing this I gained so much more confidence and that often these experts really appreciated the questions as it acknowledged you were interested in what they had to say and sometimes even they didn’t know the answer and would get back to me on it. I would like to build my confidence even further with continuing to challenge myself in this way in the future.
Why audit?
When researching which service line I would like to apply for, I was drawn to working in audit as I felt it was an extremely expansive area where I would be able to learn a wide range of skills and also included elements of other service lines I am interested in. For example, Audit includes aspects of consulting when managing client relationships, identifying risks and drawing conclusions and I would also gain familiarity with tax such as PAYE, corporation tax and VAT when analysing financial statements. I believe this would enable me to develop a well rounded skillset. I also feel, on a more personal level, that a career within audit mirrors my strengths as I would love to build upon my prior experience building client relationships and love to work collaboratively to solve problems and be out in the field creating tangible results. I also love variety and trying new things so….would also really enjoy the variety that would be created by meeting a range of different people and travelling to client sites and I love to get out there and get involved.
I chose to apply for privately owned business as I felt it would build more personal and meaningful relationships with clients and you would really be able to really implement tangible results that really make a difference and promote growth. I also felt it would provide the change to engage with a wide range of businesses in lots of different sectors.
Finally, I always embrace a challenge and I believe that studying towards the ACA qualification will enhance and develop my technical knowledge and skill which will in turn enable me to put my best foot forward in my everyday responsibilities and set me up for a successful long term career with Mazars.
What skills/strengths would you bring to this role?/Why are you the perfect fit for this position?
Collaboration
Project management - strict deadlines and working as part of a team
Degree - innovation and thinking outside the box, business and research improved commercial awareness and critical thinking skills
One of my biggest skills in collaboration. Working in a digital agency as part of a client services team meant that I interacted with a wide range of people on a daily basis - graphic designers, digital developers, clients, project managers. And this really equipped me with the skills to communication really effectively and clearly within a team environment both in person and over email and also to create a really inclusive space where everybody’s strengths are celebrated and can contribute.
A big part of my role was also project managing, so this means I’m able to efficiently work to strict deadlines and manage time, such a product launches and events and also effectively plan and implement a project all the way through.
Finally, my creative degree has challenged me to be constantly innovating, embracing new technology to create things and also really developed my critical thinking skills through our analytical and business modules.
Tell me about yourself
My name is Hattie and I am currently studying songwriting at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. I really enjoy the course as I’ve found it’s challenged me to be consistently innovation I have had the chance to develop myself as a critical thinker and learn to effectively analyse and interpret data and research.
Prior to attending university, I spent 2 years working in a client-facing role as a Digital Project Executive at Citizen Communication, where I was able to work with industry leading clients such as O2, as well as lots of SMEs and start-ups. This role really sparked my initial love for analytical reporting and accounts, because as part of my role I had the opportunity to prepare weekly and monthly reports on O2’s partner engagement as well as assisting the accounts department with managing client budgets invoicing, quotes and tracking payments.
(Optional to mention) Outside of university, I have enjoyed embracing the strong music culture in Brighton and have played in 9 bands and 2 showcases. I have also developed my own health and fitness by riding with Deliveroo, which has been a great way to get out and see Brighton while also supporting my studies.
Moving forward, I would love to continue this growth and expand my knowledge through working with and learning from the many talented people at x company and really channel my enthusiasm into becoming a chartered accountant.
Do you have any questions for us?
What do you see as the biggest challenges Mazars will face over the next 12 months?
What makes employees stay with Mazars longterm?
Two of your values that really excited me were responsibility and independence. Can you tell me how these values translate in the day to day workings of the role?
Why did you study your degree?
When I went to uni I was unsure what I wanted to as a future career so I decided to
