Working at Joanknecht

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My name is Jordy van Zandvoort, I am 25 years old and originally from Oss. I studied Business Economics at the HAN in Nijmegen. After completing this study, I wanted to pursue a university education. To improve my English in a fun way, I took a gap year to travel and work in Australia. Afterward, I started with the master of Accountancy at the university in Tilburg. A year ago, I came in contact with Joanknecht and I started there as a working student. I am now active in the role of assistant assurance.

Why did you choose Joanknecht?

After a number of applications at various accounting firms, I felt at Joanknecht for the first time a real connection. It was nice that I could just come to the office during corona for a job interview, which immediately gave me a positive feeling. In addition, I think that a smaller accountancy firm suits me better than a Big 4. I like it that you really know your colleagues and that you are not treated like a number. Personality and room for development are important to me.

What does the work of an assurance assistant entail?

In the spring, you will mainly focus on data-oriented activities. This is mainly the audit of the annual financial statements. In the autumn, you perform many system-oriented activities. You mainly check the processes of organizations and see whether the internal control measures work as intended. I am currently working on the balance checks. As a starting assistant assurance, I still work on the easier balance items, but you can do more and more things! That also makes the work a lot of fun; I learn a lot from colleagues in my team.

What do you still want to achieve?

In the short term, I would like to gain as much experience as possible in the audit practice. This way I can eventually be deployed as an experienced assistant and can I have a lot of contact with customers, through which I will gain more and more customer knowledge. Moreover, I want to start with the post-master accountancy, so that I can obtain the RA title. In the long term, when I have enough experience in audit practice and accountancy, I hope to make the transition to the corporate world to take on a challenging position in the field of finance and control. Perhaps at a larger company. Who knows, maybe I can also get the RC title! However, this is all still very far away; I will see what happens. For the time being, I’m in the right place here at Joanknecht!

What do you like most about your job at Joanknecht?

That every customer is different! Production, services, agricultural organizations, construction companies, every customer is different. I really enjoy working in a customer-oriented way. I also work in many different teams; the work is very diverse. Every week is different because I work with several colleagues. The nice thing is that you also get to know many colleagues, which leads to a good connection within the team. You get together easily, which creates a personal atmosphere.

“After a number of applications at various accounting firms, I felt at Joanknecht for the first time a real connection.”

What does a working day look like for you?

That is very different, and it depends on who you are in the team with. We usually start with a daily start in which we get an update on how things are going. We discuss what we are going to do in the upcoming days and deal with any questions that arise. It is nice that you are involved in everything! After the start of the day, you can get to work yourself, but you can always circle back to one of your colleagues. The guidance at Joanknecht is very good. The engagement leaders carefully consider who will guide you and there is always someone ready to help you.

How would you describe the working atmosphere at Joanknecht?

You really get the time to learn something at Joanknecht. My colleagues motivate me to think about how I think something should be done, or why we do something in a certain way. Joanknecht is not only focused on performance but especially on your learning curve. Even in busy periods! Furthermore, there is a nice atmosphere at Joanknecht and fun activities are organized.

What is your advice for students?

An internship is highly recommended! You get to know a company next to your studies. There is certainly room for this during the master Accountancy. In the last six months of my master’s degree, I started my internship, and from that moment on more and more things started to fall into place.

My other tip is to make sure that you end up with an organization that you really like. Don’t think that your first application has to be an instant hit but be patient and think about what suits you and start several conversations.

Questions about Joanknecht? Jordy van Zandvoort is happy to answer them. Send an email to jvzandvoort@joanknecht.nl