Working at BDO

I’m Stef Jacobs – 24 years old – born in the East-Brabant village Boxmeer. I moved to Tilburg for my Bachelor Business Economics and my Master Accountancy. Currently I’m studying the Post Master Accountancy and I’m an Assistant Accountant at BDO. I would like to share my first experiences in the auditteam of BDO.

How did I come in contact with BDO
While studying I was an active member at the student association Asset | Accounting & Finance. During this period I became more aware about a future career and I wanted to gain some practical experience, next to the theory we get in the lectures. The conversations I had with employees of BDO made me instantly feel that BDO is a professional organization with a pleasant work atmosphere. That’s why I decided to apply for job opening for a work student at BDO. As a work student I worked three days a week at the Audit & Assurance unit in addition to the lectures at the university. This way, I already had a look behind the scenes at BDO, I became acquainted with the work of Accountancy and I had been to different clients. I really liked it there, so I decided I wanted to write my Master’s thesis at BDO, which I did last year. As of September I am working as an Assistant Accountant at BDO.

My first weeks
The first two or three weeks were marked by introductions, presentations and training. Together with all new colleagues of BDO the Netherlands, we went to Lunteren for several days, where we followed several training courses. Obviously, this was alternated with other activities to get to know each other better. After the introduction weeks the interim period began. During this period, we went to the customer to identify the administrative organization of the customer and describe the controls and evaluated them.

Customer Portfolio
BDO has a very diverse clientele. Of course, many profit organizations are included to our customers, but in addition, BDO is also very active in other sectors such as healthcare, municipalities and housing associations. My clientele is a mix of different industries. I personally find that quite interesting. This makes the work very diverse and challenging and definitely a lot of fun. You will draw a clear picture of the differences between different branches and you can experience what industry you really like. Ultimately, this also offers opportunities to specialize in a specific industry. I don’t know yet if I want to specialize let alone what industry. First, I want to orient myself broadly by working with all kinds of customers.

What I find important in an employer
I think trust and responsibility are very important. An employer must have faith in me and let me have my own responsibilities. I’ve experienced that trust during my time as a work student. I went to customers and was handed control related activities during this period. I also find it very important that there are possibilities to develop yourself and that people are professionally critical. My more experienced colleagues review my work and give me tips for improvement. This helps me tremendously in my personal development. Other aspects that I consider important are a pleasant working atmosphere with friendly colleagues and pleasure in your work.

“Look for things that challenge you.”

My ambitions
In terms of education I want to be a chartered accountant. I also want to continue developing within BDO by picking up new and challenging work. In the coming years I want to see as many different branches and customers as possible, so I know what really suits me. Maybe than I know if I want to specialize in the future. Also it seems like fun to guide new colleagues at one point. I’ve not yet decided whether or not I would like to become a partner at BDO in the future. I feel that I can learn a lot at BDO and the company suits me.

Tips
I would recommend anyone to think about what you would like to do in the future, in time. Look for things that challenge you. Because I was an active member of a student association, I came into contact with fellow students and several companies. It has increased my network and given me a lot of insight and motivation. I would therefore always suggest students to do more than just attending lectures, so you will find out what’s right for you.