The Best Summer of my Life

“The best summer of my life.” Whenever anyone asks me how my summer was this is exactly my response. I had the opportunity to work at Grant Thornton LLP this summer out of their Markham office. Every aspect of the internship was a memorable experience from the training, the staff, challenges, and responsibility.

The first week the firm trains you, which was very informative; it was a great way to understand how the business works and the processes used by Grant Thornton. What I appreciated was that all the staff understood that you did not know anything about the business and auditing which gave me the freedom to ask as many questions as I wanted. Furthermore, it is apparent that they want to teach you about all aspects of the business and share their valuable experience of different clients they have been on and what they learned through the years with the firm.

Throughout the summer, I had the privilege of working in three areas of GT; which were Forensics, Independent Business Group, and Audit. Forensics was an interesting experience as you see the potentially fraudulent side of accounting. It definitely requires plenty of attention to detail as even the smallest oversight can change the outcome of the case.

After forensics I worked in IBG, there I primarily handled Notice to Readers along with T2 tax returns. I worked under a partner and two senior managers and to say they were helpful would be an understatement. I made many mistakes on my first few files and was so overwhelmed but they sat down with me and helped me work through them. They were very encouraging and told me that is exactly how everyone starts. Sure enough after a few files, I was completing them on my own and the partner would come and ask my opinion of how we should tax plan for the upcoming year for that specific client. It truly made me feel that even though I was an intern they thought I could bring value to the company and cared to hear my views.

Finally, I was in the audit practice, I went on three audits that included an educational institution, a construction company, and finally a public materials technology company. What I enjoyed about audit was the amount of interaction you get with the clients; you are actually building relationships with them and learning about their business. Furthermore, on an audit I was given low risk sections and the team was great in taking my questions and also giving me responsibility of the whole section and once I was done my section a manager would review it and teach me the areas I needed to improve on. However, it did not stop there, as I was getting comfortable with the low risk sections the managers would let me work on other parts of the file and I always had the opportunity to see the whole file so that I could understand how my work was influencing the other parts of the audit.

On the culture side, the people at the firm are absolutely wonderful, everyone was so welcoming and down to earth it feels like you are part of a family. Right from day one, they all treated you as if you were a full-time staff. Socials were fun, we had a day at Wonderland where everyone from the office came, we went on the rides, had a great lunch and did a scavenger hunt. In addition, on the Friday’s of an audit, the manager would take the team out to a restaurant lunch, which was a nice little treat.

Finally, all the interns at GT, BDO, & Crowe Soberman teamed up together in the annual Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. We got our butts kicked, but the tournament was a lot of fun it was an experience full of laughter despite the loss.  Afterward we went to Bier Market with all the staff that attended and we had such an enjoyable time with food and drinks.

Again, “the best summer of my life” it has been a truly great experience with Grant Thornton LLP and I look forward to rejoining the team next September. If any of you have, any questions please feel free to reach out to me.

Jason Kanji
Marketing Director, 2014 - 2015
Atkinson Professional Accounting Association
W: www.yuapaa.com
E: jason.kanji@yuapaa.com

Summer Internship at PwC – An opportunity of a lifetime

This past Summer was an amazing one to say the least as Moneka and I got to work at PwC in the Audit & Assurance Group (AAG). Our time at PwC was spent learning & developing ourselves, taking on challenging work, making a lot of new friends, meeting with PwC staff and executives, as well as having loads of fun on PwC’s Summer Friday Sessions! In this blog, we will cover our experiences at PwC and hopefully give you a better perspective of what a Summer term at PwC looks like.

Ammar’s Experience:
 
I worked out of the Metro North Office, located right outside Finch station and I was a part of a PwC’s Private Company Services (PCS) Group (my decision). I got to work on a diverse set of clients ranging from Not-for-Profits to Private companies during my term and I have to say, I enjoyed every bit of it.

Right off the bat, it was clear that the firm really values your development as a professional. All the interns went through 2 weeks of Assurance 1 which is a program that provides adequate training to get you started, even if you have never taken an Audit class ever before! Although you would have went through training before you started on your first client, you`re never expected to know everything and you have the freedom to ask as many questions to your Senior on the job as you want to.

What`s unique about PCS is that you`re usually part of smaller teams (the biggest team I was on was 4 people, 2 of us were summer students). Since the teams are smaller, there`s a high chance that even as an Intern, you will be working on certain areas of the file which you would not get a chance to work on if you are on a much larger client with a huge team – not that Interns on larger clients don`t get to do work, it just has a different dynamic to it. You also get the chance to work closely with the top executives at the client. For example, I was interacting with the Controller at one of my clients on a daily basis. The experience really helps build your confidence and in a way, pushes you to really learn what kind of work you`re doing and why you`re doing it. As an added bonus, if you do a good job, your Senior might give you some Acclaim points which you can later redeem for some nice little gifts for yourself (I got a watch!).

My experience was diverse in the sense that I got to work on different types of jobs – year-end, interim, pension audit – and I got to work out of all 3 offices (Mississauga, Metro North, Downtown). I appreciated this opportunity because it allowed me to get a feel of every office and although the PwC culture remains intact across all offices, there is a different tone to each office and whichever office you`d like to work from boils down to your personal preference.

As Moneka mentions in her post, at PwC you`re assigned a Coach who is typically an Experienced Senior Associate from your office. Your Coach is your go-to person if you have anything you`d like to discuss such as your goals, what kind of clients and industries you`re interested in etc. My Coach was amazing because he always kept in touch with me and never hesitated to meet with me if I had any questions or concerns. Moneka also touches on my favourite part of our Summer Internship experience – Summer Friday Sessions. At these sessions, the Interns really came together as one big family and it was great to see everyone bond as we took part in various fun activities over the course of the summer – including winning the Big 4 Ultimate Frisbee Tournament for the 3rd time in a row!
            
As I`ve already mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at PwC and it was definitely one of the best Summers I`ve ever had from a career perspective and also a social perspective. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to Moneka or myself and we`d be happy to talk to you!

Moneka’s Experience:

It is sufficient to say that this summer at PwC has been an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity. From the Friday sessions to the great clients and the constant coaching and the great friends I met, I have gained significant new experiences and knowledge this summer.

I mainly worked on clients in the TICE (Technology, Information, Communications and Entertainment) industry under the Auditing and Assurance Group (AAG). The clients I worked on ranged from small emerging clients to larger clients of PwC. I truly learnt a lot about what difficulties companies in the growth stage of their business face versus what obstacles larger companies may face. What enriched my client experience more was the constant coaching that I received from other seniors/managers on that job through PwC’s teach-don’t-tell teaching style. This teaching style has aided me in getting out of my comfort zone by trying to find answers on my own and by giving me the right amount of space and independence to understand which accounting procedures are appropriate to conduct at a specific point in time. I even got to meet the Jonas Brothers while working on a client that owned radio stations! Picture is shown below. I also got to play hockey at Yonge-Dundas Square with other fellow PwC-ers with the CEO of ING Group for a charity called FiveHole for food. Opportunities are boundless at PwC .

At PwC, every person gets a coach that is a certified CA- the coaches guide their coachees through decisions regarding career moves, client work and the constant development in their performance. My coach has guided me all throughout the summer and helped answer any questions or concerns I may have had which definitely enriched my summer experience more.

But what really makes PwC summer internship program different than the programs in the other firms is the Friday Sessions and the firm culture! Friday sessions usually consist of an informational an educational portion in morning such as Public Speaking Workshop and an Industry Panel consisting of partners and associates of various levels at the firm that share their experiences which is followed by a Q & A session. After the morning portion and post-lunch, we are usually able to change into more casual attire in preparation for the activities planned for that day. Examples of Friday sessions include going sailing at the Harbor Front, the ultimate Frisbee tournament against the Big 5 accounting firms, and karaoke at the 3 Brewers.
   
 I can easily say that I have had the best time this summer at PwC; I met some incredible people, gained significant new knowledge and took a step in the right direction in my career. If you are interested in applying for a job at PwC, I highly recommend it! It will be a decision I know you won’t regret.

Networking Boot Camp - The Do's and Don'ts

It is that time of year again…what time of year is it you might ask? If you answered back to school time, then you are already not prepared. The thing that is worse than going back to school is the nerve wrecking recruiting season. Recruiting should be the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word ‘September’. For those of you who do not know, September is what I like to call the ‘busy’ season for recruiting – both for students and representatives from accounting firms. It is during this month when the big accounting firms – BDO, Deloitte, EY, Grant Thornton, KPMG, and PwC – look to find talented undergraduate students to join their companies. If you do not know already, this year, the Big 4 accounting firms will be holding the Joint School Information Session in September and APAA will be hosting Grant Thornton Networking Event.

My First ‘Networking’ Experience

A lot of students do not understand the importance of attending these networking events (such as the Joint School Information Session) and networking with representatives from each of the big firms. The fact is, you will not be able to land a job with these big firms if you do not network. That being said, I always run into students who have never networked before and do not know how to network. I know how that felt. When I was in my first year, I was lucky enough to attend the ICAO CA$H Competition in 2012. This is where I had my first experience with networking and it was the biggest FAIL! After the competition, I was lucky enough to meet recruiters from the big 4 accounting firms. Yet, I did not know what to ask, what to do, or how to properly introduce and excuse myself from a ‘networking circle’. I ended up only talking to Michael Shelsen (EY Recruiter) for most of the night. Michael Shelsen is a hilarious guy and you will hear the most outrageous TRUE stories from that man. If you ever get a few minutes, I always recommend speaking to him.

So you might ask how was this a fail? Do not get me wrong, I met Michael Shelsen that day and I still to this day enjoy speaking to him. Yet, looking back to that event, I did not ask any questions because I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO ASK.  Also, I only spoke to one representative during that event. The point of networking is to talk to as many people as possible from all of the firms. Your goal is to learn as much as possible about each firm’s core values, culture, and even try to get an idea of how a typical work day at the firm looks like. You want to see which firm you can picture yourself working for in the future.

For this reason, I decided to write this blog to show the do’s and don’ts of networking in hopes that you will gain some insight into the world of networking and how to leave a lasting impression on anyone you meet.

Do’s

1. Dress – How you are dressed speaks volumes to the recruiter.
• Men – You have to wear a suit – Black, Grey, or Navy – with a tie and a pocket square (preferred)
• Women – Suit Blazer and dress which is not too revealing.
2. Buy Business Cards – You are in the business world now. You should have your own business card. Make sure they have your contact information. My first business card had a world globe on one side and professional type email, program name, school, and phone number.
3. Image – You should always smile and have a straight posture. You want to portray yourself as a confident individual.
4. Entering a Circle – If you happen to notice that there is a circle around someone, try to kindly ask one of the students to make some space so you can fit in.
5. Too busy? – I recently spoke to a PwC Recruiter who said that if you happen to notice that one representative is busy with too many people, go speak to the other representative. You should talk to as many people as possible instead of just the ‘main’ recruiter. At the end of the event, the ‘main’ recruiter will ask all the other representatives which students they liked. If you were one of 5 people who spoke to the new associate, chances are, that associate will put in a good word for you instead of trying to make a good impression with the main recruiter who spoke to over 200 students.
6. Introduction - When entering into a circle, be sure to make your presence known. If you enter into a circle, you have to use your judgment to know when it is the right time to introduce yourself. If a recruiter is in the middle of a story or answering a question, wait until they pause in order to introduce yourself. Once they finish answering, Say something like “I just wanted to introduce myself…My name is (Insert Name) and I am a (number) year student from (School name) University.”
7. Handshake – At the introduction point, you reach out for a handshake. Handshake is extremely important. You should give them a firm handshake. This might sound ridiculous but even getting a friend and practicing how to give a handshake can be beneficial. The ‘web’ between the thumb and index finger of your hand should touch the web between the thumb and index finger of the other person.
8. Asking a question – The hardest part about being in a circle is finding the right time to ask a question. When the recruiter ‘pauses’ for a slight second, that is when you should ask a question. A lot of times, students are so eager to ask a question that they rudely interrupt the recruiter. The key is to identify the right time to ask a question. This skill is only gained through practice. You should always ask questions that you are genuinely interested in. Try to ask question about the firm’s values, culture etc... and how these key elements are demonstrated within the firm.
9. Exiting/Excusing yourself from a circle – This sometimes is hard to do. Recruiters love to see someone who can properly excuse themselves from the circle. Be completely honest with them. When they pause for a break, tell them “It was great meeting/seeing you. You clarified a lot of my questions/concerns. I am going to go speak to other representatives. Do you mind exchanging information?” At this point you will exchange business cards. You will then say thank you, and give them another handshake and leave.
10. Following up with recruiters – When the event is over, be sure to follow up with the recruiters in the next couple of days. Grab all the business cards you collected and send an email to all the representatives expressing your thanks. Just say “Hi, it is (name)  from (School Name) University. It was really nice to meet/see you at (Event name) .” Also say something so that they remember who you are. For example, if you talked to them about soccer, mention that you enjoyed the conversation you had about soccer. You can also take this opportunity to ask any question you might have. It is a great way to get a reply from the recruiter and keep the email exchanges going between you and that recruiter. If the recruiter is on twitter, instead of sending an email, you can also send them a thank you tweet.
    

Dont’s

1. Dress – Do not wear jeans or clothing that is too revealing. KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL. You do not want to look like you are going to a club. You will leave a bad impression on representatives and if I was you, I would prefer to stay home than to purposely go to a networking event wearing jeans or other casual clothes.
2. Business Cards – I would refrain from putting a picture of yourself and year of study. If you really want to put a picture of yourself, please get a professional picture taken by a photographer. I would not include year of study because you would have to replace your card every year to update the year of study.
3. Image –You do not want to slouch or look like you have been having a bad day.
4. Entering a Circle – Do not try to shove your way into a circle especially when they are too full. Go to another representative and come back when the person is less busy.
5. Introduction – Do not interrupt the recruiter to introduce yourself. Also do not tell them your whole life story as part of your introduction. Keep it short and sweet.
6. Handshake –You do not want to break the persons hand by giving a strong hand shake but at the same time, you do not want to give them a flimsy handshake.
7. Language - I will admit that I love to use slang when I am with my friends. But when you are in a networking event, please keep in mind that you should use proper grammar and most importantly, do not swear. You want to demonstrate that you are well mannered. Do not be surprised if you encounter some recruiters who like to swear.
8. Asking a question – DO NOT ASK ACCOUNTING QUESTIONS. I cannot emphasize this more. Any recruiter will tell you that they HATE when students ask technical accounting questions. Do not go ask about the firm’s financial reports etc… This is probably one of the BIGGEST mistakes students make because they want to show firms that they are smart and knowledgeable about the technical accounting. Furthermore, avoid asking questions too personal about the recruiter. It is fine to ask about their experiences or where they graduated. If you have spoke to them multiple times then yes, you can ask them questions that might be a bit more personal but still use discretion. 
9. Exiting/Excusing yourself from a circle – Do not leave the circle without excusing yourself. It is extremely rude. You should thank the recruiter for taking their time to answer your questions.
10. Following up with recruiters – Do not send the exact same email to multiple representatives especially from the same firm. You can use the same layout but always try to personalize the email to each representative. It shows that you really put an effort and you care. It also allows them to remember who you are since you personalized it to include what you guys possible spoke about. Furthermore, you would always run the risk of them finding out that you just sent them all a generic email or you accidentally forgot to change certain words of the generic email. I have read about situations in which a person would forget to change a critical detail in the generic email that they sent. For example, they would send an email to ‘Bob’ although the email says “Dear Joe"

Well that is it, you now have the tools to make a lasting impression on anyone you meet. I wish you all the best in the upcoming recruiting season. In the mean time, be sure to read Shadib Newaz blog post about How to prepare for September Recruitment

Kind Regards,

Michael Martins
President
Atkinson Professional Accounting Association

Coffee with Mr. Big Shot

As I sat in the subway on a busy Monday morning, I was shocked with the following events to come. My hands were shaking from feeling anxious. The heat of rush hour commute did not help soothe my nerves away. Glen Gilbert, Managing Partner of Southern Ontario for Grant Thornton (GT), had agreed to a one-on-one coffee session with me. In short, this is a big deal.

Asking professionals, whom I have made a connection with during networking events, for a coffee session has become a norm to me. Although it was uncomfortable at first, I realized that staying idle would be a tremendous loss for me. Sure, I have gotten “no’s” to my coffee session invitations but I celebrate and make the most out of any “yes” that comes my way. We also need to remember that a “no” is not a “no forever”. In short, coffee sessions are a great way to establish and further enhance your relationship with professionals. More importantly, it is a great opportunity to learn from each other by sharing experiences.

It was nerve-wrecking to talk to Glen Gilbert at a networking event. You can imagine my joy when he agreed to my invitation. Somehow, I had a preconceived notion that it would be similar to meeting a real life Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada. However, I was completely mistaken. Instead, he is one of the nicest individual I’ve met throughout APAA.

As I walked into the GT downtown office, you can sense the feeling of “family” within the organization. I informed the receptionist about my appointment. She went above and beyond to ensure Glen Gilbert knew that his 10:00 appointment has arrived even though I was only a student.

Helen, the receptionist, calls everyone by their first name. It wasn’t “Mr. Glen Gilbert” or “Mr. Gilbert”. It was just Glen. From that point on, it was clear to me that titles did not play a role on how they treat each other. Instead, there is a sense of family and togetherness within the firm which helped me calm my nerves down.

Glen had invited me into his office. As soon as we sat down, I informed him the purpose of our session were to give me the opportunity to learn from his experiences, gain a new perspective and acquire a preview of GT’s Culture. How often will I get a chance to sit in a one-on-one session with someone who I aspire to be one day? I took this opportunity and used it to my advantage. I was determined to pick his brain in order to learn from his experiences.

Now, I would like to share my key takeaways from our conversation to you:

What sets you apart? Glen: Personality. Glen and I had an interesting conversation about the recruiting process. It seems he viewed it as a pyramid shown below:

First of all, everyone needs to start out with demonstrating intelligence. The ICAO requires a minimum overall GPA of 70% in order to be a CA. Additionally, the rationale for the rigorous testing from the ICAO is to ensure that every CA/CPA has the ability by interpreting the standards to articulate intelligent solutions for complex accounting problems.

Secondly, the firm has to believe that you are able to bring value to the firm and their clients. Let’s think about this logically. Why would they hire anyone who they believe will tarnish the quality associated with their brand? In my experience, I believe the best way to demonstrate your value to firms is through your cover letter. How? Research their firm values, connect these values to your own experiences and demonstrate these values in your cover letter.

After you have shown your intelligence and ways as to how you can add value to the firm, ask yourself “what would set you apart?” Personality. Public accounting is a service oriented business. An audit ranges from 1 week- several months. Well, this may mean sharing an office with 2-10 co-workers. More importantly, auditors deal with client interactions on a daily basis. With your personality, you can either provide a great or bad experience to clients

This is the main reason why we have networking events. If personality doesn’t matter, the firms would just hire the brightest candidates in each school. The best way to demonstrate your personality is by staying true to yourself. We are able to achieve this by being confident and comfortable with others. If we see recruiters by their titles and position, our nerves will get the best of us. At the end of the day, recruiters are humans too. Remember, you can’t change who you are. You have to work with what you got!

Confidence is grounded with experience. Recruiters can always tell if you are not confident. You need to be able to demonstrate your confidence. If you don’t believe in your own abilities, why would anyone else do? Glen had an interesting advice to build one’s confidence. How? Through building our experiences. As we gain more experiences, we will start believing in ourselves and our abilities.

Let’s look at this the other way. Confidence supported with no experience demonstrates a person thinking highly of themselves based on nothing. This goes back on demonstrating your values. If you don’t have confidence, how are you able to persuade others about your ability to add value? You don’t even believe it yourself. You have to start saying “I can” rather than “I can’t”. Once you change your mentality, the second step is to demonstrate your capabilities by clearly exhibiting your achievements from previous experiences throughout your resume.

You will never stop making mistakes. Let’s face it. We are all human. Thus, we will inevitably make mistakes. According to Glen, the key is learning from them. Mistakes make us a better person. This is not my first time going through recruiting season. However, the mistakes I learned throughout the process had made me more confident and a stronger person.

Well, this is my summary of my coffee session with Mr. Big Shot. Did you catch my mistake there? It isn’t Mr. Big Shot. If I kept this mentality, it would’ve prevented me from showing my true self. The key is to show who you are. By being my true self, I was able to talk to him about his family’s vacation in Newfoundland and exchanged many more interesting life stories. When I left the GT office, it isn’t Mr. Big Shot anymore. It is just Glen.

- Angelet Lim