Overall Rating
3.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
2.6/5
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Overview of the Experience
4/5
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Skills Development
4/5
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Company Culture
Overview of the Experience
Please give an overview of what your virtual experience involved:
4/5
The virtual experience involved many activities which allowed me to engage with other students. The BDO team offered much advise and and answered many questions in regard to accounting. This helped me to realise that accounting is a possible career for me. Overall it was amazing and enjoyed by me.
To what extent did you enjoy your virtual experience?
4/5
I enjoyed my work experience to a great extent. They helped me to clear any doubts I had about going into accounting as a career and also helped me to understand what accounting is all about rather than the typical stereotype of accountants being excellent in maths. They helped me to realise that I can learn a variety of subjects that aren’t maths based and still pursue a career in accounting which eased my anxieties a lot.
How well organised was your virtual experience?
3/5
In terms of organisation, the work experience was ok. We had links sent out via email to get into the meeting; however, this sometimes became very stressful because the links would be everywhere and sometimes I wouldn’t even receive the email even after checking my junk. Once I got onto the meeting though everything would become clear about what was going to happen during the day who benefitted me a lot.
How much did your virtual experience help you in deciding on your future career path?
1/5
BDO helped me decide on my future career paths greatly. They promoted all sectors of accounting and explained each sector really well. This helped me to decide if I went into accounting what sector I would focus on. BDO also helped me to realise that I could take any subject and still have a good chance to get into their firm.
Were you paid or reimbursed for this experience?
1/5
I wasn’t paid for this experience because there were no courses that could be offered to me. This virtual work experience was purely educational for me to learn about accounting as a career and how BDO treat their staff, with equality and understanding. Being paid or not didn’t bother me because I was gaining valuable knowledge which definitely helped me decide for the future.
Skills Development
What training and skills development did you learn from your virtual experience?
4/5
In my training I learnt how to act and what to say in an interview. I trained to create a PowerPoint filled with information about a charity that the company could support. This helped me with skills like communication amongst other colleagues and presentation skills, like how to clear my voice before speaking and how to make a presentation more engaging.
Company Culture
How much did you learn about the company culture and what it would be like to work there?
4/5
I learnt so much about the companies culture and just from their talks and sessions with them I felt welcomed and safe. The encouraged everyone from any background to participate and there was no such thing as exclusion. Even the staff had a mixture of backgrounds who came from studying all sorts of subjects.
Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees?
4/5
There were multiple chances which allowed me to the meet with other students and discuss opportunities with them. Smaller groups were also made to talk and ask various questions to an employee. This helped me get an insight into their life and how they managed to get their career choice.
Recommendations and Advice
Would you recommend BDO to a friend?
Yes
Why?
BDO was very helpful for narrowing down different sectors and opportunities in accounting as a company. They will allow others to ease themselves if they are having issues on what career path to follow or even to find a possible career. BDO made me feel welcomed, even virtually I felt at ease and it helped me realise that this was an amazing company to work in and that there are many jobs within a company that we have no idea about that might interest us.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BDO?
I would advice others to learn the BDO values because they were mentioned a lot and were the base of any discussions we had just to outline the seriousness of the company. I would also advise them on learning the companies key strengths and weaknesses so that in the future they can link back to it to strengthen the company.
