Explore BDO Insight Week Review
at BDO
Insight Day
Finance
Baker Street
Review Submitted: August 2021
Overall Rating
4.6 /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!
4.2/5
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Overview of the Experience
4/5
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Skills Development
5/5
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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 was very informative and engaging. Multiple employees from BDO gave us an insight into what they do on a day to day basis and we learnt about different streams of accountancy e.g. audit and BS&O. We also completed a CSR group project which we presented to BDO employees. Overall it was really good.
To what extent did you enjoy your virtual experience?
4/5
Overall I really enjoyed the programme as it was one of my first experiences in a real professional environment, especially at such a big company. I learnt a lot about accountancy and the information I gathered from the employee’s presentations helped me decide which stream of accountancy I would like to aspire to work in.
How well organised was your virtual experience?
5/5
It was very well organised as we were sent out full timetables for the week a few days in advance as well as links to all the sessions. Most of the activities/sessions commenced with on time and any technical problems we encountered were resolved swiftly and without any problems. The people in charge of the sessions were very welcoming and so we could easily talk to them if we had a query/problem with accessing anything.
How much did your virtual experience help you in deciding on your future career path?
4/5
It helped me a lot because before the experience I didn’t really know much about the different streams like audit, business restructuring and outsourcing, tax and advisory. Since different employees from each sector gave us information as to what they actually do I as able to decide on which stream i would like to go in.
Were you paid or reimbursed for this experience?
4/5
We were not paid/reimbursed because it was a work experience programme and since it was virtual we did not have any travel costs etc. Nevertheless it was a valuable programme and well worth the time spent (one week). Perhaps if it was not virtual as in normal years reimbursements would be given but I am unsure as due to covid it was online.
Skills Development
What training and skills development did you learn from your virtual experience?
4/5
Throughout the experience I developed my skills as a professional and learnt how to present myself in a professional environment. I was able to develop as an individual, learning to take responsibility for my part in the group project. I also improved my time management as we had a short amount of time to research and form a powerpoint.
Company Culture
How much did you learn about the company culture and what it would be like to work there?
5/5
Since we heard from current BDO employees, I felt like I gained an accurate representation about BDO’s work culture- for the most part it seems as if BDO is a very welcoming, kind and satisfying place to work as there are many different networks to join and discrimination is taken very seriously.
Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees?
5/5
Yes. Many of the sessions involved talking to employees in large groups and we were even given opportunities to talk with BDO employees in small focused groups of 3/4. During breaks there was a section where we could network with other peers participating in the programme which was really good to make links on LinkedIn or in general.
Recommendations and Advice
Would you recommend BDO to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Because it is very welcoming, the work experience is informative and the work culture also seems so positive- where everyone is supportive of each others growth and employees are given opportunities to progress. BDO seems to put a lot of effort into its employees as well as investing a lot of money. For example, just for doing work experience we were gifted bdo hoodies and notebooks. Throughout the experience we were made to feel valued.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BDO?
Make sure in your initial application you are honest. Try to prepare for the numerical and verbal reasoning assessments that you have to partake in as part of your application (don’t stress too much about them though) and be honest in the video interview- speak calmly and be collected whilst staying honest.
