Cynara

Consultant, Corporate & International Tax

How did you find your student experience joining BDO?

The best part about joining BDO as a Graduate is having access to a wide support network. From the recruitment team to the wider BDO community, everyone has been willing to offer their time and advice, which has helped guide me through the first step in my career.

What was your biggest surprise coming to BDO and what makes you stay?

I am always amazed by how genuine the people are. Everyone supports and respects each other in all aspects of our work. I really feel that I can be my authentic self at work.

What have you enjoyed about your service line and what didn’t you expect?

I like how varied our work is in Corporate Tax. It’s not just about crunching numbers, but also about how we can apply our analytical and research skills to different scenarios.

How have you experienced the BDO values in the workplace?

Every day I see my team living out the BDO value of ONE. Whenever I am approaching a new or unfamiliar task, I know that I can always reach out to my team for support.

Working together as ONE has made me feel more confident in my work and has encouraged me to offer a hand to others when they need it.

How would you describe BDO’s culture?

People are at the centre of our culture. BDO celebrates and recognises our own individual ideas, abilities, and unique perspectives. This has built an environment where I feel more confident to share things with my team.

What makes working at BDO rewarding for you?

Learning and gaining insights from my team whilst also feeling comfortable to share my own ideas has made me feel like a valuable part of the BDO team.

How have you been supported by leaders/managers in the firm?

My managers have provided me with a valuable mentoring experience by sharing insights into their careers, which has helped guide me on my own career path.

How has joining BDO supported you to achieve your personal aspirations and/or career goals?

The support from the management team and my peers at BDO has really helped push me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to take on new and exciting tasks. I feel more confident and willing to take on new challenges that come my way.

Arush

Analyst, Corporate Finance

How did you find your student experience joining BDO?

Joining BDO as a Graduate, I have been surrounded by a community which has supported me through the steep learning curve. BDO’s overall culture fosters a positive environment, making it easy to connect with individuals from different teams and gain insights into their experiences. Overall, I am glad I chose BDO and enthusiastically recommend it as an excellent workplace for any student!

What was your biggest surprise coming to BDO and what makes you stay?

I was pleasantly surprised by the team-oriented culture at BDO, where everyone has your back, whether it's work-related or personal. This inspires me to do better and feel assured in my work, given the strong support all around.

What have you enjoyed about your service line and what didn’t you expect?

Corporate Finance is a technically demanding service line. The team consistently prioritise knowledge development, with regular trainings as well as providing substantial exposure to different types of work. I particularly enjoy the non-repetitive nature of the work as well as the frequent technical discussions within the team.

How have your experienced the BDO values in the workplace?

ONE – There have been times where my teammates have actively offered to help meet project deadlines and discuss any work-related issues with the shared objective of providing our clients with the best service possible.

How would you describe BDO’s culture?

From my time here, I would characterise BDO's culture as a reflection of its values, with teamwork, innovation, and the human aspect at the forefront of everything we do.

What makes working at BDO rewarding for you?

Working hard at BDO is rewarding particularly because we embrace a culture that acknowledges merit. The consistent recognition and rewards for hard work are ingrained throughout the firm. This fosters client satisfaction and leads to positive feedback, which drives me even further.

How have you been supported by leaders/managers in the firm?

My managers consistently strive to ensure that my workload is manageable, extending assistance for any queries. They maintain a personal level of engagement, regularly checking in and offering necessary support. The transparency in terms of rewards and recognition, coupled with the promotion of a healthy working environment, is something I genuinely value.

How has joining BDO supported you to achieve your personal aspirations and/or career goals?

Being part of BDO has deepened my existing enthusiasm for corporate finance. I am inspired to strive for excellence and achieve my career goals.

The team culture at BDO motivates me to work harder with the knowledge that I have the support of my entire team.

Nadia

Auditor, Audit & Assurance

How did you find your student experience joining BDO?

The process of joining BDO straight out of university was a smooth one. The interviewing process was calming and not overwhelming considering it was, for many of us, our first time being placed in a full-time work environment.

It was great that BDO hosted a welcome event that allowed us to network and meet people before starting so that we knew some familiar faces on our first day. The buddy system provided us with a comfortable space to familiarise ourselves with BDO without having to worry about asking too many questions.

What was your biggest surprise coming to BDO and what makes you stay?

The biggest surprise coming to BDO is how much they provide for their employees both in and outside of work. BDO really cares for their staff and is always organising and encouraging activities outside of work. This allows colleagues to bond away from standard work hours, allowing relationships to be developed not only within teams, but also across service lines.

What have you enjoyed about your service line and what didn’t you expect?

Working in Audit has been enjoyable due to working closely in our teams every day. Coming into a 9 to 5 job, I expected to sit at a desk without much interaction. Working closely within teams has made the work more interesting thanks to an interactive workspace.

As a newcomer, I did not expect how closely I would be able to work with my team leaders and how engaged they would be with the entire team. This makes me feel like I am a significant part of each team I work with.

Lastly, I really enjoy working with so many people on multiple engagements as it allows me to be exposed to different working styles, which assists in building and developing my skill set.

How have you experienced the BDO values in the workplace?

Being Malaysian, my entire family lives abroad and working full time for the first time in a new role was extremely intimidating.

Working at BDO I have felt supported while being away from my family who live abroad. Having colleagues who support and understand my situation has given me a sense of belonging and made me feel welcome in this new environment and new stage in my life. It truly feels like I have a second family and it really shows how BDO embraces their HEART value.

What makes working at BDO rewarding for you?

The all-round experience and the opportunities to work on different clients with multiple people with varying expertise has broadened my horizon in so many ways.

How have you been supported by leaders/managers in the firm?

The BDO managers are always ready to provide valuable insights and advice in both work and non-work-related matters. They have been great mentors who put in time and effort to explain the reasons behind ‘why’ and not just provide answers to get the work done.

The managers at BDO make me feel supported by taking an interest in me and my career development to ensure that I am always on track. The multiple career conversations, goal setting sessions and catch-ups that are regularly revisited have made me feel reassured in my career.

They also repeatedly check in on my wellbeing to ensure the pressures of work are not becoming overwhelming and stressful and assist me in any way possible to mitigate this.

I have every confidence moving forward in my professional role with their constant support.

How has joining BDO supported you to achieve your personal aspirations and/or career goals?

I have always been more on the shy side and have been encouraged to be more confident and sociable. BDO has allowed me to do just this through the many opportunities they provide and their overall support.

As I am still unsure of my future direction and career path, the vast exposure across various industries, with companies of all sizes, just in a single year has provided me a great deal of confidence and clarity in deciding and setting the path towards my aspirations and career goals.

Dominic

Consultant, Employment & Expatriate Tax

How did you find your student experience joining BDO?

Starting from the interview process for the Graduate position, my experience with BDO has been very pleasant. Interviews can be daunting and tedious - especially for me as I had little interview experience. BDO’s interview process was however very personable.

They made sure to provide a comprehensive summary of what the team and working at BDO would be like. I was contacted directly to advise I was successful in getting the position.

Why did you choose BDO?

I chose BDO over other offers due to the personal touch I experienced throughout the process. This made me feel like BDO really cared about their staff.

Since joining, BDO has not disappointed. My team has been very supportive from day one. I commenced with very minimal understanding of tax (which is 70% of what our team does). Everyone was very patient in training me up and taking the time to answer all my questions. There have also been so many events organised that have helped me integrate into BDO.

What was your biggest surprise coming to BDO and what makes you stay?

The biggest surprise commencing in as a Graduate was the number of opportunities to work with everyone in the team, including directly with Partners.

There are several things that make me stay at BDO. Firstly, the learning opportunities available to me is a big reason. Being the only Graduate in a team that has a wide variety of work (employment tax, expatriate tax, and pay compliance) means I’ve had the opportunity to get my hands on a bit of everything.

The team have nurtured my development and I’ve learnt so much just in my first year. I think working at BDO and being in this team will be really valuable in developing my professional career.

Another reason is the social aspect. BDO held a lot of social events during the year which allowed me to get to know people outside my team and service line. There has also been a variety of graduate and early careers events which are a great way to build a sense of belonging.

What have you enjoyed about your service line and what didn’t you expect?

I’ve really enjoyed being able to work across the different areas within my team and being able to develop a well-rounded set of professional skills and knowledge. One thing I didn’t expect was being sent on a business trip to Sydney to meet a client as a Graduate. Although it was more of a one-off experience, it was one of the main highlights of my year.

How have you experienced the BDO values in the workplace?

I think BDO really demonstrates the value of STRIVE when working with clients. For every project or task that I work on, our team puts in their best efforts and ensures we cover the finest details so we can deliver the highest quality work for clients.

When attending client meetings with my managers, it’s clear that the clients’ needs are prioritised, and we continuously communicate with clients to ensure we understand their needs. This shows the value of HUMAN’ and how we are honest and authentic in our relationships with clients.

How would you describe BDO’s culture?

BDO has a warm and inclusive culture. From my experience, BDO has been very nurturing in terms of developing me professionally and I feel a sense of belonging in the workplace.

What makes working at BDO rewarding for you?

Being able to expand my knowledge and professional skills has been really rewarding. Having such a supportive and encouraging team around me, I’m always learning something new and developing my skills. Looking back at the start of the year, it’s really satisfying to see how much I’ve developed and grown.

How have you been supported by leaders/managers in the firm?

My managers have taken time to prepare detailed feedback for work that I’ve completed, which has reassured me of my strengths, as well as helping me identify areas for improvement.

I catch up fortnightly with my manager to help me keep on track with my goals and ultimately to support my career aspirations.

How has joining BDO supported you to achieve your personal aspirations and/or career goals?

Prior to joining BDO, I had very little idea of what I wanted to do with my career. It has been helpful to join a nurturing environment where I’m encouraged to develop at a pace that I’m comfortable with while discovering what areas I’m interested in.

I catch up with my manager regularly to talk openly about my progress and discuss what I can do to stay on track with my career goals.

Joining BDO has helped me develop my career in a warm, encouraging environment, while maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle.

Having started my career journey as a Graduate with little direction, it has been an absolute joy working at BDO. I can confidently say that joining BDO was a great decision for me.