Niall Smith, Financial Management & Outsourcing Trainee, Mazars

Last updated: 13 Oct 2023, 08:33

Niall Smith, Financial Management & Outsourcing Trainee, Mazars

What's your name, job and employer?

My name is Niall Smith. I work in Outsourcing and Financial Management at Mazars.

What does your job involve?

A normal week would consist of book-keeping, financial reporting and preparing management accounts for a different range of clients. Also involved is liaising with clients, external auditors and revenue commissioners. The clientele we provide services for would be public sector SMEs and multi-national companies. The teams I work in consist of partners and senior management but would also have trainees and interns involved. We would provide ad hoc services as well so we could actually be doing anything. We kind of act as the financial department for a lot of firms coming to Ireland. That's something quite interesting in the role that I work in. A lot of the multi-nationals that come to Ireland are actually established in other countries and are looking at breaking through into the Irish market.

What skills are important to be successful?

Basic skills you need are communication and also technical skills. Communications would be both upwards towards partners and senior management and then downwards towards other trainees and interns. Mazars provide training for a range of different topics. It's important to show ownership and be proactive in your work.

What do you love about your job?

What I love about the job is the people that work there. I really believe that people make the firm what it is. Mazars are constantly having social nights, organising sporting events and volunteering for various charities. This initiates networking within the firm. It allows people from various departments to get to know each other. This makes it easier to work going forward because you know people in different departments on a personal and business level.

How did you get into your job?

After college I was working as an intern in a large company in Dublin. I found the work repetitive and systematic. I wanted something fresh so I applied for Mazars. My first thought was that there was a good vibe within the firm. There's a friendly atmosphere and a friendly environment for teams working together. Within my first week in Mazars I was allocated a multi-national company which was established abroad. It was a huge boost and was the change I was looking for.

What advice would you give a first year student?

Students would be preparing for exams. They would have assignments and might have part time jobs and hobbies, so they are trying to get everything together themselves. It's not much different when you do start working. You have the exact same elements where you're working while studying for professional exams and you do have hobbies outside work as well, so there's not much transition from college to starting work. I would recommend to students not to worry about it.

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