#GradStories Iana Ivashkevich, Audit Trainee, BDO Ireland

What does a typical day look like for you?

I start my day by checking my emails and planning meetings with my colleagues. Then I work with information that the client has provided. You prepare the working papers and get into the details of each job. I also communicate a lot with my team and have frequent catch up calls.

What skills do you need to be successful in your role?

You need a diverse set of sills to be successful in an audit role. You need good communication skills to keep in contact with your colleagues, manager and clients. So, you need to know how to be sociable but professional.

Audit requires good time management skills. You may have three different clients at a time, and you’d need to manage your time accordingly. BDO provides a lot of support in that regard

How did you find out about the role?

I did my master's in accounting at TU Dublin and then I got an intern position at BDO. I was an Intern for three months in the audit department and I really liked it. After that we had a closing interview and they offered me a contract for three years.

What advice would you have for students?

Develop your ability to take initiative. You will be asked early on to take on responsibility and talk with different clients. You will have lots of different tasks so you will need to learn to prioritise. Do not be afraid to ask lots of questions, going into the audit you’ll have lots of different questions.

What do you love about your job?

I love the diversity of tasks that the job involves. You get to apply your theoretical knowledge into practice at every stage in many areas. It’s never boring, you have different clients, and you learn about all types of different businesses.

You’re also exposed to different types of people, so you learn to deal with clients and mangers.

How have you adjusted to working from home?

For my first three months with BDO, I was working from home. They were very accommodating in that regard. They provided me with a second screen and a chair. It made my work from home experience easy, if you have a quiet environment, it’s not hard to focus on the job. At the moment the first, second and third year trainees are working from the office four times a week. This is to promote the office culture and make it easier to ask questions.