5KPMG 2021 graduate opportunities

• Name: Vanessa
• Role: Audit Empowered Graduate
• Degree: International Business Management

“I joined KPMG on the Audit Empowered Programme. Essentially, that means I go to work every day and, in amongst that, I study. The ultimate aim is to become a qualified accountant. You can opt for the Intensive Programme too, which is where you go to college to study intensively for the first year instead.

What I most enjoy about my programme is that it's varied. Every day is different. When I go to work, I never know exactly what I’ll do. I also like that I'm learning so much every day. It's sometimes overwhelming, but it challenges me in a good way.

“The training here is so broad. Outside of Audit, I’ve been able to learn about the banking industry, building societies, insurance and everything about the financial sector. It’s really useful and I’ve definitely grown in confidence.”

For me, the most exciting experience so far has been working on an audit from start to finish. It was a great opportunity to learn, and really get to grips with what was going on and what everyone does. And after months of preparation and hard work, it was really fulfilling to see everything come to a close.

Technology is a big focus for our firm, and for Audit. We have some dedicated departments that deal with audit technology. We collaborate with them – they can literally take a whole dataset and evaluate it for us. It’s obviously a big advantage when it comes to ensuring the quality of the audit.

The people here are very friendly. I've not yet met someone who isn’t willing to help or support me. It's very open, and I feel like if I were to have an issue or if I needed to talk, there’s always someone who I could talk to.

I also really like that people here enjoy working together and value the firm. KPMG supports people to be themselves – they really accept you the way you are.

I can definitely recommend joining KPMG as a graduate. You get the full package of achieving a qualification, working for a global network of firms and meeting lots of amazing people.”

Description:

Vanessa was born in Germany, where she studied International Business Management with a focus on Finance. She chose to join us not only because she wanted to work in audit, but because she’d also heard about the diversity of our people.

• Name: Rukayat
• Role: Graduate Trainee - Technology Audit in Manchester
• University: University of Manchester
• Degree: Biomedical Science

“I attended a KPMG Black Heritage Event and, from the discussions and conversations we had, I genuinely felt very comfortable. That’s when KPMG became top of my list when it came to applying for roles. I also liked that the firm was number one in the Social Mobility Index, which was very important to me because of my own background.

In Technology Audit, we focus on ensuring that the systems our audit entities use are in line with their policies. We also make sure our teams have all the technology tools they need to deliver quality audits. It gives you a holistic view of how a business works. You can look into different organisations more deeply too.

“My graduate intake is a close-knit group. It was great to start with people from all different backgrounds and we have a strong sense of community.”

The training here has been great. It’s focused on different types of skills, and not just those you need on an audit programme – areas like public speaking, personal development and giving feedback.

There are lots of opportunities to network at KPMG too. I’m a member of The Islamic Society in our Manchester office. They organise a lot of social events. For example, we recently went to an Escape Room together, and we also had an Eid group dinner.

To do well here you need to be open-minded – you might take on responsibilities you didn’t expect. But that’s a great way to learn. And determination is also key.

My advice would be - feel free to be yourself. I think it's quite natural to feel that in corporate environments you have to be a certain way, but you really don’t at KPMG. Allow your own personality to shine through and you'll definitely do well here.”

Description:

Rukayat studied Biomedical Science at the University of Manchester. After attending a KPMG event in London, she instantly felt a connection with our firm.

• Name: Adaobi
• Role: Graduate Trainee - Audit in London
• University: Royal Holloway University
• Degree: Economics and Management

"I’ve always been motivated to learn new things and that was what drew me to KPMG’s graduate programme. Their training offering is broad, and they genuinely want to help you be the best you can be. I actually turned down other offers in order to take this role. Several friends who already worked at KPMG, and whose opinions I trust, told me about their good experiences working here. That was a big factor in my decision.

"If you have a desire to learn new things, you can definitely flourish here."

Before I joined the graduate programme, I did a number of internships at large banks. If I had to highlight a key difference, it would be the level of access to a variety of companies we audit. I’m not sitting in the same office day in, day out - I’m visiting and liaising with new businesses we audit. It’s a really stimulating environment. If you work well with others and have a desire to learn new things, you can definitely flourish here.

Outside of my work in Audit, I am involved in the African and Caribbean Network at KPMG. I also play for a women’s football club, I’m an active member of the social committee and I help out with student recruitment as well. I’d also like to study a little more, so it’s great that I’m with a company that encourages that. I’m a bit of a forward planner and KPMG really enables you to choose the direction you want to take your career."

Description:

Adaobi did a joint degree in Economics and Management at Royal Holloway University before joining our Audit Graduate programme in our London office.

• Name: Malcolm
• Role: Graduate Trainee - Audit in Manchester
• University: University of Manchester
• Degree: Geology

“Since joining, I’ve found the people I work with to be on a similar wavelength to me. There’s a really good team spirit and a good social side too, and I’ve made what I think will be lifelong friends.

I chose to join the Intensive Programme, which is where you do all of your exams in the first year. After that, you work in the office and complete the final case study. It’s tough to do so many exams in a relatively short time frame, but for me, it was worth it. I like the peace of mind that comes from knowing I’ve got all of my exams out of the way.

“I love the sheer breadth of experiences, the exposure to huge organisations and the challenging work.”

It’s rewarding when you reflect on your progress – when you realise you didn’t know what was going on at first. The variety is great too. Different organisations present you with different challenges. We work with everyone from very small family businesses right up to FTSE 100 companies. One of my most interesting audit engagements was with a shipping company.

In Audit, we use technologies to analyse data. It’s all about delivering high quality audits with pinpoint accuracy. Technology helps us in other ways too. For example, there’s an app our Tech team created for us which we use at a stock take. It enables us to record the information digitally. It makes life so much easier and helps to ensure every detail is tracked.

You find yourself looking at some pretty complex stuff and initially you think, ‘I can’t do this.’ But there’s a lot of support and experienced colleagues on hand to coach you through it. It’s like you’ve got a small family that you can rely on.”

Description:

Malcolm attended an open day with us while he was studying Geology at the University of Manchester. He liked what he heard and after graduating, he joined our Audit team in Manchester.