Assurance: audit semi-senior

Matt Stocks is an audit semi-senior at BDO. He completed a degree in management at the University of Manchester and is studying for ACA qualification.

I completed an eight-week summer internship programme with BDO in my penultimate year at university and gained some great experience: industry exposure, an understanding of finance, dealing with different types of clients and a boost of confidence. They liked me enough to make me an offer on their graduate trainee programme which I happily accepted.

Face time

The majority of my time is spent onsite at a client’s, checking their financial data is accurate. I talk to a wide range of people in various departments throughout the day. Assurance is very much a face-to-face sector. As I progress, I will be able to specialise in particular industries if I choose, but at the moment I am enjoying the variety of work and the variety of clients, eg a retail client one week, a property client the next.

Advice to graduates

When any of us starts a new job it can be daunting as we know nothing, but it is amazing how quickly you get up to speed. We get a lot of training, learning on the job and support from the firm. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions.