INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA BRENNAN, TORONTO CPA CAMPUS RECRUITER / TALENT, DELOITTE

INTERVIEW ON CPA RECRUITMENT WITH ANDREA BRENNAN, TALENT SPECIALIST



Hello Everyone,

Below is an interview conducted with Andrea Brennan who is campus recruiter for Toronto, Deloitte. She has agreed to answer some questions that many of you out there may have about cpa recruitment. I hope it is as helpful to you as it was for me.

1.      How many student do you recruit for your student positions?

     ·         This number varies each year and is dependent on our business needs.

2.      What are the kinds of experiences you value in the students that you recruit?

·         We are looking for well-rounded individuals who are doing well in school, are involved in extracurricular/volunteer activities and have transferable skills from their work experience.  From a soft skills perspective, we look for individuals: who are strong communicators (both verbal & written), take initiative, critical thinkers, work well in teams and on their own.

3.      How many years of experience do you require for your staff positions?

·         The staff accountant positions are entry level roles, so students are required to have completed their undergraduate degree and related CPA courses, but there is no required number of years of previous experience.

     4.         Do you recruit staff accountant from other industries other than the chartered accounting   industry? For example can someone with experience in internal audit for non-profits get an auditing position at Deloitte or do you recruit solely those with chartered accounting experience.

·         Through campus recruiting, we are only filling CPA positions.  As a candidate it is the individual’s responsibility to show how their previous experience (whether work, extracurricular or volunteer) will help them be successful as a CPA at Deloitte.

     5.        I am currently an independent student meaning that i already completed my degree and I   am now independently taking the 51 credit hours required by Cpa Ontario in order to sit for the cpa-ca exams, since i am not affiliated with any specific program, how would you advise me on securing a position from chartered accounting firms such as yours, that usually recruit from programs.

·         Our next recruitment cycle will take place in September 2014 for positions starting in September 2015.  To apply you will need to include your resume, cover letter and unofficial transcripts.  Our postings will go live towards the end of August and be up until mid-September.  If there are any networking opportunities available through the CPA Ontario Institute or the alumni program at your university, I’d encourage you to attend those events.  Additionally if CPA Ontario offers any resume review sessions you should participate in those activities, you can also reach out to friends you know who work at the various firms to understand their experiences with the recruitment process and see if they are willing to review your application.

6.      What is the work culture at Deloitte?

·         I’ve found Deloitte to have an open/supportive environment and a work hard/play hard attitude.  For new staff accountants their first year is focused on learning: about their clients, the work that they are doing, the Deloitte methodologies and passing their CPA exams.  As staff progress to intermediate and senior roles, they will take on more leadership responsibilities and will be involved in training/leading junior staff.

     7.        How does Deloitte prepare their student to take the Cpa exams, what kind of support do you offer?

·         Deloitte offers in house prep sessions, study days and a buddy system for the exams.  

8.      What sort of work do junior accountant or co-op student get exposed to at your firm?

·         Junior staff will be put on client engagements from when they join the firm.  These engagements will vary by group and time of the year, so it may be that a new hire is staffed on a large engagement that takes several weeks or months to complete while his/her peer could start off staffed on several small engagements.  In addition to working on client work, new hires will complete various mandatory training programs, so of which will take place during down time between engagements.

9.      How big is your downtown firm, how many people work there?

·         There are currently over 2000 staff who work in the Toronto region.  The Toronto region is made up of 8 offices that are located in Vaughan, Mississauga and downtown Toronto.  Our staff work in Audit, Tax, Enterprise Risk Services, Financial Advisory, Consulting and our internal services.

10.       Does Deloitte do any work in their community such as donate to certain causes or   volunteer for certain causes or community?

·         Deloitte is associated with several charities, some of our larger initiatives include United Way and Deloitte Impact Day (an annual event that has all Deloitte staff taking a day to volunteer in their community

11.       What is your firm’s preference between for example; a student who graduate from a non-accounting degree and has completed the 51 credit hours versus, one who has completed a master of accounting program. Is one preferred over the other? Or do they both have the same chance?

·         We consider both candidates and do not value one over the other.  As a candidate, you are responsible for using the application process to show us what skills you will bring to the firm and how you will be successful as a staff accountant.

12.              What would make a cpa student stand out to you? 

·         As I mentioned before we are looking for well-rounded individuals.  Please refer to question two for additional information.

13.              Please find my resume below. What sort of skill or experience do you think i should be pursuing in order to put me more attractive

·         I encourage you to connect with the Career Center at your university and get their feedback on your application.