McGladrey Orientation and Training: "I have worked with a variety of clients"

Written by Amy Gilbert

Assurance Associate

Baltimore, MD

I am McGladrey! This slogan was repeated many times by the new hires at orientation this fall attended by 450 of us at the Q Center in Chicago. After the week and half of orientation and training I truly felt as if I was becoming McGladrey. As I prepared to leave for training many thoughts ran through my head as to who I would meet, what opportunities may be presented to me, and where I might end up in the next few years in my career.

During orientation and training, I was able to be introduced to many individuals that had established a lasting career with McGladrey; this gave me hope for my future. As the training days continued I realized there were 449 other individuals in the exact same position as me. These individuals were starting a new career, anxious about the workload and busy season and also at the stressful point in life of trying to balance work life, social life and studying for the dreaded CPA exam. Even though we came from all over the country and we had different stories about why we chose McGladrey, we were all the same; we were the new hire class of 2011, we are McGladrey.

Training did not stop as I departed from the Q Center, real training had only begun. It was time to visit the office as a “real employee” and to prepare for my first client visit. This can be a stressful time for new hires especially for those that never experienced a client visit through an internship.  During training when I was told that the learning curve at McGladrey was high the first year, I was not sure what to think. Now, I know what they mean. Every day that I visit a client or go to the office to work, I know about twice as much as I knew the day before. There are simple tasks that can appear to be repetitive, but they are skills that are extremely important and will be utilized every day - becoming a master at these basic skills will prove you to be an asset to your team.

I have worked with a variety of clients from car dealerships, to wholesale clients, to logistics trucking companies and not one of them have been the same as the others. This is a great experience because I get to learn about a variety of businesses and this will help me to tailor my specialties in the future.

McGladrey does an excellent job at providing support to the employees. Each employee has a navigator and a career advisor to help answer questions. These individuals will sit down with their advisee and discuss goals, opportunities and their future with McGladrey. There is also the opportunity to participate in training within McGladrey, with help of a career advisor; each employee is able to tailor their selection of training to the goal that they set for themselves. I was also able to participate in a panel discussion with my navigator to learn more about what my first busy season might be like. This was a very informative Q&A session.

I am happy that I was able to find a career that mixed professionalism with other important aspects of life, such as community service. I have had the opportunity to participate in many service events with McGladrey including: Habitat for Humanity, making blankets for the Salvation Army, making teddy bears for a children’s hospital and helping to restore the wetland of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Every one of these service projects have not only helped my community, but have also taught me more about myself and my team members. These events have been a lot of fun to participate in and have made my career choice even more worthwhile knowing that I will have the time to participate in the events while working on developing my career.

Overall, I have found that McGladrey is full of employees that are willing to help with any questions that I may have. The culture within the firm is a very comfortable culture that I feel will be a stimulating learning and working environment. As opportunities become available to work with different clients or in different locations, I plan to welcome them with an open mind, this way I can develop my working portfolio and decide what path is right for me within McGladrey. As I begin my journey down the path toward professional development, every day I can feel that I am becoming McGladrey.

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