Update on my Internship

Chicago, IL

Written by Deevy Bhakta

Intern

One month down and one to go!  To say time has flown by is an understatement.  In this short time, I know I have gained a tremendous amount of valuable experience.  Working with clients, on site, and seeing McGladrey experts in action, has helped me fine-tune my own professional skills.  I have no doubt that this next month will probably fly by just like the first. 

The day to day work life is a story of its own.  Briana, the other intern on my team and I constantly work with financial documents in Prophix.  While it sounds as fun as a box of nails, applying my current skills into more and more documents is helping me build a sound foundation for the rest of my career.  If that’s not enough, I can always turn around and see a beautiful view of the city, when I get tired of looking at the computer screen.

I quickly learned the environment at McGladrey goes beyond the nine-to-five grind.  The people in the Chicago office have made this an unforgettable experience.  Briana and I consider ourselves very lucky for receiving this opportunity.  Our director, Karen, and navigator, Lucica, have perfectly constructed a schedule that offers the perfect workload.  Nothing during first half has been overwhelming.  Even when we were on a time crunch both of them made sure that they were available if we had questions.  It is always nice to have a good team no matter the circumstance.

Words cannot describe the first month of my internship.  Sadly, in less than 3 weeks, I will no longer get to look forward to the lively streets of downtown Chicago.  With that in mind, my goal is to keep working with the flow and soak it all in.

Things to Consider before Leaving Public Accounting

Interviewee: Shelby, Sr. Assurance Associate
Interviewer: Terra, Sr. Talent Acquisition Specialist

If you’ve worked a busy season or two in public accounting, you may have questioned your decision to work in public long term.  You might even consider a career move to opportunities outside of public accounting.  Making a professional change is a big decision and sometimes we don’t always take the time to truly reflect on what it is we are looking for or what it is that we already have.

At McGladrey, we sometimes have employees leave for opportunities outside of public accounting only to return, because they didn’t realize what they’d be missing.  We hear the same story time and time again about what brought them back.  We sat down with Shelby, Senior Assurance Associate to talk about important things for public accounting professionals to consider before making a significant career change. 

Q.  Shelby, I understand that you left McGladrey for an industry accounting opportunity.  Can you tell us why you decided to accept a position outside of public accounting?

A. I primarily left public accounting because I thought that a job with a set schedule of 8 am to 5 pm would allow for more balance in my life. I don’t have any children yet, but based on my first three busy seasons in public accounting, I didn’t think that I would be able to get the work-life balance I needed and wanted.

Q.  What made you decide to return to public accounting?

A. I decided to return to public accounting for multiple reasons. First, I realized having a “normal” schedule of 8 am to 5 pm wasn’t as convenient as I thought it would be. I started in public accounting right out of college, and I took the flexibility that public accounting offers for granted. By flexibility, I mean being able to choose the hours you work and where you work those hours. At my job in industry, I was expected to be at work for 8.5-9 hours each day at the same set time, and working remotely wasn’t really an option ever. At McGladrey, I am able to set my own work hours (within reason) as long as my assignments get completed by due dates. I can also work remotely, which I really appreciate.

Second, I realized that public accounting isn’t the only job that requires you to work some weekends or unusual hours. Within a couple of days of being at my job in industry, I was assigned multiple Saturdays that I would have to work.

Last, I was extremely bored. I realized that I would much rather be challenged and doing something I enjoy, than be bored at work.

Q. Obviously there are other public accounting firms besides McGladrey, what do you think makes us different? Why did you choose to come back to McGladrey instead of looking at positions with other firms?

A. The main reason I didn’t look at other public accounting firms is because I knew I couldn’t find another firm with a better culture or coworkers. I am lucky to be part of a team filled with great people who make me laugh frequently and teach me a lot.  

Q.  What advice would you give to anyone considering a professional move out of public accounting? What should they think about before considering other jobs?

A.  If you enjoy auditing, I would recommend talking to a trusted career advisor and making sure that the reasons why you’re debating on leaving public accounting can’t be resolved. I wish I would have spoke with my career advisor before accepting an offer from industry. My career advisor and other partners brought up many things that I hadn’t given much consideration. However, at that point I felt that it was too late since I already accepted another job.

One example for me is the amount of travel that I had. I traveled a lot during my first three years, and that was one of the largest factors that made it difficult for me to accomplish the work-life balance I needed. When I returned to the firm, my schedule was adjusted and multiple travel engagements were removed from my schedule. McGladrey was able to work with me to get a schedule that met both my needs and the firm’s. 

Join, Grow, Succeed

Written by Gianna Migliaccio

Assurance Intern

New York, NY

Only a few short weeks ago my nerves were absolutely out of control as I anticipated my start date. However, my pre-internship jitters are no longer present, and I have a lot to recap!

McGladrey has made me feel incredibly comfortable during my transition from college graduate to summer intern, which started with our intern orientation at the Doral Arrowood Conference Center in Rye Brook, NY. Although it was clearly quite nerve racking, they prepped us properly so that we were at ease by the end of our orientation.  It lasted 3 days and there were over 90 people there for this event. This gave me the opportunity to meet all of the interns who are working in the Northeast. We even played a little icebreaker game called “My Twin” to try and find people who filled out their board the same way. In doing so, I spoke with everyone and learned some fun facts about all of the interns I spoke with.  I actually won and received a great little McGladrey water bottle too.  It’s awesome- I literally use it every day! Regardless, it was great to meet everyone even if they weren’t “my twin” since we all share a common ground, which is of course McGladrey. 

Additionally, over the course of the 3 days at orientation we attended numerous presentations and workshops.  Although the days were long, the time we spent there was extremely worthwhile.  We were given a variety of helpful tips that I will definitely keep in mind as I start my professional career. Also, after these workshops I became extremely motivated to accomplish both my short term and long term goals for my career and my personal life.  All of the speakers were so enthusiastic and knowledgeable throughout the entire time, which made the days fly by.  It’s also important for me to note just how amazing all the food was.  That was definitely a perk!

I also thought that it was really great that we performed a community service project while we were all there.  We made blankets for Project Linus, which is a really great charity inspired by Charles Schulz’s Linus character from the PEANUTS comic strip.  This character was comforted by his blanket so that’s what this organization strives to do.  They provide blankets for children for various reasons, whether they are ill, traumatized, or generally in need.  In pairs we each made at least 2 blankets, which was both rewarding and fun.  It was nice to dress down and do something for such a great cause. 



Here is a photo of some of the blankets that we made!

After finishing up at orientation and receiving our laptops we started in the office the following Monday.  Since being in the office, I have only great experiences to share.  I’m located on the 5^th floor with all of the Audit interns.  This has really provided us the opportunity to get to know each other, and I really love everyone that I’m working with- we even made a book club for our Pod.  I was also put on a client after the first week! I was out of the office for two weeks and traveled to a client in New Jersey.  This was clearly a great experience because I actually got a taste as to what auditing is all about.  My engagement team was really informative and helpful in answering all of my questions.  While doing client work, we all participated in a Mock Audit which involves a presentation at the end.  We were assigned to a team and went through all of the steps one would take when participating in an audit when auditing cash and long term debt.  We successfully completed the audit for these accounts and now the competition begins! Within our same group we are now participating in a competition regarding the same accounts.  My group is presenting on cash, and we are actually working on it right now! So back to work, and I will report how it turns out next time.  Go team 4!

First Impressions

Written by Lyndsey Lawson
Intern
Irvine, CA

Everyone gets nervous about job interviews - it’s inevitable. Proving yourself and making people like you isn't always an easy job. Thankfully, McGladrey does an amazing job to help. My experience was made to be comfortable, and while yes, still nerve racking, a little more at ease than what I was expecting.

When I arrived at the Irvine office, everyone I encountered was extremely polite and friendly. The interviewees were all led into a conference room, where everyone was able to get to know each other a little better - the interviewees and the McGladrey staff alike. We, the interns, were given a great presentation from Dean Smith, a presentation that not only informed but also entertained. This was just another reason that made us feel a little more relaxed before we went into our interviews. The actual interviewing itself went smooth and surprisingly comfortable, with a conversational tone that made the interview enjoyable. I know it's hard to believe that an interview can be enjoyable, but I'm not lying. I actually enjoyed the conversations that took place between me and the managers and partners of McGladrey. When I got the news that they wanted me to be a part of the team, it was just the icing on the cake.         

McGladrey represents a team that is respectful, professional, and talented. But they are also a team that is fun and inclusive. I was able to experience this at the post busy season party. The party took place at a bowling alley, so I was pretty stoked to show off my bowling skills. Everyone broke off into different lanes to bowl.  I luckily got put into a group with some really great people, including a couple of partners.  I’m a decent bowler so I was pretty sure that I was going to win. The partners in our group, Dale and Dennis, claimed they weren’t very good, but I guess they were just being modest. They totally put my bowling “skills” to shame.

I had a really great time getting to know everyone and I can’t wait to get started.