First Year Insight Programme Review

The insight was really enjoyable with a good number of interactive activities. I was able to make new connections and understand more about the different areas of the firm first hand from current employees. The skills sessions were also engaging and relevant to my future career development. Overall, it was a really enjoyable 2 days.

The KPMG staff who facilitated the sessions were interested in our views and opinions and what we had to say and our questions were always met with sincere responses. Be it during the sharing sessions on the different areas of the firm or the skills trainings, there were always opportunities for us to share our perspectives on the different issues .

We received a wealth of advice from both the facilitators and the staff who shared their work experiences with us. At the end of the insight, we also had the opportunity to network and speak with some of the staff who are currently on the graduate scheme and ask them any concerns or questions that we had. If we had any questions at any point of the insight, the facilitators were more than happy to answer our questions and guide us.

I feel that the knowledge I gained about tax, audit and pensions was able to give me a deeper understanding of these areas and how a career in those areas would be like. I also learnt tangible skills on networking and commercial awareness that I believe will not only aid me in my degree studies but also in my future career development.

The insight was well structured with breaks at suitable intervals. I also liked that the skills sessions and introductory sessions of the business areas were staggered so the programme was not as monotonous. It was also good that the assessment portion of the insight was on the second day so we got to know our team mates better before working on the challenges.

There was overall a very positive and fun atmosphere during the insight. At breaks, I always felt comfortable talking to either the speakers or the other participants. Everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming. There was also very healthy debate and conversations made during the interactive sessions and the whole insight was just a really positive experience for me.

I felt that there were a lot of resources provided by KPMG particularly for the skills training sessions. I was able to gain a better understanding of myself, especially in a work setting as well as build useful business skills that I could apply to my future career development. To name some of the highly beneficial skills that I gleaned, the sessions were able to give me an insight on how to network well, how to have a good commercial awareness and demonstrate it.

The speakers from the different business areas all shared about their work experience at KPMG and in particular what it is like to be on the graduate scheme. A full-time role at KPMG does not just involve day to day work on different projects but it also includes studying to gain a professional qualification so there is quite a bit to juggle. I was also able to gain a better understanding of what the roles in each department entails through the networking session.

The insight was very beneficial in helping me to understand the company culture as we got to interact with staff from different departments and of different ranks throughout the insight. From partner level to even staff who just started working, it was evident that they were all very passionate about their jobs and they were sincere in their sharing. There is generally a very positive and open work culture and it shows in the way the staff welcomed us warmly and in their interactions with us and with one another.

The content was able to give me a better understanding of what the roles in the different business areas entails and the possible career progression paths available. It also allowed me to be clearer of what working at KPMG is like and what I could expect from the experience. It allows me to make a more informed decision about my future career choice as I am now more interested in specific business areas more than others now that I have found out more about it first hand.

I found out from both the facilitators and the speakers that there was a wide range of activities that employees could participate in outside of work. These activities ranged from sports and music to cultural interest groups. I was also heartened to find out that the firm is very supportive of these activities and employees are also highly involved in community activities as part of corporate social responsibility.