First Year Insight Programme Review

The insight was very enjoyable, with a good mix of activities including talks, panel sessions and interactive activities. I was able to increase my network and improve my networking skills, along with a number of other skills. All the sessions were highly engaging and gave me a great insight into what it would be like working in Audit or Tax at KPMG.

I felt valued in the sense that many KPMG staff members, from new graduates to partners, took time out from their jobs to come and speak to us on this insight. They gave us insightful information and answered all the questions and queries we had for them during the panel sessions and the networking opportunities that were available.

We received guidance and support from both the student recruitment team who were facilitating the event and the current graduates/senior members of staff who were sharing their experiences working at KPMG and answering any questions we had about their experiences. Everyone was always more than happy to help with any problems we had, and happy to answer all the questions we had.

During the second day, we took part in an assessed group exercise and I felt that helped me improve team working and presentation skills. Over the course of the two days, I felt I was consistently developing my networking skills and commercial awareness skills, both of which will assist me in my degree studies and throughout my career development.

The insight was well structured, they made it clear to us at the start of each day what we would be doing and it followed a clear structure with breaks between each activity. We also had regular interactive sessions with our tables and the other participants, so I felt like it never got boring or I become disinterested.

There was a very friendly and positive atmosphere during the insight. I felt it was more of an informal environment, which was great and meant you never felt under pressure at all, even during the assessed exercise. The fellow participants were all very friendly and easy to speak to and the members of staff were all welcoming.

KPMG provided lots of resources to us, such as booklets during the skills training sessions, which we could take home with us and use to further develop our skills. Furthermore, I felt like during the group assessed exercise they had invested in us and invested in helping us develop vital skills needed for future career development.

As this was not a work shadowing placement, it was hard to get a true feel of what it could be like to have a full time role with KPMG but nevertheless the speakers from the different business areas gave as much insight as they good and shared their own personal experiences of working at KPMG, and what it is like to be on the graduate scheme. I learned that no day is the same working at KPMG.

The insight did help gain a feel to what the company culture is like at KPMG. We got to interact with staff on different levels from different departments and they all gave us their thoughts on the company culture at KPMG. They all seemed to enjoy the jobs they were doing and placed emphasis on the 'people' culture at KPMG.

The content enables me to gain a greater understanding of what a job working in Audit or Tax would entail, as I came to the insight uncertain. I also became more informed of the possible future career paths you could take once ACA qualified and it definitely is a career that I am interested in, and will be looking in to applying for the summer internship.

We were reimbursed travel expenses and provided with lunch on both days.

There was a networking session with drinks at the end of the second day.

Again, there was a networking session with drinks at the end of the second day.

I found out about the wide range of societies and sports teams there are at KPMG, and the activities the employees could participate outside of work such as getting involved in community activities and with charities.

Definitely if they were interested in a career in financial services sector.