Black Heritage Talent Insight Programme Review

I really enjoyed the insight as I thought it was a great way in which I could learn about the work of the company whilst also being immersed in the culture. There is only so much you can learn about the culture online and in promotional literature so it was really enjoyable to actually be there and experience the culture over a few days.

I felt that everyone who we came into contact with was supportive of our being there. Even when we were involved with shadowing for a day, there were so many people who wanted to come up to us and meet us after an email had been sent telling people who we were. Therefore, I felt incredibly valued.

I think that the way in which the days were set out were intended to maximise how much we learnt about each of the service lines. We heard from practitioners of each grade about each of the teams. However, one of the things that I would change would be that KPMG decide when each group speak and prioritise them in terms of how many people in the group were applying to each e.g. if 1 person was applying to Tax and 10 were applying to management consulting, it may be easier to give more time for MC earlier on in the day.

As a student who studies a Humanities, I was really happy to see that there was no emphasis on the fact that you had to be an Economics, Accounting or Finance student. There were also sessions on the final day dedicated to personal branding, networking and so forth which were very useful. Additionally, it was great to hear about the ways in which I could develop my skills by getting involved with Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives as a KPMG grad in the future.

I think it was fairly well structured; apart from the issue with when each group were given time to speak, but I think that this is something that can be easily tweaked by the recruitment team. Aside from this however, the Black Heritage Talent Insight Programme was impeccably organised and we were given the timetable at the start of each day, and it was actually stuck to.

I think it was an incredible atmosphere throughout the three days. Even whilst we were interviewing, it was a really buoyant feeling as everyone was excited if they hadn't had their interview but if they had, they expressed how their interviewers had made them feel at ease. Even on the first day, all of the students were really engaging which made it a pleasure to be there.

The firm has definitively invested in me and my development. Not only did this insight help me to understand how to approach the differing aspects of the interview, it also showed me that the firm cares enough to actually invest in the diversity of the industry as it is lacking more broadly.

I think it showed me that there is a variety of work that I could apply for as well as showing me how the day to day of the work environment actually functions. I thought that I could see myself working there as I could see interactions between the employees and how a congenial atmosphere had been set up. But of course, I couldn't fully understand how I would work there as I was shadowing more so than actually doing any work but I wouldn't have been able to as I wouldn't have understood any of the work at all.

It was extremely extremely helpful in figuring out how cohesive the culture was at the company, particularly as I was able to speak and network with so many people over the three day period. At the firm as well, I realised that there are values which you are assessed against thus, you really get to understand the culture and what is important to people.

It was really valuable in helping me to decide upon my future career path. Due to this insight, I have decided that I would love to join the Deal Advisory team as a graduate. I was given a lot of information as to how to go about this and was even offered a role after interviewing at the company.

You are paid and reimbursed for your travel expenses. I know there are others who were even reimbursed for their accommodation as they don't live in London so this was a good thing for KPMG to do as it wasn't London-centric.

Yes! On the last day, we were given a networking drinks opportunity which was great after the interview during the day. It was a great way to relax and further immerse myself in the culture of the company, especially as we got to speak to people from graduates all the way up to partners.

Here, the opportunities for networking were great, even during the days. I think it is important to network with like-minded students in a similar position to you too so this was also enjoyable to engage in.

There is a lot of opportunity to engage in; not just CSR but also if you are of a sporty inclination, there are sports teams that you can join and you can compete against other KPMG teams abroad, and this is fully paid for by the company which I think sounds like a great perk!

I would definitely definitely *definitely* recommend that everyone who is eligible signs up for this programme. It really sets you up to do as well as you possibly can!