Andrea Riedmann, partner at KPMG, will tell you how to make the leap into the consulting business.
Why is KPMG the ideal first employer?
I think people make the difference. We work in diverse, international teams that have excellent know-how in many areas. With us, career paths can be lived individually and differently. This openness makes us an attractive employer. In addition, we offer very wide application opportunities for young professionals. Our trainee programs in particular – be it in the areas of audit, deal advisory or financial services – offer the opportunity to try something out and ask yourself: What do I really want? Which area best suits my skills?
We also support our employees individually and intensively on their various career paths. For example, we support you in doing a master's degree while working or in obtaining qualifications as an auditor or tax consultant through periods of leave and in-house training.
Can you work abroad for a while?
Internationality plays a role right from the start. For example, in the area of audit, when you accompany a group audit and work together with colleagues sent abroad. Or as part of our swap programs. Here, young employees in the first years of their careers swap jobs with colleagues from other countries for a few months. We also offer you longer stays abroad. This way you get to know other cultures and KPMG companies.
“Cold numbers people”, “stuffy” – these are some of the clichés regarding the profession of auditor. What do you say about such prejudices?
People often imagine the following: The auditor sits alone in a basement room with his client, in front of large mountains of paper, looks through them and puts check marks. But that wasn't the case when I started at KPMG in 1997, and our work has changed enormously since then. Our business is a people's business. We work in diverse, dynamic teams and need two main strengths when working with our clients: communication skills and empathy. We need people who enjoy talking to other people and identifying problems together and defining solutions. We get to know a lot of companies and their employees and therefore have a very broad benchmark knowledge and know all industries, company profiles and processes. The diversity of our tasks offers career paths for analytical and process-oriented talents, technical specialists or sales talents with strong communication skills.
What qualities and skills should a young applicant have? What impresses you?
We look closely at applicants’ CVs. Grades play a role, but not the deciding factor. You can certainly compensate for a below-average grade with a relevant internship, a stay abroad or extracurricular involvement. And we are by no means only looking for business economists with a focus on auditing or taxes. We also have lawyers and industrial engineers working for us, and we also rely on the expertise of doctors, theologians and psychologists to provide advice.
What do you particularly value about your work as an auditor?
It's my dream job because there's always something new coming up. You are constantly coming into contact with new clients, situations and people. You take in so much, you never stop and you're constantly evolving. And above all: There are so many opportunities to try things out again and again. Not only did I do pure audit business, but at the beginning of my career I also worked on M&A transactions, spent three years in Shanghai, then worked on the family business segment and today, among other things, I am a people management leader. These careers are typical of KPMG.
Andrea Riedmann, partner at KPMG, will tell you how to make the leap into the consulting business.
