RSM Richter Chamberland Summer Interns

Laurent Brunet-Schmidt: First audit mandate

I finally started the first audit mandate of my future career as a CA! Obviously, the stress level was high on the first day. Fortunately, I was assigned to a small mandate and had two of my colleagues with me, so I didn’t feel lost and I could ask all my questions. Also, due to the small size of the mandate, I could conduct a multitude of tests and learn how to run the tests on purchases and income, as well as prepare documentation on the accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll cycles. To do this, I had to work with the organization’s staff and everyone was very cooperative.

My internal control course has been very useful in understanding the methodology behind these procedures. All these abstract concepts have suddenly materialized. I will be better prepared than ever for my audit course! I feel very privileged to have been assigned to a small mandate because it gave me the opportunity to more easily observe the conduct of an audit as a whole.

It seems that the first step is always the most difficult. It is done and I now feel much more confident for the future. Thank you RSM Richter Chamberland!

Anna Bakierska: 3 weeks in the Wealth Management department

Two words to describe my experience so far: exceptional and rewarding!

I spent three amazing weeks in the Wealth Management department. During the first two weeks, I completed various tasks ranging from researching multiple tax information to preparing databases. And on the third week, I touched the human side of wealth management. As the personnel of the department work extensively with families, it must be able to give financial advice as well as personal advice. So I was assigned, with another trainee, to a research project on "family council", which I had the opportunity to present to a partner, a CFA who supervised me, and a senior manager who acts as financial advisor to high net worth individuals. After the presentation, I was very proud of what I had accomplished!

During the following two weeks, I was assigned to an external internship in a manufacturing company, in which I was helping a CGA, who was the VP Finance of the company. As my internship ranged over a two week period, I saw much of the business operations and accounting connected to it. I learned a lot and was able to cover different areas of accounting. It allowed me to see the other side of the coin, e.g. preparing the documents audited by auditors.

Every person I met at RSM Richter Chamberland so far has been very warm, patient and willing to help me. They were all very grateful for the work I did for them. I feel like every day I learn something more, and the environment in which I work is very motivating and allows me to challenge myself.

Nedgy Augustin: A new technological challenge leads to a rewarding experience!

I just finished a mandate for a client where we prepared interim financial statements. So far, so good because during a previous mandate I had worked with the same colleague, and I knew I could ask all my questions. This time, however, we were using a new software package that RSM Richter Chamberland is currently implementing. Just I was starting to get familiar with the old program, I had to tame the new one. Of course, I had some training before going to the client.

Before leaving the office, the person responsible, who had emergencies to attend to that week, asked me to copy the client’s file onto my laptop, converting it into the new format. I was flattered that my supervisor trusted me, but at the same time I was worried because it was a big responsibility. My colleagues would depend on my copy to do their jobs. I contacted Kim, a supervisor who had already worked with the new program. She took the time to go over each step over the phone; how to convert, import, and access the client's file. She was very patient, even though she was busy at a client site.

It was the first time that my colleagues and I were using the new program at a client. Everything went smoothly nonetheless. I can even say that we were much more productive working in the new format. It was a very rewarding experience that I wanted to share!

Marianne Rudel-Tessier : Rewarding work and fun!!

As the weeks go by, the more I grow to love my experience as a summer intern at RSM Richter Chamberland. From the very start of the internship, I quickly got to know all the students with whom I would share this experience because of the many group activities organized for us. In addition, the training sessions were dynamic and everyone extremely friendly. I had the opportunity to meet several other firm members with whom I was going to work. Everyone seemed really willing to help.

And now, already two months of work have gone by! Time went by so fast because in addition to learning, I am having fun. I never feel isolated because I'm surrounded by people who are sharing the same experience and others who lived it in previous years. For my first mandate, I was given complex work to do and I learnt so much. My client was extremely friendly, which created a great working environment, and I was surrounded by seniors who taught me everything they could. Furthermore, since they had experienced internships themselves, they knew exactly how I felt during my first day on a client site. I felt free to ask all the questions I had. It didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable with my tasks, and that I had known my team forever.

I feel right at home at RSM Richter Chamberland and every morning I look forward to joining my colleagues and friends to learn more!

Adriana Hichioanu: 1,001 questions

After two weeks of training and a week of administrative work, I was sent to my first client. Even though we were very well prepared, I was still stressed and didn’t know what to expect. After meeting the entire team, I quickly felt more at ease. They were there for me every step of the way; they answered my 1,001 questions and did it with a smile. My first mandate was challenging and I loved it! There were so many things to balance at once: learning a new job, multitasking, meeting new people and finding the right technique to approaching a client whom I was not previously acquainted with. 

My second mandate was less stressful. I knew what to expect and was better prepared for the tasks that I had to accomplish. My 1,001 questions from the first mandate served a good purpose; I had learned more than I thought and I was more productive.

I couldn’t be happier with my internship; it exceeded my expectations and led me to meet an amazing group of people (both summer interns and employees). I can’t wait for the weeks to come!

Yuan Zhang: No ties at my first client

As my internship comes to an end, I have just finished my first mandate for a client.

Before going to the client site, I was both curious and stressed. But the stress melted away as soon as I arrived there.  First, the CFO made us take off our ties so that we would be more at ease. Then he invited us to take a tour of the company to give us an overview of their activities. This is a company which is specialized in the distribution of professional audio and lighting products. When we entered the quality control department, I was amazed by the work the people of this department perform. Some employees’ job is to play guitar to ensure the good quality of the products.

The mandate itself was a review engagement that included preparing notices to readers for some affiliated companies. I now have a general idea of the compilation work after having prepared a notice to readers end-to-end. My supervisor was available to answer all my questions despite his busy schedule.

This three-day mandate was a rewarding experience: it allowed me to put into practice the theories learned at university and to gain a better understanding of some key audit concepts.

Ali Kobeissi: An inventory count in a production plant

My first inventory count was a great experience. I had never seen or participated in an inventory count before so this was new for me and also an opportunity to expand my accounting knowledge. During my visit to the client site, I was surprised to see how complicated managing a plant could be.

 

Once I arrived on site with my supervisor, we received a list of all products in inventory. The plant, which is fairly large, has more than one warehouse to store its products. Since there are several warehouses and each is separated from the other, we had to travel by car to get from one to another. We had to sort the list that we received in order to organize inventory by location. Once the list was sorted, we had to perform some tests. This has been a rewarding and interesting experience especially because I learned a lot. I look forward to the next count.

Jessica Nardelli: Audits for non-profit and private companies provide real-world experience

After completing my first audit, I have to say how happy I was to finally see what I learned in the classroom actually applied in the real world! I got to see how most of the material covered in my Audit class such as “Test of Transactions” was no longer a term I had to learn by heart, but rather one that I could actually put to practical use! I had the opportunity to work with a great and helpful team on both audits, who guided me the whole way through in getting my job done in a timely and efficient manner. My first audit was a non-for- profit organization and my second was for a private company, so I got to see the differences and similarities when testing revenues, expenses, cash and payroll. I’m happy I got the chance to go on two audits during the course of my internship and will definitely take this experience with me as an important building block in my career.

Abdullah Husen: A steep learning curve

Nothing is more fulfilling to a young and aspiring professional than the feeling that you are learning something new and growing professionally. That is the feeling I got over the past two weeks on my second audit mandate.

My first audit mandate last month served as an opportunity to break the ice and get a basic understanding of what audit is. My second mandate, on the other hand, gave me the opportunity to learn about a lot of technical audit and accounting issues. It also allowed me to develop a great deal of business common sense through my interaction with the client and my colleagues. Man, Sam and Humaira, the professionals already on the team, treated me as a friend, which made it easy for me to ask them questions and learn from their experience. They also helped my development by delegating challenging tasks to me, which forced me to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new. Sink or swim!.

After coming back from this client I can boldly say that I’ve learnt more in two weeks of audit than what I  learned  during my entire last academic semester.

James Papanastasiou: Jumping into my first Audit

After two weeks of training to familiarize ourselves with RSM Richter Chamberland’s standards, I was one of the lucky summer students who was immediately assigned to an audit mandate. I won’t lie, I was very nervous! During the whole weekend preceding the audit, I was visualizing all the worst-case scenarios hoping none were going to materialize. Luckily, none did! In fact, it was the complete opposite. Just like during our 2 week training, the RSM Richter Chamberland professionals were very helpful and patient with me. They made me feel part of the team and answered all my questions promptly and professionally. I loved my experience and I am looking forward to many more!