What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at EY? How have you been supported in overcoming it?

Hi Saloni thanks for your question.

I think when I joined I found it challenging that your schedule is very varied, and you need to be able to manage your time and tasks proactively.
For example I could be working at different client sites, with a new team, from one week to the next - so need to be very organised and more independent than I initially realised!

This has changed during the pandemic with us not travelling to client site, but I definitely found in my first few months it took a while to get used to travelling to new places etc.

Hi Samantha, thank you very much for your answer! It's definitely insightful into what challenges to expect when joining a role in assurance and the best ways to go about overcoming them. I can imagine the frequent travelling took some getting used to but it must have been exciting all the same (pre-pandemic anyway)!

What kind of support did you receive from the people at the firm, especially in those first few months - whether that was from people on your team, an informal buddy, a career counsellor, etc.?

That's a great question! In the first few months I spoke to my buddy (an informal relationship) who is a great person to chat to for general advice. We also spoke before joining the firm which was a great way to feel more relaxed before joining. I found that my year group was a great source of support, especially when completing our exams together we really helped each other get through revision!

For more formal support, when I was struggling with work related/personal issues I spoke to my counsellor and they were an amazing help. We had regular catch-ups and he helped me organise my client portfolio to best suit me, and also helped direct me to the best people to speak to when I had any problems! The counsellor relationship is really important at EY for feedback and career support and especially in the first few months was a great source of knowledge.

My experience has been overwhelmingly positive when I've had any issues people are always willing to help you and make the time to chat. I also have experience with the EY mental health and mindfulness networks which are a great source of support.

Thank you Samantha, I really appreciate you giving me such detailed answers. I now have a much clearer picture of the extensive support network available at EY, whatever the nature of the issue and it really does seem like a firm keen on helping its people develop and shape their career in a way best suited to the individual.

Following up on what you said about your career counsellor, I was wondering whether they are typically more senior members of the assurance team or whether they might be someone from another EY service line?

Yes you're right they're more senior members - for example my counsellor is an assistant manager who has been with the Bristol office in assurance for a number of years. All of the counsellors are extremely knowledgeable and part of the assurance service line so they really know how to help you and your career progress!

Fantastic! That answers my question :) Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me today, you've been incredibly helpful. I hope you have a lovely evening!