Victoria Brice: Early Careers Talent Acquisition lead – Blick Rothenberg

What are the upcoming applications openings and opportunities that students should be aware of post exam results?

We are excited to be opening our early careers opportunities for school leavers, graduates and placement students in September 2023 for a September 2024 start.

Our school leaver roles are within our Audit, Outsourcing, Tax and Global Mobility teams. We offer graduate and placement positions within Audit, Tax and Global Mobility.

Could you share some information on the types of opportunities available?

We offer a range of routes into Blick Rothenberg from school leaver apprenticeship schemes, graduate schemes and placement years. Each of our opportunities offer students the opportunity to study towards a professional accountancy qualification while working full time. We are proud of the training support we offer our trainees both internally and working in partnership with an external provider. The qualifications we offer include the AAT, ACA and ATT/CTA.

How do students apply for the opportunities and how should they prepare?

Applications can be made by filling out a short application form via our early careers page on our website.

Our recruitment process involves a completing a cognitive assessment, video interview and face to face interview or assessment day. Preparation is key and we want to ensure you have the guidance necessary to navigate our recruitment process. You will be able to view the types of questions asked by our assessment provider Bryq to give you an idea of what to expect. For the video interview stage, you will have multiple attempts before submitting your final video, so we recommend you practice recording yourself to become more comfortable in front of the camera. For the final face to face interview and assessment day stage we recommend you review the job description to fully understand the requirements of the role you are applying to, conduct research into Blick Rothenberg to provide insight into why you have been attracted to apply to work with us. We recommend you research the professional qualification associated with the role you have applied to show your understanding of what the qualification requires from you. 

Should you require any support throughout the recruitment process or require adjustments, our early careers recruitment team are on hand to help.

What advice would you give students to help them stand out in their applications?

Be yourself! We want to learn more about you and what makes you unique.

What advice would you give to students starting out on their early career journey and exploring opportunities?

One piece of advice would be to do your research. Research all you can on the accountancy profession, the role and company you are applying to, and the professional qualification associated with the role. When submitting applications make sure you are answering questions to the best of your ability to show the research you have put in and your motivation and enthusiasm.

Are there any student success stories you can share?

In September we have a new joiner starting a school leaver apprenticeship with us in our Private Client Tax team who attended our Access Accountancy Work Experience Programme earlier this year. Attending one of our work experience programmes is a great way to learn more about Blick Rothenberg and gain further insight into our recruitment process. We run two Access Accountancy Work Experience weeks per year (February and October).

What is your number one tip for a young person when preparing for an assessment centre/interview?

Ensure you do your research into the firm, the role and associated professional qualification. Be yourself.

What advice would you give to a young person to overcome nerves on the day of an assessment centre/interview?

Don’t be afraid to bring along notes to your interview to help prompt your memory when asking questions. If you are bringing along notes, do ensure that you refer to these as prompts only and do not read directly from your notes when answering questions.

What differentiates a strong candidate from their peers?

Someone who can show they have taken the time to get to know the company by evidencing examples they have found from visiting our website, LinkedIn and other social media. This will help to demonstrate why someone wants to work for us. Someone who asks questions to show they are curious.

What is your top tip for a group assessment?

Take your time to understand what is being asked, listen to other candidates and don’t be afraid to put forward your own ideas.

What advice would you give to students to make themselves stand out?

Pre-prepare 1-2 questions to ask your interviewers. This shows you are curious about learning more about the role and/or company.

What are the different entry routes students could take to get into a career in accountancy?

We offer both school leaver apprenticeship and graduate scheme opportunities for those who are looking to start a career in accountancy. You don’t necessarily have to have previously studied accountancy or finance; our early careers opportunities are open to candidates from all disciplines.

What advice would you give students who are unsure of the entry pathway that is best for them?

The opportunity to attend a work experience week or insight day (including Blick Rothenberg’s Access Accountancy Work Experience Programme) is a great way to learn more about a company and the opportunities they offer for school leavers and or/graduates. This will be an opportunity to ask questions, hear from other trainees and professionals who have been in a similar position leaving school and help you to find out what will be best for you.

Keep an open mind when reviewing your options and research as much as you can to understand the opportunities that are out there.

What kind of support/mentoring do companies typically offer to students completing their exams depending on which early careers programme they are on?

Alongside comprehensive training and support via an external provider, many companies (including Blick Rothenberg) run regular in-house technical training courses as well as practical personal development training such as communication, teamwork, and transition to the workplace. You will be provided mentoring and will be assigned a designated buddy who will help you settle into life at the company.