Name: Kylie Turner
Graduation Year: 2019
Major: Accountancy Minor: Spanish
On campus involvement: Beta Gamma Sigma (VP Finance), Beta Alpha Psi (VP Finance), Omicron Delta Kappa (VP Finance), Chorale (2015 – Present), Pi Sigma Epsilon (2016-2018; VP Finance 2017), PwC Tax Competition (2015, 2016), Academic Tutor (2016 – 2018), Operation Lead Mentor (2016), Operation Lead Participant (2015), TCNJ Hosting Program (2016 – 2017), Catholic Campus Ministry (Treasurer 2016 2017), and Spanish Oral Proficiency Leader (2017).
Where and When did you Intern: PricewaterhouseCoopers, NYC (Summer 2018)
Describe your role.
My main role during the PwC Advance internship was to assist my engagement team with audit and assurance tasks and provide service to our client. Throughout my PwC internship I developed new relationships with my engagement team, other PwC partners and staff and client personnel. I was assigned work and provided training like that of first-year associates; therefore, I was expected to submit timely and accurate work for review by the supervisors on my team. The main task I performed was reviewing the supporting documentation for the client’s Form 10-Q.
What was an average day like?
A typical workday is spent at either the client location or the PwC office. While at the client location, I observed and participated in client inquiries involving internal controls, support for financial statements, and clarification of balances/disclosures in the financial statements. While at the PwC office, training was completed as well as meetings with the engagement team for planning purposes. Members of the engagement team also met with me to introduce new assignments and provide guidance. My days were very busy with client responsibilities and training.
What was the best memory you had interning?
I had many memorable experiences throughout my PwC summer internship. Verifying the supporting documentation for the client’s Form 10-Q gave me pride in that I was doing something essential for the client and my team. The Form 10-Q that I reviewed is available on the SEC website for investors and other interested parties to reference. Another memorable experience was participating in the PwC community service day. Each intern spent one day volunteering at local youth programs across Manhattan. My volunteer day was spent at St. Luke’s School helping teachers with an educational summer program for elementary school children. Volunteering demonstrated two of PwC’s five core values: ‘Care’ and ‘Make a difference’. PwC’s core values are incorporated into every aspect of its business. This volunteer experience enabled me to understand the positive impact PwC has on the community, including its investment in surrounding communities.
What have you learned from this experience?
The PwC Advance Internship taught me not only about the daily tasks performed by the audit and assurance staff, but also about the importance of establishing relationships with other PwC employees and client personnel. Establishing relationships with other employees at PwC is essential because working in teams and being able to effectively collaborate with others is critical to providing exceptional client service. Establishing relationships with client personnel is extremely important because they are the source of most of the information provided for each client engagement. I have also improved upon my time management, prioritization, multitasking, and self-editing skills.
During the internship, you are treated as a first-year associate and are expected to complete assignments with a high level of quality. There were many times during the internship when I was given multiple tasks in one day, all with different deadlines. At first, I found the high volume of tasks to be overwhelming, but I observed and asked other associates/supervisors about their tips for prioritizing tasks and mirrored their processes. Mirroring experienced associates and supervisors is a key strategy for learning as an intern.
What is one skill you feel as if you’ve improved upon while at your internship?
I improved the most on my ability to “self-edit.” Despite the number of tasks assigned, each one needs to be completed with the highest level of accuracy. Not only is this an expectation of financial statement users and other external parties, but also of the client and the reviewers (members on your engagement team). The better I became at self-editing, the easier it was for supervisors to review my work, which resulted in fewer adjustments and gave me more time to complete other tasks, thereby increasing my efficiency.
Do you have any advice for anyone who is applying for an internship?
My advice is to attend as many resume review workshops and practice interviews as possible. Experienced individuals will be able to guide you through typical interview questions as well as strengthen your resume appearance and content. When listing activities/job experience to your resume, focus on how you have grown through these activities/jobs. During the interview, be able to clearly articulate and represent yourself, how you have grown while in college, and the unique attributes/qualities you can bring to the internship. Most importantly, do research on every company before the interview and be prepared to ask several good questions.