PwC’s Competence Centre

“By joining PwC, you will learn a lot on both professional and personal levels. Your learning curve will be exponential. You will be able to discover different departments, industries and clients. In addition, you will be in contact with many colleagues. Each person will have something new to teach you. You won’t feel alone in your adventure at PwC! PwC has a lot to offer in terms of educational support and a strong culture with strong values.”

As a team leader, how would you describe the culture in your team?

People usually are young professionals when they start working at the Competence Centre. Consequently, the average age is young, and our colleagues quickly become our friends. As we work mostly in the same teams, relationships become very strong and mutual support through our workdays is given. A workday starts with a team call and then all team members start working for their clients. In case of any questions, the seniors, team leaders and peers are always available for support. I’d say that the most important aspect is a good communication between the Competence Centre, the engagement teams and the clients. It is the key to success. Therefore, even if we are working from home right now, the relationship between the team members is strong. We constantly coach and challenge each other to share and increase our knowledge.

How did you personally and professionally develop at PwC?

I earned a bachelor’s degree at the HEC Lausanne. After my graduation, I worked two years in a Trade, Industry and Services department of another firm and started my Swiss CPA. When I decided to change my work environment, I joined PwC as a senior and quickly took on the role of team leader. I found myself surrounded by people who empower my professional as well as my personal development and who challenge me in order to have all the knowledge and skills needed to pass the Swiss CPA and to grow in my career. PwC supports me with my education and offers me to take three months of study leave in order to pass the Professional Judgment exam. It provides me with a lot of coaching in order to increase my technical but also my soft skills. Moreover, as I am from the French part of Switzerland and working in a German-speaking office, PwC supports my language courses (German lessons). That helped with my integration in the office and ensured a great team fit.

What was your greatest achievement so far?

I took over the role of team leader after a short period as reviewer. Having a team of seven to eight people to manage and working for German-speaking as well as French-speaking clients was quite challenging. It was a huge learning opportunity, during which I was always surrounded by experienced colleagues who guided me through the process. Joining a German-speaking office as a French-speaking person also leads to some great stories – all my colleagues have always integrated me perfectly (although sometimes I ask them to speak in High German). I’ve learnt a lot from more experienced people but also from younger ones. Everyone has a lot to offer. When I pass the Swiss CPA, I see myself evolving further at PwC and hunting the next great achievement: the next step in my career path is to become a manager. For this, I am surrounded by mentors who will help me accumulate all the skills I need to succeed.

“If you’d like to have the opportunity to develop your skills and knowledge in a great work environment and in a young team and if you’re looking for challenges, PwC’s Competence Centre is the right place for you!”

From junior to team leader, how would you describe your journey?

During my studies I was searching for my first “real” job. A job which offers me the flexibility to finish my studies but as well challenges me to grow and learn. So, I applied for a position at PwC’s Competence Centre and this was quite the right place for me. I joined as a junior but got quickly promoted after graduation to associate, reviewer and finally team leader. PwC was providing me all the time with a flexible working model during studies and after my studies with internal courses for coaching, training or now leadership skills.

What are your next steps to consider?

It was an amazing step in my personal and professional journey to get promoted to the team leader position and take over the responsibility to plan the work for a whole team during the financial year. But at PwC learning and growing never stops. In my day-to-day business I’m planning and coordinating the work for the team, coaching team members or reviewing their work. In the future, I want to provide them and our clients with the best experience I can offer and level up thanks to trainings or leadership lessons. I will continue leading and developing my team to provide opportunities for them to grow as individuals, to build lasting relationships and to make an impact in a place where people, quality and value mean everything.

How would you describe the team spirit at all?

At PwC’s Competence Centre, we’re a young team and support each other to achieve our goals. We’re highly motivated to improve our skills and knowledge, which is shown in our daily work. For me, it’s supercool to meet so many different people with different backgrounds and skill sets and to work together towards one goal. And when you’ve achieved a goal as a team, it’s quite nice to have a culture – like at PwC’s Competence Centre – where success is celebrated in team events.

“If you want to join PwC’s Competence Centre, be open and take every opportunity for fundamental learnings. Especially for an unexperienced applicant, there are so many chances to learn and grow. I had wanted to become an expert in my field and really got the chance. We offer individual career paths, coaching and support of our team leaders to bring graduates and experts to the next level.”

How did your journey at the Competence Centre start and develop?

I joined PwC’s Competence Centre as a junior. Why? I wanted to get inspired by colleagues who are on top of their game. I knew, employees who work at PwC are experts in their field, and I wanted to become one of them. Additionally, serving so many different clients, working for a legendary brand and getting great training opportunities made PwC my employer of choice. I had an educational background as a finance clerk and at PwC I was able to develop right from day one. The buddy system helped me to get around and specific trainings on LSE audit and trainings on the job made me the expert I had wanted to become. Now, PwC helps me financing my Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Accounting and Financial Management and supports me with learning days to achieve my goals, e.g., working on audit digitalisation projects.

What is a typical day for you?

First, there is no such thing as a typical day at PwC. However, to summarise it a bit, my day normally begins with a coordination meeting with the team to assess the progress and assign tasks and deadlines. Afterwards I start to perform different tests and communicate with various clients and the engagement team. In between my coach is always available if I have questions or for short coaching meetings to grow and develop in general. Overall, I’m very independent in my time management, at PwC you work really flexible, to meet your personal and the client’s needs, so there is enough time during the day to have some lunch or coffee with my colleagues and take a break from dealing with numbers.

Can you describe the team spirit at the Competence Centre?

At the Competence Centre we have a positive working environment, with respect, empathy and overall understanding between colleagues even in stressful situations. Most importantly, we help each other no matter on which task we’re currently on. Therefore, it is certainly essential that new team members are team players, ready to rock together and open for different opinions, feedback and fun. And ready to grow – you can achieve a lot if you’re open to do so. I’m super stoked that I’m now part of the people board at the Competence Centre and help shaping our future.

“I would recommend working in the Competence Centre to everyone who is looking for a new challenge in a diverse environment where you take over a great variety of tasks. If you are good with figures, have a flair for organisation and are looking to be part of an international company, gain lots of interesting insights into different company’s accounting and understand the connection between various accounting processes, the Competence Centre is definitely the place to work for you.”

Tell us more about your journey with the Competence Centre.

I had finished my commercial apprenticeship in a small-to-medium enterprise and continued working there when I started my studies in business law at the Zurich University of Applied Science (ZHAW). But after some time, I decided to look for a new challenge in a more international work environment to fit my studies and applied for a position at PwC’s Competence Centre – which turned out to be the right decision. As I had already worked in an accounting department, I was keen to experience accounting from a different perspective. After starting as a junior, I got promoted quickly to an Assurance associate and I continue to study as PwC gives me the flexibility to do so. I am looking forward to finishing my master’s degree in law at the University of Lucerne and I envision myself as a lawyer in the next few years after successfully passing the Swiss bar exam. And who knows what the future holds? Maybe I’ll find myself working as a lawyer within the PwC network a few years from now.

Working while studying? How does PwC help you achieve your goals?

As a student, I highly appreciate having an employer who offers me such flexibility. I am able to pursue my studies in law while simultaneously working at PwC’s Competence Centre and gaining experience in audit, which next to law of course is another field that has drawn my attention and that I’m very interested in. I get to expand my horizon, gain new experiences in the office or at the client’s site and build a network within PwC. The great support from the team leaders when coordinating the work schedule with university classes is also a huge advantage. Amongst the things I value most are definitely the working atmosphere and the team spirit within the Competence Centre. I have the opportunity to work in an incredibly dynamic team and with enthusiastic, motivated and ambitious colleagues every day.

How does your typical workday look like?

To begin my workday, I check my e-mails first. Prioritising my tasks for the day is an important step. After quickly discussing the current tasks in a team huddle, the day can continue. I request the required documents from the client or from the engagement team. While I wait for the files, I have time to start the documentation of already received files. Organisation is key. You have to plan your days thoughtfully and prioritise your requests so that you can meet the given deadlines. Of course, I can also take some time for a coffee break with my colleagues. And on some days, we are part of the action, when we have the opportunity to accompany the engagement team at the client’s site, where you can gain a lot of interesting insights as well.

“For working students the Competence Centre is a great chance to gain valuable experiences during their studies and get practical experiences. And if you’re ready for the next step after a certain time, you get the opportunity to join the Assurance Academy to become a Swiss CPA and certified auditor. For me – the perfect way in my flourishing audit career.”

Getting practical experiences while studying – why did you chose this approach?

During my studies I already had the wish to get some practical experiences in audit – I knew I wanted to start my career in this field when graduating. Even though I have a quite different background – I used to work as a systems engineer in IT – I found my passion for numbers and audit processes during my studies. The Competence Centre gave me an excellent chance to combine university with my wish to gain practical experiences by working part-time. With PwC’s annual working hours, I have the flexibility to structure my time according to my needs and the needs of the clients. Flexibility is the word here: during busy season, my workload increases, and during summer or exams, I can reduce it.

Can you tell us more about the busy season?

As most companies traditionally have 31 December as their year-end, our busy season usually falls in the first quarter of the year. Once the books of our clients are closed, our auditors start working to deliver the financial reports. Our client-friendly approach determines that we deliver our services on time. Therefore, with final reports and tax returns due, the run-up to the end of a financial year can be a busy period. If this results in overtime, you’ll get time off to compensate. I took the chance in summer to follow personal projects or have longer vacations. And most importantly, as a working student even in busy season I still have my fixed university days to fulfil my studies, it’s all about flexibility and how I structure my tasks, at PwC and university.

What is next for you?

At the Competence Centre I get the chance to gain valuable experiences and insights into so many different branches, firms or industries, which really helped me to broaden my horizon. With the global network and the expert know-how combined under one roof, this is a great place for me to thrive and develop further. The young team and the great working environment make it easy to want to stay. My coach supports me to the fullest, and as I want to work as an auditor, this experience will help me to step ahead when I start with PwC’s Academy later. Later, I’ll be super happy to take the next step of my audit career and join the team in Aarau and start my CPA.