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Hi, I’m Daniela and I have just finished Year 12. My school requires all Year 12 students to take part in work experience during the last week before summer, in which we have to organise ourselves. I did some thorough research into local accountancy firms and de Jong Phillips was one of many. I was really hoping that at least one accountancy firm would approve of my placement, and I was so pleased when I heard back from de Jong Phillips saying that I could do my work experience with them.

Summary of my Week…

Monday:

Learning about the company values was not only informative but also really beneficial. I was able to understand what de Jong Phillips stands for and also helped me change my mindset on the accounting industry. After having understood that the company doesn’t have the stereotypical “boring desk job”, I was able to open my eyes to the company culture of the team showing that they are people as well and do fun events and go out to lunch together. This benefits the team because they are able to balance their work and life so that work revolves around life instead of life revolving around work.

Bookkeeping and management accounts both provide the company’s clients with benefits. Bookkeeping helps clients stay up to date with their financial records given that accurate information is given to help them understand their situation better. For example, if an invoice has not been paid within the given time period, then the company would chase them and ensure that they know they are behind and have to pay the money as soon as possible. On the other hand, management accounting benefits clients due to the fact that it helps businesses maximise their profits since they fully understand where their money is being used. As a result, clients can better make financial decisions and create more accurate financial plans to reduce the risk of making any errors or mistakes later in time.

Experiencing what it is like to onboard a new client was very educational for me given that I was able to see the process that goes behind it. The benefit of the company onboarding clients is that it increases customer loyalty given that enables both parties to fully understand each other and reduces the amount of issues that may be brought up at a later time. Moreover, clients can gain good trust between the company due to the fact that all their information is stored in an organised manner. This is helpful for the future so that it can be easily accessed in case it needs to be referred to for whatever reason and does not need to get into the hassle of chasing clients for their information.

Tuesday:

Learning about the workflow management of de Jong Phillips was really helpful because I had a better understanding of the culture of the company. For example, the fact that they have all data online means that clients can benefit from not having to post their documents or even come into the office to deliver them but can easily send them through with the click of a button. How convenient!

Cashflow and budget were another few topics I went through today and both benefit the company’s clients given that budget enables them to better achieve their financial goals since they now have guidance as to what they should or should not spend for their business. In contrast, cash flow can better predict the financial help of a business due to the fact that clients can now fully understand why and how much finance they are spending and receiving. 

Wednesday:

Gaining insight into the behind the scenes of the marketing and social media of de Jong Phillips was really interesting to me. I learnt that the company uses their own specific colours, turquoise and yellow, that they created themselves which I thought was so fun and unique. Not only does this benefit their clients because they can easily identify the brand but also the company itself because they can stand out from the crowd and put a special meaning onto these colours.

The fact that the company is so enthusiastic about posting on social media, shows their clients and externals that are people who also go to social events and do fun activities that everyone does which I really liked. It shows them that they aren’t just people who go to the office from Monday to Friday, from 9-5, but that they also are outgoing and do things as a team outside the office. Using social media to their advantage really helps grow their reputation and can bring brand awareness into what they stand for, being a flexible work lifestyle.

Thursday:

Today, I just learnt more about bookkeeping and more terminology which was really useful in helping me understand the whole concept and purpose of accounting that I did not know before I came into the office.

Friday:

Today, all I did was have a talk with Alfie about his journey into becoming part of de Jong Phillips which was really informative. I also discussed my education journey and so far. It was great to get an insight about someone who is now in the industry that I want to be in in the future.

My last task of the week is to write up this blog, which I am currently working on right now in the office at my desk haha. I was already hoping to be able to create a blog for their website and when Emily M asked me if I wanted to create one for them, I was ecstatic.

What transferable skills did I gain during my work experience?

1. Integrity

Throughout the week, I have had to be honest with myself and the team members as to whether or not I understood what they were explaining to me. Sometimes I would hear a keyword or a concept and not fully understand what it meant, and so I had to ask them to explain or go into more detail in order for me to sit through the talk without being puzzled the whole way through. This will be helpful in the future if and when I am studying for my apprenticeship and need to ask for help from a tutor and will have the confidence to speak up and not shy away from asking for help.

2. Networking and social skills

Meeting the team and having the opportunity to talk to them about my background was so fun because I love interacting and getting to know new people. During my team lunch, I was able to talk about why I want to become an accountant and a little bit about my family. Being able to have good interpersonal skills and communication with others is really important and helpful for the future because you are bound to meet new people and it is great to know how to open up and strike a conversation. Not only in this aspect, but also during interviews, being able to show who you are without shame or hesitation towards someone you have never met before is really a great skill to have and I am pleased to have progressed this with de Jong Phillips.

Thank you de Jong Phillips

I would like to say a special thank you to de Jong Phillips for welcoming me into your workplace for the week. I appreciate everything the team has done for me, including the team lunch on Monday, teaching me things I would not have been able to learn through a screen and for treating me so kindly. This was such a memorable experience, and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to meet such great people who gave up their time to teach me their role and to have had my placement with such a great company. I will always remember this experience to be one of my first steps into the accounting industry.

Thank you de Jong Phillips

Written by Daniela So