Careers

Simply the best

Following KPMG's placement at number one in the Sunday Times list of the best big companies to work for, we thought we'd find out why they won

Being named the best big company to work for is quite an accolade. There are many different criteria for keeping staff happy and motivated, and unlike most people imagine, just paying them a big salary is not the answer. To analyse a company and its staff, the Sunday Times looks at criteria including the number of employees, staff turnover, company profits, benefits and perks and equal opportunities, among others.
KPMG provides audit, tax and advisory services through 22 offices across the UK. As director of recruitment and resourcing, Keith Dugdale is responsible for finding these people. We asked him what he thinks makes KPMG a great place to work.
"We build strong teams and work to common values but we also recognise the individual," Dugdale told PQ. "Our reward philosophy for example is based on corporate, team and individual performance and we are always improving the flexibility of our employee benefits enabling our people to tailor their reward to their lifestyle. We listen."
Sound good? Well if you think it's the kind of environment you'd like to be part of, check out the jobs going at the company. To help you, we asked Dugdale to explain the different qualities KPMG looks for when it comes to recruiting staff. The company recruits against a specific set of eight global competencies for all roles. These are: accountability, business focus, building relationships, making an impact, developing people, delivering quality service, problem solving and professionalism.
"One of the most important of these is the ability to build client relationships," stresses Dugdale. KPMG asks a lot of their candidates, but make no apologies for that. As you'd expect, the Big 4 environment is very demanding. However, should you complete the interview process successfully and gain a role within the company, it begins its process of welcoming you aboard and helping you adjust comfortably to your new environment. "We place a lot of emphasis on our induction process and appreciate the importance of supporting new staff and integrating them into their new team. Each new recruit is assigned a mentor and a counselling partner to help them adjust to the demands of their new role. KPMG also invests more than £23 million per year in staff training and development, so while we do make demands we equally invest," Dugdale explains.
As a PQ or NQ, you are only just starting out on what could be a very long and distinguished career. But to get that kind of career you need to be in an environment that will nurture your skills and present you with opportunities to develop. Dugdale says KPMG is keen to provide as much opportunity as possible to employees. "As a global network all our staff benefit from our opportunities worldwide and can apply for both short- and long-term assignment opportunities across the globe. Staff with the potential to reach partner are also required to undertake a six months 'out of the box' experience, through which they get wider experience outside of KPMG. This might be working with one of our clients, working overseas with a charity or on secondment to a government department."
Sometimes at a large corporate firm it's difficult to feel like you're making a difference on a social and community level, and KPMG is aware of this. Dugdale explains: "We take our social and corporate responsibility very seriously. All staff have the opportunity to spend a half-day per month working on community projects, for example teaching numbers to primary school children, mentoring head teachers or giving their time and professional skills to support the business development of a local charity."

The PQ at KPMG
Name: Michael Burley
Job title: Tax Assistant
Department: Financial Services Corporate Tax
How long at KPMG: 2.5 years

What attracted you to apply to work at KPMG?
I had wanted to become an accountant since secondary school and noticed an advertisement for the KPMG link course.
What were you doing before you landed your current role?
Before I joined KPMG, I was studying for my A-Levels at Colchester Royal Grammar School. I decided that I would prefer to start work rather than go to university and joined KPMG's school leaver programme in October 2003.
What's your department like?
I work in Financial Services Corporate Tax, which means that I deal mostly with large, corporation tax-paying, finance companies, banks and insurance companies.
How have KPMG supported your studies?
As a school leaver, I have been attending the Business School for individual weeks in between working in the office. We are given lessons by specialised KPMG tutors and are given study material and study leave.
What opportunities have you had since working at KPMG?
As KPMG is such a big firm there are always chances to go on secondment to other offices in the UK and to other departments. I have taken advantage of short secondments in Bristol and Edinburgh so far.
Would you recommend a career at KPMG to other PQs/NQs and if so why?
I would highly recommend qualifying at KPMG; especially to those looking to find a viable alternative to university. I believe that one of KPMG's strongest points is that everybody is so friendly and approachable.

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