Industry & Insights - Nick Ferguson from Baker Tilly
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging conversation, Eric Van Djk interviews Nick Ferguson from Baker Tilly, a top 10 accounting firm with a strong presence in Michigan. They discuss Baker Tilly's unique approach to accounting and consulting services, as well as their on-campus recruitment efforts at Walsh College. Eric, a Walsh alumnus and current master's student, shares his positive experiences at the college and the opportunities it provided. He emphasizes the importance of networking and relationship-building early in one's career. Nick highlights the qualities Baker Tilly seeks in new recruits, such as engagement and adaptability, and reflects on the social aspects of the accounting industry that foster lasting connections.
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Q & A
What is Baker Tilly's position in the accounting industry?
-Baker Tilly is a top 10 accounting firm, particularly strong in Michigan, offering traditional accounting services as well as consulting and business advisory services.
What services does Baker Tilly offer besides traditional accounting?
-Besides traditional accounting services, Baker Tilly also offers consulting, business advisory services, and takes pride in being different from other accounting firms.
Why is Baker Tilly on campus at Walsh College?
-Baker Tilly is on campus at Walsh College for recruitment purposes, aiming to meet students and connect with them through career services to find potential future employees.
How has Walsh College impacted Eric Van Djk's career?
-Walsh College has had a significant impact on Eric Van Djk's career by providing experiences and opportunities that carried him through the past eight years in his profession.
What advice does Eric have for students looking to enter the professional industry?
-Eric advises students to focus on building relationships and networking, attending events, and utilizing the resources available to understand the industry and gauge their interests and abilities early on in their careers.
What qualities does Baker Tilly look for in new student interns or entry-level hires?
-Baker Tilly looks for engaged individuals who are proactive in following up on opportunities and flexible in connecting with the employer. They also value those who have goals aligned with the firm's objectives and a willingness to learn and grow.
What is Eric's favorite aspect of working in the accounting industry?
-Eric's favorite aspect of working in the accounting industry is the social opportunity it provides to connect with people, help clients, and assist staff or interns in growing and learning.
How has the accounting industry changed since Eric started his career?
-The accounting industry has become more relationship-based and less about individuals working in isolation. There's a greater emphasis on teamwork and lasting connections.
What was the turning point in Eric's career that he attributes to his time at Walsh College?
-The turning point in Eric's career was the opportunities and experiences he had at Walsh College, which he leans back on and credits for carrying him through his eight years in the profession.
How does Eric describe the work environment at Baker Tilly?
-Eric describes the work environment at Baker Tilly as very social, with opportunities to connect with people, help clients, and assist in the growth and learning of staff and interns, rather than being a solitary experience.
What is the main takeaway from Eric's advice for students?
-The main takeaway from Eric's advice is the importance of building relationships, networking, and utilizing available resources early in one's career to understand the industry and one's own interests and abilities.
Outlines
π€ Introductions and Baker Tilly's Presence
The paragraph introduces Eric Van Djk and Nick Ferguson, who are present at Walsh College for a recruitment event. Eric, a Walsh alumnus, is now with Baker Tilly, a top 10 accounting firm with a strong presence in Michigan. They discuss the firm's traditional services, consulting, and business advisory roles. Nick emphasizes Baker Tilly's difference from other accounting firms and their pride in offering diverse services. The purpose of their visit is to recruit students and connect with career services to offer opportunities for students.
π Eric's Experience as a Walsh Student
Eric reflects on his time at Walsh College, highlighting the impact it had on his career over the past eight years. He mentions the importance of the opportunities and experiences provided by Walsh, which he considers a turning point in his professional journey. Eric also discusses the value of the relationships he built during his time as a student, the pride he feels in his undergraduate achievements, and the ongoing relevance of his Walsh experiences.
πΌ Career Advice and Qualities Sought
The conversation shifts to career advice, with Eric sharing his insights on what he would suggest to students new to the professional world. He emphasizes the importance of networking and building relationships, as these connections can lead to job opportunities. Eric also discusses the qualities that Baker Tilly looks for in new recruits, such as engagement and a willingness to learn and grow. He stresses that these attributes are crucial for success in the firm and the accounting industry as a whole.
π The Joy of Relationships in Accounting
Eric shares his favorite aspect of working in the accounting industry, which is the relationships he has built over the years. He explains that while the technical work, such as tax returns and financial statements, is important, it's the social aspect and the chance to help clients and colleagues that truly drives him. Eric highlights that the industry has evolved to become more relationship-focused, and he encourages students to understand the value of these connections in their future careers.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Accounting firm
π‘Recruiting
π‘Career services
π‘Networking
π‘Professional growth
π‘Accounting profession
π‘Walsh College
π‘Student experience
π‘Engagement
π‘Career fairs
π‘Relationship building
Highlights
Eric Van Djk and Nick Ferguson discuss Baker Tilly's presence at Walsh College for on-campus recruiting.
Baker Tilly is a top 10 accounting firm with a strong presence in Michigan, offering traditional services as well as consulting and business advisory.
Baker Tilly prides itself on being different from other accounting firms by doing a variety of work and maintaining close relationships with clients.
The purpose of the visit is to recruit students for positions starting next year and to connect directly with them.
Eric shares his experience as a Walsh student and alumnus, emphasizing the impact of the opportunities provided by the college.
Walsh College offers a supportive environment where students are not competing against each other but are encouraged to succeed.
Eric suggests that students should focus on building relationships and networking as these connections can lead to job opportunities.
Engagement is a key quality that Baker Tilly looks for in new recruits, as it indicates a proactive attitude and willingness to connect.
Baker Tilly values candidates who are open to learning and growing within the firm.
Eric's favorite aspect of the accounting industry is the social opportunity it provides to connect with people and build lasting relationships.
Accounting is not just about the numbers but also about the people you work with and the experiences you share.
Baker Tilly and Walsh College have a long-standing partnership, and the firm is eager to continue engaging with students.
Students are encouraged to attend career fairs to understand the opportunities available and to gauge their interests.
The accounting industry has evolved to become more relationship-based, requiring professionals to understand and work with different personalities.
Eric emphasizes the importance of early career networking, as it can lead to long-term professional connections.
Baker Tilly seeks individuals who are not only knowledgeable but also engaged and willing to contribute to the firm's culture.
The accounting profession offers a variety of experiences and opportunities for growth, contrary to the common perception of a solitary job.
Eric shares his journey from being a student to a current master's program participant at Walsh, highlighting the continuous learning aspect.
The importance of taking advantage of the opportunities provided by educational institutions to kickstart a successful career is emphasized.
Transcripts
hi everyone my name is Eric Van djk here
at Walsh College I am joined here today
with Nick Ferguson over at Baker Tilly
Nick thank you so much for being here
thanks for having me you bet you bet so
can you tell us and tell our audience a
little bit about Baker Tilly as a whole
yeah so we're a top 10 accounting firm
um really heavy here in Michigan um the
traditional services that you think of
but also a lot of Consulting a lot of
you know business advisory stuff so we
really pride ourselves in that of being
a little different than other accounting
firms um but but do a lot of different
things and and work a lot closely with
Walsh awesome awesome and uh why are you
guys here on campus today what brings
you in the door so we did on campus
recruiting okay um trying to meet
students and working with some of the
career services folks to connect
directly with students and and things of
that nature you know we're recruiting
you know it's a busy busy time of year
for us right we're we're recruiting for
next year though but um that was our
goal today was to you know really
recruit meet students um you know that's
how I came out I'm a wal Shalom that's
how I came out here right you know doing
the same things that I used to do so um
so yeah really just a chance to connect
with students tell them a little more
about Baker Tilly give them a chance to
really learn more about us I mean
there's a lot of options out there right
sure um for careers and and paths right
so um doing a lot of things of that
nature awesome awesome well thank you
guys we appreciate you being here um you
mentioned you're a wall Shalom and also
a current student I am heard in our
master's program so that's awesome um as
a Walsh student in Alum can you can you
talk a little bit about your experience
as a student here and kind of what
that's meant to you yeah I mean I you
know we just all of a sudden you look
back and you're like okay it's been 78
years since I
graduated um you know you look back at
the things that made a difference right
you know Walsh is a big thing for me you
know we've met before we we see each
other at stuff and I'm like I bring it
up all the time you know opportunities
here that um carried me the past eight
years in being in the profession that I
look back on and it's like wow that was
a change that was a turning point right
there were there were experiences here
opportunities that were provided that I
really lean back on um and I look at
that as caring me through that
profession right the past eight years
even now as a current you know I take a
lot of pride in the undergrad that was
that was the big achievement to get into
it you know kind of what you need to do
first The Graduate degrees you know on
the side not as I'm not as intense into
it um don't tell any of our our
professors that right um but you know I
look back on that on fondly and look at
the things that you know the people I
got to meet the sure the events that
Walsh sponsored and you know when I was
a student and I think it still is this
case it was hey we have this opportunity
you know you weren't competing
necessarily to go to it right it wasn't
an exclusive thing it was we want you to
succeed we want to connect you here's
your chance do you want to take it um so
I look back on that really fondly of hey
it was a great great Kickstart to the
career um and great great things came
from it that's great that's what we love
to hear yeah um what would you suggest
so just to kind of change gears here
what would you suggest to a student you
know who's either fresh out of school or
or trying to get into the profession of
of maybe something or some things they
could focus on early on in their career
that helped you or
that yeah I would say you know looking
back now um we've you know everything's
changed right in some way but then at
some point you kind of step back and you
say some things never change right sure
so you know as a student now yeah you
know there's all these different you
know we're in when I was a student there
wasn't a podcast facility I don't know
you know Studio facook yeah exactly it
was a bookstore right and and so you
know these all these things are changing
right but at the same time there's some
things that never change you know like I
said when I was a when I was a undergrad
student you know you took the
opportunities to network and meet people
right relationships carry um you know I
got connected at Baker Tilly through a
relationship from recruiting years ago
um and it got rekindled I think there's
things that you know everybody's looking
to do something different and try
something new and do all these things
which is great
but when you go back to it there's
things that never change right yeah
there's things that um you know if
you're a student you
know you know putting in the time to
meet to meet people in the profession
right putting in the time to go to
things and and kind of get that
connectivity that's always going to be
there because our whole you know our
industry our business in business
professional industry all these things
they're carried by those relationships
so you know when you step back and look
at it yeah I graduated at a time we were
here 6: to 10 you know Monday Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday depending on the
class right sure I think at my time at
Walsh I had one class that wasn't from
6:00 to
10: well that's a little different now
right yeah but what's not different is
you know your connection with the
professor might get you a job right
right you know if you can connect with
the student you know another student
you'll run into them down the road you
guys hear you know the the folks you
know managing the career services you
know those are all people that you know
if you spend the time and get to know
them I think those things carry you
right um and I think that's something
that you know I don't want to say is
lost now but you know everybody wants to
be a podcast host and I I I have high
hopes for you Eric but uh um I know I'm
not going to be a podcaster right right
I'll join a few when you guys want me to
but sure but you know you step back re
and uh there's these you know there's
these things though but doing this stuff
right I mean coming on and talking to
you and and those things build
relationships and I would say any
student you know from from two
perspectives one to build the
relationships and and hopefully find an
opportunity but also to find what you're
not interested in right you look back at
that and you'll meet somebody that
you're like oh I don't ever want to work
for that person not in a bad way not you
know sometimes in a bad way but but
because you don't you don't click with
them but sometimes in a way that no I'm
just not going to be good in that
setting so why would I put myself
through that versus doing it blindly and
then having to live through it right
yeah so those are all chances for
students to really gauge their abilities
early on without being at a job per se
and gauge their opportunities right yeah
I think that's what I would say is the
biggest thing I would encourage because
looking back that paid a lot of that set
up a lot of pass right and a lot of
things to think about and kind of hone
in on what I was really interested in
build your sounds a lot like building
your network right TR to make you get
those folks in order and and utilizing
the the resources that are available to
you and especially right at such a early
time in in a
career to to build that and understand
what's out there right yeah it's great
later on too there's other reasons to do
it things like that but early on to
really understand everything I don't
think you know when I my first day at
Walsh I didn't have a clue you know and
I say say that in a in a in a way to you
know I didn't have a clue what was out
there fully I kind of maybe a little bit
I had a direction right yeah but I
didn't have a clue of all the
opportunities out there so you know
you're not going to be able to Google
you know this exact you know what what
your exact path is sure um so yeah
that's that's what I would give to
students awesome man so students if
you're out there make sure you attend
Career Fairs yeah exactly come see I
mean I will trust me those are super
helpful I will talk your ear off so
you'll you'll find out really quick if
you want to be around somebody that
talks your off or doesn't talk to you at
all you'll get a good you'll get a good
flavor for one of them that's funny
that's funny um what are some important
qualities that you guys look for um at
Baker Tilly and New Student interns or
entry-level folks that you guys bring on
yeah I think um a couple things right
you know the biggest thing I found is is
looking for people that are engaged you
know you can't coach that you can't
teach that so so people that are engaged
you know what does that mean that means
following up on you know the opportunity
itself trying to connect trying to make
sure that you're flexible to you know
with an employer to make sure that
you're you know connecting with them and
and working you know to to put that best
foot forward I think when people are
engaged in something you know no
different than you know this am I
engaged here you can tell right yeah you
can tell if somebody's engaged so that's
the biggest thing I look for first then
comes some other things like you know do
their goals with what we're looking for
right yeah you know we're a accounting
firm it's really built on learning you
know it's kind of an apprenticeship in
some
ways do those you know is this somebody
that will want to learn is this somebody
that wants to grow obviously a lot of
wall students are already doing that so
we we know that's that's you know the
the not really a concern you know if
you're here learning you know we kind of
know that but I'd say those are the two
big things um that I really that we
really look for as a whole of saying hey
is this person gonna you know succeed
here right because that's what we're
looking for is people who can really
succeed and um those are the big things
now especially and it got hard got a
little hard during Co to monitor that
right but now it's like okay you've
found ways to to kind of scope that out
and see see where people are at so sure
well that's great that's great uh last
one here uh thank you again for being
here appreciate um what do you like the
most about working in the accounting
industry your favorite thing oh I
mean accounting journal entries right I
mean I mean gosh tax returns I mean you
know Financial I mean it just blows my
mind that people don't love this stuff
right I would say for me it you know I
don't want to keep saying the same thing
so I'll kind of dig into it a little
different way but like relationships
right you know I look at when I started
you know everybody thinks you're coming
in and like like I said doing those
things tax returns financial statements
there's a few people out there that
really truly truly love that work right
and more power to them um but I think a
lot of people you know in the uh in the
space and this is again a thing I didn't
realize coming in from day one was it's
a very social opportunity in some ways
to connect with people um especially as
your progresses but even from day one
you know we have a group of interns
right now that are all connecting and
getting to know each other and you know
they don't have to be friends but
they'll carry those relationships for a
long time because they're going through
something together that um you know is
challenging right it's a new job it's a
new new experience um might be a little
scared or inated about it right you know
100% And and I think that's where yes
there's the scary part of it right but
there's also the huge reward that
sometimes people forget about of having
somebody that you know those you'll be
able to go back 10 years later and say
oh yeah like we you know it's been a few
years maybe but we both did that
together and remember that one time Nick
drove us nuts you know on that one
project and you know you you know you
laugh but you can probably think of it
too right you know you can remember that
you know some that bonding experience
right so looking you know stepping back
now a little bit and and really thinking
about it that's the part that's kept me
in it you know it's it's not the tax
returns it's it's not the it's not
reading the the code sections um it's
the people right it's the chance to
connect it's the chance to be with
people that you know want to help a
client want to help a staff person or an
intern grow and learn that's what draws
draws me to it because the work is what
the work is and we do all kinds of
different things every day the work's
never the same sure it's it's really
connecting with people you know wherever
that form may be um that that keeps I
think a lot of people into it and I
think a lot of people um
especially students that are listening
don't realize you know they think it's a
you know I'm in a cube by myself not
talking anybody right and I'd say even
in the even when I started it wasn't
like that but in the time that I've done
this it's changed even more so or it's
so far away from that now um it's kind
of wild to see yeah um awesome it's
become a true you know relationship
based kind of field almost of you know
you have to work with people right you
have to learn people's you know ticks
you have to learn these things but again
on the flip side of that is there's this
huge opportunity for you know lasting
connections yeah so that's great there's
still some tax there's still some yeah
there's still some I mean no matter how
hard I try uh they you know they still
make me do some tax returns so that's
funny well it sounds like a great place
to work AB yeah we certainly appreciate
the partnership bakertilly has been
involved with Walsh for many many years
and hopefully many more years to to come
here so and and come you know students
that are listening to come see us at the
career fears come connect with us we
have a great team so awesome um yeah for
sure happy to do it yeah well thank you
so much we appreciate it thanks for
having me you bet thank
you
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