导师专访 | BDO企业并购经理讲述，投行VS四大工作体验！
哒哒~欢迎和诚意君一起回顾干货专题内容！
来自Mentor R的专访分享~
调整好自己的心态，充分准备，积极应对每一次面试。
英国的四大、投行，如何打破高淘汰率的魔咒？
如何从审计转型到企业并购？
如何才能成为一名优秀的Banker？
这些问题也曾困扰着我们的R导师，
但他都从容不迫地通过每一项挑战。
本期，诚意君采访到的R导师，目前就职于BDO，担任企业并购经理职位、也曾在PwC担任高级审计师。尽早为职业生涯最好规划无疑是获得一份满意工作的最好方法，R导师就是这样的人，他所选择的每一步都是为了实现最终目标在努力。
R导师曾在大学之前，在一家会计师事务所实习，也早早树立了想做一名会计师的梦想。大学期间，他是同龄人中唯一一个第一年就拿到PwC实习Offer的学生，同时他开始对金融特别感兴趣，由于金融岗位面对毕业生的比较少，所以他从审计师开始做，到后来成功转型成为企业并购经理。
想了解他的故事吗？想知道投行四大求职会遇到什么困难？读书期间，如何为求职做准备？让我们一起走进他的专访，走进他的故事。
R导师的介绍
工作经历：
BDO UK LLP,Mergers and Acquisitions Manager
PwC,Senior Associate – Assurance
UBS,Investment Banking
教育经历：
London Business School
MBA Finance
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
ACA（First time pass）
The University of Birmingham
Bachelor of Science, Accounting and Finance
岗位要求Requirement
Q：公司同事的背景? 都是名校吗？专业都与金融相关吗？
Would you like to tell me some background information about your colleagues?
Do all of them graduate from the top universities?
Are they all majored in finance?
我在PwC工作的时候，有很多同事来自非会计或财务背景。他们有的是化学或化学工程背景，或是在牛津学习历史或古典文学，与会计和财务无关，最后进入了四大。
我认为雇主寻找的关键不是你的硬技能，尤其是当你刚刚毕业的时候，但关键是你的软技能。在团队中领导团队，你的演讲技巧和你的沟通技巧，你是否可以灵活地适应工作，是否可以适应团队。因为公司在雇佣你之后，会有完整的培训计划，可以将你的硬技能提升，但是公司无法改变的是你的特质。所以，我认为一个人的软技能很关键，就是他们要找的。
关于名校背景，我认为这要看你把什么学校归于名校，如果你说的是英国排名前四的大学，那并不是这样的。PwC也有很多来自前20或30名大学的学生。他们看的是你的整体背景和特质。
他们也直接从高中雇佣学生，有的雇员没有上大学，而是直接进入School Leaver项目，公司会培养这些人。公司还会雇佣一些在其他方面做得很好的人，比如在运动方面表现很好，他们可以通过这种经历来增加自己的价值。所以这取决于你的整体，而不是仅仅看大学背景。但另一方面，大学教育确实有帮助，如果你上了一所好大学并取得了好成绩，也是很有竞争力的。
So back to PwC, a lot of peers, they came from non accounting or finance background. so we have students who have turned PST in chemistry or chemical engineering. They joined assurance. I had peers who came from oxford and then studied history or classics and had nothing to do with accounting nor finance. But I think the key things which employers look for is not your technical skills, especially when you graduate. But all the key is your soft skills, which is working in a team, leading a team, and your presentation skills and your skills like flexibility and being adaptable because they say there will be a full training program when you join the company and will project all the technical ability. But what we can’t change is your personality. So personality I think is quite key, is what they’re looking for.
I think it depends what you classify as a top university if you’re saying top four top five universities in the uk and they don’t make a lot of them do. But again there are a lot of students who come from top 20 or 30 university. What they looking at is your overall background and your personality, for example PwC they also hire students straight from school as well. So you don’t have to go to the university,so you can enjoy the school leaver program and then they will train you there and they also hire other individuals who never been to university but they have done other things, for example have been good in sports and they can add value through that experience. So it depends upon your whole profile, I would say, rather than just looking at the university. But on the other side, university education does help. if you have go to a good university and have a good grade.
Q：如何成为一名优秀的Banker？
What makes a good banker?
And what core kills should an investment banker have?
银行或投资银行都是通过做交易，完成你正在做的项目。我们从客户那里得到的费用是有条件的，这意味着我们只有在完成项目后，才能得到报酬。如果你能完成交易，这很好，但为了更大的成功，然后晋升为主管，管理级别，甚至合伙人级别，关键是看你能给公司带来什么业务。
我认为前两年更多的是关于执行，而之后更多的是关于业务发展，你能带来什么业务。拥有网络和人脉也是关键。所以你今天遇到的人，比如在大学里，很可能这些人就会是你未来的客户，保持这些关系是很重要的。
举个例子来说，如果你在IBD工作，作为一名初级团队成员，从事销售业务，很可能会关注客户所在的市场，他们是该行业的主要买家或卖家，市场前景如何。会为了团队成员做许多营销分析，并考虑潜在的买家。你将准备Pitch文件，并和团队更核心的成员一起在Pitch时介绍这些潜在买家给客户。
一旦你获得升职，你会在Pitch时，向客户进行Presentation。你需要有自信，有良好的沟通能力和表达能力。当你和所有买家交谈时，会和他们的首席执行官交谈，会和公司的老板谈。所以，关键是发展客户关系，有良好的沟通和表达能力。随着你的职责越来越多，你会更多地与律师进行尽职调查合作，因为你将协调整个交易过程。
再试着尽可能多地准备。你可以寻求外界帮助，来准备求职信，或多做模拟面试和评估中心，与你的朋友以及同学一起去练习。因为他们会经历同样的过程，并努力向他们学习，也和他们分享你的经验。
So banking or investment banking is all by doing the transaction, closing the projects you’re working on. The fees we get from the clients are contingent, which means we only get paid if we have completed the project. So it’s about completing the transactions. so what makes a good banker, If you can close transactions, that’s good ,but in order to succeed, and then get promotion to director or the partner level or the managing direct levels. The key thing is what business you can bring to the firm.
So I think the first couple of years is more about the execution, whereas the next is more around business development, what business you can bring in. So is key to have the networks and the contacts. So the people you met today, for example, at university is very likely those are the individuals who become your clients in the future. So keeping on and maintaining those relationships is important I would say.
What course kills should have investment banker have, I will just give you an example of what your day to day work will involve to illustrate what skills are important. If you’re working within IBD. if you’re working on the sale of the business, as a junior team member, you probably be looking at the market in which the client working in, who are the key buyers or the sellers in that sector. How’s the market looking is going to grow in the future,so doing the marketing analysis for your team members and also looking at the potential buyers who you would present to your client in the pitch and preparing the pitch document along with your senior team members.
And then once you progress you probably be looking at joining your senior team members in the pitch to the clients and so you will be pitching as well to the potential client. So you need to be confident and have good communication skills and presentation skills and then you probably speaking to all those buyers. When you speak with all of those buyers,you speaking with their CEOs. You will be speaking with the owners of the business, again the key there is developing relationships at those buyers, having good communication and presentation skills with buyers and then as you progress you’re working more with the the lawyers as well as the diligent because you will be coordinating the whole process to the same.
建议Suggestion
Q：正在求职的留学生应该做哪些准备。
What is your suggestion for all the Chinese students
to help them balance their college time and job seeking?
What do you think is the most suitable time for them to prepare for job seeking?
首先，建议尽量多找实习机会。像IBD和其他很多职位岗位，都是通过实习生来填补的。但要想获得实习机会，你可能得和毕业生一样去申请。所以，准备充分是关键。
其次，试着看看你对哪个公司或哪个部门感兴趣，然后寻找那些在该领域处于市场领先地位的公司，并尽量申请尽可能多的职位和机会。
So what’s my suggestion? Ok, so like I mentioned before, try to get as many internships as possible, because especially for IBD and many other positions, a lot of those positions are filled through interns.
But in order to get internships, you’d probably have to go to the same application process as you would do for the graduate program. So preparation again is the key. First of all, trying to see which companies or which sector you are interested in, and then once you know that ,then look for which companies are market leading in that sector and try to apply to as many positions and opportunity as possible, because you will get rejections, but it’s all about just getting one internship and one job.
And then again, try to prepare as much as possible. So get and all with your career department, seek their help about cv preparation or cover letter or during mock interviews, assessment centers. So prepare yourself, also work along with your friends as well as the university, because they will be going through the same process and try to learn from them and share your experience with them. That’s what I was saying.
Q：为什么会做CareerVantage的导师？
What makes you join CareerVantage?
我的一位朋友鼓励我加入，并与学生分享我的经历。因为我自己也经历工作申请过程，我知道当你还是个学生时，申请工作会遇到什么样的困难。
你可能在想，收到了拒信、下一步能做什么，或者可以寻求谁的帮助，或者在哪里可以做模拟面试或模拟评估中心。因此，我想与其他学生分享我的经验和所获得的知识，并帮助他们获得全职或实习工作，这就是我加入CareerVantage职势的原因。
One of the friend encourage me to join and share my experiences with students because I have been through the application process myself and I know it’s quite difficult when you at that place, because you’re probably thinking, well, I received this rejection,what can I do next to succeed, or could be anyone who could help me, or where could I do like the mock interview or assessment center. So I would like to share my experience and the knowledge I gained with the other students and help them to secure the full time or internship jobs, so that is what motivated me to join CareerVantage.
Q：求职培训对于留学生找工作是必要的吗？
How do you think CareerVantage can help
the Chinese students when they plan to for the job in the UK?
对于申请工作来讲，关键是应聘者在当天表现如何。但如果你训练了很多次，会更自信。因为你已经在那个环境中，更熟悉，你会在面试当天感到更安心，并且有信心。所以，我认为这就是CareerVantage职势为中国学生增加价值的地方。从一开始一直到最后, 在整个申请过程中，为你准备好每一个阶段，帮助你提高综合竞争力。
I think the key is how would you perform on the day. But if you have done that a number of times, you will be a lot more confident, because you have been in that environment and you will feel more secure on the actual day and having that confident. So I think that’s where CareerVantage add value to the chinese students, helping from the beginning all the way to the end, and then comparing them because reputation makes you perfect. So preparing you for each and every stage through the whole application process I would say. So that’s key because that will help you to compete along with other candidates who try to get the same job as you do. Because doesn’t matter which job you apply for, there will be so many other students applying the same position and you have to compete with all of them, so you have to try your best. And you can only perform best with their preparations.
来自Mentor R的专访分享(第二部分)~
「在任何公司工作，
你都需要管理和平衡好你的工作和生活。」
在英国四大、投行工作，是出了名的辛苦，
如何平衡工作和生活，也是一门艺术与学问。
今天的主人公R导师，
从PwC到BDO，从审计到企业并购，
他都能出色的完成工作，
并将自己的生活过得丰富多彩。
本期，诚意君采访到的R导师，目前就职于BDO，担任企业并购经理职位、也曾在PwC担任高级审计师。尽早为职业生涯最好规划无疑是获得一份满意工作的最好方法，R导师就是这样的人，他所选择的每一步都是为了实现最终目标在努力。
R导师曾在大学之前，在一家会计师事务所实习，也早早树立了想做一名会计师的梦想。大学期间，他是同龄人中唯一一个第一年就拿到PwC实习Offer的学生，同时他的目标开始从会计师转向金融，由于金融岗位面对毕业生的比较少，他决定从审计师做起，到后来成功转型成为企业并购经理。
想了解他的故事吗？想知道投行和四大工作内容如何？如何平衡工作和生活？让我们一起走进他的专访，走进他的故事。
工作经验
Career Experience
Q：审计的工作内容是什么？
What’s the specific content of assurance in PwC?
What about the further development of an audit?
审计分为：外部的财务审计，风险保证。我所从事的是财务审计，不是风险审计。
财务审计，更多的是审计大型上市公司客户的财务报表，或者可能是由企业家经营的小型中型企业。通常，工作的第一年，需要研究财务报表中的一些财务项目，可能是银行对账或审核客户公司的股票，以实际核实他们的资产。
因此，审计第一年的工作内容，通常会花时间选择不同项目的样本，然后在Excel中记录这些样本。例如，假设从政策声明中查看较长期的收支项目，可能会选择两个样本，然后必须记录，比如发票的日期、客户购买的产品或服务描述等等，然后把发票上的数字加回到所选择的样本。根据客户的情况，例如，要查200张发票，就必须把这些发票输入到Excel文档中。所以，审计不仅仅是记录和整理文件，还要将这些清晰地告知不参与审计过程的第三方。
第一年，审计的工作内容大多是检查发票，但当你升职，会有手下的小组成员为你工作。这个时候，关键就是分享经验，然后管理团队，将任务完成。但随着越来越资深，工作会变得越来越有趣，会更少关乎发票检查，更多关于管理工作，也有机会直接接触高层管理人员。
So it depends, which year you’re in. So for example, someone work as an associate, which is your first year as an auditor within PwC. You see, again, assurance is divided into two different categories:the external, the financial assurance. And the second one is the risk assurance.
So l was in the financial audit rather than the risk assurance. but I will also talk about what risk assurance is. So the financial assurance, is the more about auditing the financial statements of clients which could be large listed firms, or those could be a small medium size firms run by entrepreneurs. And in your first year, you probably be working on some of the financial items from the financial statements. So what that could be bank reconciliation or doing the stock which is you going out to the client side and physically very following the existence of the stock that they have said exist in the company, to physically verifying their assets. so a lot of first year audit spend time choosing the samples of different items and then recording those samples in excel. For example, let’s say you looking at the the revenue items on a longer term from the policy statement, you probably pick up two samples, and then you have to record that, say, the date of the invoice, the description of the products or services being purchased by the client, to the other company, from whom received the invoice. And then just adding the numbers from the invoice back to the simple you have chosen.
So depending from the client, you’ll probably be going through two hundred invoices. And then we have to mentally enter those invoices into the excel document. So assurance is not about documentation and to say is about any third individual who is not involved in the audit of the company can see what works you have done.
So first year is la lot more about invoice taking, I would say, but then again as you progress and then you will have junior team members working for you, so the key there is about sharing your experiences you had and then managing your own little team going forward. but It gets more interesting as you get more and more senior because then it’s less invoice checking,and more about managing the job, but also having the direct exposure with the senior team both within your company but also at the contact.
Q：UBS和BDO工作内容如何？和PwC的工作有什么区别？
What about the work in you UBS and BDO?
Would you like to describe the typical working day for us ?
Compared to the former working experience in PwC, what’s the differences?
UBS和BDO的工作与PwC完全不同，是因为隶属不同的部门。我现在从事的是企业并购，而不是审计。
我认为关键的区别之一是，作为审计，90%的工作时间你都是在客户方度过的，所以你在自己办公室的时间很少。而在BDO或IBD的 M&A，大多数时候你在办公室工作，整个工作和环境都是完全不同的。
在并购组，我会参与建议客户出售公司或筹集资金，不管是私人股本还是风险投资。另一件事是直接与高层管理人员合作，通常是公司的董事总经理和执行董事。而作为审计，您可能与财务总监和财务团队合作，不太会接触首席执行官和公司其他高级管理人员。
另一方面，在并购组，工作时间也是不可预测的。有一天可能会工作得很晚，可能是晚上12点，甚至可能更晚，但第二天你可能又没有太多事。所以有很大的机动性。而在审计组，工作时间几乎是平均的。在审计，忙季通常是在12月到3月。而在并购组，这是不确定以及机动的。
So working in UBS and BDO are completely different from that in PwC, the reason for that is because it’s a different division. So now I work in corporate fiance/ mergers and acquisitions rather than assurance. So I think one of the key differences is that as audit, ninety percent of the time you base on the client side, so you would spend very little time in your own office, whereas at BDO or UBS within M&A, majority of the time you’re base in the office and the whole work and the environment is completely different. Within M&A,i’m involved like advising clients on selling the companies to raise funding, whether there’s actually funding from private equity or venture capital. Another thing is you get more exposure to the senior executive team from the client, because you’re working directly with senior level executives, the company’s managing directors as well as executive direct, whereas in assurance you probably work with the finance director or the finance team underneath the finance director. So you don’t get explosure to the CEOs, and other senior level executives in the company.
But again, on the flip side, in M&A, the working hours are very unpredictable. One day you could be working very late, that could be like twelve o’clock at night, or even later than that, but next day you could have nothing to do. So it is there’s a lot of volatility, whereas in audit most of the time you visit, the working hours is pretty much on average. With assurance, you have a busy tone which normally is around December, to March time, whereas M&A it’s volatile. That is what I would say.
Q：有中国同事吗？和他们共事的感受如何？
Do you have some Chinese colleagues?
How’s your feeling when you’re working with them?
在工作中，我确实与我的中国同事有密切的合作。BDO的一名合伙人是中国人，在并购团队中也有两名中国同事。我们进行的很多工作，都集中在中国企业。因此，中国同事确实是对于英国公司在中国的业务，或者对于中国公司进入英国都是有帮助的。
我认为中国同事是很好的团队成员，我们试着用中国文化和语言的理解。比如，如果需要和中国客户交谈，我可能更希望我的中国朋友或者中国同事，用普通话跟他们说话。因此，我们总是试图让他们参与其中，在任何交易获得中国的见解。
Yes, one of a friend who’s chinese, uh, quite a good friend of mine. I do work quite closely with my Chinese collegeagues at work. So One of partners at BDO,he’s chinese and then we got two chinese colleagues within the M&A team and a lot of work is focused around chinese companies. So it does helping a uk company in the sale process in china or helping chinese company enter into the uk.
And how’s your feeling when you’re working with them? Yeah, we just work, I would say they are good team members Uh, but then again, and we try to use their understand of the culture and the language in which, for example, if I need to speak to someone in china probably prefer that one of my chinese friend or the chinese colleague speaking to them in mandarin. So we always try to get them involved to get Chinese angle in any of the transactions.
Q：在投行工作，有什么有趣的事情？
Have you had any interesting stories during your work time?
有很多有趣的故事，这些趣事都有些特别。有一次，我在德国度假，接到了一个电话，我的经理要求我第二天早上去格拉斯哥。这意味着我需要结束假期，12点左右回到家里，然后赶上另外一班第二天早上6点起飞的飞机。所以，在投行工作，有可能有很多机动和不可预测的地方。就像我突然结束假期去格拉斯哥，为一个从前完全没有接触过的全新客户工作。
I think, there are many interesting stories, but again, those are interesting for different reasons. So one of the interesting story was, let’s say I was in germany on holiday, and then I received a call, from my manager asking that I need to be in glasgow in the next morning. So which meant I need to fly back at the home around twelve o’clock from my holidays and then have to be on the other flight which was about to leave at six o’clock in the morning at the airport. So again so there could be a lot of volatility and and unpredictability where you could be next day. So coming home late and then getting up quite early in the morning to go to glasgow to work on a completely new client, which you have never worked before.
Q：如何平衡工作和生活？
The working hours in IBD are very long
and sometimes your task may be very complicated.
How do you balance your work and life?
投行工作确实比较辛苦，所以如果你打算在IBD工作，，你就做好思想准备，因为在这儿工作需要你付出更多的工作时间相比其他。但如果你在任何更大的机构工作，你的工作时长也会成倍增加。这里的关键是，如何管理你的工作和生活。
在PwC，我和我的朋友，是同一年加入的公司，但由于审计都是在客户公司工作，所以你几乎看不到其他同事。所以，我们在那些日子里所尝试做的，就会在晚上安排社交活动。无论是在周五晚上，还是参加日常晚上的活动。我们可以去酒吧，或者抽出时间，一起做喜欢的运动。
Uh, so that’s true. So if you’re planning to work in IBD, be prepared for longer hours. But i’m gonna say if you’re working for any larger organization, you probably will be working quite long working hours. So the key here is again managing your working and life. So just give you my experiences. So back to PwC, all of my peers joined at the same time. So in assurance is always based in the clients side, so you hardly see anyone. So what we try to used to do in those days is arranging like socials in the evening whether those on the friday evening or attend the evening event where we all go out together. The things could be going to a pub or probably like playing sports together, that sort of activities. But also, I would say like within M&A,Like I said one day it could be working crazy hours, which means you need to be there. But it could be another day, you can finish early as well and go home on time.
这就是导师专访的第二部分啦~
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