I loved the environment of the firm. Everyone at BMF is amazing, everyone is helpful and friendly and you feel the firm culture from Day 1. There is constant events outside of work the firm participates in and I would recommend everyone goes to it, from the polar plunge to the ACC or just a random E3 event the firm makes sure to create events that allow us all to get away from the busy work schedule. BMF also truly cares about your life outside of work and you could feel that with the summer hours implemented to give the staff some more time away. Overall, BMF has given me many new friendships and has helped me grow my knowledge of accounting and helped me grow professionally.
What I wish was different
I don't really have anything I would have done different, I think for me everything has been a learning experience. Having both a busy season and a summer internship it has showed me both sides and I am so grateful to have had the chance to participate in both, especially at such a great firm.
Advice
I think the piece of advice Id give to people looking to intern or get into the profession is, do it. Yes, its challenging at times, but it is so much more rewarding than challenging. I think its also so important to be coachable and be able to learn from your mistakes, one thing BMF was amazing at with the interns is they don't expect you to know anything coming in. In doing this it creates a learning experience that is super beneficial. I think if you are coachable and learn from your mistakes you will be good in almost anything you do in life, not just accounting. I came in knowing truly nothing about a tax return and I can say confidently leaving that I know so much more than I did walking in here in January and that is all credit to the people at BMF.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Hybrid Intern: Audit and Tax
January - April 2019 • Fairlawn, OH
What I liked
What I liked about my intern experience is that you get paired up with a peer advisor as well as a mentor that you can go to for anything, whether it be a question about the work you are doing or a general in-site to the career in public accounting. This way if you are a bit shy you always have someone you are comfortable speaking to. I loved how welcoming and helpful everyone is at the firm, everyone is so willing to help and guide you in the right direction. Another aspect that I really enjoyed was the firm outings that would take place, such as the Annual Polar Plunge, annual snow tubing, little happy hours to take the stress off during busy season, etc. BMF in my opinion is the best firm to work with because you all become super close.
Even being an intern at the time I felt as though BMF was my home away from home, which is why I cannot wait to start full time in October.
What I wish was different
In all honest I wish the internship never ended due to how much I learned as well as how fun of an experience it was.
Advice
A few pieces of advice I would say is: one, when going through training write everything down. Trust me it will come in handy. Two, never be afraid to ask questions, the more the better for your own knowledge, even use the other interns. Three, go to as many of the social events as you can to create a better bond with your co-workers. Fourth, be willing to help everyone, even if you are not on that specific job/client. Lastly, be positive and open minded, you never know when someone is having a bad day and needs a happy face.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Tax Intern, Audit Intern, Business Advisory Intern
January 2018 - October 2020 • Fairlawn, OH
What I liked
I loved the people, everyone was so welcoming and helpful throughout my internships. I was able to quickly develop strong relationships with a lot of my coworkers. I enjoyed the company outings, i.e. Summer Golf Outings, Fall Family Outings to corn mazes, Holiday Parties, Busy-Season events like Axe Throwing or Brewery Tours, partaking in the Polar Plunge at Portage Lakes, and Winter Sledding Trips to Brandywine/Boston Mills; the events were a great way to get to know and develop great relationships with everyone from staff level up to the Partners. I liked how the work was challenging, which made it very rewarding when you were able to work through it correctly. The work environment is very warm and conducive to personal and professional growth. Overall, the environment at BMF has allowed me to grow personally and professionally while giving me the confidence to work to the best of my abilities.
What I wish was different
During my first internship (Tax Intern), the workflow was a bit slow as many clients were extending their returns in response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, but was completely out of our control. However, moving through my other two internships, the workflow was far steadier and stronger, allowing us to get into a groove and learn the processes while maintaining continuous real-world testing of our retained skills. Besides that, there is not much that I would have wished for or would have wanted to be different.
Advice
Some advice that I would give to others would be to be teachable, to learn from your mistakes, to be present and attend/participate in the work functions, and to bring positivity/optimism everyday. It is important to be a sponge during your internships; learn everything you can from people whom enjoy helping others grow and people who have experienced everything that you are going through. One piece of advice I got from my managers and supervisors is to try not to make the same mistake twice; learn why you made the mistake as well as the processes and recognition to understand how to correct your mistakes. A great sign of learning is that you catch your own mistakes and correct them before bringing it to your supervisor for help. Participating and active at work functions is a great way to develop relationships with your coworkers, but also for them to see who you are and understanding if you would be a good fit in the company culture. I had a lot to learn coming into my internships with BMF, but I believe I did my best to make a great first impression with everyone I met, as well as continuing to develop those relationships within work and at the work functions.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Audit Intern
January - April 2020 • Fairlawn, OH
What I liked
The audit employees that I was able to work with were amazing. At no point did I ever feel that I was lost or had nobody to turn to for questions. Whenever questions or difficulties would come up, I had an abundance of people to turn to so that I could get that question answered. This greatly helped me with my experience and general understanding of an audit. During this internship I was treated like a staff accountant and was able to take on many new tasks to help prepare me for the future.
What I wish was different
Unfortunately for me, COVID-19 cut my audit internship slightly short as the firm switched to a more remote workspace. The experience I had during the internship was still significantly beneficial.
Advice
Get involved and meet new people! BMF has many team building events that help you get to know people around the firm, I truly believe that the more involved you are with your internship the more you will enjoy it. Making friends around the office will help you enjoy your experience much more.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Tax Intern
January - April 2020 • Akron, OH
What I liked
I interned in the tax department at BMF during the 2020 tax season. The firm has a great training program that prepares you for the work you will be expected to prepare. They also maintain a great work environment where you are encouraged to ask questions while you continue to learn which makes the experience so much better. The experience I gained at BMF made me much more confident in my decision to pursue a career in public accounting.
What I wish was different
The only thing I wish had been different is that the COVID 19 epidemic led to a couple of weeks of working from home. The experience of working from home was great but I prefer being in the office.
Advice
Be okay with not knowing everything and try to view everything as a learning experience. Preparing tax returns seems incredibly overwhelming at first but that is okay. Ask as many questions as you need to and things will begin to make sense. All of the accountants in the department want you to succeed so don't be afraid to ask for guidance when you need it. Also, don't forget to write down the answers you receive so you don't have to ask the same question more than once.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Tax Intern
February 2019 - July 2020 • Fairlawn, OH
What I liked
The firm treats you as a valuable asset from the day they extend you an offer. The people here really focus on wanting their interns to learn. Whether preparing a return or attending a firm sponsored event, the people will never make you feel excluded. There was always someone to help when I had a question and being in a close working environment with other interns was great for working together.
What I wish was different
I wish I would have taken more of the opportunity to work overtime when they offered it as I could have had more experiences.
Advice
If at any point you feel overwhelmed, in any internship, reach out to a mentor, manager, or staff and let them know. Busy season is a stressful time and intimidating, but it's when as an intern we are expected to learn and grow (our work isn't expected to be perfect). We are only human and having those who have been through multiple busy seasons nearby, they will be there to listen and help in anyway that they can.
2
${count} people found this helpful
Hybrid Intern
January - April 2020 • Fairlawn, OH
What I liked
The hybrid internship was the perfect internship experience for me. I was able to work in both audit and tax to see which side interested me more and I got to interact with a wide range of professionals from both tax and audit.
What I wish was different
The only negative experience I had with my internship was that it got cut short by a couple of weeks due to COVID-19.
Advice
If you are unsure, ask! And write down everything you hear! It may not make sense immediately but as you look at it more and work with more clients it begins to come together.
