Meet An Auditor: Jessica McCabe
August 2018 Update
Name: Jess McCabe
Current job and location: BDO USA, LLP – Senior Associate in Boston
Number of years with the firm: 3 years
Hometown: Avon, MA
College/Major: Bentley University/Accounting
How long have you now been employed with your accounting firm?
This fall, I’ll have been with BDO for three years
Briefly describe your current role, and how it’s different than when we last connected.
My current role is now as a senior associate. Since we last connected, I have gone from being a staff member of my team to leading my team in our day-to-day activities.
What are you most excited about in your current position?
In my current position, I get most excited about helping and teaching newer members of the team. I find it super rewarding to be able to share the skills I have learned thus far in my career and help someone better understand an area they’re working through or how to more efficiently approach a task. I also find it exciting that as I advance in my career, I’m able to have a more flexible schedule to study for my CPA or enjoy life outside of work, like helping my friends with their wedding planning (see picture J).
Now that you have advanced in your career, is there any new advice that you would offer to undergraduate students who are considering a career in audit?
I would actually echo my original advice that being an auditor is a great way to begin your career – I have learned so much in the past few years and continue to be challenged by the work and am learning new things all the time. I believe I said it before but I don’t think I would have learned as much if I had chosen a different career path right out of school.
Finally, what do you most look forward to in your professional future?
In my career, I’m really looking forward to getting my license and continuing to learn through having different clients in different industries. I believe being an auditor is really what you make it and I look forward to new challenges, working with new people, and seeing all the different aspects the industry has to offer.
Original 2016 Post
Name & Age: Jess McCabe, 24
Current job and location: BDO USA, LLP – Assurance Associate in Boston
Number of years with the firm: 1 year
Hometown: Avon, MA
College/Major: Bentley University/Accounting
Briefly describe your current role at the firm?
As an assurance associate, I work alongside seniors, managers, and partners to perform testing on our clients’ financial statement areas to ensure they are free of material misstatement to the best of our knowledge. The testing we perform can include sampling to ensure expenses exist, recalculating rollforwards and schedules, and even going to a clients’ warehouse to perform a physical inventory observation.
What one personal quality helps you most in your auditing career and why?
The quality that helps me the most is having a positive attitude. At times, the work can be challenging and we work long hours but I think being able to see the silver lining of a situation makes a world of difference!
What experience as an undergraduate student provided you with the best preparation for your job and why? This could be class, major, internship, job, family member, etc.
As grueling as they are, I think working on group projects helped prepare me a ton! As auditors, we work almost exclusively in a team-based environment and understanding how to work alongside many different types of people has been a huge help.
What advice, personal or professional, do you have for students considering a career in auditing?
My advice to students considering a career in public accounting is that auditing is a great way to start your career in accounting in general! I’ve learned so much in the short year that I’ve worked as an auditor that I’m not sure I would have in a different position. It also helps that my day-to-day includes seeing new and different clients as often as every week!
What has been the best part of your job and why?
The best of my job has been working with the people I do. I really enjoy working in a team environment and having the support to ask questions and bounce ideas off of my supervisors and peers – and we have many laughs in between as well!