CheckOutBDO.ca - Frequently Asked Questions about BDO

Frequently Asked Questions

About BDO
Registration Questions
Online Application Questions
Process Questions
Technical Support
Working at BDO

About BDO

1)	What do the letters BDO stand for?
	BDO stands for Binder Dijker Otte.

2)	What type of services does BDO offer?
	BDO's core services are: Assurance and Accounting, Taxation, Financial Advisory Services, Financial Recovery Services, Risk Advisory Services, Greenhouse Gas Advisory Services, and IFRS Consulting.

3)	What is the process for applying to BDO?
	BDO holds and attends recruitment events on campuses across Canada. Please go to our Campus Calendar, or check your local career centre to learn when we will be at your school. You can also apply to us directly through our job postings or future opportunities page.

4)	How big is the office locally, nationally and internationally?
	Local offices vary in size - in most cases, the larger the city, the larger the local office. In Canada, BDO has 95 offices and over 1200 professional staff, and approximately 300 partners who share ownership in the firm. Internationally, BDO has 621 Member Firm offices in 105 countries.

5)	What is BDO looking for in a person?
	BDO values honesty and trust, commitment, team building, mutual respect, leadership, client service and competency. Please see our Values At Work to learn more about how we work with our clients and with each other.

6)	Does BDO consider school marks when hiring? How important is this?
	Marks are important. However, BDO focuses primarily on fitting people with people, both with our clients and our own internal culture. BDO uses behavioural interviewing techniques among other methods, which puts the emphasis on "real-life" examples and how you have dealt with specific past situations.

7)	Does BDO support students? Will I have to work late often, and can I have a life outside the office?
	BDO puts you on a professional career path, and this does include overtime during peak periods. However, BDOsupports and encourages professional development and training programs leading to professional designations, and recognizes the time demands of school and work.

8)	What is the company culture at BDO like?
	At BDO, we believe in the "one-firm" concept. As part of our team, you are surrounded by mentors and colleagues who will support your career development. Our Partners take an active interest in your progress, and our Managers and Senior Managers will give you day-to-day technical guidance and feedback.

9)	What professional qualifications are needed?
	For entry-level positions, BDO requires a University or College degree. As you work with BDO, you will receive training and eventually, you will qualify to take the Uniform Final Examination (UFE), a challenging test that is offered to prospective Chartered Accountants nationally each year.

10)	How does BDO support its UFE writers?
	A UFE finalist may get a "buddy" who will be a recently-qualified CA, someone who has gone through the same process successfully. You will get on-going counselling, and be able to write practice exams and have them marked locally and through National Office. BDO also provides financial help for preparatory programs offered through the provincial CA institute, or externally.

11)	Do I need to be bilingual (French and English)?
	Being bilingual is required in some offices, particularly those in Québec and New Brunswick, as well as some other communities like Ottawa and Winnipeg. In most other offices bilingualism is an asset but not quite as much of a necessity.

12)	Is it beneficial to speak other languages?
	In communities where there is a significant base of clients who prefer to do businesses in other than the two official languages, having fluency in these languages is an asset. If you are fluent in more than one language, please highlight this in your application.

13)

What kind of training does BDO have for employees? How does the Professional Development process work?

At BDO, as with the entire accounting and consulting profession, there is a significant commitment to training. It is a major part of our culture. Specific training depends on your needs, and may be offered within the firm or through an outside training organization. We want to be sure that you are appropriately trained to do your job, so we support training programs that increase your job skills and enhance your career development.

14)	What type of training does a student get in the first year?
	In your first year, you will be part of a team that is responsible for providing assurance and other related services requiring the preparation of an entire file. This will allow you to see a job through to completion and will provide meaningful experience early in your career. It will also provide excellent preparation for your professional exams.

15)	Does BDO pay for courses?
	Yes. If the courses are relevant to your work, and you have prior approval from your supervisor, BDO will cover the cost.

16)	Can I get career planning advice at BDO?
	Like training, career planning is important at BDO. During your annual review, and at other times if you want as well, you can learn about the career options open to you. We have a National Coaching Program. You will be assigned a Coach that will meet with you as little or as much as you like to discuss your career development and help you plan your career path.

17)

What is a typical timeline for my career path at BDO?

Below is an example of an average timeline for your career path at BDO.

Year 1 - Staff Accountant
Year 2 - Intermediate Accountant
Year 3 - 5 - Senior Accountant

After you become a Senior Accountant, progressing to Manager, Senior Manager and Partner is based on merit and firm requirements. Note: This is an example of a timeline. Your timeline of career development will depend on many factors that are unique to different regions and service areas.

18)

I am an international student and wish to apply to BDO. How should I apply?

If you are an international student and wish to become a Canadian Chartered Accountant, please contact the provincial Institute of Chartered Accountants for the province that you will be working in to determine the requirements to pursue a designation there. The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) provides links to all the provincial institutes on their website. Our Links section also takes you to these provincial institutes. Prior to applying to any firm, you should ensure that you are legally eligible to work in Canada.

19)	Does BDO support transfers to other offices?
	BDO's approach is to retain our employees within a "one Firm" concept. We regularly post opportunities on the Firm's web-site and in each individual office. Transfers are arranged for the mutual benefit of individuals and the Firm. You are welcome to talk this over with your human resources advisor.

Registration Questions

20)	Why do I need to register?
	Registration allows you to protect the information you submit to BDO. To help ensure this information is protected, only you should know the username and password you use for this site.

21)	Is my registration information secure?
	Yes. Your use of the BDO Dunwoody LLP career site (hosted by workopolis.com) is governed by the Privacy and Confidentiality provisions on the workopolis.com site.

22)	How do I deactivate my account?
	You must make a request to delete your account entirely. Please click here to email your request.

23)	Why do my username and password work on workopolis.com?
	The application pages on BDO are created and hosted by Workopolis. When you register with BDO , you will also be registered with workopolis.com. The résumés you create and submit to BDO will not be available to workopolis.com, nor to any sites associated with Workopolis or its other clients . Access to information you provide to BDO is restricted to the BDO HR and recruiting team.

Online Application Questions

24)

What is the best format to use for my résumé?

The best format for your résumé is Plain Text. Before you copy and paste your résumé, save it as Plain Text in your word processing document. Rich Text formats do not translate well once you submit your application.

If you wish to maintain certain formats, you may use HTML tags, however; please note that your résumé is being evaluated on content, not format. You can preview how your résumé will appear to the BDO HR and recruiting team by logging on to My Résumés and clicking the Preview icon to the right of the résumé name.

25)	How do I know my application has been received?
	You will receive an e-mail acknowledging that BDO has received your résumé.

26)	I have submitted my application, but now realize I made an error in the information I provided. What should I do?
	You can't re-apply for the position, but you can update the information in the résumé you submitted by clicking the Edit button that will appear next to the posting you have applied to. Once you save the changes, the résumé you submitted will be updated.

Process Questions

27)	Can I apply for more than one position at a time?
	You are encouraged to apply for any and all positions you are interested in.

28)	What happens to my résumé once I have applied?
	If you are applying for a specific position, your résumé will be directed automatically to the BDO HR and recruiting team responsible for filling that position. After evaluating your skills and background, we may contact you for further information or an interview. Your résumé will be maintained in the BDO database and will be available only to our HR and recruiting team.

29)	I don't see a posted opportunity that interests me. Can I submit my résumé for future opportunities?
	Yes. General applications are submitted to the general talent pool where they are available to the entire BDO HR and recruiting team. Please go to our future opportunities page.

30)	I am unable to apply online. What should I do?
	If you are experience problems with the online application process, please contact us for assistance.

Technical Support

31)	I'm having a technical problem with the site. Whom do I contact?
	Please click here to e-mail your technical question(s).

Working at BDO

32)

What makes BDO unique?

BDO offers all the benefits of a smaller firm, with the resources of a larger firm. As a team-oriented firm, our Partners are actively involved in your training and career development. From the start, you will work on a file from start to finish, and have ownership of your work. You will have more responsibility from the start, and gain valuable work experience that will help you build your career. As one of the largest firms in Canada, we offer you access to opportunities and benefit that are consistent with firms of this size, such as connection to a global accounting network, and resources like financial assistance for the UFE. We also offer an accelerated career path, compared with the Big 4. Aside from work, BDO employees are involved in sports teams, social events, and volunteering.

33)	How much time will I spend at the client location vs. at the office?
	This depends on the time of the year. During busy season (Jan-Apr), you will be out of the office at client's location for 90% of the time, working from 9 am -7 pm, or later, if necessary. In the summer and fall, it is not as busy, therefore you will be in the office about 75-80% of the time, working 9 am - 5 pm.

34)	Do I need a car?
	In the larger business centers or cities, you will be able to access public transit or walk to clients, car pool or arrange for pick up. In the smaller offices or town, a car is mandatory for travelling to and from clients.

35)	What is the dress code at BDO?
	BDO's dress code is business casual. However, It depends on the client you are working with and what you are doing (i.e. an inventory count). It is better off to ask the senior you are working with because they will know the client and advise you of the appropriate dress code.

36)	Will BDO support other designations?
	BDO is a CA training firm so we support the CA designation, as well as the CMA and CGA. Once you specialize, for example if you were to transfer into our Valuations group, BDO would support you financially to obtain your CBV designation. If another designation is work-related, BDO will typically support you, but you must first discuss it with your coach and HR Partner to confirm.

37)	How will I be evaluated? How often?
	BDO has an online Performance Management System that has been customized specifically for BDO and it's firm-wide competencies. All staff are evaluated after each engagement and annually. You will be evaluated on competencies that fall within the Firm's 8 competencies .

38)	Will I have to choose an industry right away?
	Absolutely not. We will not ask you to choose or specialize in an industry from the start. At BDO, we want you to get your feet wet in all industries first. Then later, you may choose to specialize in an industry, if you want.

39)	Will I be able to transfer to another office or service line?
	Absolutely. You will be able to transfer to another office, within the region, province, nationally or internationally. You'll also have the opportunity to transfer into another service line once you pass the UFE, if you so choose.

40)	Are there any opportunities to travel?
	We have an International Secondment Program that allows you to travel and work abroad in any one of our member firms for a period of 6 months to 2 years. We have the largest International Network with over 600 offices around the world. There are also opportunities to travel during regular audit work as BDO has very diverse clients in various industries all over the world.

FAQ no.28

What happens to my résumé once I have applied?

If you are applying for a specific position, your résumé will be directed automatically to the BDO HR and recruiting team responsible for filling that position. After evaluating your skills and background, we may contact you for further information or an interview. Your résumé will be maintained in the BDO database and will be available only to our HR and recruiting team.