We all have that one life experience which encourages us to become a better person. It helps us find the right direction and teaches us important life skills. For me, this experience was my CA Articleship(Articleship Training/Audit Training) with PwC, one of the Big4 accounting firms. My stint at PwC helped me understand the corporate world and taught me how to adapt to challenges, recognise opportunities, and showed me the importance of self development.
At 18 years of age, this was a completely life changing experience for me.
This articleship has played a significant role in transforming me from being an above average student in school to becoming a CA and now an entrepreneur. I think others too can benefit from their internship experiences. So, from the learning that I have gained during the time, I have put together a list of skills and experiences that all CA article assistants should aim to acquire during their CA articleship.
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Time Management Skills
We have all heard the proverb, time is money. Let me tell you, it is that and much more. Hence, it is necessary to learn how to manage it efficiently at the earliest. Your CA articleship is a good place to begin mastering time. If you’re not good at it, or have trouble keeping to the schedule, use help. Keep a calendar. Maintain a to-do list – in a diary, on post-its, on excel or on Google Calendar – whatever you are comfortable with. As you grow professionally, a calendar or a to-do list will also help you ensure that you are spending your time on things that matter and yield results. Along with maintaining a schedule, learn to audit it too. Weekly or monthly, check how you spent your time, where you could have saved it and what you need to allot more time to.
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Art of Documentation
Record keeping is a necessary evil. Your internship is a great place to start learning the art of documentation. You have to manage your own records and data and that of your clients. Lots of opportunity to perfect the process. It is also a good time to understand what works for you. Create your own process for record keeping. You can start by maintaining excel files for contacts and expenses, building time sheets. You can even manage your study schedule in a similar manner.Documentation is great a way to track and monitor projects and report on their progress. Good planning and a great documentation process are the keys to an exceptional execution and successful completion of a task. Additionally, a well maintained step-by-step documentation of the task is also helpful in analysis of the final outcome.
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Opportunities at Work
Be open to taking on work of different clients, sectors, or projects. In fact, seek it out. Let your bosses know you are willing to contribute or take on some additional responsibilities. Working for a variety of clients from different sectors will give you more exposure to the profession. To ensure that you do get considered for interesting work and projects, be sincere in your approach and focused on your work.
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Networking
There are two things important for success – hard work and networking. And, networking is not easy. Good networking skills take time to build. So, an early start won’t hurt. Work on your conversation skills, try to understand what people in your professional network are talking about, and be open to knowledge sharing and learning.To be good and successful networker, you need to be knowledgeable, approachable, trustworthy, and honest. These qualities are important for becoming a successful professional.
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Work Travel
If you’re given an opportunity to travel in the course of your work, take it. Even if you don’t like to travel, take it.It introduces you to new people, different work cultures, and prepares you to deal with unknown situations and people. You will encounter all these things in your professional life. Plus, when you travel for work, you get to experience corporate travel – it is a different world altogether.
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Research
This is a good time to brush up your research skills. Do client research, study the industry, explore various career options or just pick a topic and study it thoroughly. Understanding how to find information, distill it, and convert it into intelligent data will help a lot in the future. If you don’t know where to start – then start with Google – 20-30 minutes everyday.
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Speed Reading
Learn to speed read. This sounds like a no brainer. But it isn’t. Speed reading and understanding what you are reading is an acquired skill. It takes time. This will not only help you in future when you would have lots and lots of files to read, but it will also help you in the now – in your studies. For a start, you can check out tutorials on YouTube.
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Writing Skills
Yes, it is important. Just knowing the numbers is not enough. If there’s one thing that you learn from your CA articleship other than accountancy, it has to be writing. Learn to draft professional letters, emails,reports and corporate financials. It will be extremely useful in future.
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Computer Literacy
Nowadays, computer skills are mandatory. Professionals are expected to have at least working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) Web and Internet functions, and programs specific to your profession. Getting hands on experience on ERPs like SAP, Oracle, Tally etc will always be an advantage ahead. One should really take & learn Excel intensively.
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Seminars/Conferences
Like travel, these too are important. If you have the opportunity to attend seminars and conferences, go for them. The seminars hosted by ICAI and Regional offices of ICAI will help you to understand your sector/subject in detail. The conferences which your company/clients hosts/sends you to will assist you in gaining knowledge of the industry and it will also provide opportunity to network. So, go for these seminars and conferences, meet relevant people and learn new things.
There’s lots to learn during the CA articleship. This checklist will help you get started. Make the most of your time. And, while you are doing all this, study regularly, that’s important too. All the best!
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