Informational Interview with Denzel Blount
There are many useful resources when researching jobs or trying to find a future career path to follow. However, one of the more personal and in depth ways to conduct this research is through an informational interview with a professional in the field themselves. With that in mind, I attempted to contact a professional in my field. Unfortunately, no one directly related to my field was able to meet with me, but I was able to conduct an interview with a professional in a position that has similar aspects to a job that I would be interested in.
On Friday, November 18, 2016, I sat down with Assurance Senior Associate at Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP, Denzel Blount. I was put in contact with Blount through …show more content…
Overall, I learned a great deal of information about the specifics of his position. As the senior associate, his role includes leading multiple teams to test both the balance sheet and income statement for accuracy, completeness, existence, proper valuation, and appropriate timing. As a graduate of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Blount emphasized his use of the tools and skills he learned during his undergraduate career. Blount took the time throughout the interview to have me ask follow up questions or any of insights that I had to make it more like a dialogue. This allowed me to get sufficient answers across a broad range of topics and concerns that I had going into the …show more content…
However, when we started talking about what his typical work week encompasses I was dismayed. Blount’s work is driven by close and strict deadlines, which can be good organization and structure, but he finds this to be overwhelming. Many deadlines for his jobs are set by government regulators or other interested parties, so there are many times when deadlines overlap. Work hours can easily build up to 60+ hours in a week. And due to the nature of the industry, it is expected and required to work on average 55+ hours in a week during busy periods. Many times Blount has put in long work days only to bring home more work that still needed to be completed. I understand that this work schedule can be typical of many positions in the business industry, but for my career I am looking for a more balanced and separated work and personal life schedule. During the interview, I learned that Blount will be participating in a work exchange program in the upcoming year. I was surprised to learn that his position offered this kind of amazing cultural opportunity. In February of 2017, Blount will be travelling to Hong Kong for four months to learn more about his current career on an international level. I’m interested in working for a company or working in a position that allows me to travel, especially internationally, because I am unable to study abroad during my time in
There are many useful resources when researching jobs or trying to find a future career path to follow. However, one of the more personal and in depth ways to conduct this research is through an informational interview with a professional in the field themselves. With that in mind, I attempted to contact a professional in my field. Unfortunately, no one directly related to my field was able to meet with me, but I was able to conduct an interview with a professional in a position that has similar aspects to a job that I would be interested in.
On Friday, November 18, 2016, I sat down with Assurance Senior Associate at Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP, Denzel Blount. I was put in contact with Blount through …show more content…
Overall, I learned a great deal of information about the specifics of his position. As the senior associate, his role includes leading multiple teams to test both the balance sheet and income statement for accuracy, completeness, existence, proper valuation, and appropriate timing. As a graduate of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Blount emphasized his use of the tools and skills he learned during his undergraduate career. Blount took the time throughout the interview to have me ask follow up questions or any of insights that I had to make it more like a dialogue. This allowed me to get sufficient answers across a broad range of topics and concerns that I had going into the …show more content…
However, when we started talking about what his typical work week encompasses I was dismayed. Blount’s work is driven by close and strict deadlines, which can be good organization and structure, but he finds this to be overwhelming. Many deadlines for his jobs are set by government regulators or other interested parties, so there are many times when deadlines overlap. Work hours can easily build up to 60+ hours in a week. And due to the nature of the industry, it is expected and required to work on average 55+ hours in a week during busy periods. Many times Blount has put in long work days only to bring home more work that still needed to be completed. I understand that this work schedule can be typical of many positions in the business industry, but for my career I am looking for a more balanced and separated work and personal life schedule. During the interview, I learned that Blount will be participating in a work exchange program in the upcoming year. I was surprised to learn that his position offered this kind of amazing cultural opportunity. In February of 2017, Blount will be travelling to Hong Kong for four months to learn more about his current career on an international level. I’m interested in working for a company or working in a position that allows me to travel, especially internationally, because I am unable to study abroad during my time in