In First Person

Chris Cahill: My First Tax Season

April 15^th marked the end of my first tax season at BBD as a full time employee. It was a lot of work for sure, but it was not quite as bad as some of the horror stories that I had heard about tax season. Despite the long hours and Saturdays that are required, it was a great learning experience. I expanded my tax knowledge in a very short time, which will be a major benefit for the rest of my career. I also expanded my knowledge of many of our clients, which will make next tax season a little easier because I will be more familiar with clients I am working on.

One specific thing I tried not to do, at least to the best of my ability, was not to get stressed out during the busy season. There is a lot of work that needs to get done in a fairly short period of time, but I felt that getting stressed out or getting co-workers stressed out does not get things done quicker or make things easier. Of course, there were stressful moments especially as April 15^th drew closer. Still I found it helpful during the more stressful times to “step back” for a minute and focus on what I was working on, rather than all the other work that needed to be done. Realistically, there will always be stress, but I found that trying to minimize the stress was very helpful during my first full time tax season.

Chris Cahill: Why BBD Was Right For Me

When I was looking for an Internship in the beginning of my junior year of college I knew I wanted to go to a mid-size firm because I wanted to be a name not just another face in the crowd. I was told by people that in larger firms it is easier to get lost and not stand out as much, and I wanted to be known within the firm I was interning with. I interviewed with 8 mid-sized firms, one of which was Briggs, Bunting & Dougherty. Coming out of the interview with BBD I had a good feeling that BBD may be right for me based on how the interview went and what I learned from the interviewer about the firm. When I was offered the opportunity to intern with BBD I visited the office and found that my feeling coming out of the interview was correct. Everyone that I met at the firm was very nice and I liked the vibe in the office. I also met two of BBD’s partners and they were welcoming and down to earth. The visit to the office sealed the deal, I loved the environment and liked the size because I felt like I had the opportunity to stand out and be known. I accepted the offer to intern with BBD and it worked out great, everyone knew my name and I had the opportunity to work in both audit and tax areas of the practice. One thing that really impressed me about BBD, during the internship, was the accessibility of the partners and managers, who were always available to answer any questions I had. I was offered a job after I completed the internship and I accepted the offer because BBD was everything I was looking for, a mid-sized firm with growth potential, had a great environment, and I was a name, not just another face in the crowd. Now that I am back full time things remain the same, everyone knows my name and the environment is still great.