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Embarking on a career journey fueled by a passion for numbers and a later-found love for law, Haroon shares his experiences from studying Economics to pursuing a postgraduate degree in Law and Finance. Now a Tax Associate at BDO, working in the Tax Dispute Resolution department, he delves into the collaborative environment, direct interactions with Senior Managers, and the emphasis on feedback that have shaped his professional growth.

BDO UK

Can you describe your current position?

I started my graduate scheme at BDO in November 2021. I work in the Tax Dispute Resolution (TDR) department, which is a sub-division of Private Client Services (PCS). As a Tax Associate, I work on high-profile cases and carry out tax computations, research case law and draft disclosure reports to submit to the HMRC. I further get time off from work to attend classes and focus on my CTA tax qualification. BDO covers expenses relating to the qualification and has an internal team that teach us the syllabus and help us prepare for the examinations.

What do you like the most about your current position?

There is a real collaborative spirit within BDO to work together even across sub-divisions when necessary. I get to work directly with Senior Managers and Directors in my department. I believe this has been key for my development so far, as I have gained a lot of technical tax knowledge through them and further built an understanding of the various stages that are undertaken to resolve any disputes between our clients and the HMRC. What I like the most about working in my current position is that there is a real emphasis placed on providing and seeking feedback from colleagues. This has helped me understand which areas of my job I am performing well in and has allowed me to plan on how to develop on other areas going forward.

How would you describe your career path in a nutshell?

I always enjoyed working with numbers as a teenager and went on to study Economics as an undergraduate degree. During my undergrad, I grew rather fond of the subject of Law and consequently decided to pursue a postgraduate degree in Law and Finance. Working in Tax has allowed me to combine my love for both numbers and law - as it requires me to implement my knowledge of tax law whilst working with numbers and try to resolve disputes between our clients and HMRC.

What advice would you give to a potential candidate based on your career experience?

I believe it is key to carry out extensive research and build a good understanding of what will be required of you on a day-to-day basis for the job you are applying to. By doing so, firstly you will figure out whether you actually want to pursue the job in question or not. Secondly, it will help you showcase to the interviewers that you are actually passionate about the job, and therefore, are willing and able to tackle any challenges that come with it.

Which achievement are you most proud of?

I found studying for my masters degree quite challenging yet rewarding! I was running a society, volunteering and working part time all at once so really had to develop the art of time management that year. Gladly, it all paid off. 

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