Myriam Zaki Ibrahim
Manager, Audit & Assurance
Mazars in Switzerland
You started Mazars as an intern and now you are a manager. Can you tell us about what motivated you to stay within the firm?
During my first few years at Mazars, I passed the CPA exam, which took three summers to complete. It was a lot of work, and I spent several hours studying. During this time, I had long talks with my colleagues to better understand the theory, which really helped support my journey. In the end, it was all worth it, and if I had to do it all over again, I would. Part of this experience enabled me to build strong relationships with my colleagues, so this was definitely one of my main motivations to staying at Mazars.
What makes audit such an exciting profession?
Audit is exciting because of the diversity you get to experience in terms of clients. You get to work with people from different industries, locations and teams, which keeps things fresh. Since I started at Mazars, there has not been a single day where I haven’t learnt anything. As a bonus, while you get to know your clients, you get to discover amazing restaurants along the way!
Can you tell us about your experience recruiting? What makes the ideal candidate?
I really enjoyed my experience as a recruiter for the audit team. In this role, I got to meet new people and discover new profiles. But it wasn’t always easy: it can be challenging to decide which person will be the perfect match with the team after only spending around an hour or so with the candidate. On top of that, there is almost always a technical part of the interview, so its really important that as a recruiter, your understanding of audit and accounting is still accurate. I believe the ideal candidate should be very curious and rigorous, but also fun because it’s important to have fun while working – after all, it’s a huge part of your life!
Any advice for young people looking to pursue a career in audit?
It’s not always going to be easy, but audit is one of the best professions to develop your knowledge about an entity’s business, discover different industries. If you’re someone who looks for new challenges, then you’ve found the perfect job. Don’t hesitate to be curious, ask questions and most importantly, have fun!