Dharmesh: an experience unlike other firms
Dharmesh joined UHY as an audit manager in 2021, following years with various other accountancy firms. He shares his experience of joining our London office and how the culture and values of the firm make UHY unlike any other firm he has worked for.
UHY was recommended to me by a recruitment firm that I had used previously. They asked me to look at the partner profiles and the website and, overall, my consensus was that my skillset, experience and general collaborative approach to work would be a good fit.
The interview process (or should I say ‘grilling’!) was a two-stage process, each time with two partners. Compared to the other firms I had met with, this was by far the most open, informative, and friendly interview process. Whilst I was challenged during the two meetings, the process allowed me to share my experience and talk about my personal skills set in an open yet professional way. The partners showed they were also interested in me, compared with other interviews where it was more about them. After both interviews, I said to the consultant that if I was fortunate enough to secure the role, I was confident I could work with all the partners I had met.
On joining the firm, I quickly realised a friendly and approachable culture is prominent across UHY. The firm’s values were created by teams from all levels across the firm, not just pushed from the top down, and you can tell from the outset that UHY is a people-led firm. You can have a conversation with anyone and there is no obvious hierarchical barrier. In some of the other firms I have worked in, this wasn’t the case.
I joined UHY from a much smaller firm. So, it was a steep learning curve in the first few months in terms of absorbing the vast array of both technical and procedural material, coupled with lots of training courses and meetings. However, the collaborative approach to the way we work together and the effort by partners to allow people to participate, both at departmental and companywide levels, has made working at UHY a genuinely enjoyable experience.
If I had any words of advice, it would be to jump at the chance to join UHY, be a sponge and make every effort to engage! Ask questions and don’t be afraid to speak to anyone, even if it’s just to say hello and introduce yourself.