Renee’s Experience

“At DM, the sink or swim mentality does not exist! When I started my co-op, I was launched into an in-depth, two-week, full-time training program with several different trainers to provide a variety of perspectives and approaches. After this, I worked on several training files, with prompt and valuable feedback that I could apply to my next files. This fast feedback was extremely helpful with my learning and understanding, as it was still fresh in my mind. When I started on live files, I was provided with feedback, tips, and/or impromptu training sessions to help me understand concepts that I was struggling with. There was always someone available to help support me with what I needed.

Fast-forward three years, and I am now part of the onboarding process! It is very rewarding to get to share my personal experiences with new hires and help guide them through the steep learning curve and challenges at the beginning of their careers!

Learning Opportunities

From the start, I was registered for several courses (i.e. Newbies to Ninjas tax training, Xero certification, etc.) that would increase my knowledge and benefit me in the long run, not just during my co-op. In addition to formal, online courses, DM put on mini training, information, and Q&A sessions, often from the tax-team as this was during tax season. These sessions were incredibly helpful in tying in my academic knowledge with practical file work. Additionally, there was always someone willing to help, meet with me, or go over concepts at any given time to help my learning and development.

Fast forward three years, and I have now led a mini training session! It is incredible to look back on the knowledge I’ve gained in such a short time, and I look forward to sharing more of what is yet to come!

Sense of Community

During my co-op, I was virtual due to Covid. However, DM worked to ensure I met my co-workers and still felt part of the team. We were broken into small groups under each manager and would meet with other groups each week to simply connect and chat for approximately 20-30 minutes. This helped me get to know some of my fellow co-workers and build relationships even though we were not able to meet in person. After tax-season, DM hosted a virtual party, sent charcuterie fixings to our homes, and encouraged us to join the “party” for a celebration. It was great to see so many DM faces, across all departments. The first time I met several co-workers in-person was during a charity run, where we were all provided DM shirts which helped me to identify my team! It was a great experience to see such a large group show up for a good cause, while getting to know them outside of the work environment.

Fast forward three years, and I have been involved with several in-house relationship-building and charity events as well as multiple charity runs! It is incredibly rewarding to work with a firm that not just promotes in-house relationships building but also building relationships within our community.”