“Becky provides substance, variety, and learning about how business works”
Read what working in finance means for one of our employees, Stefan. He shared some interesting insights on why smaller companies offer a lot to an employee.
Why do you think a career in accounting and finance is good for young people?
A career in accounting is good for young people because at Becky you can start from the beginning. Start with the basics, such as processing financial administration, something you need to build further foundations. I would compare it to a cell in biology, which is the basis for all further functions.
When a young person masters the basics at the start of their career, they can quickly build a career in different areas of finance. At Becky’s, they have the opportunity to master the necessary knowledge and gain experience that will help them develop further in the professional world.
Given that there’s a common idea that work in accounting is not dynamic, do you agree with that and why?
I disagree that work in accounting is not dynamic. It can be very busy when you have many clients, client interactions, different software, processing administration, etc.
Working with colleagues from the Netherlands is really interactive and stimulating. What I would single out as a great advantage that makes work dynamic is software. It is a great advantage to work with the latest technological innovations available in Europe, considering that our systems, unfortunately, lag behind the technology that’s in the world. There will be more technological advances in the future, so it’s great to have the opportunity to see how modern technology works.
From a personal perspective, what knowledge besides accounting can you get at Becky?
At Becky, in addition to knowledge about accounting and finance, you gain knowledge from different industries - business, services… and I really like that. You can see what the margins are, and the participation of different types of expenses (salary expenses, depreciation, tax laws, etc.).
Communication is key, and here you can learn a lot from clients who are successful entrepreneurs. After some time, you notice how they think, what they pay attention to, and what is important to them. You learn to see their perspective and get a bigger picture of a functioning business.
Is there room for progress and proactivity at Becky.works?
There is plenty of room for improvement. Hard work is highly valued and rewarded with a promotion and adequate compensation. As for proactivity, you have the possibility to innovate with colleagues from the Netherlands and propose some ideas of your own. Colleagues are cooperative, listen to your ideas, and respect you.
I had the opportunity to be proactive and proposed the application of a type of module in the accounting system that they were not familiar with before, and they accepted my suggestion. Our cultures and laws are different, but when you have enough knowledge, you can apply it while working with clients.
I would also like to single out our knowledge of tax topics that helped us when working with clients. Our task is to offer advice when we can. We had a situation where we proposed something the client didn’t know existed within their tax system–and they took our advice gladly.
Since you have worked at a large corporation, could you tell us the difference between that and working at Becky, with clients with different businesses?
I find that employees in large systems have a hard time leaving them because they feel like big corporations are good for their future and career. Yet, I am of the opinion that employees in large systems do not get a wide enough range of knowledge.
“In a startup company like Becky, there is much more flexibility in work. You are not limited by procedures and that is a significant advantage. Communication is informal enough, there is a work-life balance, and there is no need for overtime.”
About Stefan
- Naam: Stefan
- Positie: Senior accountant
- Werkt bij Becky: Since May 2020
- Werkervaring: 6 years