Less than seventy-two hours today, I officially rounded up my six months temporary placement as undergraduate intern at KPMG Professional Services, Nigeria - one of the big 4s in the Audit, Tax and Advisory Consulting firms, headquartered in the Netherlands. On the international scene, emphasis on Values and Culture Lands KPMG on the 2019 FORTUNE Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For according to a PR Newswire report dated Feb 14, 2019. Driven by its slogan “cutting through complexities”, this international glory was echoed domestically when KPMG Nigeria emerged #1 Professional Services Company in the 2019 Jobberman Nigeria Best 100 Companies to Work For (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kpmg_nigeria_kpmg-kpmgnigeria-kpmgafrica-activity-6604720444077670400-LhGL). It is true "KPMG attracts the brightest minds in the world across diverse academic backgrounds and inclinations" - Edwin Ugwuodo, 2015.
The journey that seemed never to come to an end started few days before the 2018 Christmas (exactly a year ago) when I applied for a placement in the undergraduate internship category. From then on, I signed in for the rigorous recruitment process. I could remember almost breaking my legs trying to get airtime to submit my online essay before the one hour deadline....lols! I don’t mean to wash my linens outside, but just to make you appreciate the whole picture and enjoy my story.
To make the short story long, I followed through the recruitment process diligently up to the benchmarking stage (stage 5) and then......I lost out after about six months. Yes I did lost out and the recruitment process was going to be discontinued I was told. That unfavorable mail came two days to my birthday, a day I would consider the worst day of 2019. Infact I was heartbroken that day and almost could not defend my group for a term paper defense... birthday was lowkey gbam!
Quite frankly, I didn't give up even though KPMG 'was' gone. I tried to look somewhere else but none was appealing. Kpmg was still in my mind; the Color (blue is my fav), the people, the prestige, the name and the fame. So I prayed more - for a miracle.
Consequently, on the 4th of June, 2019 on my way to Lagos for a HillCity Foundation event, I got a mail notification from KPMG - I have just been reconsidered for a place to intern. Dear reader, it was Laughter, Tears & Goosebumbs. To God be the Glory, that was the happiest day of 2019. I preserved this celebration till the day I was sure of induction.
Excitedly, I resumed my placement with other bright-eyed interns same day on the 1st of July, 2019 immediately after my semester exams. It was one of the most memorable days of our life. I also climbed for the first time in my life a sky scraper with 13 floors. The light green building was so conspicuous you could see it from every angle of Victoria Island. That day, I thought I was walking into heaven (lol).
The beautiful and handsome members of the HR team welcomed us and after series of signatures, we were dispatched to different units in the firm specifically Information Technology Services (ITS) Unit for me. A Chapter in my life has just begun.

Dear reader, what my eyes saw this cup is too small to pour out into.
PEOPLE: I was in the midst of highly intelligent people. People of several profession and field you can ever imagine. The people that become friends and then family are well positioned to make the workload light. Everybody there has specifics that made KPMG hire him or her. I suppose they were all outstanding students with great ability in one way or the other from various schools of the world. The mindset at KPMG is a First Class and an achievement mindset. I have been asked several times if I am in first class already or not. That notwithstanding, the benchmark for hiring remains second class upper division i.e (2.1) for undergraduate and graduate positions. The staff of KPMG are true definition of devotion with strong work ethics - my supervisors are huge examples. The height of personal and impeccable commitment to duties leaves you pondering how on earth a firm could instill such level of religious devotion into her employees. They are intelligent I must confess. Very friendly and hospitable. I appreciate working with such an inspiring team.

CULTURE: The language here is diversity and inclusion. You can never feel lost out in such a highly diversified place. Gosh you may even forget you are in the office most times. There was nothing to lack in terms of environment and facilities. In KPMG, every day was a parte-after-parte kind of in the name of lunch of all sort, just name them. Even if I have a reason to stay away from work I wouldn't not because I love work so much but because of the great lunch (lols). At your discretion, you could take three course meals during lunch at the expense of the firm. Chai! Should I talk about delicious cakes and surplus drinks that occasionally court your ways in your units or the informal outings (movies, dinner or Arabian night etc) the partners and ADs host us to most times!. That is to tell you the stuff they're made of. They spend a fortune creating adequate working environment to enhance staff productivity. Indeed the work environment in KPMG is ”heavenly” but note; they would work you out. But is it worth it? O yes definitely!

KNOWLEDGE: If there is a place to put theory to practice then KPMG is the place. The knowledge acquired is seamless: I learnt a lot in Technology Assurance, Hardware and Software Testing, IT Remote Assistance, Asset Management, Network Troubleshooting and Technology Business Support . I was trained and grilled intellectually, particularly in my unit area and now am experienced in I.T Helpdesk Services.

I want to sincerely thank God for the privilege to intern at KPMG Professional Services, Nigeria. It started slowly with every reason to give up right from the beginning - being exposed to the professional outlay for the first time at an entirely new place (thank goodness for its rich diversity and inclusion). I have had a first-hand knowledge of the hustle and struggle people face out there. In my case there was no comfort zone available so I was left with no other option than to move. The hunger for self-fulfillment was enough to keep me pushing at a point where others will give up. This led me to put these words together: "If we're serious about our destiny, the entire world will conspire to help us succeed"....I have reaped my own words. People were in place that helped me succeed.
So my dears before you give up, take a moment and ponder, ask yourself, where you really belong? and where you fit into. It could be anywhere, in your chosen field of private or public practice whether in government, in consulting, in NGOs or in any Multinational/international organizations. There are thousands of places like these if you could leave your comfort zone and take a step further and not give up.
My story should inspire you. Even as I have shared with you the beautiful part of the journey here amongst other's, but what you may not perceive is that behind the story were lots of late nights and pains.
At that point, I looked the Mirrow and said "You're not lost in life, you're just early in the process." A man is never old until regrets take the place of dreams. Your dreams are still valid, not matter your age. You only need to begin. Dear reader, be versatile, try new things. Steve Harris once said, "growth is when you go from being a professional in what's old to becoming an amateur in something new." You need to stop celebrating your safe spot and try something different.
The challenges were many but they were never enough to make me give up - Dont too!

Godwin Akpa
Information Technology Services
KPMG Intern (July-December, 2019)

I wish you success in your future endeavours. Cheers

@ gakpa Bro i want to apply for their internship program nxt year or gradute trainees recruitment wen an done. but i dnt knw if dey do accept political science graduates.

Oh wow Thank you this is exactly what I needed, I am to start a pre-nysc internship with them starting January 2020, and I’ll love to ask some more questions, Please how can i contact you, wouldn’t mind asking here either if it’s fine by you.

francisgodstime:
@ gakpa Bro i want to apply for their internship program nxt year or gradute trainees recruitment wen an done. but i dnt knw if dey do accept political science graduates.

They accept everyone, no matter what you studied, just have a first class or 2:1

Toyoakoms:


They accept everyone, no matter what you studied, just have a first class or 2:1

thanks man

GAkpa:
Less than seventy-two hours today, I officially rounded up my six months temporary placement as undergraduate intern at KPMG Professional Services, Nigeria - one of the big 4s in the Audit, Tax and Advisory Consulting firms, headquartered in the Netherlands. On the international scene, emphasis on Values and Culture Lands KPMG on the 2019 FORTUNE Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For according to a PR Newswire report dated Feb 14, 2019. Driven by its slogan “cutting through complexities”, this international glory was echoed domestically when KPMG Nigeria emerged #1 Professional Services Company in the 2019 Jobberman Nigeria Best 100 Companies to Work For (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kpmg_nigeria_kpmg-kpmgnigeria-kpmgafrica-activity-6604720444077670400-LhGL). It is true "KPMG attracts the brightest minds in the world across diverse academic backgrounds and inclinations" - Edwin Ugwuodo, 2015.
The journey that seemed never to come to an end started few days before the 2018 Christmas (exactly a year ago) when I applied for a placement in the undergraduate internship category. From then on, I signed in for the rigorous recruitment process. I could remember almost breaking my legs trying to get airtime to submit my online essay before the one hour deadline....lols! I don’t mean to wash my linens outside, but just to make you appreciate the whole picture and enjoy my story.
To make the short story long, I followed through the recruitment process diligently up to the benchmarking stage (stage 5) and then......I lost out after about six months. Yes I did lost out and the recruitment process was going to be discontinued I was told. That unfavorable mail came two days to my birthday, a day I would consider the worst day of 2019. Infact I was heartbroken that day and almost could not defend my group for a term paper defense... birthday was lowkey gbam!
Quite frankly, I didn't give up even though KPMG 'was' gone. I tried to look somewhere else but none was appealing. Kpmg was still in my mind; the Color (blue is my fav), the people, the prestige, the name and the fame. So I prayed more - for a miracle.
Consequently, on the 4th of June, 2019 on my way to Lagos for a HillCity Foundation event, I got a mail notification from KPMG - I have just been reconsidered for a place to intern. Dear reader, it was Laughter, Tears & Goosebumbs. To God be the Glory, that was the happiest day of 2019. I preserved this celebration till the day I was sure of induction.
Excitedly, I resumed my placement with other bright-eyed interns same day on the 1st of July, 2019 immediately after my semester exams. It was one of the most memorable days of our life. I also climbed for the first time in my life a sky scraper with 13 floors. The light green building was so conspicuous you could see it from every angle of Victoria Island. That day, I thought I was walking into heaven (lol).
The beautiful and handsome members of the HR team welcomed us and after series of signatures, we were dispatched to different units in the firm specifically Information Technology Services (ITS) Unit for me. A Chapter in my life has just begun.

Dear reader, what my eyes saw this cup is too small to pour out into.
PEOPLE: I was in the midst of highly intelligent people. People of several profession and field you can ever imagine. The people that become friends and then family are well positioned to make the workload light. Everybody there has specifics that made KPMG hire him or her. I suppose they were all outstanding students with great ability in one way or the other from various schools of the world. The mindset at KPMG is a First Class and an achievement mindset. I have been asked several times if I am in first class already or not. That notwithstanding, the benchmark for hiring remains second class upper division i.e (2.1) for undergraduate and graduate positions. The staff of KPMG are true definition of devotion with strong work ethics - my supervisors are huge examples. The height of personal and impeccable commitment to duties leaves you pondering how on earth a firm could instill such level of religious devotion into her employees. They are intelligent I must confess. Very friendly and hospitable. I appreciate working with such an inspiring team.

CULTURE: The language here is diversity and inclusion. You can never feel lost out in such a highly diversified place. Gosh you may even forget you are in the office most times. There was nothing to lack in terms of environment and facilities. In KPMG, every day was a parte-after-parte kind of in the name of lunch of all sort, just name them. Even if I have a reason to stay away from work I wouldn't not because I love work so much but because of the great lunch (lols). At your discretion, you could take three course meals during lunch at the expense of the firm. Chai! Should I talk about delicious cakes and surplus drinks that occasionally court your ways in your units or the informal outings (movies, dinner or Arabian night etc) the partners and ADs host us to most times!. That is to tell you the stuff they're made of. They spend a fortune creating adequate working environment to enhance staff productivity. Indeed the work environment in KPMG is ”heavenly” but note; they would work you out. But is it worth it? O yes definitely!

KNOWLEDGE: If there is a place to put theory to practice then KPMG is the place. The knowledge acquired is seamless: I learnt a lot in Technology Assurance, Hardware and Software Testing, IT Remote Assistance, Asset Management, Network Troubleshooting and Technology Business Support . I was trained and grilled intellectually, particularly in my unit area and now am experienced in I.T Helpdesk Services.

I want to sincerely thank God for the privilege to intern at KPMG Professional Services, Nigeria. It started slowly with every reason to give up right from the beginning - being exposed to the professional outlay for the first time at an entirely new place (thank goodness for its rich diversity and inclusion). I have had a first-hand knowledge of the hustle and struggle people face out there. In my case there was no comfort zone available so I was left with no other option than to move. The hunger for self-fulfillment was enough to keep me pushing at a point where others will give up. This led me to put these words together: "If we're serious about our destiny, the entire world will conspire to help us succeed"....I have reaped my own words. People were in place that helped me succeed.
So my dears before you give up, take a moment and ponder, ask yourself, where you really belong? and where you fit into. It could be anywhere, in your chosen field of private or public practice whether in government, in consulting, in NGOs or in any Multinational/international organizations. There are thousands of places like these if you could leave your comfort zone and take a step further and not give up.
My story should inspire you. Even as I have shared with you the beautiful part of the journey here amongst other's, but what you may not perceive is that behind the story were lots of late nights and pains.
At that point, I looked the Mirrow and said "You're not lost in life, you're just early in the process." A man is never old until regrets take the place of dreams. Your dreams are still valid, not matter your age. You only need to begin. Dear reader, be versatile, try new things. Steve Harris once said, "growth is when you go from being a professional in what's old to becoming an amateur in something new." You need to stop celebrating your safe spot and try something different.
The challenges were many but they were never enough to make me give up - Dont too!

Godwin Akpa
Information Technology Services
KPMG Intern (July-December, 2019)

Hello I must commend your faith and steadfastness despite getting close to rejection. I really have some questions and I would appreciate if there can be a channel where I can ask them cos I have a sis who is applying for the internship next year

hello Mr akpa I'll like to apply for their. pre nysc internship. if you don't mind notifying people like me on this platform about when they start accepting applications It'll really be helpful. and if its already on, please send the link because I couldn't find on their. website

You forgot to tell us how much was ur Renumeration during ur internship o

dannypaul:
You forgot to tell us how much was ur Renumeration during ur internship o

It is not always about the money. The experience alone is worth millions Trust me

How much were you paid?
It’s necessary bro

owen99:
How much were you paid?
It’s necessary bro

KPMG Pays Undergraduate Interns 40k before tax or so