The path to certifications at Mazars in Romania

Hello Simona, please tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your role within Mazars in Romania and how long have you been with the company?

Hello and thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my journey within Mazars! Looking back over the past eleven years brings me great pleasure, joy, and a strong sense of accomplishment.

Currently being an Assistant Manager within Mazars in Romania, my journey began in March 2013 when I joined Adevaris, a medium-sized accounting company. Six months after my arrival, Adevaris merged with Mazars, marking the start of my continuous growth with the company. During my time here, I experimented with several roles, transitioning from junior to Accountant, Senior Accountant, Supervisor, and now Assistant Manager, strongly preparing to embrace the next challenge, a management position. This transformative period was marked by both professional and personal achievements, having had also a two-year maternity leave, and coming back in October 2021 to a new team and new projects to tackle.

One of the things that I have always liked about our company is the fact that I have always been encouraged by my mentors and top management to develop my professional skills, benefiting fully from their support. In 2015, I completed a three-year training with CECCAR, becoming a certified accounting expert. From 2015 to 2017, I focused on enhancing my German language skills, and the company supported me in my initiative by funding my courses within Shiller Institute, alongside my exam fees. This effort resulted in successfully obtaining a B2 certificate from Goethe Institute in March 2017. As Mazars in Romania deals with a large number of German-speaking clients, my language proficiency became valuable for both me and the company. In September 2016, I enrolled as an ACCA student, successfully completing five professional exams between June 2017 and March 2019.

You obtained your ACCA certification within Mazars in Romania. What motivated you to obtain your certification and how does that help you in your career?

Firstly, let’s start with an overview of what this means. ACCA is a globally recognised professional accountancy body, offering some of the most widely respected qualifications worldwide. My first introduction to ACCA was during college, where I learned about its significance. I graduated from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Audit and Management Information Systems, followed by a master’s degree in Accounting, Control and Accounting Expertise. My academic journey played a crucial role in my ACCA exams, as I was granted exemptions for all nine Fundamental Exams, due to an agreement between ACCA and the Academy of Economic Studies.

My motivation for pursuing ACCA was driven by two key factors: the opportunity to obtain a globally recognised certification that can later ensure my global mobility, and the chance to achieve it in a shorter time frame, due to my exemptions.

At Mazars in Romania, the ACCA certification is highly valued, given our work with international clients. This certification equips us with essential knowledge in areas such as corporate reporting, IFRS standards, professional ethics, or business analysis, helping us offer tailored solutions to complex client requests.

Therefore, with the full financial and moral support from the Mazars team, enrolling in ACCA was the logical next step for me to take, and I have no regrets. The knowledge gained through ACCA has proven invaluable, helping me have a better understanding of more complex client situations, and perform IFRS/GAAP reconciliations and other advisory requests from clients. It also helped me develop an enhanced business overview, being able to identify risks and propose solutions to accounting topics, ultimately delivering added value to our clients.

What were the steps the company took to support you in your journey?

Mazars facilitated my enrollment and ensured my smooth path throughout my ACCA journey. To be perfectly honest, I might not have taken this path without the financial support provided by Mazars.

Firstly, the human resources team managed my ACCA application, with me only providing them the requested documentation for the creation of my ACCA profile. After that, they handled the communication with ACCA, the enrollment in the exams and the payment of any related fees.

Moreover, Mazars has also offered me study support during this process by ensuring I had access to the best training courses and materials through BPP Professional Education, an ACCA-registered learning partner. This support included the provision of all the necessary study materials, participation in the offline BPP courses, as well as access to the online resources for all my exams. A BPP tutor guided me along the way, offering me the opportunity to take exam simulations to be better prepared. It’s important to note that the financial aspect related to the BPP provided services as well as my support from them was provided by Mazars.

Nevertheless, the company also covers the payment of the annual membership fees for all its employees affiliated with various professional bodies, such as ACCA, CECCAR, CCF, etc.

How did you manage the learning process and the job at the same time? Can you share with us your best practices in terms of managing them both?

Obtaining an ACCA certification is no easy task. While the learning process is indeed facilitated by learning providers and team support, the individual effort is the one that counts the most in achieving one’s goals.

Due to exemptions, I only had to take five professional exams (now being gathered in the form of only four), which were the most challenging. Some may argue that this is not always the preferred course of actions. The fundamental exams, the first nine, help you uncover the basics and get familiar with the testing criteria and methods. While the fundamental exams are in the form of multiple-choice questions, the professional exams present several case studies, and the student must answer side questions in writing within a limited timeframe. Effective time management and strong English skills are vital in ensuring a pass. If you do not feel comfortable with these two aspects, I would recommend starting with the fundamental exams, before progressing to the professional ones.

ACCA provides quarterly exam sessions, allowing candidates to take one or more exams. My strategy was to take one exam per session and roughly two exams per year. In the first year, I successfully managed to pass two professional exams, in June and December 2017, preparing for about six months before each one. In March 2018, I successfully passed my third exam, after only three months of preparation. Next, for the optional exams, I chose Advanced Performance Management, which I failed on the first try, passing in the second session. For me, the last and most difficult exam was Advanced financial management, for which I have repeated the experience: failing the first time, succeeding the second.

The failures that I encountered in my journey did not demotivate me, but made me work even harder, the effort and experience eventually paying off.

It was no easy task balancing work, life, and studies at the same time. Working full-time, I usually had time to study only in the evenings and during the weekends. I also usually took three or four days off for preparation before each exam, which has helped me a lot. During this time, my team was supportive and allowed me to focus on my studies. The BPP training and exam simulations were also very helpful. This flexible learning approach, combined with the tutor helping me remotely, encouraged me to follow a schedule and achieve my milestones, while always being available to answer any question I had.

What would be your message for the young generation of students or professionals at the starting point in their careers? What would you like for them to take as a lesson after reading about your experience?

To all the young professionals reading this, I strongly encourage you to invest in your knowledge, skillset, and consider obtaining the ACCA, CECCAR, CCF, CAFR certifications. This will not only make you stand out but also prepare you to work even in the most challenging business environments.

Sometimes it’s not easy to get out of your comfort zone, but setting and following higher goals is always the way to progress. Here at Mazars, we offer all the support you need to succeed, it’s only up to you to try. Each person is unique and has their learning patterns, but I hope that my experience offered you a meaningful insight into the whole process. I had the opportunity to follow this path at the beginning of my career and I’m happy I did it back then, as it helped me set up a strong foundation for my professional journey.

In conclusion, the most important lesson to share is that, with the proper motivation and a bit of help along the way, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. The sky is the limit!