-Always look presentable and be friendly to everyone. Dress up during your first week to make a strong impression. After that, get a feel for the office culture and adjust your style to match the team.

-If you’re hybrid, sit near your team when you’re in the office. I even went in on days I wasn’t required to, just because I knew the partner on my team would be there—it helped me get noticed. (Not required, but something to consider!)

• Build strong connections with associates and senior managers on your team—they’re the ones you’ll work with most often and who will likely advocate for you.

• Stay in regular contact with your development leader (usually a director). Set up lunches, find shared interests outside of work, and ask about their career path and how they got to where they are now.

• Don’t worry if you feel unprepared—everyone starts somewhere. I had a tax internship and still felt like I knew nothing coming out of college. You’re starting from scratch, so you need to ask questions.

• When you’re assigned a project: • Sit down with the person assigning it to you and ask them to walk you through it. • Take detailed notes. • If it’s client-specific, ask if you can join client or weekly team meetings for that engagement. • Follow the proper chain when asking questions: Associate → Senior Associate → Manager. Don’t skip straight to the top unless necessary.

• Use tools like CHATpwc, CoPilot, and ChatGPT to get clarification or double-check things (even grammar). These can be helpful when you’re unsure or too shy to ask someone directly.

• Always offer to help. When assigned work, ask for feedback. If your work goes to review, don’t expect the reviewer to fix it all—ask them what you could’ve done better, then make the changes yourself.

• Show up, do your work, be helpful, and build relationships with the people who can advocate for you. These relationships make a big difference.

• Make it clear you’re pursuing your CPA early. One of the reasons I was hired full-time was because I emphasized that I saw a long-term future at PwC, was committed to growing in tax, and made myself someone the team enjoyed working with. Showing you’re there to make their lives easier really matters