Great team already convinced during the internship: Lisa Eisen about her start as Associate

published on 1 March 2022

Interview partner: Verena Kordick

It's been just 9 months since I started as an Associate with the team Transaction & Valuation Services in Munich – but I've already known them for over 2 years! After my internship in the TVS team in 2019 I decided: This is where I want to hit the ground running after graduating from university. How did it come about and whether my expectations were met? Read for yourself in the following interview!

Dear Lisa, which three words describe your team the best?

Helpful
Authentic
Humorous

You are currently working in the Transactions department. What are typical associate tasks there?

We work on national and international financial due diligence projects (buy-side and sell-side) in the context of corporate transactions. In other words, we examine the earnings, assets and financial situation of the target company and uncover issues relevant to the purchase price or potential risks for the buyer or seller.

More specifically, this means:

Data management: What data do we need from the target?
Data processing and analysis in Excel
Expert sessions with the client or target: We ask questions about the content of the historical and future income statement and balance sheet, but also specific questions about the management of the company, accounting and business processes.
The result of our work: an individual (red flag) report for the client (created in PowerPoint), in which we evaluate, structure and graphically prepare the information obtained.
In addition, we are available to our clients for any queries during and after the transaction.

What do you like most about your job?

No two projects are alike! That's challenging, but at the same time work is never boring. Especially at the beginning, you get to know a new industry or a new topic with every project, and the change between corporates and private equity clients is also exciting.

Interdisciplinarity and internationality are important success factors at Rödl & Partner. In my day-to-day work, this means that we have a very high proportion of international transactions and work intensively with Rödl colleagues from the M&A Legal and M&A Tax departments – in Germany and worldwide. That's how you quickly get to talk to new people and learn an incredible amount.

I have already experienced many great moments with my colleagues during, but also after, working hours. In fact, the great team that I got to know during my internship was the main reason for me to come back to Rödl & Partner (this time as an Associate). Many colleagues have become friends with whom I enjoy spending the evening after work.

And what was your job interview like?

The interview for the internship took place in one of our meeting rooms on the 12th floor of the Munich office. I was immediately impressed by the great view of the Alps! I interviewed with a Senior Associate and an Associate Partner from the team I applied for. At the beginning we talked about my personal life, I told about my hobby portrait photography and can remember that we then talked and laughed about failed business photos. The atmosphere was relaxed and it was a real conversation, not just a sequence of standard application questions. The technical part was about accounting and finance basics, which were very doable with preparation.

However, I do remember one small mishap: I had listed my previous knowledge of Excel in my resume and was supposed to demonstrate a few calculations and formulas live during the interview. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Excel at university had little to do with the tasks at hand – so I couldn't really shine! But everything went well: After a few days I got my acceptance phone call – and I was very happy about that. (After this experience, I deleted my Excel knowledge from my resume for some time – but today I can show it again with a clear conscience).

What tips would you give to future applicants?

Have the courage to apply even if you have incomplete professional experience.
Be authentic! Rödl & Partner puts great emphasis on finding colleagues who fit into the existing team and personality plays an impotant role.
Preparation is everything: Repeat relevant content from university – and have the most important Excel formulas at hand ;-)
Don't be afraid to make mistakes: Nobody is perfect and expertise alone doesn’t land you the job.
Ask questions: The colleagues are all super nice and more than happy to tell you about Rödl and their daily work.