Paige Hall

Life at Deloitte

Career Journey: Paige Bellittieri

Keys to success: sense of humor and social good

“To be completely honest, in the beginning of my junior year I had no idea, I just knew I wanted an accounting internship. I went to a workshop at my career center at Adelphi and they started talking about the big four firms and I said, ‘You know what, I want to work for one of the big firms.’ It just sounded appealing to me. I interviewed with a few of the firms and then I got a random phone call from my career counselor asking me if she could forward my resume to Deloitte & Touche LLP. I said, ‘Sure, of course.’ And I got an interview for the mentorship program, which is where Deloitte takes college students to three events over the summer to provide an opportunity to interact with professionals. Ultimately that’s how I got my internship in 2011.” — Paige Bellittieri, senior, Audit & Assurance, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Gaining confidence

On Paige’s first day at Deloitte, she had cold feet. Literally. She started in January in New York. “It was 4 degree weather, and we were freezing our feet off by the time we got into the building.” Things warmed up quickly. She spent a week training in New York, followed by a second week at Deloitte University outside of Dallas. And then it was back to New York. “I was pretty much thrown right into the busy season, which refers to the approximately three-month period following December 31 each year in which audit activity peaks and, along with it, the workload for auditors. Paige describes her first busy season as “not as bad as I initially expected.” This is in part because her engagement team leadership understands the need for work-life balance, incorporates several strategies to help team members feel rewarded and valued for their contributions, and commits to flexibility as long as the team continues to perform quality work in a timely manner.

Out of the gate, it was a lot to handle. “When you are first brought onto a client you’re assigned a bunch of responsibilities, and having never seen this stuff before, you’re lost.” It was a feeling she describes as “Ugh.” For Paige, though, that feeling evaporated quickly, in part because of training and in part because of the support provided by the team around her. After just a few weeks, she was comfortable with the work, and in a few short months that comfort turned into confidence. “I am now able to handle anything they give me, read it over, evaluate it, and understand what I need to do.”

 

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Charlie Veers

Paige’s lessons learned:

“I would say transparency and good social responsibility. Deloitte values ethics and cares about community. Ultimately, those are lessons I’d take with me."

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Team culture

Today, Paige is responsible for performing procedures in various areas of the audit of company financial statements. Day to day, this creates a surprising amount of diversity in Paige’s work, since different areas result in different procedures and considerations. “I am fortunate enough to say I do something different every day.” Moreover, Paige sees the bigger picture. She knows that the work she performs contributes to a quality audit. “What we are doing on this granular level rolls up into something higher … enhancing the trust of the investing public and capital markets.”

In addition to the work, Paige enjoys the team culture at Deloitte. There are team-building activities—morning trivia, Nerf basketball, and even scavenger hunts in Grand Central Station. “Everyone has a great sense of humor on my team, which is wonderful to keep us going during the day and during long weeks.” There are also opportunities to do social good. Through Impact Days as an intern and an employee, Paige has helped to clean up trash at a wildlife reserve on Long Island and raise money at a cycling event for autism: “We set up a rest stop for the bikers at the 60-mile marker. It was a really cool experience.”

Paige grew up with her mom and sister, “we are a team of three girls” on Long Island. When she was offered the job at Deloitte, her mother was the first call she made. She’s taken and passed all four sections of the New York CPA exam. “By the time I passed the third part of the exam I was truly convinced that I could do absolutely anything.” Paige is a vegetarian. She owns two Morkies (Maltese and Yorkie mix).

 

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#Paige in 140-Characters or Less

“Audit senior assistant, #yoga enthusiast, #vegetarian, enjoys life on the south shore of Long Island with her two 10 lb. Morkies”

 

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