Tim Keadle - Partner

According to Linda Travis, Facilitator of Dining at the a.k.a.demy Awards, an annual event sponsored by PKM for Beta Alpha Psi initiates at The University of Georgia, dining etiquette is a very important part of the job interview process. So, when dining with prospective employees, it is important to make a good impression. Following are a few key do’s and don’ts of business dining to keep in mind:

1. Follow the Leader - since the host is likely to pick up the tab, it is important to follow their lead and do as they do. For example, order entrees in similar price ranges and order the same number or fewer courses. When in doubt look to your host for the answers.

2. Alcoholic Beverages - if your host chooses to drink a glass of wine, for example, feel free to do the same. But, never drink alone, and NEVER have more than two alcoholic beverages during the course of a meal. Alcohol alters our behavior.

3. What Belongs to You? - with a myriad of plates, glasses and utensils on the table, how do you know which belong to you? The rule is bread plate to the left and drinks to the right. But, if you get confused, here is a trick to help you remember: connect the pointer finger on each hand with the thumb of the same hand and see what letters are formed by each hand. The left hand forms the letter “b” for bread, the right “d” for drink.

For more detailed information on dining etiquette, Linda Travis recommends the following books:

Business Etiquette in Brief by Ann Marie Sabath Don’t Slurp Your Soup by Elizabeth Craig New Complete Guide to Executive Manners by Letitia Baldrige

Sal Inserra - Partner

Did you know that one out of every 30 people will have their identity stolen? Take it from me, someone who has experienced it - it is NOT fun! While I can laugh at it now (refer to Individuals Make the Firm Culture post dated September 11, 2006), it was no laughing matter at the time. If the $6,000 worth of average damage isn’t bad enough, think about the 40 hours of time it takes the average person to make things right again. And, for college students preparing to enter the work force, identity theft can cause additional problems during your job search due to undetected errors on credit reports that could raise flags with potential employers. To reduce the risk of this happening to you, consider the following advice:

1. Be vigilant about your mail. Use secure United States Postal Service drop boxes to send mail. And, shred junk mail and bank, credit card and other financial statements before discarding.

2. Safeguard private financial statements and personal identification such as social security cards, drivers licences and birth certificates.

3. Check your credit report regularly. It is available for free annually and as easy to access as a phone call or a few clicks of a mouse.

4. Be careful where and how you use personal and financial information over the Internet.

For additional details on how to protect your identity, refer to the article entitled, “17 ways to avoid ID theft on campus” at bankrate.com.

Caroline McCormick - Audit Staff

Throughout my final year at Georgia Tech, I worked in an administrative position at PKM, helping Gail, the firm’s controller, with her duties, Andy, the firm’s administrative technician, with his copying and filing duties, and anyone else that needed assistance. It was a great way to learn the ropes before starting audit work, providing me with a solid foundation of the supporting processes at the firm. The only downside: now that I’m full-time a few of the employees are all too eager for the chance to send me an email for being late with my time entry - a thankless job I was responsible for this past year! (although that will NEVER happen!).

With the foundation under my belt, I’m excited to move on to more technical work. Administrative work was helpful to get a behind-the-scenes look at the firm, but it left me itching to dive into real audit work. I’m learning more in the field than could ever be possible in a classroom environment. Now, I finally understand the meaning behind the notes and tick marks I observed on work papers in my administrative capacity. I’m looking forward to more pieces falling into place as I spend more time on audits.

Based on the success of my position, the firm has hired another Georgia Tech accounting student to take my place. The firm requested that I train Scott and I’m really enjoying that new responsibility. He is catching on quickly, is enthusiastic about the position and is a positive addition to the PKM family. I will continue to work with Scott to ensure that he is up to speed in his basic administrative functions. I’m a little sad that this part of my job is over, but it is even more exciting to start a new chapter in my career.

Vaughn Olson - Audit Intern

The first week of my internship was training. I was not able to make it in the first day due to a school conflict and they had no problem working with it, which was great. Training was very close and there was a lot of interaction between the interns. The group was small so it was really comfortable and our trainer was very intelligent and eager to answer all of our questions. All questions were answered respectfully, there were no stupid questions as far as the trainer was concerned. Wednesday we were taken out to watch the Atlanta Braves and view the game from really good seats. The employees at PKM are always up for a good time.

The second week started off with a field trip to the Managing Partner’s lake house on Lake Oconee. This was a good opportunity to see what the people running the firm are doing to plan for the future. The rest of the week I went to Carrollton and took part in a 401k audit. I was able to work on projects to see if the employees are getting what they should have been from their employers and from what their deductions stated. The work papers that I did were on Excel and all I had to do was ask for help when I got stuck. All of the employees are eager to help because everyone was in this situation when they were finishing up or done with school.

The third week was in Buckhead, right down the street from me. I worked on an outsourced internal audit for the bank’s main location. I was able to count the cash at the bank in the vault. I had over 250,000 dollars go through my hands before lunch. I got to use one of those automatic counters that you see in movies like bad boys 2. It was very interesting to see all that cash in real life. I was able to see what it is like to have a client nearby which can be pretty irregular in the world of auditing. Tim Messman, a manager, invited me out to Lake Lanier to go waterskiing on Wednesday.

The fourth week I spent in Gainesville. I had hoped that, during my internship, I would learn more about where things are located in the state of Georgia and that is definitely proving true. I worked on an outsourced internal audit for the Bank’s only location. This week solidified my thinking that as an auditor in the Atlanta area you would definitely want to live inside the 285 Perimeter. Every day that I would go home to Buckhead I would wonder why these people would subject themselves to dead stopped traffic everyday while I would fly home.

The fifth week was pretty short. We had vacation on Monday and Tuesday due to the holiday weekend. When we came back on Wednesday we went on a tour of the Federal Reserve. We were able to see where the southeast’s financial influence goes to work. Thursday I worked on a GAAP Disclosure checklist to see if companies were reporting in their financials all the information they were supposed to be reporting on. It was a lengthy and difficult assignment because so much of it is new. It was a great opportunity to get more used to the technical writing that will be very common in this field. We went to UGA Thursday afternoon and watched a group of PKM employees help put together a fraud discussion video. Who knew that accountants were so Hollywood?

Laura Snyder - Director of Marketing

You really never know how far the Internet can reach, until you’re trading e-mails with someone overseas at 9:30 PM! Last night, I discovered that PKM’s Off the Ledger recruiting blog was read by an accounting professional in the UK. Dennis Howlett posted a comment to our blog and featured our site in a post on his blog at www.accmanpro.com. He commented “Yours is the first firm I have come across anywhere in the world that is not only open, but understands the value of innovation to the business and its clients. Great stuff.”

Off the Ledger was also mentioned on the blog authored by Rick Telberg at the Bay Street Group at http://www.telberg.com/telbergblog/archives/476-Porter-Keadle-Blogs-for-Recruits.html#comments. He commented “Hats off to PKM…” for starting a recruiting blog.

Carrie Connell - Audit Associate

Reading an article entitled “Careful What You Post Online” at jobsinthemoney.com, I realized how much the online world can have an affect on our professional lives. The article focused on social networking sites and how seemingly innocent comments and photographs could negatively impact our careers. Many prospective employers are searching MySpace and other social networking sites for information on potential candidates. Evaluating how employee candidates handle themselves in social situations plays an important role in the hiring process. What information can prospective employees find out about you by doing a quick Google search? If you have a MySpace page (or other biographical information stored on the web), now is the time to revisit it and eliminate anything that could raise a flag for your future employer.

Jenna Bianchi - Audit Senior

‘Would you like to be a model, a PKM model that is?’ I thought I would never in my life hear those words. That is until PKM decided to have a photo shoot for our recruiting brochure. A few weeks after hearing those words I found myself at a photography studio with multiple outfit changes in hand ready to smile for the camera. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive about the whole situation.

The recruiting brochure focuses on capturing the transition of a college student into the work force. At the end of the day, I think that our group of models not only captured that transition, but did it the PKM way. There were eight of us that participated in the photo shoot - each unsure as to what was about to happen. There were two group pictures and five individual shots taken. Early on in the day everyone seemed a bit tense and nervous, but the photographer was great and allowed us to relax and have a good time. By the time lunch came around we forgot that we were working!

In the end, I think that the brochure was a success - actually some of the pictures from the photo shoot accompanied an article written by Debbie Sessions that appeared in the Journal of Accountancy. I never imagined that one tiny question would lead to a photo shoot that resulted in national recognition!

Phil Moore - Managing Partner

Our firm takes pride in being different from other CPA firms. We look to hire individuals who are not only good technically, but have characteristics that make them interact well with other PKM associates and clients.

In order to fit into the PKM culture, you need to understand that at PKM, practical jokes are commonplace, but the banter goes both ways. Staff members play jokes on partners, and partners play jokes on the employees. From interns and senior managers to administrative assistants and partners, all firm employees are treated equally. And the practical jokes underscore both our firm’s unique culture and the equality of the employees.

One prank that comes to mind was played on a partner after his identity was stolen. At the next firm-wide meeting, we made him a new identity. We morphed his face with someone else’s, gave him a new name, social security card and driver’s license. We even made up some credit cards for him. Although what happened to him was serious, he laughed louder than anyone at the new name and face we created for him.

Debbie Sessions - Partner and Chief Operating Officer

In a recent post, “It’s a Good Time to Be an Accounting Major” I discussed the fact that graduates with degrees in Accounting make more money than many of their peers. What I didn’t mention at the time, is that according to jobsinthemoney.com, accounting professionals are also more likely to receive raises, thus further widening the financial gap. In the article entitled “Accounting, Financial Workers Happier Than Most” it states that because of this, more accounting professionals are very satisfied with their compensation and jobs. About 34% of the financial workers surveyed described themselves as being very happy with their compensation, compared to 28% of the survey respondents overall. About 78% were either very or somewhat satisfied with their jobs, compared to 72% of all respondents.

Matt Ams - Audit Intern

At the beginning of every PKM internship is a week-long training session. Training is a good opportunity to learn about the firm, its clients, and how you can contribute to the practice. Although training can be long, and sometimes frustrating, I learned more in a week that I typically do in an entire semester and met a lot of great people.

The first real job of my internship was working on a 401(k) audit. It was here that I got the chance to put into practice some things I learned in training. It was challenging to interact with the client when you are not sure yourself what should be happening with some of the numbers. My in-charge did a great job of helping me through the process.

The following week, I was provided my first opportunity to see how a bank branch operates when I did a cash count as part of an internal audit. I was able to count the cash in the vault and in the teller’s drawers. Along the way, I learned about bank policy, safeguarding of assets, and various security measures. It was fun seeing a behind the scenes look at banking.

After changing directions in my fourth week, I learned why it is so beneficial for firm’s and/or individuals to specialize in industry niches. After working with banks for two weeks, I was assigned to a financial review at an insurance client. This week provided more challenges than expected. I had to be on site at 7 A.M. and insurance companies have different regulators and therefore different reporting practices. It was hard to changes tracks and get my brain working at 7:00 in the morning. However, I did learn a lot on this client and greatly expanded my knowledge of the insurance industry.

After taking my refreshing, paid two-day Fourth of July holiday, I returned to the office for the most challenging project of the summer. One of the partners assigned two other interns and me to a GAAP disclosure checklist project. This really forced me to look at various disclosures required by the SEC and various other regulatory bodies to see if the financial statements and their supporting notes had been prepared correctly.

Near the end of my internship, I again had the opportunity to perform a cash count. The only difference was that this bank had more money. I also tackled some new sections in the Internal Audit as well as perform some walk-throughs of various internal controls. I felt that I was better able to accomplish my work as my internship progresed, and was satisfied with the progress I made.

Anne Lane - Audit Intern

The first week of my internship, I spent all of my time at the office in training. I was told that, most likely, I wouldn’t be back in the office for that amount of time throughout the rest of the internship. I felt as if I was receiving a crash course of the information I would need to survive the summer. Our first week was a great way to get to know all of the other interns, since we trained during the day and went to group events at night. My favorite outings were the Atlanta Braves game and the dinner at our managing partner’s lake house. The interns had a great time getting to know each other, as well as all of the partners in a relaxed and fun environment.

After my first day at a client as a summer intern, I learned that training can’t prepare you for a real day of work. Although I felt lost during the first few days, I gradually became more comfortable and confident in the work I was doing. The other two members of my audit team helped me work through any problems I had, and they were completely understanding of my many questions. By the end of the week, I felt like I was finally beginning to understand the job of an auditor.

My second client was an overnight trip. I really enjoyed getting a taste of the auditors’ traveling lifestyle. My favorite part of working on an overnight engagement is that I got to know my audit team better by carpooling and eating dinner together every night.

By the fourth week of my summer internship, I started getting the hang of working with new audit teams every week. As soon as I met the group I would be working with for the week, I knew I would really enjoy the engagement. I had a great time getting to know new people from the firm and seeing how they interact on a daily basis. I learned that although PKM is a hard-working firm, the people create an environment that makes you want to come to work every day.