Ben Brackmann - Audit Intern

As the time draws near for me to begin my career with PKM, I recently found myself thinking back to last fall when I was in the middle of my job search. With my thoughts dwelling upon this new part of my life that I am about to begin, I found myself wanting to revisit what was going through my mind when I chose to come to PKM. What made the firm stand out from all of the others? What exactly did PKM have to offer that was so different from other accounting firms? After all, auditing is auditing wherever you work, right? Well, not really, was the conclusion I came to.

From the time I sat down to interview with Debbie Sessions at Georgia Tech until I left my office interview, it was obvious to me the PKM was and is not the typical CPA firm. The focus and attitude that everything was approached with is just not what you expect when you think about going to work as an accountant—the stereotypical “beancounter” that hides in the back room with his calculator and is a little short on social skills. Sure, you know the type of work you’ll be doing, but the people at PKM seem to approach work in a different way, with a personality and enthusiasm that I didn’t find at any other firm I interviewed with.

Throughout the process with PKM, there was a willingness to share exactly what went on every day at the firm, and an honesty that while everyone at the firm works hard, it is expected that you will also find time to enjoy what you do, and more importantly, enjoy time with people you work with. The recruiting pages of this website are filled with descriptions of events and efforts made to make work fun. I can tell you firsthand that the people at PKM are truly dedicated to keeping this true, because that’s who they are as people. The thing that really makes PKM different is its’ people, and that fact that everyone at the firm believes it, from staff to partner, speaks volumes about the type of place this firm is.

Ryan Barrow - Audit Intern

As an intern at PKM this past summer, I learned more than I ever could have imagined. Every day I came across something that gave me opportunities to expand my accounting knowledge. Everyone that I worked with was always willing to answer all of my questions and help me learn as much as possible. For the first time, I found myself wanting to read my audit textbook to refresh my memory of terms and concepts that I was applying at work.

The reason I was able to learn so much during my internship at PKM is because of the amount of responsibility that you are given. I was not treated like an intern that could only handle certain trivial jobs. I was treated like a staff accountant that could handle anything that I felt comfortable doing. I was not stuck auditing only one section such as cash all summer, instead I was assigned multiple sections of the audit each week. It was my responsibility to complete my assigned sections. If that required getting additional documentation from the client, then I was responsible for getting it. If that required conducting an interview with the CFO or Controller, then I was responsible for the interview. With all of this responsibility, I felt that I was contributing to the firm and actually making a difference.

Another reason I was able to learn a lot during my internship was because of the amount of exposure to the audit process that I received. As I said before, I was able to complete different sections of the audit and was able to see the “big picture” of the audit better. I was even able to sit in on exit interviews with the client to discuss the findings of our testing. I got to see the entire cycle of performing testing to informing the client of the findings. I was able to see that my findings during testing were actually beneficial to the client, and it made me feel like I was making a difference to hear them say thank you.

I know all of this sounds overwhelming, but the people at PKM are always there for you and you can count on them for help with anything. I know that my internship experience with PKM has laid the foundation and given me the tools needed for a successful career. I can not wait to start building!

Laura Snyder - Director of Marketing

Most experts agree that more than 90% of communications is non-verbal. While WHAT you say is obviously very important, HOW you say it is much more powerful. Misunderstandings often occur as a result of inappropriate and/or misinterpreted non-verbal cues. It is vital to understand the role non-verbal communication plays, both in knowing what others are really thinking, and what your own cues tell them about you. Non-verbal signals tell you what others think and feel. If you do not take into account non-verbal language, then you ignore over 90% of what they are saying.

Things to keep in mind: - Facial expression: the face can tell you whether someone is happy, surprised, sad, angry, afraid or disgusted. While they may try to hide these emotions with words, they are “leaked” through the face.

• Eye contact: the eyes communicate intimacy, interest and threat. To show someone you are interested in what they are telling you, be sure to maintain eye contact.

• Gesture: involuntary gestures such as touching the face, scratching, gripping the hands together, or putting the hands near the mouth often indicate intense emotions such as depression, elation or anxiety.

• Posture: posture conveys emotion, social relationship and social status.

• Touch: touch can be a valuable means of reassurance and of demonstrating understanding.

• Proximity: humans are highly territorial and have four spatial proximity zones: intimate, personal, social and public.

If you keep these things in mind, you will better understand others and be sure that you aren’t sending the wrong signals, particularly durning the interview process.

Jane Elliott - Principal

Picture this: It’s Sunday night and you have a big project due tomorrow morning. As you watch the hands on the clock move steadily forward, you keep asking yourself, “Why, oh why, didn’t I start this darn thing a week ago!?!?” Then you realize you just ruined your last piece of poster board, and it’s too late to go out and get another one because everything’s closed.

Just thinking about that scene kind of makes your stomach knot up, doesn’t it?

Well, the same thing happens in the world of public accounting - our “projects” (our audits) have due dates too, and time can slip away from you before you know it. Procrastination is something we can all fall victim too, and staying organized is one way to fight that.

There’s an old adage out there that says that if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, that’s probably the worst thing that you’ll have to do all day. Brian Tracy, who wrote Eat That Frog, sums it up by saying “If you have to eat a live frog, it doesn’t pay to sit and look at it for very long.”

So, get cracking! And carpe frog!

Lindsay Newman - Audit Intern

As a spring audit intern, you become acquainted with the business and the people fast. After just three short days of training, you are thrown into a job with a real life client. The great thing about doing an internship with PKM is that you are not alone. If you need help with anything, and I mean anything, someone is always willing to lend a hand. For example, every client has a different dress code, and we, as the auditors, are expected to dress the same. So, when my first client came along I not only asked what I was supposed to wear, but also described a couple of outfits just to make sure. My insecurity over something so small as clothes was laughable, but my senior explained exactly what I should wear like it was no big deal. The point is everyone has questions, and most of us who work for PKM have asked the same question you want to ask! So don’t be shy, we want to get to know you too! Another great thing about PKM is that once you have gone through training the firm treats you as any other staff member. You have your assignments, and you are expected to complete them. As an intern this responsibility gave me great confidence in my audit work. I learned more during my spring internship than I did in a whole year of school.

Along with learning the audit field during your internship you get to know the firm too. The reason I am working at PKM has a little to do with the fact that I enjoy accounting and a lot to do with how wonderful the people are at the firm. If you ever thought that it was impossible to have fun and enjoy work, you were mistaken. Every year PKM holds a busy season game. During the game all of the employees are split up into teams and compete against each other for prizes. Now we all know since we are looking into the accounting profession prizes are not the only thing we seek… we want competition and the busy season game gives it to you! Besides the game the firm also holds parties and functions during busy season to give everyone a break and to have a little fun. Not to mention specific outings for interns! Of course none of these activities would be as much fun without new interns, so please feel free to ask questions. I have been in your shoes, whether it be in recruitment or the actual internship itself. I know that this process can be overwhelming, but with a little help from PKM it can be a lot of fun too!!

Barbara Owen - Audit Staff

C. E. O.

What do these letters mean to you? If your response is “Chief Executive Officer,” you are right!

Here is a different spin on those letters, courtesy of a seminar I attended recently - “Transitioning from Management to Leadership” presented by Dr. Perry Buffington (“Dr. Buff”).

C - Charisma, creative as in creating the reality or illusion of order. Order is the important word here — the notion or feeling of order.

E - Extraverted personality type. This type is expert at creating the feeling that he or she thinks just like you do - on everything! This nice, cozy feeling makes you like him or her, and willingly do just about anything he or she asks of you!

O - Optimist. This personality component creates the feeling of hope. Hope is critical. We all need it.

All three of these make up the psychology of a leader in today’s world, a world with an ever-evolving work culture in need of a new breed of leader.

If, as the CEO, I have created the illusion of order in my organization, connected with co-workers in a like-feeling and empathetic way, garnering trust, AND relayed hope that if they stick with me, all will be well, I have succeeded. I have sold the belief that we are all in this together and our work is for the common good and success of the entire group.

Think about people you consider to be charismatic - the good, bad and ugly. Some that hop to mind are Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Jim Jones, Oprah, Billy Graham, David Koresh, to name just a handful. Do you see the common thread?

As you interview and consider job opportunities, keep these characteristics in mind. An effective leader will have these distinctive qualities and they will be readily evident.

Visit http://www.drbuff.com/index.htm for more from Dr. Buff - a psychologist, media personality and all-around good guy. If you have an opportunity to hear him, do not miss it!

Debbie Sessions - Partner & Chief Operating Officer

Soon (if you haven’t done so already) you will choose an employer. This new job is the place you will spend at least 1/2 of your waking hours until retirement, so it is important to choose wisely.

There are articles all over the Internet that detail research on what is most important to today’s job seekers when choosing an employer. We’ve read the research, but is it true for you? Let us know. What is the most important thing you consider before accepting a job? Be honest! Is it the money? The vacation time? Or, is it the work environment, availablity of training programs or opportunities for career advancement? Take a minute to tell us what YOU think! Click below to post a comment to this blog.

Tim Keadle - Partner

Question: Why does PKM host the “PKM Perspective” summer leadership program? Answer: To Give Juniors a “PKM Perspective”

The caliber of students we meet at colleges and universities is phenomenal. And, with more and more students making employment decisions earlier in their college careers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to educate potential hires on the benefits of working with local and regional firms. At PKM, we have a limited number of internship opportunities available and most of these slots go to seniors between their senior and gradute school year. Through the PKM Perspective program, we can give these younger accounting students a better and deeper perspective of our firm and the field of public accounting and better gauge their interest in working with our firm.

PKM Perspective is designed for students that have just completed their junior years of college to give them a forum to see our firm in enough depth that they can make informed decisions when the time comes to choose an employer or internship opportunity. PKM Perspective offers sessions on the firm history, our clients and the disciplines in which we work. During the three-day event, students interact with interns and meet more PKM staff and partners than they do during typical campus and office visits. PKM Perspective also makes time for social functions such as tours and dinners, which are a big part of the PKM culture.

Julie Stevenson - Audit Manager

When you work in an environment as close as PKM’s, your coworkers become like family. And, this summer, there were a lot of “cousins” getting married up and down the east coast. Five PKM employees got married this summer in four weddings between June and August.

Wedding season kicked off in June when audit senior, Rob Tysver, wed his long-time girlfriend at a ceremony in Atlanta in June. Several PKM people showed up from staff to partners to wish them the best of luck and also to have a little fun.

In late June, audit staff, Stephen Clements, was married in South Georgia. While I wasn’t at this wedding, rumor has it, it was a lot of fun.

The first weekend of August, audit senior, Lacie Atkinson, was married on Jekyll Island. It was an event I would not miss — right off the beach! Some of us brought the whole family down for a weekend at the beach and to see Lacie get married.

The last wedding of the summer was between two PKM employees. Several of us traveled all the way up to Rochester, New York just to be there when audit seniors, Jamie Hood and Jenna Bianchi, were married. It was a celebration on the thirteenth tee box at a club where Jenna’s family are members. Avid golfers? I think so!

People at PKM really know how to throw parties, particularly weddings. They were all a great deal of fun!