Jake Nadlicki - Audit Associate

We all know that employers are looking for great employees that will further the success of their companies, but that doesn’t mean they are looking for the “me first” and “star” mentality. In a February article from BusinessWeek, William C. Taylor focuses on the young and fresh talent that is looking to enter the workforce and gives them a little advice.

Taylor states, “The point of this exercise is not to land the fattest signing bonus or sign up with the ‘cool’ company of the moment. The point of this exercise is to do work you care about in a company that matters… achieving that goal means dialing down your short-term ambitions and recognizing the power of ‘humbition.’”

Now what exactly is this “humbition” he is speaking of? Jane Harper, a nearly 30-year veteran of IBM, explains it as: the subtle blend of humility and ambition that drives the most successful leaders—an antidote to the know-it-all hubris that affects so many business stars.

The article goes on to state, “I always urge new people not to worry about ‘getting credit or taking credit’ for great work. If they’re making bold moves, and developing good relationships, they will get more opportunities to grow and succeed. Don’t waste energy on worrying about whether everything you do gets noticed. It does.”

Nick Head - Audit Staff

The time has come, you’ve sent out the resumes and calls for interviews are coming in. The interviewing process for a job can be pretty intimidating, especially for recent graduates with little to no experience with an interview setting. Finding a way to set yourself apart from other candidates is essential in your future success.

There will always be others with more experience, better grades, better references — you name it. The key part of the interview is to show the employer what sets you apart from the others and a great way to do this is through passion and attitude.

You may be asking, “How can you convey passion in the interview?” This can be shown through your enthusiasm for the job. Giving examples of how past behaviors of how your passion has had positive impacts in your work and life are excellent as well.

Your attitude is something else that recruiters will remember after all the interviews they have had. So many companies these days have their full share of “multitalented superstars” who typically care about no one but themselves. Showing a positive and “can do” attitude is very attractive to employers because they are looking for employees that will not only work hard, but will have the best interests of the company in mind as well.

At PKM these two qualities are valued very highly, especially in our teamwork setting. Someone who is willing to put forth the effort to succeed will shine in any interview setting! For more interview tips visit CollegeGrad.com’s Competitive Interview Prep website.

Jenna Montroy - Marketing Intern

You may not find your next job on LinkedIn, but it is an excellent way to start building your professional profile. LinkedIn is a social networking site mainly used by professionals. Although there are less registered members on LinkedIn than Facebook or MySpace, the people on LinkedIn are the right ones. LinkedIn is designed solely to help you make professional connections. You can upload your resume, state whether you are looking to be hired, looking to hire, etc. And with over 20 million registered users, LinkedIn is an excellent place to start building professional relationships and networking.

The search tool on LinkedIn’s website helps you find whoever you may be looking for, this could be people like you, people who might want to hire you, and those who may share your skills. They also offer a Q&A area that allows you to make known your presence by asking others specific career-related questions.

Now, you may be asking yourself - does this site actually work in helping you make connections? Some say it does, but the site is free for all users, so it’s worth a shot!

Cayci Moon - Audit Intern

I am the queen of doing silly things, especially when I get nervous. Here are a few of my blunders I had during my internship with PKM. These are to help so you do not have to ask the “silly” questions or sit and wonder what these crazy abbreviations are! I have spent the last two months here at PKM doing an audit internship and I am excited to go back to school and incorporate all my newly learned “audit jargon” into my daily vocabulary!

Things I wish I knew before I started

1. You do not have to ask to go to the bathroom (and believe it or not you can go anytime you want!)
2. P/f/w - pass further work
3. P/d/w- per discussion with
4. I/c/w - in connection with
5. Bus - is an abbreviation for business not a BUS (i.e. more than likely a bank will not have an “entertainment bus”).
6. Know the order of balance sheets and income statements.
7. Nonstandard Journal entry testing is not a gift.
8. Traffic is not the end of the world.
9. “It” happens.
10. If you act like you know what you are talking about, 9 times out of 10 the client will have no clue you are clueless, and visual samples of what you want are always helpful.
11. It is far better to be over dressed than to show up underdressed.
12. You will get fat during busy season.
13. Get everything you need from the client before you leave fieldwork, they tend to be a little slower through email than when you are in their office.
14. GOOGLE everything, it will help to keep you from asking a “silly” question.
15. When you go to talk to a client always take a pen and paper, I got the deer in the headlights look and sweating panic attack when a CFO starting spatting off a monologue about this account detail, knowing there was no way I was going to be able to remember it all!

Christian Albarracin - Audit Staff

Are you struggling to maintain your career while having a personal life at the same time? It may help to draw out a plan to help you create that work/life balance that everyone is trying to achieve. In writing out your plan you may discover what it is that is causing you to be burnt out. Once you know the cause of the problem it will be much easier to fix it. Once you outline what you want out of your career and your personal life it will be that much easier to find balance. You will realize that you don’t have to sacrifice your personal life for a successful career.

Start out by figuring out what you want to accomplish in your career. This could be a broad outline of where you want to go in the next five to twenty years, or just what you want out of your current position. It could help to think about what skills you want to develop and what responsibilities you would like to have. The next step is to define what you want out of your personal life. This includes anything from hobbies, health and nutrition, or spending time with loved ones. This should include everything that is important to you. Now, to create a measure of how to determine if you are living up to your ideals create your definition of success. You should do this in terms of your career and your personal life, separately.

Now it’s time to create your plan. This is where you can plan for accomplishing something important in both your career and your personal life. Establishing a schedule for completing your goals is essential, as well as a contingency plan in case you need to switch a few things around. It is also important to let the people in your life know about your plans and work together to accomplish your goals.

Lauren Bergh - Audit Staff

In any career today you are bound to find stress and frustration. This may not sound too encouraging, but there are many ways to keep yourself from getting caught up in all the stress and actually enjoying your job. At PKM we always try not to take ourselves too seriously and have fun while handling the stresses that come along with public accounting. Keeping and promoting a positive attitude throughout the office just makes the days run much more smoothly. Here are some ways you can help promote a positive attitude in your everyday life.

1. Maintain a sense of perspective. Ask yourself, “How important is this in the big scheme of things?”
2. Become a problem solver. If you focus on how you can solve a problem rather than just the problem itself, you will be much more productive in eliminating the problem!
3. Take control of yourself. Think about how you are responding to tension and conflicts in the office.
4. Stay healthy. Eating healthy and drinking water throughout the day will keep you alert and allow you to think more clearly.
5. Smile. The simple act of smiling can actually make you feel better!
6. Manage your stress. Taking mental breaks and staying relaxed are crucial in maintaining a positive attitude and will make you feel better overall.