David Berry - Audit Staff

Looking for the perfect job can be quite stressful, especially if you are a recent graduate from college. All the resumes, cover letters, and practice interview questions can become pretty overwhelming. Preparing ahead of time can make the process of finding your job much easier.

A recent article written by Susan Johnston on YoungMoney.com highlights three new books that will be all you need to get yourself through your job search!

Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success by Penelope Trunk - “Take everything you think you ‘know’ about career strategies, throw them away, and read this book because the rules have changed.” Said author Guy Kawasaki.

Career Wisdom for College Students: Insights You Won’t Get in Class, on the Internet, or from Your Parents by Peter Vogt - Former college career counselor and MonsterTRAK career coach uses his experience to tackle many concerns students face during their job search.

Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World by Lindsey Pollak - Campus Career Advisor states, “Perfect for today’s students, who inevitably want what they want when they want it.”

Now the next step is to get reading and find the job you’ve been searching for!

Kim Taylor - Executive Assistant

The Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) provides a forum for marketers to improve skills and knowledge to help increase firm revenues. They offer marketers of accounting firms opportunities for education and training, information and resource sharing, and tools to enhance the credibility and impact of marketing and sales within.

Each year AAM holds a conference for their members to come together and this past years event was held the first week of June in San Diego, California. This was my first time attending the AAM Summit and it was a great experience!

The conference started on a Tuesday afternoon and went through lunch on Friday. There were many great speakers and a lot of valuable information to be learned. The opening keynote speaker was Dr. Frank Luntz who spoke on “Words that Work: It’s Not What you Say, It’s What People Hear.”

Some lessons to take away from Dr. Luntz’s presentation were a few things that clients really want from you:

• Accountability in what you do
• Fierce integrity and principles in all you do
• Respect toward what the client does
• Answerable after the fact

For more information about AAM or their 2009 Summit visit their website.

Ben Brackmann - Audit Staff

A recent article from CNNMoney.com states that though companies are cutting back on jobs, they are keeping their “talent pipeline” supplied by hiring more interns. This seems to be a great solution because it cuts costs for the employer and more students are looking for on-the-job experience. Not only do interns provide “cheap and eager” labor - they also bring fresh ideas.

It is estimated that employers will increase their internship rosters by 3.7% over 2007 and this could not be better for students as internships become more crucial for landing a job. An internship is equally valuable for the intern and the employer. This is a time where students can test the waters, while employers can evaluate the intern for future employment.

Universities are also recognizing the importance of internships and are taking steps to secure spots for their students, while some colleges even require them for graduation. To read the entire article, visit this website.

Debbie Sessions - Partner & Chief Operating Officer

In March of this year PKM was very delighted to receive the 2008 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award from the American Psychological Association (APA) in recognition of our firm’s workplace practices that promote employee health and well-being. PKM qualified for this award because the firm is a previous winner of the Georgia Psychological Association’s state-level Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award.

PKM is one of only five organizations from across North America to receive the award this year and is the only public accounting firm in the history of the awards to be honored by the APA. A recent article written in the Atlanta Business Chronicle highlights our firms achievements. Visit the website to view the full article.

Sal Inserra - Partner

At 20 years old the world was a blank canvas with vast opportunities and yet it looks like a map without road references. Even after staring at the map you cannot quite figure how to get to your goal or where you goal is. All that said, I thought I knew exactly the path to take - until I was set straight.

I was enrolled in the City University of N.Y. pursuing an economics degree and employed at JP Morgan. I was a part time employee who transferred from department to department - this did not bother me too much because I enjoyed the change. When I met my mentors I was working in the accounting and analysis group department and had about twelve superiors. If I was going to be honest about it I should name all twelve as mentors but there were two that stuck out - Diane Makoujy and Lou Vitali.

Lou and Diane were officers with the bank who had come out of the Big Eight. They were sharp, witty, successful and great role models. I would have sought their input, but they did not wait for me to ask. They provided me guidance on everything - how to dress more professionally, how to show your “smarts” in a tasteful manner, how to be successful in a team environment and they changed my career goals completely.

After about two months with the group, Lou and Diane decided to take me to lunch and double-team me to convince me to change my major to accounting. They were not going to take no for an answer and it was one of the five days that changed my life.

After disrupting my life and putting me on a new path, both of the meddlers, along with the other ten members of the group, provided me with two-year internship in accounting and analysis. This is the kind of experience that students hope to see before entering the real world. They made certain I was always challenged and provided me the guidance necessary so that a college student surrounded by top flight talent would not lose his confidence.

As I wrapped up my college career it was time to look for a job in the real world and I wanted to take the path of my mentors. I thought a Big Eight accounting firm was the only place for me. Unfortunately, the Big Eight firms did not view the university I attended as a top-flight school. As a result I hit a wall, but a wall is only a temporary obstacle.

My mentors, all twelve of them, heard of my plight and went into high gear. They called folks at the firms they used to work for, schedulers, peers, HR managers and partners. They put their reputation on the line for me and insisted that I be given a chance to interview and they did not take any chances there either. Lou and Diane made me go through practice interviews hitting me with questions and teaching me that an interview should be a conversation. They taught me well, as I received offers from all but one of the Big Eight.

It was bitter sweet to leave JPM. Other than my family, I don’t know remember anyone giving so much of themselves to benefit me. Their assistance was life changing and a key to who and what I am today. Twenty-three years later, I am now a partner with PKM and not a day goes by where I don’t draw upon something Lou and Diane taught me. I try hard each day to honor what they did for me by looking to pass on what I learned to others. Hopefully, there will be a person in the future who will think I had made a difference in their career.

Thank you Lou and Diane.

Jenna Montroy - Marketing Assistant

At a recent event I attended, Charlotte Stallings was the keynote speaker and if someone in the room left not being motivated to succeed in their careers and life I’d be very surprised.

Charlotte Stallings is a former VP of Investment Strategies and National Spokesperson for American Express, and she’s been showing people how to “get smart” all of her professional life. Stallings gained most of her expertise in business from her years at corporations such as US Banks, Xerox and American Express.

Not only was Charlotte entertaining and fun to listen to, she actually had something of worth to listen to. Just to give you a taste of what you could hear if you hear Charlotte speak, here are her four principles relating to the question: What do you bring to the table?

Principle #1 - Successful people choose to focus on their strengths. Principle #2 - Successful people visualize success. Principle #3 - Successful people choose to be givers. Principle #4 - Successful people choose to live with passion.

Charlotte’s “Getting Smart” series also hits on topics such as “Getting Smart About Money” and “Getting Smart About Selling.” Visit her website here.