Off the Ledger
Your days as a college student are almost numbered. The working world is calling. As you get ready to embark on your career, you have to be thinking, “What am I going to do when I graduate?” “Is a job in public accounting right for me?”
Where do you want to go?
You have so many options. Big firm or small? How do you decide? Where can you go to get the real, honest look at a career in public accounting? What is it REALLY like to be an intern? What will my life be like as a staff accountant?
See your future...
At Porter Keadle Moore, LLP (PKM) we’re here to help. We’ve created this blog site just for you! To help you find answers to these and other questions about working in a public accounting firm. Real interns and brand new staff accountants chronicle their experiences with our firm. Read what they have to say. Ask questions, share your opinions and we’ll respond.
Internship Do's & Don'ts
Kristel Imeraj- Audit Staff
It’ s summer time, but let’s be honest who really wants to lounge by the pool all day when instead you could be gaining valuable work experience through an internship? Nowadays, having a degree is almost the bare minimum for obtaining an ideal job. Having work experience is critical, and one of the best ways to gain that experience is through an internship.
Once you decide to commit your time to an internship, and actually land the internship, make sure you make the most out of your experience. Dr. Randall S. Hansen, founder of the web site “Quintessential Careers” has come up with a list of key internship Do’s & Don’ts to follow for a career in any field.
Some of the most important pieces of advice he offers is “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.” This is one of the most important tips I would give to any intern. If you don’t understand something, ask. If you just want to know why something works the way it does, ask. If you really like your supervisor’s pens and want to know where they’re from, ask! If you don’t ask questions, you will miss out on valuable information that may be critical to performing your job, or may help you excel and stand out from the others. Another internship “Don’t” is “Don’t burn any bridges.” Even if your internship does not work out the way you would have liked. Let’s say, no one talks to you. For the months of June through August you sat in a dim-lit room and made an excess of photo copies all day. Whatever you do, never bash your internship or appear ungrateful. Just because your internship did not go the way you would have liked, you still want these people to have good things to say about you for recommendations, or for all you know, they may have connections to someone that could help you obtain the job of your dreams. Finally, some of the most important “Do’s” for any internship is “do be open to learning new skills and methodologies” and “do get as much exposure through the internship organization as possible.” When you are open to learning new things or venturing to unfamiliar territory, you have the best chance of finding what you truly excel at. Make sure you meet as many people as possible and be open to trying different jobs at the organization, you might be surprised by what you find.
Click here for the complete list of internship Do’s & Don’ts, or to read some of Hansen’s other articles.
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