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.
Carrie Connell- Audit Senior
With all the hype about social media these days, the topic of how to use applications like Facebook, Linked- IN and Twitter in the corporate world often come up. Today I read a blog by David Rachford titled “How Accountant’s Get Terrific Twitter Traffic.” Rachford offers many helpful tips on how to use Twitter from a professional standpoint
Tweets must add value. Whether you’re on topic sharing tax or accounting advice, or sharing a link to an interesting or informative article - If you think it’s worth sharing; tweet it. Sometimes even posts that are specific to your interests or hobbies may be relevant to your followers, as they give insight as to who you are. Remember, people do business with people they: “Know, Like & Trust” - so be upbeat, personal, and gain trust by showing expertise & sharing relevant content.
Tweets must be timely. You may have heard that Twitter is now becoming a major source for breaking news. Whether it’s a disaster or election results, word spreads on Twitter fast. Twitter is the rumor mill on steroids. And if something cool just happened for you and a client, (i.e. “Just finished a successful Audit Defense w/ a client, saved the client $33k! full story here: link) by all means: Tweet it.
Tweets must be spam free. Spam is generally unsolicited email communication. It’s considered bad form to send personal messages via Twitter directing them to your website… if it’s relevant info you want to share - share it with everyone. Also, it’s my opinion, that “serial tweeters” or those who post 5-10 posts to their feed in immediate succession are generally spammers. I periodically go through my twitter feed and ‘un-follow’ those Tweeters.
Keep your followers RELEVANT: With so many people on Twitter spouting off mostly random, inane stuff ( 40% of posts are useless, 37% conversational, 8% pass along value; link: Computerworld.com article ) if you don’t maintain your list with relevant people, you’re just adding to the noise. I’d rather have 100 relevant readers (CPAs & Accountants) than 10,000 people who don’t have the slightest interest in what I have to say.
Prune Your Followers Regularly: There are some people you don’t want to follow you… you can block them, or just delete them. One problem with Twitter is that it’s a VERY open system. Of course, the openess is a benefit too; as it allows third party applications such as tweetdeck to be easily developed and spread; but caveat emptor - it’s very easy for someone to look at your followers list and basically go out and try to grab your followers. Don’t pay it much mind - but be beware. I think it’s a good thing to go through your list and cut names and Tweeters who you don’t think fit your reader profile.
So, for all of you college grads who are only utilizing Twitter to find out what bar everyone will be at on Friday night, remember these tips and use your “tweeting” skills to benefit your future career.
Candice Gaston- Audit Senior
Who knew an etiquette dinner in the Fall of 2004 would result in finding my “perfect fit” firm? As an officer of Beta Alpha Psi at the University of Georgia, I was asked to accompany the current fall Beta Alpha Psi initiates to an etiquette dinner sponsored by a firm out of Atlanta. I had never heard of the firm sponsoring the dinner, but I was open minded as I was about to start the interviewing process. At the dinner, I met Tim Keadle, a partner of this firm, and learned this firm specialized in the audits of financial institutions. Perfect! I had previously worked in several banks part-time in High School and College and thoroughly enjoyed my time. I went through the interview process, and thankfully, landed an internship offer. I was pumped!
My internship was great and I really learned a lot. The internship was during the busy season of 2005, and I spent my time working on Cash, Fixed Assets, Payroll, Investments, Deposits, and other areas of the year-end external audits of various bank clients. Not only was the work enjoyable, the people of PKM were awesome! From staff to partners, all individuals in the firm genuinely liked their job and liked their co-workers! My internship led to a full-time offer, which naturally, I accepted on the spot!
After wrapping up my Masters degree at UGA, I started full time with PKM in July of 2006. Since starting, I have worked my way through the staff and associate position to my current position as a Senior Auditor. It has been an amazing three years, and I’m continually learning and evolving. I still enjoy all the people in the firm that I get to work with! What a concept!
What are three quick tips the average student can take away from my experience?
Keep an open mind during the recruiting process! I didn’t have to go to the Etiquette dinner, but I was invited, and I went - and I haven’t been disappointed in that decision! Make sure to not pigeon-hole your mind to only the big firms you have heard about in class or on the hat of your favorite golfer!
Internships can open the door to a full-time position and career. Try to participate in one or more internships during your college career. Go through the internship interview process with a long-term thought (i.e.-I’m interviewing with this firm as a place that I could potentially work my way through to Partner level.)
Once you start full-time with a firm, keep learning! The learning process doesn’t end when you leave your respective institution! I asked (and continue to ask) a TON of questions. When you first start at a firm, this is an amazing time to ask all the questions you can and soak up the knowledge of your in-charges and your partners!
Who knew a simple dinner about etiquette tips would lead to a thriving career with a firm I truly love?!
