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.
Intern to Senior Auditor: Tips for Students!
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?!
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