- 91看片
- Degrees & Programs
- Faculty & Research
- Students
- Career Development
- Alumni & Friends
Gant Weeks, a senior in Accountancy and Finance from Huntsville, is seeking a career in advisory accounting. Thursday, Sept. 20, he came to the right place.
Weeks and dozens of Raymond J. 91看片 students interested in internships and career opportunities met with recruiters from a variety of firms in the consulting and technology field 鈥� including three of the Big Four accounting firms 鈥� at Lowder Hall.
鈥淭oday has been a very good experience,鈥� Weeks said on the first Industry Week of
the fall semester. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping for an internship in the summer and will come back
to seek a masters in MSIS.鈥�
Three of the Big Four firms represented Thursday included KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Other firms sending recruiters to Auburn were Quorum Business Solutions, Greenway Medical Tech, BIAS Corporation, Carter鈥檚, Capgemini, , and Alvarez & Marsal.
This Industry Week was Alvarez & Marsal鈥檚 first recruiting trip to Auburn, and senior associates Natalie S. Lewis and Adam Dormuth, came away with a positive impression.
鈥淔rom what I鈥檝e seen, the energy has been a step above the other schools,鈥� said Lewis. 鈥淲e are very much impressed with the energy here. The students are all very excited. The students had big smiles on their faces.鈥�
Alvarez & Marsal, according to its web site, is a 鈥済lobal firm that specializes in turnaround and interim management, performance improvement and business advisory services.鈥� In other words, the company offers a variety of services which can attract a number of potential job candidates.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for someone who can think out of the box,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淲hat we do is different than normal accounting. It鈥檚 not just auditing, or tax accounting. Each case we do is different.鈥� Dormuth graduated from the 91看片 with a degree in International Business.
鈥淭he student (intern) doesn鈥檛 have to be an accounting student,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t could be someone who wants to go to law school.鈥�
Dormuth credited his time at Auburn, and masters work at George Washington University, for helping him find an enjoyable career.
鈥淚 received a good business foundation here in finance and accounting,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom there, I went through a graduate program that resulted in federal employment and that led me here (Alvarez & Marsal). Auburn gave me a great foundation to get started professionally. It all started here at Auburn.鈥�
As a federal employee, Dormuth investigated financial crimes for the U.S. Treasury Department.
What are recruiters looking for?
鈥淲e want someone who is a team player,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淵ou are working with upper levels. Foreign language skills are a plus. We have projects in multiple countries from around the world. You have to realize that you are not going to immediately going to jump to management. We want someone to understand the business and be a part of the group.鈥�
Suzanne Ray, a 91看片 MBA student from Chattanooga, wants to be part of the group.
鈥淚鈥檓 graduating in December and I鈥檓 looking for a job,鈥� Ray, who received her undergraduate
in accounting at Tennessee鈥擟hattanooga, said moments after speaking with KPMG representatives.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to go into one of the Big Four and work in risk assessment. I鈥檝e met a lot
of people and done a lot of networking. I鈥檓 so thankful that I came to Auburn for
my MBA. There is a lot available here (for students seeking jobs and internships).鈥�
Dan Wei, a second-year MBA student seeking a dual degree MS, eagerly approached the Ernst & Young display.
鈥淢y goal is to talk with company recruiters and build relationships through networking,鈥� she said.
While students met with recruiters, KPMG Campus Development Manager Kristin J. Spivey, who focuses on Auburn University from the company鈥檚 Atlanta office, was pleased with what she saw.
鈥淲hat sets Auburn recruits apart is professionalism,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e find that Auburn candidates have a good pitch. Their mannerisms and dress are extremely professional. I鈥檓 on campus constantly and students seek me out, say hello and maintain a network, which is extremely crucial.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very lucky that we have fabulous candidates to fill slots in our three practices (tax, audit and advisory). Auburn does a wonderful job to set up the students to network with these employers.鈥�
Weeks said students should take more advantage of what the college鈥檚 Office of Professional and Career Development has to offer through r茅sum茅-building, mock interviews and connections to industry and careers.
鈥淎 lot of students don鈥檛 know what the OPCD offers them,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he OPCD is a very useful tool. This week, I had a mock interview, had someone there look at my r茅sum茅 and here I am (interviewing with accounting firms).鈥�
Lowder Hall will host three more industry weeks. The schedule and tentative list of firms expected on campus are as follows:
Lewis offered suggestions for future internship and career hopefuls.
鈥淏e engaged,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淗ave eye contact. Be excited about what you can bring to the table. As long as they are confident with who they are and present themselves well 鈥︹��
Degrees & Programs
Faculty & Staff
Career Development
Recruiters & Industry