Student Voice!
Everyone says that college years pass quickly, but I didn’t believe them until after my sophomore year. During that summer I thought about having two years to go and then realized that meant I was halfway done with college. Now I have one semester left before leaving the “Lute Dome” for the real world. I will graduate with a degree in Business with concentrations in Accounting and Finance and in August I will start as a staff auditor for KPMG in Seattle.
Starting a career in auditing begins with a specific recruiting season in October, when the larger firms hire graduates to start the following fall. Going through the recruiting process was very stressful, but the Career Center was helpful. They scheduled some first round interviews on campus, which was less stressful for student than driving up to Seattle. Over the course of the month I interviewed with at least fourteen different people at seven different firms, not to mention the countless number of people I was able to meet at the socials and networking events that are intended to give the interviewees a feel for the firm and the employees’ interactions.
Throughout the recruiting process, I was commonly asked situational questions. I felt well prepared to answer these questions because I had many classroom and internship experiences to draw from. In many business classes and general university requirement courses we worked in groups, so when interviewers asked for an example of good team work, I went right to my philosophy class where our group was comfortable in sharing all ideas and motivated to work together in order to do well on the paper and presentation. My business courses also prepared me for internships. In my accounting courses, I learned the fundamentals and rules of accounting and was able to apply them at Russell Investments and Theo Chocolate.
The value of an internship is amazing. One of my roommates is currently doing an internship for Occupational Therapy and she comes back every day with new ways of working to help kids with social and motor skills. While accounting courses teach the fundamentals and rules of accounting, learning to apply them in a real business environment is extremely valuable in terms of the experiences one can accumulate. In addition, and possibly of greater importance, internships can introduce you to the people working in your chosen field who can help you along the way as a mentor, a reference, a potential future employer or simply someone to bounce ideas off of later in your career. My internships helped me decide that accounting really is what I want to do after graduation.
For my internship search I used the School of Business Office and the Career Center’s lists of available internships. Being involved in Campus Ministry, Student Alumni Association (SAA) and business clubs has given me the opportunity to speak to PLU alumni in all fields and collect a few business cards as well! SAA puts on a dinner for both students and alumni of all majors to get connected. Advice from alumni and professors has helped me look at different career paths in business and decide on auditing. By helping me explore new ideas and opportunities, professors often left me with more questions than I knew to ask!
As I start making my list of things to do before graduation, I am excited to cross “finding a job” off the list!
Rachel Hatlen ’09
