Although her life is full of stress, one thing accounting major Samantha Christian ’06 does not have to worry about is finding a job for next year.
Whereas most seniors are still deciding what career path to follow, Christian and a few other students, mostly accounting and finance majors, have already secured employment for next year.
“Since I had a summer internship with PWC [Price Waterhouse Coopers], I was given a fulltime offer at the end of the summer, and I accepted it in October,” Christian said. “It’s a huge relief to already have a job for next year, especially when I see everyone trying to balance there senior year schedules with interviews.”
Kelley Reardon ’06 is another accounting major who has already signed with Ernst ‘ Young. She, too, is happy to be able to concentrate on other things besides the job hunt.
“I am very relieved, especially around this time when I see everyone else going through the interview process,” she said.
Katherine O’Neill ’06, an accounting and information systems double major, is one such student attempting to attend interviews while still maintaining her GPA.
“It’s hard to balance the interviews with classes and commitments,” she said. “But you do your best.”
Due to demand for accountants and people trained to work in the finance field, accounting and finance majors are involved in a more rapid, aggressive recruitment process compared to most other fields.
“Other fields tend to work a little differently,” said Dennis Amrine, interim director of Career Planning. “The hiring cycle is different and requires more time.”
In contrast, the business sector’s hiring cycle is more rapid, with offers starting as early as the summer before senior year, according to Reardon.
Before the semester even begins, the Career Planning Center supplies students with a list of firms and when they will be on campus to recruit and hold interviews, said O’Neill. The student then chooses which firms he or she is interested in applying to and attends the interview sessions. At that point, the student begins working directly with the recruiter and less with Career Planning, according to Amrine.
“The on campus interviews are each one specific day for each company,” said O’Neill. “If you can’t make it you have to make other arrangements, which usually involve you traveling to their location.”
Despite an aggressive recruitment process, not all accounting and finance majors are guaranteed employment.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re all guaranteed jobs, and I certainly don’t look at it that way when I go in for interviews,” said O’Neill. “Yes, companies need a lot of accountants, and we come out of Fairfield really qualified. But I think that most of us are just trying to find the right ‘fit’ of a company to work for. I think that’s the most important part.”
Even with a job secured, most students are unable to completely relax and coast through the rest of senior year.
“My offer is contingent on maintaining a pretty good GPA, so I can’t slack off completely,” said Christian.
Career Planning did not have data available about how many seniors have signed with companies, but said that while a few are lucky, most business students do not receive offers until second semester.
In order to successfully maximize the vocational search, no matter the field or major, the student must take the first step.
“This process has got to start with the person,” said Amrine. “It’s the responsibility of the student. We will work as hard as we can for everyone who comes in here to realize their vocational aspirations and make those connections.”
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