During my undergraduate tenure at the University of Kentucky
there were a handful of internship opportunities that the University offered.
Job searching can be competitive for fresh college graduates so securing in an
internship before you graduate would be my best advice.
Also, you don’t have to wait until your senior year to start
interviewing for internships. Yes, you will have a better chance of getting one
if you are an upperclassman or if you are available to start working for the
company sooner than the other applicants but getting interview experience is
very important. I would suggest starting to apply for internships your junior
year through a university program. I can only speak for UK but I am sure that
Louisville, IU, and others have great programs that help students find jobs.
At the beginning stages of applying
I think that it would be a great idea to apply for as many interviews as you
can. Because again the more interviewing experience you have the more
comfortable you will be and the better chance you will have a landing a job. If
you fit the GPA and Degree requirements you most likely will get a first round
interview. Another plus about applying for a job at a University is that the
first round of interviews are on campus and for me that was a comfortable
environment. I also think that it is a good idea to apply
for as many interviews as you can because you want to be able to choose what
company fits you the best or if you do not make it past the first interview of
your preferred place of work then you will have other options to explore.
Usually the firm will have an HR representative and a newly
hired staff member interviewing you on campus, (like Mallary and Blake) to see
how well you blend with the company. I would highly suggest wearing a suit to
the interviews even though the dress code only requires a jacket, it can only help
you by looking Professional. If you make it past the first stage of interviews
the second round of interviews will usually take place at the firms location.
The second interview can be lengthier and usually entails an office tour as
well. You most likely will speak with at least one partner during this visit
and a more experienced staff accountant. I want to reiterate again that
experience with both stages of interviews will immensely increase your chances
of landing a job before you graduate.
Lastly I think it is important to stay ahead of the game
when applying for these positions. I would suggest applying for the spots early
and setting up an interview time right when you get a notification. Usually you
can apply for these jobs before your major class assignments or tests are
scheduled because it’s still early in the year when the slots open. So don’t be
lazy, get a jump on the process while there isn’t much school work going on
because anyone that has gone through college knows that projects and tests can
unpleasantly all hit you at once!
~ Nick Taylor (A 2018 Spring & Summer Monroe Shine Accounting Intern)
