A Declassified Internship Recruiting Survival Guide by 2015 Intern, Rachael Creger: Part #3

"Put yourself out there!" 

This may or may not be the best analogy, but recruiting events are like first dates. You’re just meeting each other, asking basic questions, trying to get to know each other, testing the waters. Similarly to first dates, how it goes plays a big difference in whether or not there is a second date. Things may go great and you’ve got that second date in the bag! They may go alright and you might be getting a second chance, I mean date… Or they might decide that they really don’t want to go out on a second date.

Putting yourselves out there at these recruiting events is the first step towards your future. Get out there, shake all the hands you possibly can, make sure the recruiters know you’re interested! For me, it took some trial and error to land my dream internship with an amazing company like Monroe Shine, but if anything I’ve learned a thing or two from the recruiting process these past few years.

• If you don't have a LinkedIn account, get one and make it professional!
• Spend some time working on your resume, and make sure to have your school's career center take a look at it!
• Buy yourself a new tie or blouse, because everyone feels awesome in new clothes. Think of it as investing in your future business professional wardrobe!
• Do some research. The recruiters love it when you have an educated question that is specific to their company and not a generic one!
• Make sure to include when you'll have your 150 credit hours needed to get your CPA license, as well as your accounting class only GPA listed on your resume. Recruiters will ask those questions and it's good to have that info included for their review later.

Remember that these recruiters are meeting hundreds of students at a handful of schools. What makes you different? It’s the tiniest things that make the difference. At the end of the day, a high GPA or extracurricular activities aren’t the final factor between you and the next candidate. They care about who you are as a person. What do you care passionately about? What are your goals and aspirations? Why do you want to work in this field?

And P.S. A handwritten thank you card is rare nowadays, so go buy some nice stationary. Happy Recruiting! Good luck this fall, both in and out of the classroom!
~ Rachael (2015 Spring & Summer Intern)

A Declassified Internship Recruiting Survival Guide by 2015 Intern, Rachael Creger: Part #2

"Tis the season - recruiting season that is!"

Recruiting season is an interesting time of the year. Starting just a week or so after the beginning of fall semester, sometimes pursuing an internship can feel like an extra course. Each university does things a bit differently, so of course our paths may be different during recruitment. I know from experience that UofL’s College of Business – Ulmer Career Management Center does so much for the students. Each university has their own way of doing accounting internship recruiting, some have huge career fairs, and some have small fun events like UofL’s Accounting Social. The Accounting Social has been a great kick off to my fall semesters. I first attended as a sophomore, freshly transferred to UofL from Ball State University. I remember being so nervous to go up to the tables and chat with the representatives from so many companies, both big and small. Once you get past that little bump in the road, it becomes so much fun! Of course all the companies send their friendliest, funniest employees, and everyone is so nice and welcoming. Having just transferred to UofL I was kind of in an awkward place; I had to retake a few classes for which credits didn’t transfer, and kind of do things out of order to catch up with my classmates. Some of the representatives from other companies made it clear exactly what they were looking for and I knew I wasn’t qualified. That day I met Butch Shaw and Mallary Snyder from Monroe Shine, and I guess you could say that was a bit of a turning point in my college career. They were so welcoming and gave me tons of great information about themselves and Monroe Shine. After chatting with them, I had some hope!


Last fall, my junior year, I attended the Accounting Social with my intentions set. I knew exactly who I wanted to talk to. I researched a handful of companies and had worked tirelessly the last year to make myself a more marketable candidate. I polished up my resume, perfected my LinkedIn profile, and went in there with the end goal in mind. Of course, I got to chat with Butch and Mallary again! That afternoon I left with three companies in mind (Monroe Shine being one of them) and told myself that I was going to try my hardest to score an internship with one of them! That evening I spent a few hours applying to as many on-campus interviews as I possibly could. For the UofL accounting majors reading my post, the Accounting Social this year is September 1^st, 4-6:30pm in the Brown & Williamson Club which is inside Papa John's Stadium. IU, IUS, UK and Bellarmine students, be sure to check our "College Opportunities" page on our website to see when we will be on visiting your campus next! We can't wait to meet you!

http://monroeshine.com/collegerecruiting.php

And P.S. The Accounting Social always has great snacks. And who doesn’t love free food!?

~ Rachael (2015 Spring & Summer Intern

A Declassified Internship Recruiting Survival Guide by 2015 Intern, Rachael Creger: Part #1

"Why Intern?!"

Hey all! My name is Rachael Creger and I am currently a senior at University of Louisville. I’ve been a spring and summer intern in our Louisville office. These last 7 months or so have been an amazing and rewarding experience. Professors and parents always tell us that real-world, hands-on experience teaches you more than lectures do, and up until this spring I didn’t really believe that. After surviving my first busy-season, as well as a much quieter summer, I can wholeheartedly agree with that statement. I have learned so much during my time at Monroe Shine from my coworkers, the partners, and other interns. A lot of students shy away from interning because they don’t want to take a semester off, or only take a partial course load, or a variety of other excuses. Regardless of what you need to do, what strings you need to pull, an internship is 100% worth it! If you are on the fence about trying to land an internship this school year, this is your sign that you need to do it!

During my past two recruitment seasons I’ve gotten a lot of great advice from professors and my school’s Career Center, but I wished I had a good friend who had already gone through an internship at a firm who would just tell it like it is. So welcome to my Declassified Internship Recruiting Survival Guide. Over the next few weeks of recruiting season I’ll be posting little chunks of wisdom and some fun anecdotes. Enjoy!

~ Rachael (2015 Spring and Summer Intern)

College Recruitment is Officially Here!

Monroe Shine is excited to be returning to several college campuses over the next few weeks! We will be looking for driven and hardworking students who are eager to either find a great internship opportunity, or are hungry to begin a career. If you are a student at one of the colleges listed below, be sure to come visit us at one of  our 2015’s recruiting events. We can't wait to meet you!

• Bellarmine University - Accounting Association Presentation & Tour of Monroe Shine's Louisville Office: 
  • Date: Monday, August 31^st
  • Time: 6:00 pm
  • Location: Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. 1200 Forest Bridge Road, Suite 200, Louisville, KY 40223
• University of Louisville - Fall 2015 Accounting Social: 
  • Date: Tuesday, September 1^st 
  • Time: 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm
  • Location: Brown & Williamson Club in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
• Indiana University, Southeast - Accounting Career Day: 
  • Date: Friday, September 11^th
  • Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
  • Location: University Center North - Hoosier Room
• Indiana University, Southeast - School of Business Golf Scramble: 
  • Date: Friday, September 25^th
  • Time: 8:00 am
  • Location: Champions Pointe Golf Club

 
This fall, we will be interviewing for 2016 Tax Season Internship positions!  Below is a list of dates we will be conducting on-campus interviews.

• Bellarmine University - Wednesday, September 16^th 
• University of Louisville - Thursday, September 17^th
• Indiana University, Southeast - Tuesday, September 22^nd
• University of Kentucky - Wednesday, September 30^th
• Indiana University - Monday, October 12th

Office fun at Monroe Shine!

At Monroe Shine, we have a team approach that extends outside of the work we do everyday. We have fun activities during busy season, a family picnic, a holiday party, an after tax season celebration party, employee get-togethers, an employee golf scramble, and even a team in the CPA basketball league!! We are proud to say, in 2015 our team won the big championship tournament and brought home the trophy!! It is proudly displayed in our Louisville office!

The league begins right at the beginning of tax season, so we cannot wait to add our new intern recruits to the team!!

2014 Recruiting Tip #7: Have Fun - 25 Jokes Only Accountants Will Love!

May 19th is National Accounting Day, and it's the perfect time to celebrate the brave souls who balance our books, sort out our files, and lead the way through tax season.

To thank the pros who crunch the numbers so we don't have to, we polled accountants and auditors and scoured the web to round up 25 jokes that only accountants will love.

1. Welcome to the accounting department, where everybody counts.
2. What does CPA stand for? Can't Pass Again.
3. It's accrual world.
4. It's 4:04. Do you know where your auditor is?
5. Where do homeless accountants live? In a tax shelter.
6. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
7. How do you know you have a great CPA? He has a tax loophole named after him.
8. What do you call an accountant with an opinion? An auditor.
9. An accountant is someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don’t understand.
10. Why did the accountant cross the road? Because she looked in the files and did what they did last year.
11. How does Santa's accountant value his sleigh? Net Present Value.
12. What do accountants suffer from that ordinary people don’t? Depreciation.
13. Why are accountants always so calm, composed, and methodical? They have strong internal controls.
14. Be audit you can be.
15. What do you call a financial controller who always works through lunch, takes two days holiday every two years, is in the office every weekend, and leaves every night after 10 p.m.? Lazy.
16. What do you call a trial balance that doesn't balance? A late night.
17. An economist is someone who didn't have enough personality to become an accountant.
18. Why do economists exist? So accountants have someone to laugh at.

19. What's the difference between an accountant and a lawyer? The accountant knows he's boring.

20. What do you call a group financial controller who's lost his job? Bob.
21. How can you tell when the chief accountant is getting soft? When he actually listens to marketing before saying no.
22. There are just two rules for creating a successful accountancy business: 1. Don't tell them everything you know. 2. [Redacted]
23. What's an actuary? An accountant without the sense of humor.
24. What do actuaries do to liven up their office party? Invite an accountant.
25. Four Laws of Accounting:
      1. Trial balances don't.
      2. Bank reconciliations never do.
      3. Working capital does not.
      4. Return on investments never will.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/jokes-for-accountants-2014-5#ixzz3CN53TU8G

2014 Recruiting Tip #6: Attend Firm Tours

Nothing prepares you to work for a firm like seeing what it's like behind the scenes!

Many firms offer special tours to students, providing them with valuable information they can use to guide their decisions and goals. While going on an office tour won't guarantee you a position, it will allow you to network with the firm and gain exposure to their staff members, which would greatly assist you in interviewing for a possible position. It also allows you the opportunity to really see what the culture of that firm is like so that you can see if this might be a good fit for you and your personality.

Who knows, you may even be shocked if they ask you to take a #selfie!

8/28/14 You better believe we got the Bellarmine Accounting Association to take a #selfie with us while they were out visiting our Louisville Office!

 

These tours are frequently offered in connection with the Accounting Club, or other student organizations, and may be difficult to find as an individual. If you hear that your Accounting Club is arranging a tour, make sure to sign up!

~ Mallary (Marketing & Business Development Manager)