Annual Accounting/Finance Career Fair Matches Students, Employers
Every fall, Southern business students – and potential employers of Southern business students – look forward to the annual Accounting and Finance Career Fair (“the Fair”). It’s an opportunity for students to visit multiple employers – and employers to speak with multiple internship and career candidates – all in a compact, one room, two-hour session. This year, the Fair returned to a “face-to-face” (albeit masked) live format, much to the delight of all involved.
“We very much appreciate the one-on-one and in-person interaction with not only the students, but their professors and advisors, as well as the chance to be alongside other like-minded firms hoping to hire future SCSU alumni,” said Michael F. Ganino, CPA, CFE, ’92, partner with accounting firm PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP. “We’re confident that our successes in hiring SCSU candidates will continue, and as an SCSU alumnus myself, I look forward to events such as this, as they are critical for advancing everyone involved.”
“I found the Accounting and Finance Fair very productive and educational,” Finance freshman Emma Gorham commented. “I learned a lot about some possible internship opportunities… and my options after graduation. I also received a lot of insight on the differences between a career in accounting and a career in finance… and the pizza was a great addition to the day,” she smiled.
“My experience at the career fair was very positive,” reported Accounting senior Walter Martinez. “This was my first career fair ever, and I found it to be very informative and crucial to make connections and hear each job description. For any students out there debating on attending the next one, I would say ‘Go for it,’” Martinez advised. “Make the time to attend for even an hour,” he continued, “because within that hour you may find your next employer, or land an interview with a firm you never thought you would have had a shot at. I was lucky to have a couple of companies reach out to me for interviews and that makes me glad I attended the fair.”
“I’m an Accounting major, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do – tax or audit,” admitted Yi Xia. “But at the Career Fair, I was able to speak with both tax professionals and audit professionals and learn more about their respective requirements. As a result, I have an interview coming up with one of the firms for an auditing position, and I’m waiting to hear back from several other firms with whom I spoke. I truly enjoyed the Career Fair … it was fun, and gave me the opportunity to practice my communication skills by interacting with the firm representatives — people who are already in the field I want to join,” Xia noted. “I also enjoyed the support of my professors who attended,” she added.
Department of Accounting Chair Russell Engel, Ph.D.; Finance Department Chair Sandip Dutta, Ph.D. and Internship Coordinator Patty Conte all expressed gratitude to the participating organizations, students, and faculty for making the 2021 Accounting and Career Fair a success. Students interested in obtaining an internship or participating in IMPACT Greater New Haven should contact Patty at contep2@southernct.edu or (203) 392-5987.
