Accounting majors at the University of Dayton geared up for ‘Meet the Firms’ from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in Kennedy Union Ballroom.
Twenty-eight accounting firms from cities including Cincinnati, Cleveland, St. Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis came to the ballroom as sophomore, junior and senior accounting majors seek internship positions and full-time employment opportunities after graduation.
“‘Meet the Firms’ is a great experience for all UD accounting majors,” said Brittan Stegemiller, a senior accounting major and president of Beta Alpha Psi, an organization for financial information students and professionals. “It puts students in contact with the big names in accounting and can lead to some great career opportunities.”
According to Stegemiller, this event focuses on networking and building professional relationships, while maintaining a casual, stress-free environment.
Stegemiller said last year’s event led to a full-time job offer, two years prior to her graduation.
The “Big Four” accounting firms, PwC, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, were present this year along with other large corporate firms, public accounting firms and some non-accounting companies like Kroger who have high demands for accountants, she said.
While many of the companies come from the Dayton area, larger firms have offices across the country allowing UD students the opportunity to find internships and jobs anywhere they may be looking, Stegemiller said.
UD graduate student Melissa Ehrbar attended ‘Meet the Firms’ as an undergraduate and said her experience allowed her the chance to find her place among the many companies and encounter the “culture” of accounting firms.
“‘Meet the Firms’ helps take the stress out of finding an internship or job,” Ehrbar said. “Students can get a feel for many different companies at the same time.”
The event allowed students to have personal conversations with real employees and get a sense for some of the factors that drive prominent companies, Ehrbar said. Ehrbar encouraged students to do company research prior to the event. She also said students were expected to come to the event with several updated copies of their resumes in-hand.
In addition to accounting majors, UD management information systems majors found opportunities at the event, Ehrbar said.
“The MIS major is directly related to the accounting field, and many employers are hoping to network with students in this field at the event,” Stegemiller said.
Stegemiller said this was the first year the event, which required extensive preparation, was organized without the direct guidance of Ronnie Burrows, an accounting professor who retired last year.
“After chairing the event for 27 years, BAP utilized the Accounting Advisory Board to ensure ‘Meet the Firms’ resulted in student success,” she said.
For more information on the School of Business Administration, visit udayton.edu/learn/undergraduate/business/.
