Big 4 Meet and Greet & Accounting Panel – 2/11/2019
This blog post was written by Peer Career Ambassador Julian Parra ’20.
For those of you reading right now who are interested in accounting, we hope you know about these two events happening on campus this coming week!
First, we have the Big 4 Accounting Panel – Early Engagement for Accounting event aimed towards first-years and sophomores. The event will be on Monday, February 11, 2019, at 5:30 pm and end at 6:15 pm. It will be held in Reynolds 241. For the underclassmen deciding on whether or not to go: it is incredibly important to start breaking into the accounting industry early! One way to do so is by attending this event. Each year, the professional services industry gets more and more competitive. In 2016, there was only a 2% chance of getting a job at EY, according to an efinancialcareers.com article (if you are interested in the article, visit: https://tinyurl.com/babsoney2019). I share this statistic not to scare you, but to encourage you to take advantage of the many opportunities Babson provides you to stand out from the crowd. At this event, you’ll hear from representatives from each company. They will tell you about important information related to opportunities for first years and second-year students in accounting and analytics and the spring recruitment timeline. For those who are still hesitant, I decided to attend one of these events during my first year at Babson. After my interest in the Big 4 grew, I started going to more events and meet with other alumni in the industry. All in all, this past summer, I interned for Ernst & Young in New York City. You never know what can happen! Registration on Handshake is required.
Moreover, we also have the Big 4 Meet & Greet event right after the panel on Monday, February 11, 2019. This runs from 6:15 pm to 7:00 pm in Reynolds 241. Attending the meet and greet will be a great way for you to network with other professionals in the industry and ask them questions on their career paths, what they like and do not like about their careers, and how their Babson experience has helped them in their career development journey, etc. This event will be open to ALL CLASS YEARS. Both events are hosted by the Hoffman Family Undergraduate Center for Career Development and the Babson Accounting Club. Both events are going to be informal so you can come as you are. And did I mention there was going to be pizza? Registration on Handshake is required.
You may ask yourself, “What exactly do I need to know for these events?” Well, we recommend you to know the firms that are attending ahead of time (Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC). Be sure to read in more detail about the events on Handshake. Research the types of jobs that the company is looking for students to fill and prioritize which ones you want to talk to. Have questions prepared for those you meet at the networking event. Reflect on why you are interested in a career in accounting and have your elevator pitch ready. The elevator pitch is a short greeting that introduces yourself to the other person. Be sure to also include a few experiences to help you stand out that have solidified your interest in the field.
All this being said, we highly encourage you to come. You won’t regret it!