Lydia Elsey
This past semester, McIntire’s Commerce Career Services (CCS) team was so helpful and reassuring to me during my job search. At first, I was very apprehensive about recruiting and what virtual recruiting would look like before beginning the M.S. in Accounting Program, but they were able to help me navigate the process.
Before even beginning school in August, students are encouraged to work with CCS over the summer, which helps to establish a relationship early on in the program. We were able to send resumes and schedule meetings with the CCS team to discuss recruitment even before we ever stepped in a classroom (in person or virtual). Personally, I met with Katie Kinniburgh, Assistant Director for Career Development, who was able to help me revise my resume to be job application ready. She also explained to me how virtual recruiting might work this year. These meetings were extremely helpful and calmed my nerves about job prospects going into the school year.
One of the most helpful services that CCS provided was making sure there were ample opportunities to meet with companies I was interested in working for, even though we were in a virtual environment. There were many opportunities to meet with firms and events even specifically targeted towards accounting. CCS also provided support on the technical side of virtual recruiting, helping explain how students would connect with recruiters and companies during each event.
In my opinion, the virtual recruiting experience actually made some things easier for students than a traditional recruiting process. Rather than waiting in long lines at career fairs and trying to speak and hear in a loud room, we were able to schedule one-on-one timeslots or small group meetings to connect with companies. This meant you could still connect personally with recruiters in a bit of a more controlled environment. These opportunities to meet with companies alone and in groups provided a great arena for me to figure out where I could see myself working after graduating.
Overall, Commerce Career Services was an integral part of my virtual recruiting process and provides a lot of helpful opportunities for students to learn about and prepare for their own job search process. I felt ready for recruitment because of the help that they offered and the willingness that I had to participate in the events. At the end of the day, regardless of whether recruiting is virtual or in person for students in the coming classes, it is reassuring to know that CCS is capable of making sure recruitment goes well for everyone.
