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Undergraduate Career
Connection
UnderGraduatE Newsletter
Fall 2012, Issue 5
SUSA Marketing Track Visits MRM Worldwide. Manas Kulkarni, President, terpAMA and Evan
Duck, ’12, SUSA/NYC Alumni Reception, October 25, 2012
Skills and Qualities Employers Seek in Their Class of 2013 Recruits
Director’s Corner
shuffled.
Skill/Quality
Rachel Loock, Director of
Undergraduate Programming,
Office of Career Services
In this year’s survey, participants rated
“ability to verbally communicate with
persons inside and outside the
organization” (second in Job Outlook
2012) and “ability to work in a team
structure” (first in Job Outlook 2012) as
the two most important candidate
skills/qualities.
Ability to verbally communicate with
persons inside the organization.
Ranking: 4.63
Congratulations to those students who
have received internship or full time
offers for 2013. You’ve cleared the first
hurdle—getting the offer. Once you
begin working, you will be evaluated
on your performance with a special
focus on certain skill sets. This month’s
Director’s Corner is excerpted from a
recent study conducted by the National
Association of Colleges and Employers
(NACE) and featured in the October
2012 issue of the NACE Spotlight
newsletter.
What skills and qualities are employers
seeking in the graduates they’re
recruiting from the Class of 2013?
Above all, they’re looking to hire
candidates with outstanding
communication skills and who are team
players, according to results of NACE’s
Job Outlook 2013 survey.
The top five skills/qualities employers
report seeking are the same as last year,
although the order has been somewhat
These are followed by candidates’
“ability to make decisions and solve
problems,” “ability to obtain and
process information,” (fifth in Job
Outlook 2012) and “ability to plan,
organize, and prioritize work” (fourth
in Job Outlook 2012).
And like last year, the least important
candidate skills/qualities on the list are
the “ability to create and/or edit
written reports” and the “ability to sell
or influence others.”
Following is the list of the employer
ratings from the NACE Job Outlook
2013 report. Weighted average
rankings are based on a 5 point scale,
with 5 equaling Extremely Important.
Ability to work in a team structure.
Ranking: 4.60
Ability to make decisions and solve
problems. Ranking: 4.51
Ability to plan, organize and prioritize
work. Ranking: 4.46
Ability to obtain and process
information.Ranking: 4.43
Ability to analyze quantitative data.
Ranking: 4.30
Technical knowledge related to the job.
Ranking: 3.99
Proficiency with computer software
programs. Ranking: 3.95
Ability to create and/or edit written
reports.Ranking: 3.56
Lorem Ipsum
Terps Helping Terps
Thanks to the over 50 alumni who
attended the Alumni/SUSA
Networking event in New York City
on October 25th. We also want to send
a special shout out and thanks to the
following alumni who attended:
Doug Kletter, ’12, Former CoPresident of SmithPeer Executive
Board, Analyst, Credit Suisse
Joey Maertens, ’12, Former CoPresident, SmithPeer Executive Board,
Analyst, Credit Suisse
Kevin Tong, ’12, CPA, Financial
Services, McGladrey
Danny Baer, ’10, Former OCS
Student Assistant, Associate, Audit
Financial Services, KPMG
Ananda Kirana, MBA, ’12, Former
OCS Leadership Fellow, Senior
Marketing Consultant, Verizon
Evan Duck, ’12, Assistant Account
Executive, MRM Worldwide
Matt Castrovince, ’11, Needham &
Co.
Employer Spotlight
An Interview with Jen
Poklemba, PHR, Senior Talent
Acquisition Specialist,
McGladrey, Inc.
UGCC: As one of our key recruiting
partners at the Smith School of
Business, please tell us a little bit about
McGladrey and about your role there
as Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
JP: McGladrey LLP is the fifth largest
U.S. provider of assurance, tax and
consulting services, with nearly 6,500
professionals and associates in more
than 70 offices nationwide. We are a
licensed CPA firm whose vision is to
be the first choice advisor to Middle
Market leaders. I have been with
McGladrey for almost 5 years now,
managing the campus recruiting efforts
for the Southeast region. I’m
responsible for bringing in top talent
for our externship, internship and full
time positions in all 5 of our MD/VA
offices and also run our externship and
internship programs.
UGCC: When you are interviewing
candidates for internships and full time
positions, what are the qualifications
that make a candidate stand out?
Aside from the basics - the right
educational background, high
academic standards and participation
in extracurricular activities; one thing
that can really help a candidate stand
out during the recruiting process is
their personal interactions with our
team. Many people stereotype
accountants as introverts and people
who sit behind a desk all day, but that
couldn’t be further from the truth. In
our business, we need someone who
can communicate to our clients,
network to develop business and build
genuine relationships with
professionals at all levels. Being able
to present yourself in a confident
manner and hold a conversation
regardless of the topic is a very
important factor in our decision
process.
UGCC: For students seeking that first
time internship, what advice would
you provide if they are interested in
working for McGladrey?
JP: Early and often is my advice to the
first time internship seeker. We are
typically looking for students who
have one year left of school to
participate in our internship program,
however; in most cases we have
already interacted with our interns for
a year or two before they actually join
our team. The Smith School does a
great job of bringing employers on to
campus for students to get exposure to
them and the best thing the younger
students (Freshman/Sophomores) can
do is to get their name out there early
in the game. Take advantage of office
hours where you can have one on one
conversations with the recruiters and
keep in contact often. The more
integrated you are with a firm ahead of
time, the more both parties will know
about each other when it comes to
make decisions on internship
opportunities.
UGCC: Tell us about the culture at
McGladrey.
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When I talk to students about
McGladrey – I tell them to think of
us as the Goldie Locks firm… not
too big, not too small, just right!
We have the resources, technology,
expertise and opportunities that a
large firm has to offer; but within
our office you get the tight knit
smaller firm feel. Our people and
teams are very connected to each
other. We have sporting teams,
social events, community service
projects and other opportunities for
our professionals to connect in a
setting outside of the office. From
staff to Partner, we have an open
door policy that encourages our
professionals at all levels to interact
with one another and really work
together as a true team. It’s a great
dynamic to have the big firm
opportunity while also having the
leadership team invested in your
future at the same time.
UGCC: How can students learn more
about the opportunities at McGladrey?
JP: For students interested in learning
more about opportunities with
McGladrey, I would encourage them
to visit us when we are on campus at
the Smith School. You can find us in
attendance at any of the accounting
sponsored events as well as in the OCS
for mock interviews, resume reviews,
etc. We will also have bi-weekly
office hours at the Office of Career
Services during the spring semester.
This is a great opportunity for students
to stop by (no appointment necessary)
and learn more about who we are and
what we have to offer. Of course, you
can also find out more by visiting our
website, www.mcgladrey.com where
you can join our talent community to
be updated on open positions and
connect with us through our social
media sites.
UGCC: What do you like best about
working at McGladrey?
JP : There are 2 things that make me
excited about going to work at
McGladrey every day – the people and
the opportunities. From my very first
interaction with the people here at
McGladrey, I have felt like a part of
their family. The people here
genuinely care about you not only as a
professional, but as a person. The
accounting industry is a demanding
one and requires a lot of hours but the
support system that we have here is
one that fosters a team environment to
make sure we can all be successful and
maintain a healthy lifestyle. As for the
opportunities – the door is wide open.
We’ve got a great mentorship
program that helps each individual
develop their career according to their
own goals and aspirations. From very
early on in your career you have the
opportunity to make an impact
whether it be by leading your
engagement team, helping to teach
trainings, participating in recruiting or
attending networking events.
McGladrey is definitely dedicated to
enhancing your career.
UGCC: Do you have any other advice
for students who wish to pursue a
career in accounting and especially
with McGladrey?
For students looking to pursue a
career in accounting, I would
encourage them to take in as much
information as they can. Attend
information sessions, reach out to
fellow classmates who have
participated in accounting internships
or even find a mentor in the
accounting profession to connect with
to learn more. A great way
experience the profession is to set up
shadow days with current accounting
professionals, which is a great way to
learn what “life as an accountant” is
really like. The OCS is a great
resource in helping you to get started
with building your resume, getting
connected to professionals in the
industry and landing on your feet!
OCS and Club Career
Programming Events
November 5, 2012
Career Chat - International Business
with T.R. Ward, Business Coach &
Strategic Financial Economist
3:30 – 5:00, VMH 1505
November 13, 2012
Entrepreneurship Career Panel
6:00 – 7:30
November 14, 2012
CEO Speaker Series – Jim Gibbons,
Goodwill International
5:30 – 6:30, Frank Auditorium
November 15, 2012
Careers in Finance Lunch and Learn,
12:15- 1:15, (open to freshmen and
sophomores only) check HireSmith for
room number)
DAR/SUSA Alumni Networking
Reception
6:30-8:00, VMH 2517
November 27, 2012
Careers in Public Relations and
Graphic Design
6:00-7:30, VMH 1505
FaLL 2012, Issue 3
Undergraduate Recruiting Events
November 5-9, 2012
Information Sessions
Date
Employer
Location/Time
Thursday, November 8th
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
VMH 1528, 5:30-6:45
Corporate Overview Presentation
Friday, November 9th
Start Up Career and & Internship Fair
Colony Ballroom, Stamp
Student Union, 1:00-5:30
Employers will continue to recruit and hire talented Smith School
undergraduate students between now and the end of the semester. Please
check HireSmith regularly if you are seeking an internship or full time
position. For more information, resume deadlines, and event location, please
visit HireSmith at www.hiresmith.net. Please note dates are subject to
change. Please contact us at (301) 405-2301 for additional information. Visit
our newly launched Facebook page at
https://facebook.com/SmithOCSUndergraduate