Getting the "in"

With the great reputation that the major Accounting Firms have, combined with a brutal jobs market, an Internship offer to a reputable firm is the modern day Job Offer. So, what then is the modern day Internship? The answer: Leadership Programs.

Essentially a courtship period for both you and the firm, a Leadership Program is usually a 3 day event in the summer that takes place at the office of the firm and usually involves Sophomores and Juniors. As a "recruit", you get invaluable insight into what happens at that particular firm, and perhaps most importantly you get to interact with the professionals in that office. You should expect: free (really good) food, slightly inflated promises about the environment at that firm, and lots of business cards. But all joking aside, the Leadership Program gets you an "in" that firm, and most firms will schedule them in a way that allow you to attend multiple programs.

Interested? You should be! The best part about the Leadership Program is that it is an easier path to the Internship offer (most of those who attend a LP get the Internship offer soon after). The stress of interviewing on campus as a Junior/Senior for the internship itself can be wiped away by getting in to these events. You still have to interview for them, but the process is less stressful, and once you secure the LP offer, interviews will likely not be necessary for the remainder of the recruiting process with that firm. If you are a Freshman/Sophomore, save some of your sanity by looking into the Leadership Program process.