Campus recruitment season is upon us! The campus recruitment process for accounting and finance students has become increasingly competitive over the years. For students it is imperative that you prepare and “do your homework” before entering the On Campus Recruiting (OCR) season. Below are some tips and tricks to help you navigate through the OCR season.

Utilize Your Career Development Center

Your Career Development Center knows all of the recruitment events taking place over the semester. Students should be proactive and utilize the Career Development Center for helpful advice and guidance on what events to attend, how to prepare, creating a tailored resume, prepping for interviews and much more!

First Impressions

When attending any recruitment event, it is best practice to speak with representatives from all the firms attending. If the attendance list is overwhelming, start by prioritizing your top 10.You never know what firms might stand out to you!

In many cases, this is a firm’s first impression of you, and first impressions can often time be a deciding factor when it comes to selecting candidates for next round interviews. Preparation is the key to success, so research the firms ahead of time, have ample business cards and resumes to present and have a few talking points ready to discuss. It never hurts to take a short break between each firm to collect yourself and gather your thoughts and write down a few notes based on your conversation!

Keep Your Options Open

Do not close the door on an opportunity that may have not opened itself up yet. You may have a top choice firm in mind, but you need to prepare in case that firm does not extend an offer to you. If you close yourself off from other firms early on, it will be difficult to backtrack later. Having multiple offers to weigh out and choose from is the ultimate goal. Keep that in mind before you turn down an invitation to interview with a firm that was not originally on your radar. They just might surprise you!

Define Your Decision Making Criteria

It is important to remember while the firms are evaluating you, you are also evaluating them. Prioritize your “must haves,” “deal breakers” and your “nice to haves” into a list that you can use to evaluate each firm side-by-side. It is unlikely one firm will have all of your deal breakers, but understanding your own priorities will be valuable when weighing your offers.

Communication is Key

After an event, send a brief email to each individual who shared his or her business card. Personalize your “Thank You” letter by including a specific comment or note around something you and the representative discussed. Including this detail will help your letter stand out amongst the other candidates at that event.
Consistency with communication is key. Being consistent in your communication with firms gives them a chance to get to know you. Attend as many events as possible, make yourself known, follow up with them and respond to them in a timely fashion.

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Although it sounds like an overwhelming process, these tips will help to make navigating recruitment season easier!

Happy Recruiting!