A five-day orientation at the beginning of each academic year for new
students serves to lay the framework for success in the MAcc and beyond.
Day One: Developing the Business Professional and Team Building
Recruiting begins very early in the Fall quarter. The first half of the first day
is devoted to introducing students to the entire recruiting process. Activities
include resume development, interview preparation (mining resumes for stories),
and mock interviews. James Chang, Director of LCB Career Services, leads this part
of the day.
Students are involved in team building exercises on the first day of orientation.
The goal of the first day is that students know and have worked with their colleagues
before classes begin. The U of O leadership team of professors puts together several
exercises that get you moving around Lillis and working together as a class.
By the end of the first term in the MAcc, the MAcc class has become a cohesive,
cooperative group. Walking through Lillis Business Complex, one normally encounters
students working together on homework or other assignments and eating together—they l
ike to be together. The expectation for this result is set on the first day of class.
MAcc students become skillful in team dynamics and team building during their time
in the program—an essential building block for successful career relationships.
Day Two: Ropes Course at Spencers Butte and Recruiting Reception
The students spend a fun filled day doing outdoor challenges at near by outdoor
park, Spencer's Butte. Lunch is provided.
The day usually starts with a few ice breaker exercises. After that the class is
broken up into teams and several physical and team building challenges are assigned to
each group. Finally at the end of the day the class comes together to do an entire
challenge together. Finally, we debrief each challenge and students are invited to
comment and encourage their classmates for a job well done.
In the evening a recruiting reception is held with several public accounting firms
located in Portland, Oregon. Students are given the chance to practice their business
professionalism and begin the recruiting process.
Day Three: Finance Boot Camp and a Second Recruiting Reception
Deb Bauer, a finance professor here at the U of O takes the class through a review of
finance concepts that will serve them well in several of their upcoming MAcc classes.
Day Four: Finance Boot Camp and Recruiting Reception
A wrap up of the finance boot camp concepts is given by Deb Bauer and questions
are encouraged. In the evening another reception featuring public accounting firms
located in Eugene, Oregon will wrap up the last day of Orientation.
Recruiting Season: What to Expect
The University of Oregon is a quarter system school with fall term beginning
during the last week of September which is about the same time that recruiting
events begin. Effective time management is a must since students must balance
class demands and the interview process. The MAcc faculty are flexible and
supportive to student needs during this demanding time.
The majority of MAcc
students are interested in positions in public accounting and have the opportunity
to interview with small and large public accounting
firms. Public accounting firms recruit in the fall for full-time positions
that typically start in the fall of the following year. Recruiting events
are scheduled
on a near weekly basis during fall term.
Preparation:
One of our objectives is to arm students with as many tools as possible before
embarking upon the recruiting process. Recruiting can be a grueling, yet
rewarding experience, and we feel that the more confident students are at
the start, the
better recruiting experience they will have.
Preparation begins during Orientation, as described above. As the term begins,
students are encouraged to meet with Career
Services to
discuss resumes, prepare answers to typical interview questions and to participate
in mock interviews.
MAcc students are also encouraged to research firms before they begin meeting
professionals. This enables them to ask informed, specific questions
about their potential employers.
Recruiting Process Time Frame:
The recruiting season typically begins with Beta Alpha Psi's Meet the
Firms, held annually in early October. Students not only learn about potential
employers at this event, but also begin networking with the employers who
will be interviewing them during the fall term.
Meet the Firms is followed by several open houses hosted by individual firms.
These events allow the employers to become better acquainted with students,
and students become better acquainted with companies' culture.
Concurrent with open house events, students begin the application and interviewing
process. Students may go through several "rounds" of interviews
before they are offered jobs, which usually occurs by the end of fall term.
