The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse started off the week guiding accounting students to future careers. On Monday, Sept. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m., 43 accounting firms gathered within the walls of the Bluffs room in the Student Union to connect with viable future interns and employees. Accounting students had a unique opportunity to connect with companies that are looking for the skills and new ideas that UWL students can provide.

“It is open to all levels of students. I would say we don’t see a lot of first-year students because they don’t know if accounting will stay their major, but all students are invited to come. Many of the students coming are looking for a busy spring internship,” commented Senior Student Service Coordinator and Career Service Adviser for the College of Business Brenda Leahy.

In preparation for the accounting fair, Leahy worked collectively with the Employer Outreach Coordinator Rebecca Lee.

“Rebecca does all the set-up, while I prepare the students for the event,” said Leahy. She included that her job is to meet and speak with students in order to alleviate some anxiety students may have.

According to Leahy, students come to the accounting fair looking for an internship that occurs in the spring. These internships are usually paid and offer credits as well. There are also summer internships that may interest accounting students. Although many students are upperclassman interested in their internship credits, the accounting fair is open to all students.

“If they are a younger student, we love to have them come because many of these employers come back every year and they like to start building that relationship early on,” Leahy commented.

Leahy shared that some students coming to the accounting fair have already had prior contact with these firms and have set up an interview. However, if a student had not scheduled an interview, they can still talk to employers during the accounting fair.

Lee and Leahy work together to make the accounting fair a well-oiled machine. This is the 20^th year that UWL has organized the accounting fair, so they know what to expect.

Leahy mentioned career services “switched systems from eagle opportunity to handshake, so students will use this to request interviews and to find out about employers in advance.”

Handshake gives students the opportunity to research employers before-hand, which is an important factor in finding a firm that is the right fit.

“Students need to make a choice that matches them, and I don’t want them to feel pressured from employers to take an opportunity until they know that is the opportunity they want,” commented Leahy.

Senior Cole Eron, an accounting major at UWL, found the right accounting firm for him. He plans to start an internship with Wipflo this summer.

“I am looking forward to talking with the people I will be working with because they have a few associates here,” Eron mentioned.

He included that he would like to network and get in touch with them before his internship begins. The accounting fair gave him the perfect opportunity to connect with the firm he was interested in.

“La Crosse has one of the best career fairs in the state as far as I know. They are able to bring in 40 plus firms in one day for a two-hour period, just for students to get interviews,” Eron included.

During these two hours, students had the opportunity to network with accounting firms and figure out more information about each firm with face-to-face contact.