Category: Careers

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Big 4 Internships and the Pandemic Impact (Part 1 of 4)

During the summer of 2020, in the heat of the pandemic, I had a rare opportunity: I was part of Ernst & Young’s first fully virtual internship experience. Depending on how you look at it, this is either a scar in my past or a badge of accomplishment. I certainly view it as the latter, but I did not initially. This post is geared towards students looking at interning at the “Big 4” in the coming years, so this post is particularly suitable for current or prospective accounting majors. But, if you are not considering accounting, there is still something here for you.

1. What are the “Big 4”?

The “Big 4” is a term used to refer to the four largest global accounting firms in the world. The firms, in no particular order, are EY (Ernst & Young), KPMG (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler), PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers), and Delloite. While they differ in what portion of their business comes from which service line, they are known for high performance in three key areas: audit, tax, and consulting. Audit is also referred to as “assurance,” because the service line is geared towards assuring clients and users of clients’ financial statements that the statements are free from material misstatement. In other words, we make sure they did their accounting right. It is required by law that public companies get audited, and the largest ones rely on the Big 4. Consulting is pretty much what it sounds like – consultants are hired by clients to lend a set of fresh, expert eyes to business operations and decisions. For example, if a client is considering a new operational strategy, they may ask a team of Big 4 consultants to analyze, evaluate, and help make the decision. Tax is also fairly intuitive – public companies have to navigate a complex tax system whether they are US only, foreign, or multi-national; they also deal with often complex transactions (such as mergers or acquisitions) that have powerful tax implications. In short, successfully navigating the tax system requires expertise and planning, and the tax service line at Big 4 companies exists to provide that.

Disclaimer: I do not represent nor am I speaking on behalf of any of the Big 4; all information in this article is subject to change; the intent of this article and all following posts on the same subject is to help inform students, not to advise their career decisions.

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Internship Life at Grove City College

This past summer I was very fortunate enough to keep my internship at a marketing firm called Become Known in downtown Cleveland. I have worked at Become Known for the past two summers doing digital marketing, search engine optimization, and general marketing for new products about to hit the market. I would say getting an internship is an excellent idea, especially for any business major. Not only does it help you gain experience in the work force, but it also helps you focus on what you may what to do in your career. Another great reason for getting an internship while here at Grove City College is that you are able to earn college credit! You may earn up to six credits, which helps with graduation requirements and is definitely worth the time and money.

To have your internship validated by the school you will first find a company where you would like to intern. Next, you will apply to your major’s department. This consists of listing the company name, your job description, the number of hours you anticipate working, and how many academic credits you would like to receive–60 hours of work is the equivalent to one credit. Then finally, you will need to find a professor in your department willing to be your advisor!

Most business majors try for internships in the summer after their sophomore and junior years. At this point, students have some experience and an idea of what they are doing. This way, companies can start training them during an internship so that when they graduate, they are an easy hire at the company because they already have an idea of how things are done.

Business majors are not the only ones that are able to earn college credit while doing an internship. Other majors, such as Mechanical Engineering and Exercise Science, are given opportunities as well through the our on-campus career fair. Both have the option to earn credit by doing a typical internship during the summer, but these majors also have a great opportunity to do a co-op. A co-op is when a student works for a company during a semester for credit, instead of going to school. Both internships and co-ops are great options to earn academic credit, as well as getting a head start on figuring out what you want to do in the work force and gaining experience.

While you should consider an internship, they are not for everyone. Many people here on campus have not had internships and do not feel any pressure at all to get one. Not getting an internship does not make you “behind in life” or “behind on credits.” A validated internship is an optional program that Grove City College offers students to help them get additional credits while they gain experience in the work force and focus in on what they want to do post-graduation.

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Caleb Pierson: From Career Fair to the Workplace

Caleb Pierson: Video Interview

Post college plans? That may seem like a century away, but it will be here sooner than you think. Luckily, Grove City College prepares its students through excellent academics and an outstanding Career Services Office that gets you in contact with potential employers. Do not let the thought of a post college career plan stress you out. Caleb Pierson, a senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance at Grove City College, explains how he was able to use the CSO and its annual Career Fair to land an awesome summer internship, full of great experiences!

Caleb interned at an accounting firm in Pittsburgh, PA called Grossman Yanak and Ford. He was able to put to use the information he learned in the classroom, demonstrate proper workplace behavior, and gain useful insight on how to interact with clients and coworkers. Caleb would absolutely recommend participating in a summer internship program to his peers and incoming students because of the experience he gained, and the potential job offer that could follow upon completion of the internship.

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Interning at a Mom and Pop Shop

As a Business major, I used to think that the best thing that you could put on your resume is that you interned at a large corporate company. I believe that many college students think that that they need to work at a big company in order to gain quality experience. However, I interned at a small mom and pop shop this summer and I gained wonderful experience and learned many new skills.

The name of the company that I interned at is called At Home Senior Services and it is a non-medical home health care company located in Pittsburgh. It is owned by a husband and a wife, so I really appreciated the closeness of the relationships that I made within the internship. Since I interned at a small company, I was able to express my ideas because they were very open to new ideas. The job was flexible, and I got to test out a lot of different ideas. I loved that I was not given a “to-do list” each day. Instead, I was able to brainstorm my own ideas for marketing the company to both clients and caregivers.

Interning at a small company allows you to be creative, and you also are given one-on-one advice and training from the bosses. Not only did I learn many different marketing skills and ideas, but also I was able to spend a lot of time talking to my boss. This allowed me to gain first-hand business experience from a businessman himself. Overall, I was very pleased with my internship this summer, and it helped me to learn that I would work much better in a smaller, private business than in a corporate setting. I would not have known that if I did not intern. Interning allows you to discover what you like and what you do not like, so that you can get a better idea of what path you want to take after college.

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Making the Most of your College Career: Student Employment

Student employment is easily one of the best opportunities that students have on campus. Supervisors are friendly and flexible – they know that you are a full-time student with many responsibilities. There are many fun positions on campus that will allow you to gain work experience as well as amazing life lessons.

Here are some of the many campus employment opportunities for students:

  • Teaching Assistant: Professors will often offer this to students they know well and who have proven their responsibility. This involves activities such as grading papers and assessments, but can also include taking attendance and proofreading works as well.
  • Dining Hall Staff: The three main dining halls on campus are called Hicks, MAP (Mary Anderson Pew) Cafe, and the GeDunk. Responsibilities include cleaning, dish washing, and taking care of equipment. Customer service experience is very important to post-collegiate employers.
  • Lobby Attendants: This entails monitoring a single selected lobby on campus. Buildings where this is often required are Memorial, Ketler, Harker, MAP, MEP (Mary Ethel Pew) and Colonial dormitories. These attendants monitor those entering and exiting the building.
  • Admissions Secretary: This involves responding to questions on the Grove City website while simultaneously scheduling student interviews and even tours as well. This is a good way to gain some mild administrative experience.
  • Admissions Tour Guide: Visitors often come to campus to see what Grove City is really like. This involves giving tours to prospective students while teaching the history and purpose of the College. You get to meet many nice people through this opportunity while being the face of the College for hundreds of families.
  • Alumni Staff: Working for the Carnegie Alumni Center can take many forms. This can involve preparing for big events, and it can also involve preparing small gifts and favors for visitors. Another opportunity within this category is being a Crimson Caller – these are individuals who call alumni requesting support for their alma mater.
  • Bookstore Cashier: This involves working at the college bookstore and serving customers that come to shop for clothing, books, and supplies. The bookstore is an exciting place to work and there are many enjoyable tasks to perform here.
  • Career Services Assistant: The Career Services Office takes their mission seriously. They have a reputation for being one of the best in college services for placement. This opportunity allows you to help schedule appointments, assist with resume workshops, and help in advertising big events throughout the year. This is a great job for meeting many business professionals, you will inevitably gain some networking in the process.
  • Chapel Staff: As a Christian campus, Grove City College prioritizes the chapel program. You can play an important role in this by scanning students’ IDs, leading in prayer, and making announcements at the beginning of chapel. I know many students who do not regret taking this amazing opportunity.
  • Library Assistant: This involves maintaining organization of the campus library. Assistants help students with questions and offer guidance as to where they can find good resources for their coursework.
  • Mail Room Assistant: With this opportunity you can help organize the campus mail that arrives for students. Grove City’s mail room is a bustling place and there is always something interesting to do. Much responsibility comes with operating the mail that comes for students.
  • Sport Event Security: Many students enjoy attending sporting events. Did you know there is a way for you to get paid for watching other students play? This position involves monitoring the crowds and ensuring that everyone is safe and that there are no threats to athletes and spectators.
  • Lifeguard: As a lifeguard you watch over the pool during its open hours of access. You are responsible for the safety of those who come to enjoy this fun facility.
  • Tutoring: This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge with students who are struggling in a particular subject area. If you pass a class with a grade which meets certain standards of subject-matter expertise, then you are an ideal tutor. Helping others is a great way to expand your own knowledge. I have found that you truly master a subject when you teach it to others.

The people that I have had the pleasure of serving with at the Student Union GeDunk have been a tremendous blessing to me. They are more than coworkers, they are true friends to me. I have so much respect for these incredible people. I would encourage all students to take a look at open opportunities and fulfill a need on campus.

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Grove City College Career Fair: When is a Good Time to Go?

Grove City College’s Career Fair is the best recruiting event of the year on campus. Not only is it a great recruiting event, but an amazing networking opportunity. The Career Fair is not only an event to find a job, but a way to obtain internships or a spot in graduate school. With over 160 graduate schools and employers attending the event, there are many options available for each student and their needs. One specific question that may be asked prior to this event is, “When is the best time to start attending?”

Although this event is especially directed toward juniors and seniors, this is a valid question, as a freshman is not yet looking for a career and possibly not an internship either. Although this event may not seem applicable in a freshman’s college career, there are many benefits to attending at this point. Getting familiar with the layout of the Career Fair will help someone become more comfortable for future years and talking with different employers is great experience.

Networking is one of the best aspects of this event as well. Talking to multiple employers can not only help improve your social skills for future interviews, but it also helps an employer get familiar with an individual, which could possibly lead to a future internship and/or job if they are impressed. As a freshman specifically, talking to these employers can even help give guidance as to a career path one may want to go down with a specific degree if a job sounds intriguing. Also, if a freshman comes in as an undeclared major, going to this event could help give a better idea of what does and does not appeal to them.

Attending the Grove City College Career Fair is a very important event for juniors and seniors to attend if an internship or job is not already in place, but it is also very beneficial for freshman and sophomores to attend to expand their knowledge, options, and social interaction skills.

 

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Student Athletic Training Spotlight: Gretchen Elsey

Student Athletic Trainer, Gretchen Elsey

Grove City College offers a myriad of career-focused internships and job opportunities on-campus. This past semester, junior Gretchen Elsey had the opportunity to work with the athletic training department as a Student Athletic Trainer. Academically, Gretchen is pursuing a major in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition. Outside of classes, she keeps herself busy playing varsity basketball and track and field, while also committing time toward the Exercise Science Club. In the following interview, I had the opportunity to sit down with Gretchen and learn more about her experience as a Student Athletic Trainer.

How do you balance working on-campus, playing two varsity sports, and academics?

Being involved in so many things teaches you time management. I think my high school experience has helped me prepare for the things I do now because I was always involved in a lot of things. Truthfully, I love working, playing sports, and focusing on my studies. I could not see my life without doing all of these things and they make me want to stay motivated to do them.

Tell me about your current role as a Student Athletic Trainer.

https://vimeo.com/359592348

What advice would you give a prospective student hoping to get involved in the STEM field?

The STEM majors are an up and coming career path. Being an Exercise Science major has taught me a lot about different sports and my sport as well. I also have learned about how different athletes can respond to different stimuli, and this will help me in my future career.

Who influenced you to work as a Student Athletic Trainer?

The head athletic trainer, Rick Hawk, needed help for the upcoming football season and he knew I was pursuing a degree in Exercise Science. So, he approached me and asked if I would be interested in learning more about athletic training and truthfully, I believe this was another way the Lord has opened a door of opportunity for me. Also, I work with two other Student Athletic Trainers and they have become very close friends.

Do you envision yourself pursuing a career in athletic training?

I could see myself making a career out of this. I look forward to going down and helping the football team every day, while also growing as a professional in this industry. Finally, I would highly recommend this program and other career-focused programs that Grove City College offers because the relationships I am making now will help me tremendously in my future career.

Thank you, Gretchen, for the great insight. I look forward to hearing more about your experience soon.

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CliftonStrengths Assessment Project | Part 3 with Garrett O’Toole

Garrett O’Toole

This year, Grove City College had several students take the CliftonStrengths assessment for free as part of a grant the college was awarded in order to foster a deeper exploration of calling and vocation for the students. The program development grant is from the Council of Independent Colleges, specifically their Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education. This assessment endeavors to provide students with a common language of talents and strengths and attempts to promote a culture where students thrive both inside the classroom here at Grove City College, and in the outside world. One of those students that took the CliftonStrengths Assessment is senior Garrett O’Toole who is pursuing a Communications Studies major.

I asked Garrett how the CliftonStrengths assessment has shaped his understanding of calling and vocation, and he said, “It has really helped me learn about how I’m wired, and where my natural gifts are found. It’s essentially a more in-depth Myers-Briggs test, which allows participants to understand themselves more, which helps greatly in terms of determining one’s calling and vocation. Its results are a great resource to learn the language behind these strengths and apply them to potential job or internship positions.” I also talked to Garrett about how learning his results has helped him in his academics and he said his results have helped him to more clearly define his study habits, and to put a theory behind why he does things in terms of schoolwork. He said, “I mainly understand why I study the way I do, which is helpful to me because it’s something I can point to while I’m studying and questioning why I am doing it.”

I also asked Garrett how learning his results have helped him in different leadership positions. He said this is one of the areas where knowing his results helped him the most. He said, “From the insights that StrengthsFinder gave me based on my results, I’ve actually applied some of the things the assessment said to my leadership style. It clicked with me that I lead others the way I do based on my strength results and putting some language behind it has slightly changed the way I lead to more effectively accomplish things and to empower others while using their strengths.” I also talked to Garrett about how his results have impacted relationships with others both on and off campus, and he said that one of his strengths is communication, so he can also put theory behind why the way he communicates has helped him to gain a better understanding on how to navigate through certain social situations. He also said, “It has also helped me to communicate in a more uplifting way now that I’m more aware of it, not that I didn’t before, but just being more cognizant of my own habits has been beneficial.”

Garrett works in the Advancement Office on campus, so he said having his strengths results has helped him to focus his work on things that pair well with his results. He said, “As a result, knowing where my skills are, I take on assignments that I know I can do really well, along with producing high-quality work that the office can use for their constituents.” Garrett said this has been a beneficial way he has utilized his results outside of the classroom. I asked Garrett if he has noticed any significant changes in his life since learning his results from the assessment. He said, “In terms of ‘significant changes’, I wouldn’t say so, but I can definitely attest to a significant awareness that was raised based on my results.” Garrett said the best takeaway he gained from this assessment was how the StrengthsFinder uses a theory that focuses more on your strengths, rather thank your weaknesses. He said, “This in turn allows participants to focus on things like vocational calling, which is definitely different when compared to more general tests like an MBTI exam.”

Garrett plans to do anything in terms of business, marketing or higher education when he leaves Grove City College, and here on campus he is involved with the Student Government Association (SGA), a member of the Adelphoi En Christo (AEX) Housing Group, a Residents Assistant (RA), and he is a Center for Vision and Values Student Fellow.

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CliftonStrengths Assessment Project | Part 2 with Kristen Bishop

Kristen Bishop

This year, Grove City College had several students take the CliftonStrengths assessment for free as part of a grant the college was awarded in order to foster a deeper exploration of calling and vocation for the students. The program development grant is from the Council of Independent Colleges, specifically their Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education. This assessment endeavors to provide students with a common language of talents and strengths and attempts to promote a culture where students thrive both inside the classroom here at Grove City College, and in the outside world. One of those students that took the CliftonStrengths Assessment is senior Kristen Bishop, who is pursuing a Communications Studies major, with a Biblical and Religious Studies minor. Kristen’s top five strengths from the assessment include: communication, activator, ideation, woo, and strategic.

I asked Kristen how the CliftonStrengths assessment has shaped her understanding of calling and vocation, and she said, “It has helped me understand gifts that I have been given and how to embrace them and use them well. Instead of trying to fit a mold I now understand I should look for a job that I am already gifted at so that I can help a company, organization, or non-profit do well and grow.” I also asked Kristen how learning her results has helped her in her academics and she said the results have helped her to understand why school has always been a struggle for her, and how she can learn best and adapt her learning style and study habits to aid herself in the best way possible.

I also discussed with her how learning her results have helped her in different leadership roles. She said the results allow her to focus in on the gifts she has and help her to better understand her leadership roles. She said, “I understand that I love to get things started right away, communicate plans of action, create new ideas and ways of getting jobs done, and working with others.”

I asked about how her results have helped her in different relationships with others both on and off campus, she said, “Being aware of my strengths has helped me be aware of how I go about problems or issues, but also learning about other’s strengths has helped me understand that there might be miscommunication because we are coming from different points of view.” Kristen said her results help her most in a job setting when it comes to how well she works with others. She said it also encourages her to learn more about her leadership style and how she learns best.

I inquired if she has noticed any significant changes in her daily life since learning her results from the CliftonStrengths Assessment, and she said, “I do practices to help me grow in my strengths. For example, with ideation, I have an idea book and write down all my ideas so that I can sort through them and actually work on them!” Kristen said the best take away she has gained since taking this assessment is learning that you grow more when focusing on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. She said, “Instead of trying to fit into a job you aren’t gifted in, look for a career your natural gifts lead you to. You’ll then be able to help more in the job and feel more fulfilled.”

Kristen plans to work with the Young Life Field Staff when she leaves Grove City College. Here on campus she is involved with the Gamma Sigma Phi sorority and she is a Young Life Leader.

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Internship Opportunity with Highmark Health

Kiley Hajek is a senior Marketing Management major from Butler, Pa. The summer after her junior year, Kiley had an internship with Highmark Health in Pittsburgh. Being a Marketing Management major myself, I was curious to hear what Kiley did with Highmark this past summer.

When I asked Kiley about her role with the company and what she accomplished that summer she replied, “I was interning in their Community Affairs Department. I was in charge of coordinating two separate volunteer days for the other 120 interns working in the Downtown Pittsburgh office for the summer. I also helped with employee PTO volunteer days. I worked on internal communications for Community Affairs and worked on several fundraising projects. I also researched applicants to the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community.”

I followed with, “Did you enjoy your experience?” Which she quickly answered, “I really enjoyed my experience. I didn’t know that Community Affairs existed in large corporations before this summer, and I learned a lot about the department and its function in the company. I also loved working in downtown Pittsburgh. I parked my car about 20 minutes from my building and rode a bike from the bike sharing company, Healthy Rides, every day, which was quite the experience. I definitely saw the city in a whole new light this summer. After working there this summer, I realized that I think I will thrive in a smaller non-profit environment, where I can feel that my work is helping people, and where I feel challenged in the variation of my day to day tasks. I learned a lot this summer about myself and what I want to do after graduation, so I am very thankful for the experience!”

Kiley acquired this internship through the help of her advisors in the Business and Marketing Department. Her opportunity at Highmark is just another example of the connections and possibilities available for Grove City College students.