By James Bailey, Gary Heesacker, Karen Martinis, and Connie Nott

Developing a professional, synergetic public accounting team requires planning and effort. A firm must recruit the best employees and support and direct their growth to develop a team with diverse yet complementary skills. College and university recruiting is often a multifaceted enterprise. Presenting a positive image of the CPA firm on campus is essential. CPA firms are interviewing not only future accounting professionals, but also future business leaders and potential clients.

A firm must portray an exciting, desirable, and consistent image in all forms of written, electronic, and personal communications, formal and informal. Reaching the college student requires very specific and directed efforts. The information needs to be tailored in content, presentation, and delivery to appeal to the students’ lifestyles and interests. Within months, many students will be completing their education, choosing a career, and studying for professional exams. Their interests are focused on these tasks, and they will be looking for a job or internship that will provide meaningful experience.

Traditionally Published Materials

CPA firms have traditionally used a variety of marketing media to reach out to potential clients and employees. Most traditional media, such as brochures, newsletters, professional briefs, and booklets, can be easily enhanced to appeal to the college students’ interests. Traditional students are normally between the ages of 20 and 23 when they begin looking for their first accounting position. Today’s students, the Internet generation, expect communication in a fast-moving, informative, and professional style. Every piece of firm information should include the firm’s website and e-mail address.

Each piece of written information should be inspected and evaluated on form, content, and interest criteria. The designer must keep the audience in mind when designing materials. Video presentations could be modeled after music videos. Printed media might follow the format of a website, with short, well-labeled sections and frequently asked questions.

The Website

Websites are a tool for projecting an entity’s image. An informative, easy-to-navigate website is critical in making a positive impression on computer-savvy students. Many times the website is the critical first impression for prospective employees or clients. It is the primary source of information for communicating the firm’s culture, professional team, and growth opportunities.

Well-designed websites can provide in-depth information in an organized format by utilizing hyperlinks and subject-specific pages. The site’s content, ease of navigation, and download time are important. All visitors to the website should find the information they need efficiently. The online information for recruits should include required educational qualifications, desired skills, and necessary attributes. Students expect to find job descriptions and a timeline of the hiring process. An online application process or e-mail contact for current opportunities are welcome extras.

On-Campus Events

There are many methods and opportunities to project a winning image through campus visits. Visits should be directed toward the firm’s goals and tailored to the individuals visiting the campus.

Meet the firm. These events are normally presented when students are not in class and are sometimes held off campus. The presentation could involve personnel from a variety of positions and levels within the firm, including partners, managers, senior accountants, and staff accountants. It is often very effective to include alumni that are current employees. Each person could relate their job duties and what first attracted them to the company. In the presentation, the firm should communicate its culture, client base, growth opportunities, and the attributes needed to be successful there. This might be followed by an informal discussion allowing the students and professionals an opportunity to address specific personal and professional questions. The presentations could include a brief professionally made video, slides, or computer graphics. A campus visit allows the firm to project a unique winning image. It enables students to meet the members of the firm and lets different individuals in the firm get valuable insight and knowledge of prospective recruits.

Classroom presentations. Profes-sionals visiting campuses could make presentations to classes, student groups, or clubs. Students enjoy hearing from professionals in a field, and presentations can enrich the students’ academic experience while lending validity to the accounting coursework. Presentation subjects might include applications of accounting theory, areas of professional expertise, dressing for success, work ethics, and professional etiquette. Advertising brochures could be sent to the university in advance to give the students knowledge of the firm’s expertise, culture, and opportunities available.

Career fairs. Career fairs are generally organized for all types of majors and careers. Many universities and professional groups sponsor these fairs, which allow a number of companies to set up information booths or exhibits in the fair hall. It is a highly efficient way for companies to reach a large number of students and for students to see a large number of companies in a single day. The event can raise the firm’s profile and name recognition while getting brochures and business cards into the hands of many students.

Eye-catching displays, a listing of current openings, candy, promotional gifts, or drawings for prizes can help attract students to the firm’s booth. A computer with the firm’s website available can also be appealing.

A hospitality suite or interview room in a nearby location provides an immediate opportunity to hold more in-depth conversations with selected individuals. Selected students might be invited to return at a later time or to get a cup of coffee for a longer “chat.”

Interview day. Interviews are important in selecting the best candidates to visit the firm. These events are arranged through a university’s career placement office, and can be held off campus with several different firms. The interview day allows accounting firms to make connections with students and allows heightened visibility for the participating firms. It provides an initial introduction and interviewing practice for the students in a less formal setting.

Social Events

Students and recruiters want to know who will thrive in the firm’s social environment. Social events give the firm an opportunity to talk to the students in a more relaxed environment. Social events are usually held near the campus or at one of the firm’s locations.

Off-campus social events. Off-campus social events provide a less formal environment for a first meeting and may be less intimidating for the candidates. It is likely such an event will include food. Depending on the purpose of the social event, it could be held just before interviews as an additional mechanism to preselect students, or it could be held any time during the year to promote the firm and get to know the students. It could be open to all or only to those with strong academic backgrounds, depending on the firm’s criteria. Socializing between students and recruiters could be self-directed, or might be structured by matching students with personnel with similar career interests.

At one university, for example, a firm brings one recruiter for about every three to four expected students. The students are assigned to a specific table and the recruiters periodically rotate tables, so that all of the professionals have an opportunity to talk to all of the students. Immediately after the students have departed, the firm’s personnel discuss the students while the experience is fresh in their minds. This event gives the firm an opportunity to witness the students’ social and communication skills before formal interviews. It also lets the students participate in the important social aspects of professional life and gives students a chance to discuss different aspects of corporate life. Students can also be invited to the firm for a social event. A firm could organize a sports activity with students, faculty, and company personnel on the teams. Company picnics or parties could include previously selected students. A student night at a local establishment could allow company personnel and students to mingle. There are many different possibilities for social recruiting events.

These events have the added benefit of allowing a variety of interactions among current and potential team members and of creating situations to view each other in a less stressful environment than school-sanctioned events. How employees conduct themselves in social situations is almost as important as in professional situations.

Events at the Firm’s Location

Another way to promote the firm is to sponsor a career day or other such event where students could be invited to spend some time at the firm. A lunch or reception is normally part of the activities.

The agenda could include presentations on the duties of partners, managers, and staff accountants. Members of the tax, audit, and consulting departments should talk about their duties, career paths, and the firm’s opportunities. An effort should be made to make these presentations as entertaining as possible, with examples and anecdotes about the different positions available. Larger firms might consider hiring an event management company for a turn-key approach that could be replicated for several events per year. Smaller firms should plan and organize well in advance in order to present the firm’s image in a personal yet professional light. If shadowing is part of the event, students could observe the employee of their choice for one or two hours. When possible, a preselection should be done so candidates can spend more time with the individuals or departments closest to their own career interests. A tour of the office is an excellent way of showing students the complete work environment and culture of the firm.

Recruiting Receptions and Dinners

Some universities organize recruiting receptions or dinners. Accounting firms sponsor the event, and students from the organizing university are invited to attend. The cost of the event may be covered by the CPA firm or partially covered by assessing each student a fee. Firms sometimes assess fees to students to guarantee attendance; to avoid making this a deterrent to the students, the firm should promise a refund at the end of the evening. A mixer followed by a formal dinner allows recruiters to see students in a social setting (and faculty might see former students).

Receptions can follow several formats but normally include hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. Students and recruiters often wear name tags and mingle. Firm personnel should talk to as many students as possible. The firm may bring brochures, business cards, or other media for distribution to the students.

A recruiting dinner is another highly effective method of meeting prospective employees. A mix of students and recruiters are assigned to different tables. Students might change tables in between courses. Students might also indicate the type of firms for which they would like to interview; this allows a faculty member to assign the tables based on student preferences and academic standing. This preplanning is as important to the success as the actual event and should be done well in advance. These events can be used not only to place graduating seniors with firms, but also to develop new internship opportunities.

Nurture Long-Term Relationships

The real power of presenting a positive image of the firm is accomplished by establishing long-term relationships with the faculty and administrators at colleges and universities. A firm should focus its efforts on a few key universities; otherwise the time commitment can be overwhelming. The visibility and personal contacts formed by long-term relationships will give the firm an edge in attracting the best graduating students, and may provide added benefits in the form of heightened awareness among the business community’s future decision makers.