Q&A: Information Session Tips

Eva Law MS Accountancy

“Being on the recruiting side after having been a student can be an eye opening experience.” That’s what MS Accountancy student Eva Law got to see this past fall.

Baruch is very proud of its relationship with AIG’s Internal Audit Group, which Eva joined in 2016. She was also part of the firm’s career information session this fall to talk with students about what it’s like to work there and answer any questions. We asked Eva what it was like being on the recruiting side, and any insight she might want to share with students.

When you were a student, what was it like for you attending career information sessions?

I remember feeling that career information sessions were oftentimes overwhelming. There were so many students and recruiters in attendance and as a student you try to collect as much information as you can, but often feel pressured to stand out with everyone we meet, which is hard with so many people in the room.

What was it like being on the recruiting side when you were here this fall?

It was definitely a new experience for me.  Being able to answer questions about the internal audit profession and what students would be doing if they joined our team felt great. I enjoyed sharing details of what the role may entail and some of the skills that could help them become successful in internal audit (e.g., strong verbal and writing skills, professional skepticism). These conversations tended to be more meaningful than focusing on the application process (deadlines, dates, interview process, etc.).

What type of impression did you get from students?

Students were enthusiastic and expressed genuine interest in learning about the company’s corporate culture as well as the internal audit function itself.  There was even one student who was too young to apply for our internship, but she still attended the information session just to learn more about AIG.  I offered to connect with her on LinkedIn and become a resource for her.  I’ll remember her for sure.

As students, we are eager and anxious to learn about what awaits us when we join the work field, so students are expected and encouraged to come to these events with many questions which is an indication of enthusiasm and preparation.  However, students should be cautious of the timing and frequency of their questions during the information sessions so their interest is not interpreted as overly aggressive.

In addition, some of the questions asked felt scripted and generic.  The more students can go “off script,” the more impressive it is.  Some students exclusively relied on a visible list of questions on their notepads and struggled to build a natural conversation flow.  As internal auditors, we prepare for stakeholder conversations with some questions and topics that can help us learn about their processes in order to plan our audit work accordingly, but we typically don’t walk in with a script and ask questions in an interrogation style that disrupts the conversation flow.

In your opinion, what do you think works in the internship search process?

Students should not approach every interaction with recruiters and professionals with the goal of getting a job from it.  If that’s the only goal, it may not work. What worked for me was focusing on developing organic relationships with recruiters and professionals.  By organic, I mean pursuing interactions to get to know each other and learn what we could both bring to the table.  To give an example, I didn’t land an interview from attending my first career fair, but I found myself a mentor who has provided me with invaluable guidance since then.