This week, we sat down with Russell Bruskin (MSA '19), to learn more about his job search during and after his time at Baruch. Recently, Russell secured a full-time role with Deloitte after what sometimes felt like a long search.
Hi Russell! Thanks so much for chatting with us. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Sure thing! I
attended Baruch as both an undergraduate and a graduate student, where I
received an accounting degree both times. I also passed the CPA Exam; the first
two sections I passed while going for my master’s degree, while the last two I
managed to pass during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. I interned at a
small tax boutique and a government agency auditing defined pension benefit
plans while I was a student, but I’ve never had an internship with an
accounting firm. I’ve recently accepted an offer to join Deloitte’s Audit &
Assurance practice as a full-time Associate and I begin this fall.
Congratulations on your recent offer! What was your overall search like?
I
began the search process during my final semester in the master’s program. I
then halted the process when the pandemic began to wrap up the CPA exam and
undergo several surgeries. I resumed the search last April. The search itself
was manageable in some areas, but not so much in others. I was generally able
to secure interviews, especially over the course of the summer, with a
well-structured resume and a tailored cover letter. I seemed to get more
interviews from employers who received a cover letter from me, versus those who
didn’t. Most of the interviews I received were also from positions that I
applied to through Handshake. The difficult part of the search for me was the
interviewing. I’ll be the first to admit I’m pretty terrible at interviewing. I
interviewed with Deloitte before I graduated, which didn’t pan out. In fact,
before I received the offer with Deloitte, I’ve never had a successful
traditional interview in my life.
How was the interview experience for this role? Any bits of advice for students who will interview this season?
The Deloitte interviewing process involved two separate recorded virtual Q&A “interviews” through the HireVue platform, which involved questions that required either a written answer, or a verbal recorded answer. The last phase of the process involved interviewing with two partners in separate 30-minute interviews. The interview with the first partner was more traditional in nature, with the partner asking mostly behavioral questions. I actually had an embarrassing moment during this interview when my wireless headset automatically connected to a spam call. However, I was able to recover quickly and proceed with the rest of the interview. Don’t make the same mistake by keeping your phone in “Do not disturb” mode, it isn’t enough. Keep it off during interviews to avoid being pestered by a spam call at the wrong time.
The second interview was more casual and back-and-forth in nature. The biggest pieces of advice I can give is to practice your stories before the interview and do something prior to the interview start time that you know will calm your nerves. Once you have your stories together, practice telling them before the interview. While your mileage may vary, it did help me to better structure my experiences and get into the right mind space leading into the interview. Additionally, if you have a routine that helps keep you calm, try to implement it before the interview starts. Practicing my stories is effective for me, but a different routine may work better for you.
What advice do you have for students looking to take on their own search? Anything that might help them stand out?
When
pursuing audit associate positions, passing the CPA exam is what allowed me to
stand out. For students interested in tax and audit, study and sit for the
sections of the exam as soon as possible. If you have already passed at least
one section, make sure to put that fact on your resume and bring it up during
the interview when a good opportunity arises. I have my CPA exam progress
listed at the top of my resume, so it becomes one of the first things a
recruiter reads, but it works if you have it anywhere in your resume. Lastly,
make sure to meet with an advisor at the GCMC in a consistent basis to build an
effective career roadmap and further develop your career search and development
skillset. I want to especially thank advisors Ann Himmelsbach and Jack Pullara
for helping me with both building a well-structured resume and cover letter template
and improving my interviewing skills. I wouldn’t have gotten the offer without
their advice and guidance. Good luck in the upcoming recruiting season, and I’m
confident you’ll do better than I did!
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For assistance with your own job/internship search, we welcome you to:
- Schedule a 1:1 appointment with a career coach
- Attend drop-in hours (Mondays through Thursdays, 4-5pm ET)
- View self-paced resources, including webinars, articles, and templates
- Contact the GCMC with any questions
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