Good numbers: Demand for UND accounting grads stays strong

Placement rate for job-seeking students approaches 100 percent, UND Department of Accountancy says

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, UND accounting students continue to be in high demand at leading public accounting firms, thanks in part to a decades-long focus on professionalism, career development, and industry relationships in the UND Department of Accountancy.

The fact that many companies are investing in summer recruiting efforts, and developing new formats for doing so, reflects the strength of the job market, said Kate Campbell, department chair and professor.

Placement rates for accounting grads in the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration who seek jobs in the field continue to be exceptional, close to 100 percent.

“People know the strength of our program,” Campbell continued. “Our students do well on the CPA exam, and they perform well once they’re out in the field. I’ve heard from recruiters that they can tell who comes from UND’s program.”

This summer has seen a transformation in the way firms and companies are keeping themselves top-of-mind for UND’s accountants-in-training. As the industry has made big investments allowing for remote work, remote recruiting is looking to be the next big thing.

Breaking new ground virtually

This spring, as detailed briefly in UND Today’s feature about Zoom, UND’s Department of Accountancy took its annual field trip online.

Companies that would normally host a large contingent of UND accounting students at their offices in Minneapolis, Minn., instead created their own virtual events in collaboration with the department and the College’s Pancratz Career Development Center.

Campbell said adaptation of a long-standing event for accounting majors to a virtual format represented “tradition meeting innovation.”

Kathy Lund, director of the Pancratz Center, talked about the UND Accountancy virtual field trip event as new territory for employers and students alike.

“I think we’re breaking new ground and perhaps setting a trend for what others may eventually do,” said Lund about the format.

The summer has seen this trend continue, as firms have been moving internships online and reaching out to offer UND Accountancy students opportunities to participate in virtual recruiting events.

Students such as senior Cassidy Kuntz are taking advantage to make career connections.

Summer experience programs moving forward

“I have done five of them so far, and have three more left,” said Kuntz, a Grand Forks resident.

She was referring to summer programming hosted by accounting firms, via Zoom, that she calls “summer experience programs.”

“They’re all about getting to know the firm and the firm’s culture,” Kuntz described. “You’re interacting with a mix of professionals such as associates, managers, human resource representatives, campus recruiters and partners.

“These programs were intended to be at their office locations; however, due to the ongoing pandemic, they have shifted to virtual conferences. Firms have been innovative and engaging with these events.”

To attend so many gatherings any previous summer would require multiple trips to Fargo, Minneapolis and beyond, for most. Now, Kuntz and dozens of students are logging in from home to better understand the possibilities for their careers in the business world.

Kuntz, who is aiming to earn her master’s degree in accounting from UND, said that every event she has attended so far was 100 percent worth the time. After meeting with firm Baker Tilly, Kuntz accepted an internship offer for next summer. Soon after, she also accepted an offer for next summer to participate in Deloitte’s Premier Student Program. The program is a five-day event that can lead to full-time offers from the “Big Four” firm.

“There are many opportunities out there, students just have to make the connections,” Kuntz said.

Firms are adding more virtual recruiting events this summer; adding “virtual office hours” and other opportunities for UND Accountancy students to engage with alumni and recruiters.

Year-round touchpoints through Zoom

Whereas previously campus recruiters would come to UND to have one-on-one interactions with students during the fall and spring semesters, such meetings now can happen any time online. As Campbell put it, anyone who didn’t know about Zoom before this year now knows about it, and both parties – companies and their potential interns or employees – are becoming more comfortable with engaging virtually.

“They’re learning that they can extend their relationship with students and continue those touchpoints and contacts, using virtual means, throughout the year,” said Campbell of the industry. “Virtual formats also help more students participate; it can be easier for students with jobs to fit these events in their schedules and online UND Accountancy students can network and explore careers.

“Everyone wants to get back to face-to-face engagement when we can, but this is an opportunity to do more through a different modality.”

With many firms still working remotely, UND Accountancy plans to host its career fair virtually in September. The department, Pancratz Center and employers are collaborating to adapt this annual event into a virtual format this fall.

Campbell describes the UND Accountancy Career Fair as “more than collecting resumes.”

“It is relationship-focused, where many students start to build connections with alumni and recruiters,” she said. “These connections start at UND and are maintained over the course of their careers.”

The department is also collaborating with employers to adopt a video-intensive career fair platform and develop an online recruiting portal that can be used throughout the year.

Giving an edge to students

The ability to create consistent contact, can also help firms connect with students early on in the students’ college careers. Sophomore Lyle Lunday from Belcourt, N.D., has a virtual internship lined up with Deloitte this summer that’s designed to give interns an idea of what a public accounting career is like. As a freshman, Lunday was able to participate in a mock interview and resume review session hosted by Deloitte and the Pancratz Center that eventually provided him an opportunity to participate in Deloitte’s highly selective Pioneer Internship Program.

Lunday has been getting a head start in a competitive job market, and, like Kuntz, is taking advantage of as many opportunities provided by UND as possible.

“The department is definitely fostering an environment where students can grow and start to find a path they want to take,” Lunday said. “While you are getting to know firms through these events, they’re also getting to know you, so getting on that two-way street is valuable early on.”

As a student employee for the Pancratz Center, Lunday also recognizes the amount of work going on in the College overall to bring recruiters to campus, now virtually.

“Students are exposed to many companies and are able to constantly network, which gives them an edge in their field,” Lunday said.

When asked about the successes of the program, leading to such high industry engagement and career placements for students, Campbell pointed to rigorous courses, up-to-date curriculum content and active engagement of faculty with alumni and recruiters. She also said that preparing students for professional careers is part of the department’s mission, and that its students are now required to complete at least one experiential course.

Kuntz, who has been an accounting major for only a year, said it has been the relationships with professors that have made all the difference.

“UND Accountancy professors are all so passionate for students, and they will always give you advice to help you get to the career path you want to pursue,” said Kuntz of her teachers. “All of them teach with examples and stories of real-world jobs and problems they have faced in the industry.”

Lunday said that he thinks the opportunities he’s had as a freshman and sophomore stem from the fact he attends UND.

“The involvement of professors and staff is crucial, because they are the ones who really give guidance to students and help students understand what their next steps should be in finding a career,” Lunday said.