Accounting Grad Lines Up Position With CPA Firm Months Before Graduating Alumni Profile

How did you land your full-time position with Maher Duessel?

I actually had completed both interviews and received my employment offer from Maher Duessel in December of my senior year at Point Park! My accounting professors, especially Cheryl Clark and Richard Neish, had stressed the importance of applying for full-time employment during the final year of undergrad.

One day in October, I sat down and sent a ton of applications out, and a few weeks later I received an email from the HR professional at Maher Duessel asking if I was interested in coming in for an interview. By December, I had accepted a position as staff auditor with Maher Duessel and had an anticipated start date of August 5, 2019. It was such a relief to spend my final semester at Point Park knowing I had already secured full-time employment, and I was fortunate to have several accounting professors guiding me throughout the process!

How have your Point Park accounting classes prepared you to be a staff auditor?

As with any job, time and experience in the profession really helps you learn, but I definitely came into this position with knowledge gained from my accounting courses at Point Park. I can still remember Professor Neish emphasizing the importance of internal control within an organization, and a lot of what I do now relates to testing the internal control of our clients.

I still have a large goal to complete in my professional career, which is obtaining my CPA license, but I feel confident that the accounting education I received from Point Park and my experience at Maher Duessel has and will prepare me for this tough, but rewarding journey!

What are your favorite Point Park memories?

From meeting Jimmy Fallon in New York City with the Honors Program to seeing the Tower Bridge in London for the International Media-UK course (a course I highly recommend students of all majors consider taking), there are a number of memories I could name from my time at Point Park. Most pertain to trips I took for extracurricular activities or courses because I love to travel and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do so!

What career advice do you have for our accounting students?

Don’t be afraid of rejection. I know it is much easier to say than it is to hear it, but it wasn’t too long ago that I was in your shoes and worried for what the future would hold if I couldn’t secure a job before graduation. There are so many employers out there who need and want people with an accounting background, so don’t be afraid to go on interviews and network with others in the profession.

Everyone can have a high GPA, but it’s going to be the little things, like working at JCPenney for three years or volunteering with your local church on the weekends, that will really help you stand out to firms and employers. You got this!

Connect with Madeline King

More About: Student Accounting Association, South Allegheny High School, Honors Program, accounting, scholarships, success story, alumni, Rowland School of Business, Downtown Pittsburgh