Spring Break
Bookkeeping jobs, internships available to qualified accountants
Jane M. Von Bergen - Philadelphia Inquirer
Issue date: 3/7/07 Section: Career Fair
(PHILADELPHIA) - MCT - The stereotypes about accountants don't bother Drexel University sophomore Chris Betz at all.
He's heard the one about accountants as dull numbers-crunchers, and no one could have missed the news about the failure of accounting practices at companies like Enron and WorldCom.
Betz doesn't buy it.
"I choose accounting because I like it," said Betz, 18, an accounting major who was looking for internships at Drexel University's massive job fair in early October.
"Without accounting," he said, "the world would not work."
But Chris Betz surely will.
Qualified accountants are in demand. Most graduates will find jobs, and those with internships and professional affiliations are even more likely to land the coveted positions in major accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers, experts say.
At the job fair, there were long lines at the booths run by the top public accounting firms. Recruiters from smaller firms saw less traffic, but were eagerly accepting resumes.
The competition is also pushing up wages.
Gary Henning, Philadelphia regional vice president of Robert Half Inc. and its subsidiary Accountemps, recounted a recent bidding war for a prospect with four years of top-notch public accounting experience.
The first firm offered him $5,000 more than he requested. The second firm added $5,000 _ up to the high $60,000s. "He went with the job with more money," Henning said. "It's a candidate-short marketplace.
"We don't have a difficult time coming up with the job opportunities," Henning said. "We have a difficult time coming up with the right candidates."
The most-cited reason for the shortage is the increased demand for accountants created by the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The "SOX" law, passed in 2002 in the wake of corporate-accounting scandals, strengthens auditing standards for publicly traded companies.
But there are other factors.
He's heard the one about accountants as dull numbers-crunchers, and no one could have missed the news about the failure of accounting practices at companies like Enron and WorldCom.
Betz doesn't buy it.
"I choose accounting because I like it," said Betz, 18, an accounting major who was looking for internships at Drexel University's massive job fair in early October.
"Without accounting," he said, "the world would not work."
But Chris Betz surely will.
Qualified accountants are in demand. Most graduates will find jobs, and those with internships and professional affiliations are even more likely to land the coveted positions in major accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers, experts say.
At the job fair, there were long lines at the booths run by the top public accounting firms. Recruiters from smaller firms saw less traffic, but were eagerly accepting resumes.
The competition is also pushing up wages.
Gary Henning, Philadelphia regional vice president of Robert Half Inc. and its subsidiary Accountemps, recounted a recent bidding war for a prospect with four years of top-notch public accounting experience.
The first firm offered him $5,000 more than he requested. The second firm added $5,000 _ up to the high $60,000s. "He went with the job with more money," Henning said. "It's a candidate-short marketplace.
"We don't have a difficult time coming up with the job opportunities," Henning said. "We have a difficult time coming up with the right candidates."
The most-cited reason for the shortage is the increased demand for accountants created by the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The "SOX" law, passed in 2002 in the wake of corporate-accounting scandals, strengthens auditing standards for publicly traded companies.
But there are other factors.
Be the first to comment on this story