Expectations and First Society Meetings

It is getting close now. All of the accounting societies (Beta Alpha Psi, ALPFA, and NABA) are gearing up for Fall recruiting, as are you. What can you expect on the first day of a society meeting? Well, generally speaking, chaos. It's OK though, you just have to be strategic in how you go about this. So to help you all sort it out, I'll take you step by step. DISCLAIMER: I only have experience in Beta Alpha Psi's pledge social (which is the first meeting) so I can only give info on that society. I figured with first meetings coming up, firms are likely to be there, I know for a fact they will be at BAP's pledge social, I think it's important for new recruits to know how to handle a first meeting.

1. First, what is a pledge social? Well, it is a first meeting where you learn about the Beta Alpha Psi, and I imagine the other societies talk themselves up to you as well depending on which one you go to, and is generally your first chance to meet firms. You MUST go to the pledge social to learn all you can and be considered for acceptance into Beta Alpha Psi, plus you'll miss out on that pertinent face time if you don't go; see my first blog for more info on face time and its importance.

2. Second, what should I have ready to bring? Simply a smile, a great attitude, confidence, and maybe a resume depending on certain circumstances. I say certain circumstances for a couple of reasons. If you are attending the pledge social just for some face time without the intent to actually pledge to the society and to hand off your resume, fine, bring your resume. It won't get you very far if you only meet the recruiter once and don't come back but, hey, that's cool that's your deal. This is where the strategy comes in. Of course, if your not sure you'll be able to pledge to the society because of the requirements by all means take the opportunity to get the face time anyways, that is very much encouraged. Little face time is better than no face time.

If you are positively sure you meet the requirements and you feel good about it, listen to this strategy. The first day of pledge social is nuts. Pure out plain and simple. Last year at the Fall pledge social, I kid you not, there were 100+ people in a medium sized room all trying to get to the recruiters and hand off their resume. It was chaos. Eager, eager, eager new recruits. Sometimes too eager. Now, when I went to this first social I did NOT bring a resume. Recruiters had hundreds of resumes at the end of the day and why in world would I want my first resume to be in such a big pool. Chances are that the number of people at the pledge social will be cut into a third or even half by the next "real" meeting of BAP (Beta Alpha Psi), thus your exclusivity goes up. So why not put your resume out there when there is a greater chance of the recruiter actually maybe looking at it for a second in a little less of a chaotic environment? It seemed to work for me. Trust me, the first meeting with the recruiters will not be your last so don't worry about that. You will have plenty of opportunities to hand off your resume during recruiting, and better opportunities at that. It's one of the benefits of even joining the societies, you are exclusive. If you give everything into the pledge social you are not as exclusive. Use it to your advantage.

Third, if I am not handing off my resume then what do I need to do? Just make an impression. Introduce yourself with your evelvator speech ask ONE or TWO questions if you need to, then move on. You don't want to occupy too much of a recruiters time because 1. you'll increase your chance of stale conversation and 2. you run the risk the recruiter trying to push you out because other recruits are waiting. Just try to make it to as many recruiters as you can (because this event is essentially you getting a feel for the recruiters more so than trying to hit a homerun with them) as QUICKLY as you can to make good impressions. As the recruiting season goes on you'll get more exclusive face time and a chance to further build relationships with recruiters. Recruiters may even get to know you by your first name! That is a great sign that you are making an impression.

So with all of this said, just enjoy the experience. Most importantly bring yourself. Don't try to be something you are not. Recruiters are people and they can pick up on this as easily as anyone else. In the accounting industry you are serving clients. YOU NEED TO HAVE PERSONALITY. I for one do not have a stellar perfect GPA, I do think recruiters liked my personality. It can carry you a long way in this industry. This first meeting is not all about the recruiter knowing you, it's also about you getting to know the recruiters. Most new recruits don't realize this. More on this in my next blog.