Employer Spotlight: KPMG's Mindy Ripp

Today's blog post is offered by a student, Katarina O’Regan.

As one of the four largest accounting firms in the world, KPMG offers audit, tax, and advisory services to clients all over the world. With both domestic and international internships that emphasize interpersonal development as well as industry-related knowledge, this company provides great opportunities for accounting majors.

As the Campus Development Manager responsible for schools including Fordham and Cornell, Mindy Ripp is responsible for KPMG’s career fairs, on campus presentations, and recruiting events. She emphasizes that although GPA’s are important, leadership experience and extracurricular activites really make an applicant stand out: “being well-rounded, having good communication skills and networking effectively are key.” These skills ensure that a student will be successful in the workplace and make the most of their position. 

According to Mindy, one major aspect of networking is “knowing when to leave a conversation and move on to the next.” Not overstaying your welcome will ensure that you make good impressions while meeting a variety of people. As a practical note, Mindy suggests that you wear comfortable shoes at networking events and that you eat beforehand. You’ll most likely be on your feet for much of the time and a calm, focused student usually makes a better impression than one wincing in pain as they hit up the buffet table!

Internships with KPMG are aimed towards accounting students in their junior year and are available in both the winter and summer. These programs take care to train their interns not only in technical knowledge, but also with regard to the soft skills (communication and presentation skills) that are valuable in all workplace situations. Successful internships can often lead to offers of full-time employment. There is also a 3 day leadership program held each year during the summer aimed towards rising sophomores. The participants are then eligible to apply for internship positions at the conclusion of the program. Graduates can apply for full-time positions starting in 2013. Though most of the positions for 2012 are filled, KPMG will certainly be involved with students for future job opportunities and in the case of additional need sooner.   

Ultimately, Mindy says that interns with KPMG should be “ready to learn a lot.” From the technical knowledge, to emphasis on networking, and the leadership program to full time positions, KPMG offers students many opportunities to succeed with one of the world’s most respected firms. 

Interested in a position with KPMG? Visit Mindy’s LinkedIn page to find out more information and practice some of those valuable networking skills!

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mindy-ripp/6/66/5a8

Do you find these topics interesting? Have you ever thought about writing a blog? If so, join our team! Please send any interests, inquiries, or articles to Cassie Sklarz at sklarz@fordham.edu. We'd love to hear from you! 

Part-time Job Opportunities

RESTAURANT STAFF

Restaurant Servers (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner), Runners & Bartenders

An authentic Neapolitan pizzeria and Italian restaurant situated in the landmark MetLife Building at E.45th Street, Naples 45 offers al fresco dining in the warmer months and tantalizing regional Southern Italian specialties with friendly take-out service and gourmet brick-oven slices to go. Naples 45 was awarded the coveted certification of "La Vera Pizza Napoletana," in recognition of serving authentic Neapolitan pizza made with traditional ingredients, methods, and wood-burning ovens - one of only two such awards in New York City.

Experience in fast-paced, high-volume restaurant required.

Must be available for Breakfast Shifts at 7am, Mon-Fri Only!

Interested candidates may forward resume to:

E-mail: Csjoholm@PatinaGroup.com

with LOCATION and POSITION of interest in the subject line.

Visit us at: www.PatinaGroup.com

WHAT WE OFFER

We believe in affording our team with the same level of service that we strive to deliver to our guests.  We are committed to providing extensive training and educational support that allows our team members to achieve the very highest levels of professionalism and open the door to increased opportunities for future career growth.  In addition, we offer industry leading compensation packages including: comprehensive benefits, 401(k) w/ match, paid time off including holidays and discounts at our sister properties.

More than just an equal opportunity employer, PRG enthusiastically celebrates the powerful and profound diversity of our team. We believe that talent, drive and experience are the only relevant criterion for considering new team members.

COCKTAIL SERVERS

With some of the best happy hour specials in NYC, The Beer Bar offers an impressive selection of artfully brewed beverages and heavenly burgers to a sophisticated New York crowd. The perpetually-packed outdoor bar (and warm service all year round), offers the perfect setting for your next casual gathering.

Experience in fast-paced, high-volume restaurant required.

Monday-Friday

Interested candidates may forward resume to:

E-mail: YArroyo@PatinaGroup.com

with LOCATION and POSITION of interest in the subject line.

Visit us at: www.PatinaGroup.com

WHAT WE OFFER

We believe in affording our team with the same level of service that we strive to deliver to our guests.  We are committed to providing extensive training and educational support that allows our team members to achieve the very highest levels of professionalism and open the door to increased opportunities for future career growth.  In addition, we offer industry leading compensation packages including: comprehensive benefits, 401(k) w/ match, paid time off including holidays and discounts at our sister properties.

More than just an equal opportunity employer, PRG enthusiastically celebrates the powerful and profound diversity of our team. We believe that talent, drive and experience are the only relevant criterion for considering new team members.

RESTAURANT SERVERS

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

A richly elegant Grand Café in the classic Parisian tradition - set in the iconic international style landmark MetLife Building on Park Avenue at E.45th Street - Café Centro offers a select menu of French favorites with a Mediterranean twist. Fresh seafood and raw bar specialties, grill selections and seasonal plats du jour are popular choices in this bustling bistro, which also offers a delicious business breakfast - the best-kept secret in Midtown!

We are seeking a minimum of 2 years experience in fine dining.

Interested candidates may forward resume to:

E-mail: YArroyo@PatinaGroup.com

with LOCATION and POSITION of interest in the subject line.

Visit us at: www.PatinaGroup.com

WHAT WE OFFER

We believe in affording our team with the same level of service that we strive to deliver to our guests. We are committed to providing extensive training and educational support that allows our team members to achieve the very highest levels of professionalism and open the door to increased opportunities for future career growth. In addition, we offer industry leading compensation packages including: comprehensive benefits, 401(k) w/ match, paid time-off, and discounts at our sister properties.

We are more than just an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically celebrate the powerful and profound diversity of our team.

RESTAURANT SERVERS

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner / Monday to Friday at MetLife Building

A gourmet café and Mediterranean marketplace offer take-out and eat-in lunch and dinner from a diverse market selection of freshly prepared, Mediterranean culinary classics. Specialty sandwiches and pastas, alluring pastries and fresh salads, offer a bounty of selections for the taking.

Requires 2+ years experience.

Must be available Monday to Friday,

Breakfast & Lunch or Lunch & Dinner.

Interested candidates may forward resume to:

E-mail: YArroyo@PatinaGroup.com

with LOCATION and POSITION of interest in the subject line.

Visit us at: www.PatinaGroup.com

WHAT WE OFFER

We believe in affording our team with the same level of service that we strive to deliver to our guests.  We are committed to providing extensive training and educational support that allows our team members to achieve the very highest levels of professionalism and open the door to increased opportunities for future career growth.  In addition, we offer industry leading compensation packages including: comprehensive benefits, 401(k) w/ match, paid time-off, and discounts at our sister properties. 

We are more than just an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically celebrate the powerful and profound diversity of our team.

Managing Your Online Identity

Today's blog post is offered by a graduate intern for the Office of Career Services.

It can be unnerving to realize that the information that we put on the internet will be used by employers to judge us. Be it Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or whichever new website is riding high these days, social media websites are increasingly being tapped into by employers in order to determine who their employee really is. This means that anyone working, or trying to find work, needs to be aware of how their online identity will be received by a potential boss. While it may seem unfair to be judged, punished, or fired for things that happen outside of work, that is precisely what is happening to careless employees all over the US.

It seems obvious to some, but just to make it crystal clear: employers make no distinction between your internet persona and your work persona. It is incumbent upon you to insure that any comments, posts, links, or quotes that you have floating around online do not reflect poorly on you as an employee. As much as I would like to debate the moral and ethical ramifications of this practice, the reality is that employers are less interested in being fair to you as they are in maintaining their company brand. If you do something in your personal life that you wouldn’t do in front of your boss, don’t put it in the public sphere. Businesses carefully craft the public image that they present to customers. Advertisers, agents, PR representatives…there are whole industries dedicated to managing personal and corporate brands. That’s their job. Part of being in the modern workforce is recognizing your own personal brand, and managing the way that you are perceived by the world at large.

This is not meant to be a lecture or an exercise in finger-wagging; this is only to say that we, as tech-savvy adults entering into the modern workforce, need to be smart about what information we are putting out in the world. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has seen a huge number of complaints being filed by workers who object to being fired for a Facebook comment. Most of these employees are simply being told that it’s their own fault. That internet communication amounts to water-cooler talk. And if you can’t say it at work, best not to try it online. So with that said, here are a few things to watch out for:

1.      Criticizing current or previous employers

Do. Not. Do. This. You could easily be fired if your boss gets wind of your disapproval, frustration, or anger. Work presents challenges and sometimes venting to friends and family is the only way to maintain your sanity. However, do not mistake your Facebook wall posts with a private conversation. There are many people who, if put in a position of power, would love nothing more than to fire someone under them who makes them look bad. Additionally, bad mouthing your former employer publicly does not endear you to someone thinking of hiring you. You want to project positivity and a sense of professionalism to anyone looking to give you a job.

2.      Having pictures of yourself drinking or doing drugs

This may seem obvious, but it’s surprisingly common. People assume that the activities they engage in at home are off limits to employers. But employers are looking at the whole person; they are trying to get a sense of who it is that they are going to work with. That’s why they interview you at all. As tragic as it may be, no one at your potential place of work should be able to see the hilariously drunken tom-foolery you engaged in last Halloween.  

3.      Racist, sexist, dirty, or even border-line inappropriate comments online

This could mean posts on a website, forum, or social media outlet. These can be from you, or even from a friend posting on your page. Remember: Everything that an employer can see is material with which you can be judged.

4.      Poorly written, poorly communicated information

This is tricky because we don’t often apply the same standards to online communication that we do to formal communication. But if a potential employer sees a profile or internet post that is poorly written, it is going to reflect negatively on you. It might not get you fired, but it might not get you the job either.

Again, regardless of your personal thoughts on what employers should and shouldn’t judge you on, people are getting fired for information they put out to the internet… or they’re not being hired at all. Be smart about what you put out there and remember, until you’re firmly planted in a position you are constantly auditioning.

Do you find these topics interesting? Have you ever thought about writing a blog? If so, join our team! Please send any interests, inquiries, or articles to Cassie Sklarz at sklarz@fordham.edu. We'd love to hear from you! 

Internship Spotlight: DeAnna DiNapoli

Today's blog post is offered by a Fordham Career Ambassador for the Office of Career Services.

We constantly hear about the importance of networking and creating professional connections…but does it actually work? This week we caught up with DeAnna DiNapoli who talked to us about her internship at MPL Communications as well as the importance of networking and how it has greatly enhanced her professional experience thus far.  DeAnna is pursuing a Major in Public Accounting with a Minor in Business Law and Ethics. She plans on pursuing a MS in Tax at Fordham to graduate in 2013.

DeAnna is an accounting intern at MPL Communications where she works anywhere from 8-12 hours per week.  Her responsibilities range from scanning and saving statements and important documents, to drawing up cover letters, researching, running excel spreadsheets and performing work in Great Plains, an accounting computer program.  She has been working with this company for a year and a half.  DeAnna explained that this internship has been extremely beneficial, teaching her how to successfully function in a very demanding environment.  She works under the CFO who was trained at Ernst and Young and is very particular with regard to how she wants work done.  DeAnna explained that she not only learned about her future field of work but also skills applicable to any experience.  She learned the importance of double checking work, consistency and most importantly how asking questions when you don’t understand something is the most critical thing you can do.  It also was a great way to hone her excel and computer skills.

DeAnna obtained this internship through her use of networking skills. DeAnna is a member of the cheerleading team at Fordham and a girl on her team was an intern at MPL. Through this connection, DeAnna was able to begin her intern experience at MPL.  DeAnna explained that networking helped her obtain her first internship as well and that any connection you may have whether it is with a family member, professor or fellow teammate is helpful.  She also mentioned the Fordham Alumni Network as a great tool in creating connections and gaining a job.

Next summer, DeAnna will be taking part in the PricewaterhouseCooper Summer Internship Program that she hopes will turn into a full time opportunity.  DeAnna explained that her time at MPL proved to be a great topic of discussion in all the interviews she has been on and has provided her an insight into what working for the one of the Big Four may be like.  Upon moving on from MPL, DeAnna has yet another handful of connections to fall back upon for future professional opportunities. 

Do you find these topics interesting? Have you ever thought about writing a blog? If so, join our team! Please send any interests, inquiries, or articles to Cassie Sklarz at sklarz@fordham.edu. We'd love to hear from you!