100% MAC employment, Step 1: Interview week

Many programs host on-campus recruiting events but the UNC Kenan-Flagler Master of Accounting (MAC) program has really upped its game.

We reorganized our recruiting schedule so all of our employer-partners could conduct their interviews and pre-interview socials across just one week – and it worked beautifully.

>> Read “How Accounting Firms Hire,” our guide to the recruiting process.

The MAC career services team is fortunate to partner with extraordinary firms and corporations, including the Big 4 and leading middle-market public accounting firms. They were totally behind us as we proposed changing our recruiting process so that our new online students could join their on-campus counterparts for the interview immersion. We hosted multiple social events each night and arranged interview facilities to accommodate the condensed timeline – one awesome week instead of one long month!

Historically, 80% or more of our MAC students get job offers directly through the on-campus recruiting process and 98% of them accept an offer within three months of graduation.

Students were thrilled to focus completely on interviewing since we didn’t have classes scheduled during interview week. Even without classes, they worked extra hard. Many had two interviews a day and two receptions each night for the whole week. It was intense, but they all did an amazing job.

The results of their hard work have been pouring in. Most students received invitations for office visits in the cities where they are planning to work. One student was in New York for three days, came back for two days of classes and then flew back to New York for another office visit. She already has two employment offers, so the pressure was a little bit off – except that the last one was her number one choice!

These results are yet another reason why accounting is awesome. Historically, 80% or more of our MAC students get job offers directly through the on-campus recruiting process and 98% of them accept an offer within three months of graduation. It is so great that most students know before Thanksgiving where they will be working the next fall. Those with offers can focus on their studies and turn their attention to getting the CPA exam done by the end of the summer.

Those without offers move into our second-round process, where we work intensely with each student to help them maximize their networks and resources, as well as those of the School, to secure a great job by graduation – and just about all of them do!