Beta Alpha Psi Boosts Job Preparedness and Placement

In an era where there are numerous university opportunities for social interaction, community service, and leadership,students are becoming more independent than ever before. Most are technologically savvy, some have studied abroad, and many achieve good grades while working part- or full-time jobs. Yet a recent study by the Association of American Colleges & Universities reports that just 23 percent of employers say recent college graduates are well prepared when it comes to having the ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

The study also found that college students are notably out of sync with employers’ perceptions of their preparedness on a wide range of skills and knowledge areas. Students express much greater confidence in their level of preparedness in all areas than employers indicate they see demonstrated.

Industry professionals from national and corporate business firms are doing their best to ensure this isn’t the case with Carson College of Business students. By engaging with the WSU Delta Epsilon chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), an international honor organization for financial information students and professionals, they form a supportive community that respects students’ growing sense of independence yet offers them the mentor-ship and critical job skills training they still need.

MENTORING LEADS TO INTERNSHIPS

The key to WSU accounting students’ success, and a top reason they have such high placement rates, is the close mentorship they experience in the BAP organization, according to Nori Pearson, chapter advisor.

Piloted three years ago, the mentor-ship program was originally based on a three-tier system with a student mentee (typically a junior), a student mentor (typically a senior), and a professional mentor. Due to the program’s success, BAP leaders added an extension. The mentorship program extension bridges the gap for incoming freshmen and transfer students by incorporating community colleges and high school students into the program.

“By connecting with students at an earlier age, our goal is to increase the number of competent candidates graduating from our University and ultimately grow our job placement percentage and provide value to the state of Washington,” says Sue Gill, chair of the Department of Accounting.

“BAP often functions as a two-way communication tool,” says Pearson. “Students and firms become familiar with each other at our networking events, but firms who aren’t able to travel to Pullman use BAP to announce internships and jobs,” she says.

INTERNSHIPS LEAD TO REWARDING CAREERS

The study also notes large majorities of employers say they are more likely to consider a job candidate who has participated in an internship, a senior project, a collaborative research project, a field-based project in a diverse community setting with people from different backgrounds, or a community-based project.

This year, 36 BAP members were placed in internships with corporate industry leaders including Amazon, Costco, Moss Adams LLP, Deloitte, KPMG, and many other firms. Students gain a wealth of real- world experience as tax accountants, auditors, industry and governmental accountants, and more in positions ranging from three months to a year. In addition to the students who received full-time offers after completing internships, 14 BAP seniors received full-time job offers.

BETA ALPHA PSI BENEFITS

BAP membership also requires regular service hours to be completed each semester, and members may also participate in external community service, sometimes with the firms that recruit on campus. Last year, BAP partnered with Moss Adams LLP to assemble fleece tied blankets donated to an African orphanage.

BAP offers students a multitude of other benefits, including weekly interaction with accounting professionals, exposure to internships and careers in accounting, mock interviews, résumé and cover letter preparation, dressing for success and professional etiquette, and networking.

“The written and oral skills students obtain from résumé and interview workshops are invaluable,” says Pearson. “But sometimes students still need basic advice, such as ‘don’t look at your phone during an interview.’”

BAP’s professional activities keep within the accounting program’s mission to provide excellent accounting education and prepare students for successful and rewarding careers in accounting and business. The WSU chapter has earned the Superior Chapter status, one of the organization’s highest awards recognizing academics, professionalism, and leadership excellence, for 15 consecutive years.

A Glimpse Inside Beta Alpha Psi