Interview Day for accountants adds up to success?? ??

Bob Mitchum wanted to give Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø students the boost that started him on a successful career.

So, the 1975 graduate took the lead in organizing Chicago Accounting and Finance Interview Day, when more than 90 Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø students met representatives of 37 firms and companies, including KPMG, Ernst & Young, Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

¡°I wanted to help provide today¡¯s Augie students with the same opportunities I had as a student," said Mitchum, who said his career started with an internship.

He spent 18 years in a Big Five accounting firm ¨C Arthur Andersen ¨C and then 18 years as CFO and then CEO of a global distribution company.

Mitchum was joined at the event by 33 other Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø graduates who came to represent their firms.

¡°This illustrates the tremendous support our alumni give to current students,¡± said Dr. John Delaney, chair of Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s accounting department.

¡°Our alumni are energized to continue helping our students get jobs in Chicagoland. We are in the planning stages of developing an accounting/finance alumni group in Chicago with one goal of continuing support of events like the one held in Oak Brook.¡±

On hand at the Interview Day event, Mitchum saw it paying off for the students.

¡°The event provided the students with an opportunity to gain confidence in interview situations, write their resumes in ways that differentiate them from other candidates, and sharpen their interpersonal skills,¡± he said.

Lucas Simon ¡¯21, accounting/business administration major, interviewed with four companies. ¡°Having so many alumni at each company allows us to connect with them for valuable career advice and job opportunities,¡± he said. 

¡°I was proud to be a student at a college that cares so much about their students¡¯ post-grad lives,¡±  said Vlada Botsul ¡¯20.