5 Networking Tips for Accounting Students

Accounting Students Networking Tips

  • Join a Professional Accounting Organization
  • Attend Industry-Sponsored Networking Events on Campus
  • Maintain a List of the Contacts
  • Follow Up With Each Contact
  • Internet Networking

One of college’s main benefits is the networking opportunities that arise while you’re in attendance. If you’re currently an accounting major, this list of networking tips can help you make the most of your future occasions to network with others in your field of specialization. Perhaps this list can also alert you to the existence of networking opportunities you didn’t already know about.

1. Join a Professional Accounting Organization

College students can become active in professional accounting organizations by joining at a discounted student member rate. There are numerous professional accounting organizations that offer fantastic networking opportunities and other potential benefits for you. Some of them offer college scholarships, events you can attend, educational opportunities, mentorship opportunities and countless other benefits.

The following accounting organizations offer membership benefits to college students who are accounting majors:

Featured Programs

If you’re currently a minority high school student, and you would like to learn more about pursuing a career in accounting, you can take advantage of the networking opportunities offered by the Accounting Career Awareness Program.

2.  Attend Industry-Sponsored Networking Events on Campus

Many accounting firms actively recruit successful college students each year in hopes of attracting new talent to join their organizations. They often hold on campus networking events. If the prospect of working for a prominent accounting firm appeals to you, it would be beneficial for you to attend these “Meet the Firms” events on campus.

If you’re serious about landing a job with one of these firms after graduation, you don’t want to show up at any of these events without having done some initial research about the firms whose representatives will be present. Things to research include where the firm’s main and satellite offices are located; the firm’s mission statement and vision statement for the future; who the firm’s CEO and principal players are; and any current news that prominently features the firm.

Resource: 50 Most Affordable Small Midwest Colleges for an Accounting Degree 2016 (Bachelor’s)

3. Maintain a List of the Contacts

Once you begin actively networking with business owners, hiring managers and other accounting professionals, you’ll have the challenge of remembering details like names, job titles and who works for which organization. It is far too easy to get these details mixed up. You can save yourself much future embarrassment by maintaining a list of contacts and keeping notes about each encounter with the contacts on your list.

4. Follow Up With Each Contact

Follow up by snail mail or email each time you meet a new contact. It’s a good idea to briefly mention something about the discussion you enjoyed or the shared interests you uncovered during your initial meeting with this individual. Be sure to include a note of thanks for any helpful information your contact provided you with. Do not send the same generic message to multiple employees of the same organization. Leave the door open for future communications without pressuring your contact for a response.

5. Internet Networking

Extensive networking opportunities are available to you online. Professional social networks like LinkedIn can be a great way to follow up with existing contacts and a fantastic source of new professional contacts. Your school likely makes an alumni association website available for networking purposes as well.

These are some of the basics to keep in mind when you first begin networking. We hope you found these introductory networking tips actionable, and that you will be able to use them to successfully launch your future accounting career.