One conversation at Meet the Professionals helped Jalila El-Haddar land an internship with KPMG. This event is your chance to explore accounting careers, connect with industry professionals, and discover new opportunities.
First Networking Experience
Jalila El-Haddar, a current junior and accounting major, remembers how nervous she felt walking into her first networking event.
“I was quite nervous to go because I was going to be by myself, and it was my first-ever networking event,” she recalled. “I wasn’t completely sure what I was looking for, but I just knew it was going to help me discover possible career options and potentially drive me toward or away from accounting,” she explained.
The event—previously Meet the Students and now called Meet the Professionals—offers a glimpse into the field of accounting. Jalila started her evening at the panel discussion, which helped her feel more comfortable. “It was nice to sit in a classroom and sort of ‘warm up’ to the event before going down into the middle of it,” she said.
Once she stepped into the main event, something clicked. Jalila feels this event would be a very useful experience, whether you’re fully decided on pursuing an accounting career or whether you’re simply exploring and curious to learn more about whether accounting is the right field for you. “Students can walk through and just feel the ‘vibe’ or start conversations with recruiters. In either case, there aren’t any expectations and no losses that can come from attending the event,” she shared.
For Jalila, the decision to start a conversation with a recruiter from KPMG was life-changing. She walked past the KPMG booth when she attended the event for the first time last year and started up a conversation with the recruiter. “He told me about the company, and it sparked my interest, especially because they hire from UO a fair amount,” she said.
From that point on, she stayed in touch with the recruiter, connected on LinkedIn, and followed up throughout the internship application process. “Since he had seen my face during Meet the Students, it felt familiar and comfortable to ping and email him, which made all the difference. I then saw the recruiter again during a Beta Alpha Psi weekly meeting, and I asked him if he could connect me with someone for a coffee chat,” she shared. Those efforts paid off— Jalila landed an internship with KPMG for summer 2025.
For students curious about accounting, Jalila believes events like Meet the Professionals are truly invaluable. “The cost of not going to Meet the Professionals is to miss out on potentially finding your future internship,” she expressed.
Event Details
If you’re even a bit interested in learning about the field of accounting, we invite you to join us for Meet the Professionals:
- Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
- Panel discussion: 5:00–6:00 p.m.
- Career fair: 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Meet representatives from twenty firms, including the Big 4, regional firms, and specialty practices. The panel offers a relaxed, low-pressure way to hear from professionals, while the career fair allows for one-on-one conversations with recruiters. There will even be a raffle for students who attend both the panel and the career fair.
Smart business attire is encouraged, and all students are welcome—whether you’re set on accounting or just exploring your options.
