Student Outreach & Career Awareness
Table of Contents
High School Speakers Bureau Overview………………………….………………2
Working with High Schools……………………………………………………..….…3
How to Give a Dynamic Presentation…………………………………………..…5
Some Do’s and Don’ts……………………………………………………………..…6
Your Career Discussion - What Students Want to Know…………………….…7
Speaker’s Outline for School Presentations………………………………………9
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High School Speakers Bureau
The student outreach program of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA) strives to foster interest among high school and college students in the CPA profession as well as to create a better understanding and awareness among students (and educators) about the career opportunities made available by pursuing the CPA designation.
By volunteering as a member of the High School Speakers Bureau, you can help encourage and positively promote the CPA profession just by sharing your experiences
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and advice with students. In addition, by speaking in classrooms and to other student groups you will be able to:
Provide a valuable community service by building relationships, offering your time, support, expertise, and insights to local Connecticut schools.
Offer useful resources about the CPA profession to not only high school students but to teachers, guidance and career counselors who serve as a “sphere of influence” to many students who will be deciding what career to pursue.
Help ensure that the most accurate information about the CPA profession is made available to students and educators while also being able to clarify common misconceptions.
Provide students and teachers with presentations and information that address the importance/relevance of the CPA profession and the many career options of a CPA, and offer encouragement to those interested in pursuing accounting
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majors and CPA careers.
Developing and practicing public speaking and presentation skills without requiring discussion of heavy technical topics. Rather you will simply be “talking about yourself.”
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Working With High Schools
As a student outreach volunteer with the high school speakers’ bureau, it is important to establish good communication with the educator(s) at the school(s) in which you will be speaking.
High Schools Today
Typically when we think of high schools we envision our local public school system. However, today there are far more choices and types of high schools than ever before. Not only are public high schools (which themselves include everything from inner city to small rural regional schools) an option, but secondary educational institutions also encompass parochial, private, independent, technical, magnet, academies, and charter schools. In addition, many high school students now have the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school and work as interns for local businesses.
Class Schedules
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The “typical” school day runs from about 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with most class periods lasting about 45 minutes. Some schools use rotating schedules so each day a class may be held at a different time. Also, some schools use “block scheduling” which means a class period may be as long as 90 minutes but only meets 2-3 times a week.
Try to arrive about 10-15 minutes before your scheduled start time. Often you will check in at the main office and perhaps be escorted by a teacher, student, or security personnel to the class.
Business or business casual dress is fine. You should dress the way you normally dress for work.
Contacting the Schools
In order for school visitations to take place most efficiently, making a strong initial contact with a school is important. With the Society’s student outreach program firmly in place, you will most likely be working off of requests sent to the CT Society of CPAs, who in turn will disseminate a request to you based on your location preferences. Your 7 | P a g e Student Outreach & Career Awareness
job will be to follow up on the request and contact the teacher via email and/or phone. You may wish to include the following in your introductory conversation:
Introduction of yourself Explain that you are a volunteer CPA with the CTCPA student outreach program and that you are following up on the request sent to the Society. Ask questions such as what times/days the class(es) meet, what the teacher would like you to discuss, how many students there are, what they are currently covering in class, etc. and arrange a mutually convenient time for your visit. Most often your contact at the school will be a business/accounting teacher or a career or guidance counselor. If a teacher/school is unresponsive to your correspondence, the general rule of thumb is to follow up again in two weeks with a phone call. Often the best time to reach a teacher is at about 2:30 when class is over.
Technology
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Using a PowerPoint or video is a great way to have a visual for students to focus on and can be helpful for the presenter to remember points they want to emphasize. Since the level of technology can vary from school to school, it is good practice to talk to the teacher about what AV is available. Many schools do have SmartBoard technology but it is still best to check ahead.
Materials & Resources
CT Society of CPAs has materials for classroom volunteers year round such as pens and brochures. If your office has free giveaways (pens) typically used during recruiting functions bring those along too. Little giveaways can be given as mementos or as a “prize” to students who knew an answer to your question! Most of all, students love free items!!
A pre-made PowerPoint presentation, which can easily be altered to fit your needs, is also available on the CTCPA website.
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***Important -- Once you have scheduled or completed a speaking engagement at a school, please let Jill Brightman, Student Relations Specialist know by contacting her with a quick email ([email protected]) or phone call 860-258-0239.
How to Give a Dynamic Presentation
Speaking with high school students is a very important part of the CTCPA’s student outreach program. Here are some tips for a successful presentation:
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Before the presentation, talk to the teacher about the class, student interests, etc. Communication is key.
Personalize your presentation as much as possible. Students like to hear stories about your experiences rather than just the facts about CPA certification requirements. Note: Stories involving fraud, crime, celebrity, etc. often go over very well with students.
Make your talk as interactive as possible by including the students in your presentation. Start of with an icebreaker, provocative question, or an unusual fact or story related to current headlines that you can tie into your broader discussion on the accounting profession.
Ask students questions. Perhaps go around the room and ask them their names, what kind of career they are interested in, etc. Try to get them involved in the conversation by discussing topics familiar to them such as school, part- time jobs, music, etc.
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Narrow your focus to a few easy-to understand points that they can relate to and have fun with, rather than telling them everything you know about the accounting profession.
When answering student questions always try to emphasize the positive. There are negative aspects to every profession and our role is to point out the diversity and opportunity available in the CPA profession.
Visual aids and little giveaways (pens, small items with company logo, etc.) can be very effective for presentations for both the speaker and students.
Use any materials (power point, etc) you feel comfortable with and create a format that suits YOU.
Relax! Try to keep your tone conversational and avoid reading directly off of a piece of paper or PowerPoint.
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Be yourself. Smile often, maintain eye contact, and don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun!
Some Do’s and Don’ts DO…..
Treat students with respect and speak to them as young adults. Remember the Golden Rule!
Stay positive. Most professions have such things as busy seasons, long hours, continuing education, etc. and the students will encounter negative aspects of the working world soon enough. Try to discuss the positive aspects of your career choice.
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Be Honest in your answers and never lie to students. It’s important to be sincere in your comments. If giving an honest answer appears negative, try to also balance it with the positive side.
Stay in your own comfort zone. Students may on occasion ask a question that makes you uncomfortable. The most common is asking about your salary. If you are not ok with giving that information, you don’t have to. You can answer the question by providing a general salary range based on experience.
Bring a buddy! This is a great way to bring along some moral support and get other colleagues involved, and can be a way to illustrate different viewpoints or experience levels.
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DON’T……
Prejudge the students based on school location or economic factors. Each school and each classroom is a different experience. A bad experience with one school, teacher, or student should not prevent you from speaking at other schools.
Lecture. You are much better off getting students involved, asking them questions, calling on people, or handing out little “rewards” (pens, etc.) for those who ask questions, or answer a question correctly.
Call the students “children”. “Students” or even “kids” are fine, but calling them “children” can come off as condescending.
Speak with heavy technical accounting jargon. A high school business course is most likely a student’s first exposure to accounting, so there is
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no need to speak on concepts that is too far beyond their knowledge base.
Your Career Discussion - What Students Want to Know
At this point in their education, many students are starting to think about college and career options. Sharing your experiences in college and in the work force will help students better understand the CPA career path and what the requirements and expectations are of individuals who wish to pursue accounting and the CPA designation.
Career Topics You Can Address: School Experiences – Talk to students about what kind of student you were, where you went to college and why you chose that school. You can also mention the colleges/universities in Connecticut that offer the accounting major.
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College Courses – You can tell students some of the courses you took, perhaps economics, business law, finance, computer classes, etc, but also that CPAs are expected to be knowledgeable about a wide range of issues and that also means courses in science, government, liberal arts are important in becoming a well-rounded individual.
State Requirements - Students are usually interested in knowing how long they will have to go to school to become a CPA. Explain that students can earn their accounting degree in four years and can sit for the CPA Exam with a Bachelor’s Degree, but are required to have some extra classes (150 hours completed) to become certified. It’s helpful to point out that many professional careers (law, medicine, teacher, etc.) require some type of advanced degree and completion of a test to receive their credentials, and in that regard, the CPA profession is not that different. You may also want to mention the two-year experience requirement and ethics exam.
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Your “Typical” Day – Explain your day-to-day work schedule and an accurate picture of your job responsibilities without being too technical. How do your responsibilities differ from day-to-day? Do you stay in the office or travel? What do you like? What do you not like?
Work Involved – Describe what you do. Compare your position with others available within your firm or company. Talk about the opportunities for advancement and associated responsibilities and perks, as well as a realistic timetable of what it takes to move up.
Skills Needed – Students picture an accountant as a math geek stuck in an office, chained to a desk, using pencils and a ten-key all day. Stressing
communication, people, and technical skills can help them understand the true nature of the job.
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Job Benefits – Discuss whether you make your own hours, if you have travel opportunities, upward mobility, help people, etc.
Hours - Be honest about the number of hours you work, but explain that during certain times of the year, while employed by certain organizations/companies you may work 50-70 hours per week. But, also point out that you are able to take vacations during slower periods and may be able to work flexible hours or from home.
Career Choices – Mention that there are many types of concentration areas that a CPA can choose to pursue. Discuss some of the hot fields in accounting such as Forensic accounting, fraud prevention, FBI/IRS (government), International accounting, Auditing, Financial Planning, Technology, and the Entertainment industry.
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Salaries – Students are always curious about how much money they can make and are usually not shy about asking how much money you make. If you are comfortable telling students this, then do so. However, if you are not, the most effective way to answer this question is by giving students a general range of salaries at the different levels of experience and expertise. You can let students know that becoming a CPA does offer good starting salaries and high earning potential over time.
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Speaker’s Outline for School Presentations
Here is an outline that may be helpful when preparing to speak to students. Remember this is only a suggested format.
A. Introduction . Your name, job title, where you work, hobbies, family, etc. . Describe your office, type of firm/business you work for . Describe where you went to school, college experiences
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B. Choosing a career . Jobs vs. careers, value of college education . Ask students if they know what career path they are interested in . Why you chose to study accounting in school . Why you chose to become a CPA
C. What do you all day? . Your “typical” day . Job responsibilities, travel requirements, levels of advancement . Personal stories – how you helped a client, uncovered fraud, etc.
D. CPA Requirements . Education (120/150), experience (2 years), exam (computerized), ethics . Skills Needed (Communication, PC skills, problem solver, etc.)
E. Benefits of becoming a CPA/why do you enjoy being a CPA? . High earning potential, flexibility, helping others . Numerous opportunities, upward mobility
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. Opportunity to work with many industries/specialties (public, private, education, government) and niche areas (forensic accounting, financial planning, tax, audit, not-for-profit, international business, etc.)
F. Question/Answer . Take questions, offer advice, encouragement . Leave students with a positive message
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