Recent Employment Evenings were successful in raising employer profiles with final year accounting students.

'Preparation is essential' has been the key take-out for students looking for graduate positions in the current economic environment. This was in clear evidence at The Institute's Graduate Employment Evenings held around Australia in March.

A record 2,900 third and final year students attended the Employment Evenings this year, an increase of 80% from 2008. "Students have recognised the importance of networking and standing out from the crowd in securing a job in this tight economic climate," said Lyndel Killick from The Institute's Careers Marketing team. "Events such as these provide the perfect opportunity for them to meet a variety of employers and learn about their organisations before applying for positions."

And despite fewer jobs to offer, many employers are happy to continue their involvement in recruitment events. It is important for employers to maintain their profile in the student market and to align themselves with the quality brand that is The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. 94% of surveyed employers at this year's events said they attended to raise the awareness of their organisation on campus and to access top quality students, and 99% of respondents indicated the events did just that. "The Employment Evening definitely helped to raise our profile with final year accounting students and helped us to promote the benefits of working within a smaller firm where they can gain greater experience in working within their teams and dealing with clients", said Sue Milner from SRJ Brisbane.

"We think the Institute night is always very successful and we find the candidates attending the night are generally pretty strong," said Meghan Carter, PKF Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Perth.

"The success of these events is encouraging and we will continue to offer them as demand allows," said Lyndel. "Some of the focus may change from recruitment to professional development but I expect in this climate they will continue to be received well from both students and employers alike."

For more information on how you can maintain your organisation’s profile on campus through our varied programs and promotions, contact your local careers marketing representative or register for events online.