[abacus]

Hi everyone, hope you are able to squeeze some football in to this Sunday.

I interviewed on campus with several public accounting firms and got a call back from one inviting me to a partner’s house for an open house/reception of sorts. It is in the afternoon on the weekend. The invite states that the event is an opportunity to meet the directors and employers of the firm in a casual atmosphere.

Has anyone attended anything similar? Either on the firm side or the candidate side?

Also, is it a good idea to bring something for the host? I’m thinking something like a small fruit basket or something festive?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know that ultimately I need to be myself, be confident and really connect with anyone and everyone I speak to… here’s hoping past networking events will pay off!

BEC 81
AUD 76
FAR 70, 76
REG 58, 78! DONE!

"I am not my intentions. I am my actions."

[Anonymous]

Abacus I have never heard of this, but it is obviously a good idea to go. I think you are right on point & bringing something to the managing partner's house I think is a good idea. It shows who you are & could possibly help set you apart from your competition.

[whitesoxfancpa]

I'd dress in a nice long-sleeve shirt and dress pants (if you're a guy). If you're a woman, I can't help you there.

I think bringing something small and simple is a good idea. A fruit basket or other dessert is probably good, maybe a package of cookies or something.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[potatogun]

The bringing something would have to be decided by how many people are going. If it is a smaller number and not like 100 people, then okay. But if there are TONS of people I don't think you really need to do that…

And did they say casual? I'd still dress business casual as whitesoxfan mentioned.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[abacus]

Thank you all for the responses.

I have never heard of anything like this either, but from what I understand, it is a 2nd round interview. The partners/employees then narrow it down to the final round for an office visit. They are a small firm (30-40 employees) and really want to find someone who is a nice fit.

I expect there to be about 30 people, with a 2:1 employee:candidate ratio.

The invite says business casual, so I plan to wear dress pants and a nice shirt.

I was thinking of bringing a small fruit basket or fall decoration of some sort.

Networking in an unstructured format is soooo awkward, but this is my one shot, so here goes!

BEC 81
AUD 76
FAR 70, 76
REG 58, 78! DONE!

"I am not my intentions. I am my actions."

[potatogun]

Sorry, but when is networking structured for you? Unless you mean like set pairing off of people and rotating I guess. Maybe some schools do that?

Sounds like a firm mixer that just happens to be at the partner's house. Sounds nice that you would get to visit someone's home.

Anyways have fun and make a good impression really just don't go overboard at all with the gift.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[abacus]

Right on about networking always being unstructured. Other than one speed networking event that I recently attended, it is always unstructured. Thanks for the response and good luck with BEC!

BEC 81
AUD 76
FAR 70, 76
REG 58, 78! DONE!

"I am not my intentions. I am my actions."

[tax_vixen]

If there is alcohol available and you see others drinking, I would still advise against it. I was speaking with a recruit that told me they had an event with a different firm and they felt uncomfortable because they felt like the alcohol was put out as a test.

If you don't take that advise, at least approach people from the firm and ask “What's everyone drinking?” to make sure you aren't out of line. I had a recruit use that approach with me/my firm. We had an event and some of us showed up early to get a drink and a recruit showed up early, pulled up a chair, asked what we were drinking so he joined us. The HR manager asked me how that made me feel and I said it was the right approach and he did absolutely the right thing.

I like the idea of bringing something small but definitely not a “basket”. Overkill.

AUD - 92 :: REG - 99 :: FAR - 92 :: BEC - 82

[limey]

It sounds like the fall recruiting budget got severely axed. But at least you don't have to worry about screaming over the music at a loud bar.

The whole thing is an extended job interview. Watch out for the 4 hot topics – money, sex, politics, religion. Be outgoing and polite. They're trying to see if you're an okay person to hang around with after an 8 hour workday, that can easily become a 10 or 12 hour workday. After all, this is happening on a weekend on everyone's free time!

I really can't pass again!

[potatogun]

I remember when I started I had a training about no no topics such as the 4 you mentioned limey. When you start to hang out with your team you generally don't hold back what you talk about after you've gotten to know everything.

Auditors aren't always so professional when by themselves, hah.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[Author]

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