What are the benefits of joining the Accounting Society of UCR?

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program

Accounting Society members have this great opportunity present to them to help prepare tax returns for residents in the Riverside County. Training is provided to its participants to enable them to prepare tax returns electronically. In return for the training, the county asks that you volunteer 20 hours of your time during tax season to the VITA program in order to receive certification. This program will either begin late in the fall quarter or early in the winter quarter. Training typically occurs during December and the program will commence in early January.

Alumni Mentorship Program

This is a new program that was just implemented, but it will be one of our most rewarding programs available to Accounting Society members. Networking into great accounting firms will be made easy as we pair you up with an actual professional in an accounting firm, hopefully of your choice. Both the professional and yourself will be contacted with the information of the other person. You will be contacted by the professional and as you two get to know each other throughout the course of the year, the professional will offer advice and assistance to make you more employable for an accounting position. Networking with professionals in an accounting firm is one of the best ways that students are able to land a great job, which is why this program is so important. The Alumni Mentorship Program is available to members all year round. If you are interested in participating, please send an e-mail either to accounting_society_ucr@yahoo.com or to the president, Tom Pentolino, at T_Pentolino@hotmail.com.

Meet the Firms Night

Also a great networking opportunity, this event is co-sponsored by the Accounting Society and the Career Center to bring out many large accounting firms to our campus. In one night, you can expect meet people from each firm, learn about their company and the work they do, and hand them your resume. This event has proven to be a useful tool for students searching for internships or full-time positions, and has been especially useful for students who return for the next school year for recruiting. Accounting firms mainly recruit during the fall quarter before busy season, and recruiters use Meet the Firms in spring to get to know some of the potential candidates before the interview. Attend Meet the Firms and potentially meeting one of your interviewers before the interview would give you a tremendous advantage over other students in obtaining the position.

Firm Meetings

Wednesday nights throughout the quarter, we have professionals from various accounting firms come and give a presentation to our members. Usually, the professionals will talk about their firm, the available positions within the firm, and the recruiting process that an applicant will go through. Occasionally, professionals like to incorporate helpful advice into their presentations, such as how to network, proper dinner etiquette, job interviewing skills, etc. There is a lot of information to be learned during the meetings, and they present a good opportunity to ask any questions you have about the firm as well as listen to other questions that Accounting Society members have for the firms. After the meetings, we encourage you to stick around and speak with the professionals so that they can get to know you more on a personal level. Grab a business card from them and keep in contact with them throughout the year! While meetings times are mostly consistent and occur on Wednesdays from 6:30pm – 7:30pm, sometimes dates and times do change. We encourage you to continuously check our website for any changes or updates, and view the “Events” page to know exactly when our meetings are, where they are, who will be speaking, and the topic they will be discussing.

Firm Tours

The Accounting Society usually plans several firm tours throughout the year, including a few tours at some of the “Big 4” firms, as well. Members from the Accounting Society will meet at a firm and, as a group, take a tour of an accounting firm’s building or office. Firm tours allow Accounting Society members to see first hand the environment that accountants work in and to meet many more professionals. Tours typically conclude with a fun social event that allows professionals and members to get to know each other, ask more questions, and network, but most importantly, to have a good time!

Social Events

During our social events, we give members the opportunity to get to know each other and have some fun while doing it! Social events are used to develop great relationships and contacts with other members, professionals and faculty that will extend well into your career as an accountant. These social events will also help you get a job with an accounting firm because most of the firm’s recruiting is done through referrals. Obviously, the more people who know you the better your chances are of receiving a recommendation. The Accounting Society attempts to schedule between one and two social events a quarter. Please continue to check this website and your e-mails for details. If you have a suggestion for a social event, we would love to hear it. Please e-mail any comments or suggestions either to accounting_society_ucr@yahoo.com or to the president, Tom Pentolino, at T_Pentolino@hotmail.com.

Alumni Dinner and the Year End Banquet

Both of these dinners are provided to Accounting Society members for a minimal fee. It is strongly recommended that you attend these banquets as we invite many professionals from accounting firms as well as faculty from our school. You will eat dinner with members, professionals, and faculty and enjoy each other’s company and conversation. Great contacts and relationships are built at these events. The Alumni Dinner occurs in the Fall quarter and the professionals will consist of UCR Alumni. Several awards will be presented to members, such as highest attendance, most involved, etc., which is designed to help our members stand out. The Year End Banquet occurs in the spring quarter and also invites professionals out to the event, but is not limited to UCR alumni. Several scholarships are awarded at this banquet, which alone offers a great incentive to attend. At both dinners, many prizes will be raffled off to the people that are present.