The best way to do this is to either select an extended accounting internship or pad your resume by participating in a second program of your own volition. By making taking either measures you show employers that you are not only more dedicate, but that you also have more experience than other applicants who chose an internship only to fulfill the minimum requirements for graduation.

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 98 percent of companies that have internship programs reported using them as a recruitment tool for full-time employees. Because of this, participating in accounting internship programs often give students the chance to secure employment before graduation.

Even if the employer you intern with does not offer you a position, other companies will look favorably on the experience you gathered while interning. NACE’s survey found that employers rated internships a 3.7 on a 5.0 scale as to their work experience value.

If you’re looking for an internship in accounting, the best place to start your search is own campus. Speak with you academic advisor, professors and a representative from the career department. These individuals will be aware of what employers in your area are looking for interns. If you are unable to find a promising position through this manner, then check out Vault.com, a leading job and internship search site. Those interested in the possibility of working for the Federal government should also consider internships listed on Studentjobs.gov.

During the hour long and very interactive discussion we talked how many Gen Y’ers think nothing of posting photos and other information to sites such as Facebook and MySpace under the mistaken impression that employers either can’t see it or won’t care about it. I showed some examples of students using the web to enhance their employment opportunities and others who are killing their chances because of what they’ve posted on-line. We also talked about what candidates can do to remove harmful information that they’ve posted or which has been posted by others and to bury information that can’t be removed.

I was very impressed with the students. In addition to be attentive and focused, they frequently asked great questions so we had much more of a dialogue than a presentation. That made it more interesting and educational for them and a lot more fun for me. Several of the students approached me afterwards to discuss their situations.

One takeaway that I need to chew on for a while: of the 75 or so attendees, only one indicated that he had heard of LinkedIn and that was because his boss had insisted that he sign-up. He uses it and understands its phenomenal potential for job seekers so hats off to him, but what about the others? Why are the others not using LinkedIn? Is it a generational gap? I can’t imagine that the answer is that they feel that it won’t help them because apparently only one had heard of it. If you don’t know about a tool, you can’t know whether it is going to help you or not. Perhaps the real question here is why haven’t these students even heard of LinkedIn and are they representative of students at other colleges across the country?