When Honors student Julio Colon-Gonzales approached the recruiting booth for PricewaterhouseCoopers at a job fair in Grapevine, he didn’t expect an interview on the spot for an internship position at one of the biggest accounting firms in the country.
Luckily, he came prepared. He had his resume at hand and expressed great interest in the internship. His friendly demeanor and good grades impressed the recruiters. After two interviews, back-to-back, he got the position. For Gonzales, it’ll be a big step towards his life goals and his first taste of working the world. And it all started with making professional connections.
“In public accounting, it’s not just what you do, it’s who you do it with too,” he said. “It’s a very social field.”
It’s no secret that good GPAs get jobs. Being a good student requires a commitment and focus on academics that’s important in the long term. But outside of school – in the “real world” – networking with the right people is just as important as making that A. That’s why Gonzales wants to make big strides to grow his professional network, even before graduation.
His advice to students who want to land that first opportunity: present yourself, ask questions, and don’t forget – working professionals are people too.
“It’s a two-way street,” he said. “You can’t be asking for everything and not give anything back.”
When Gonzales first came to UTA, three years ago, he wanted to start a new leaf after several years of marching band in high school. He decided to take advantage of the leadership opportunities, first by joining Freshmen Leaders On Campus. That’s where he forged some friendships that he maintains today.
“I decided when I came to the university to change myself, challenge myself and do something completely different than what I’d been used to,” he said.
Inspired by the drive of FLOC, Gonzales was motivated to explore other professional groups related to his major. He’s now involved with three business and marketing groups at UTA including the professional fraternity Delta Sigma Pi and the accounting honor society, Beta Alpha Si. He also joined the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) which is focused on empowering Latino leaders.
Gonzales had one short-term goal: to land an internship in accounting, preferably PwC, one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world. But it was an extra challenge because the firm doesn’t ordinarily recruit students at UTA. It was through ALPFA that he made the he got the golden opportunity at that job fair in Grapevine and finally met his goal.
In the long term, Gonzales hopes to continue working at PwC and maybe, eventually do some helpful accounting work in Puerto Rico. But for now, at least he’s got his foot in the door and he’ll get the valuable and practical experience that’s just not taught in the classroom.