CPABC in Focus May/June 2016 | Page 9

NOTES & NEWS Career Connect Employer Program Speed Interview Nights M ore than 100 keen CPA students, candidates, members, and prospective students gathered at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel on March 16, 2016, for an opportunity to “speed interview” with hiring managers from CPABC’s Career Connect employer partners. For hiring companies, speed interview events provide a quick and easy way to screen a large number of jobseekers in one night. For jobseekers, these events provide the opportunity to submit resumés in person and interview with a variety of potential employers, thus increasing their odds of landing a job. Although most hiring decisions are not made based on these initial meetings alone, the speed interviews serve as a potential primer for follow-up interviews later on. The following companies participated at the March 16 event (all are members of CPABC’s Career Connect Employer Program): • BC Public Service • Fernandez Young LLP • Galloway Botteselle & Company • MNP • MOSAIC Homes • SM Accounting Group • Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Club • TEC The Education Company • TIO Networks Corp. Throughout the night, jobseekers had the chance to practise their communication and presentation skills as they moved from table to table to interview with a variety of potential employers. At the same time, employers had the opportunity to not only match jobseekers’ skills and experience with available positions, but also to gauge how well these individuals might fit within their corporate cultures. CPA PREP student Tyler Goulding is proof that CPABC’s speed interview events can lead to a job, as he was hired through the process in 2015. At this most recent event, it was his turn to sit on the other side of the table, interviewing applicants for his employer, TEC The Education Company, where he now works as an accountant. CPABC’s speed interview nights are held several times throughout the year, generally in the spring and fall. While they vary in size, the events often attract more than 150 jobseekers, and the number of participating Career Connect employer partners typically ranges from six to 10. The Career Connect Employer Program is an initiative launched by CPABC’s Recruitment & Business Development team. The Program is designed to bridge the hiring needs of BC’s leading workplaces with the career development of CPABC’s students, candidates, and members. For more information about the Program or to enrol your company as an employer partner, please contact Jerrick Barroso, CPABC's employer relations specialist, at [email protected]. Top (l to r): Azadeh Habibollah, CPA PREP student Tyler Goulding, and Elena Krasnov, CPA, CGA—employer reps for TEC The Education Company. Middle (right side): Ivan Lie and Rita Terlicher interview job candidates for Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Club. Bottom (l to r): Employer reps Leanne Wong, CPA, CMA, and Fred Bantados, CPA, CMA, interview job candidates for TIO Networks Corp. CPABC in Focus • May/June 2016  9