Emily Nolan ’22 has made her mark as an internship superstar, blazing through the hiring process and snagging key internships along the way. While pursuing her bachelor’s in business administration and accounting, Emily has also served as a leader for her peers on the Girard School of Business Student Leadership Board, and as a Promise Program peer leader. With her latest position secured, Emily joins us to discuss her career fair success, her future goals, and some interview tips and tricks for fellow students.
Hi Emily! Thanks for joining us today, and congratulations on your latest co-op at Tonneson & Co! Could you speak on the process of finding it?
EMILY NOLAN: Hi! I went to the Virtual Career Fair on Handshake, and I had 3 appointments with Tonneson. One was a one-on-one with an audit manager, another one-on-one with tax staff, and the last was a group information session with multiple employees at Tonneson. I really enjoyed speaking with everyone at the firm; later on, I applied both through Handshake and externally on their website. Not long after, I found out I had an interview with the firm, and that turned into an offer!
They must have been really impressed by you! Before you got that offer, did Covid-19 impact your internship search? Will it change your experience?
Yes, Covid-19 impacted my internship search. Looking for internships and co-ops this semester has been difficult, because I’m meeting people online and not going into the office. Tonneson’s goal as a firm is to be in-person and in the office, so the pandemic may impact my experience there as well.
Here’s hoping the impact isn’t too drastic. But let’s roll back a little: you formerly interned at Gray, Gray & Gray! Can you speak to that?
I was an intern in the audit department, mainly focusing on 401(k) benefit plans. I have nothing but positive things to say about Gray, Gray & Gray! It was an excellent experience. Some of the skills that I learned from them will definitely help me at Tonneson. I’ll be asking frequent questions; no question is a bad question. I’m excited to open my eyes to tax at Tonneson, and to further my knowledge of audit!
Your career advisor, Morgan Phipps, let us know that you’re an interview *rockstar*! Can you give us some tips on interview techniques? How do you prepare for them?
The best way to prepare for an interview: do your research on the company you’re interviewing for. Come up with a list of questions to ask them in the interview! The best advice I can give is to be your complete self during the interview, and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Really solid advice. Thank you! How did Morgan and the O’Brien Center help you with your internship search, both past and present?
Morgan and the O’Brien Center have really helped me. I believe that I wouldn’t be in this position today without any of their resources. Morgan was there whenever I needed her, and I used the O’Brien Center office plenty of times to do my interviews.
Morgan also said you’ve applied to tons of internships; how did you keep them all organized? Do you have any advice in regards to that?
My current tax professor outlined an Excel sheet, where we had to list the company name and the status of our application, whether we applied, reached out, or interviewed. She advised us to rank them in order of which internship we would accept.
It’s great to hear you’ve been getting support from your professors, as well! Is there any other faculty or organization on campus that’s been really crucial to your career development?
Yes! My role as a Promise Program peer leader has really set me up for success in my career; it has taught me how to work well in a team setting, and how to make genuine connections with my peers. As a peer leader for Promise, I’m grateful for the opportunity to encourage and help others navigate their way through Merrimack.
With an impressive resume of internships under your belt, what are your plans after graduation? What do you hope to do?
After graduation, I hope to accept a full time job as a public accountant, and take grad classes to obtain my 150 credits to sit for the CPA exam!
That’s awesome! Crossing my fingers for you, Emily. Good luck, and thanks again for sitting down with us!
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Are you ready to secure an internship or employment for the fall and beyond? The O’Brien Center for Career Development is here to help you! Visit Handshake today to search for open opportunities, meet with your career advisor, and more.
