Member Monday: Jenny Lefholz
Meet Jenny Lefholz, the first Member Monday spotlight of 2023!
Jenny is an Associate at Mauldin & Jenkins, CPAs & Advisors. She graduated with her undergrad in Accounting in December of 2021 from Mercer University, and is on track to finish graduate school with her Master of Accountancy in March of 2023.
She started her job search process in August of 2020. Initially, she would talk with peers, professors, and professionals in the industry in order to gain feedback on their experiences. When Mercer held its annual Career Expo, which provides students with the opportunity to meet in-person with company recruiters, she decided to take part. The Expo was the only on-campus job fair she attended, but that single event allowed her to start building relationships, find her first job opportunity, and effectively get her foot in the door of the industry.
She took part in a total of three internships. They occurred during the spring of 2021 (of her senior year), the summer of 2021 (of her senior year), and the spring of 2022 (in grad school).
When asked about how she narrowed down her decisions to take her current position, she stated that "Accounting is such a versatile industry. Many of the areas in which one could specialize interested me. I participated in as many internships as I could to gain a better understanding of the different types of work one could do. I still was not quite ready to choose a specific type of work, which is why a position that provided a broad spectrum of work was a major factor. Workplace environment and company culture were also major factors for me. I felt it was important that I not only enjoy the work itself, but that I enjoy the environment I work in as well."
The advice that she would give to current students is to try as many internships as you need! It is completely okay to not have a full-time job right out of college. Take as much time as necessary to gain different experiences, to weigh pros and cons, and to choose the company/job you think would be the best fit. Be confident in yourself! Yes, you are fresh out of college and potentially new to the workforce, but do not sell yourself short. You have spent years earning your degree, so be confident with the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired so far and realize your own potential. Talk to as many people as you can! Whether you learn something positive or negative about a certain company or position, you at least now have more information to use in the decision-making process. You also never know where job opportunities will come from. They may come from a simple conversation.
We can’t wait to see what you can do for the profession Jenny!
The Member Monday series will highlight a different GSCPA member each week. GSCPA is excited to introduce you to your fellow members and let you get to know a little more about them. Stayed tuned for the next Member Spotlight.