Abdo Accelerate: Shedding Light on a Public Accounting Career

By Kathryn Reeder

For college students considering a career in public accounting, the unknown can feel daunting. What’s it like to be a new staff member during peak season? How does the rhythm of tax work compare to that of audit or advisory specialties? Which firm is the best core value fit?

To help answer these questions and more, we offer Abdo Accelerate, a two-day, invite-only summer program that gives talented accounting majors a chance to get to know our firm, make connections, and make an impression.

This year’s Abdo Accelerate, which was formerly known as Experience AEM, was held in-person on May 10 and 11. Here’s how we helped 20 students illuminate their paths forward.

Getting to know our firm

This is the beauty of Abdo Accelerate: students get a chance to immerse themselves in “life at Abdo” for two full days—one spent in our Edina office, the other in Mankato. In the process, they get to see firsthand the type of work assigned to new staff along with a behind-the-scenes look at public accounting. They also get to experience our company culture, which is shaped by our core values of relationships, growth and development, and teamwork.

Making connections

Abdo Accelerate involves way more than our HR department. In fact, 50 of our 200 staff members participate. Students attend partner roundtables, new hire panels, and social activities. Best of all, they get to engage with partners and staff across a variety of departments.

There’s plenty of fun to be had, too. This year, our social event took place at the Way Cool Cooking School and featured a “Top Chef” inspired competition that required students to get creative with—what else—popular college student fare!

Making an impression

As much as Abdo Accelerate is an opportunity for students to learn about our firm, it’s also an opportunity for us to learn about them—and secure top talent in a challenging job market. Following the program, we created a shortlist of fall 2022 and spring 2023 internship candidates and conducted interviews within the month. To stay ahead of the competitive market, we extended offers all the way out to summer 2023 and fall 2024. Knowing we are set to bring on individuals who will contribute their talents to our team makes for an exciting time for our firm.

Illuminating a bright future

We’re grateful for yet another successful summer program, and we can’t wait to see how our new hires will make a difference for our clients. If you’re interested in learning more about Abdo Accelerate, internships, or other employment opportunities, let’s talk!

Click here to learn more about Abdo Accelerate or click here to start your application for next year’s program.

Check out these images from the event: