BerganKDV has officially wrapped up another year of its Xperience (XP) event. XP is a two-day event curated for college students that allows them to learn what it’s like to work at a professional services firm. The goal of the event is to identify candidates for the firm’s next internship class. The theme of this year’s XP was Stand Up. Stand Out. Stand Together. This theme ties into BerganKDV’s focus on solving complex business problems all while improving the communities we serve and making the world a better place.
Last year, the entire event was held virtually to accommodate social distancing and limit travel. This year, BerganKDV had both virtual and in-person elements to XP so students could check out the firm’s offices and network more effectively. Almost 50 students from across the Midwest joined us for XP and had the opportunity to experience firsthand what it means to be part of the BerganKDV team.
The event kick-started with the virtual part of the day, including a welcome to students and an overview of the event’s agenda and expectations. After going through a summary of the day, Dave Hinnenkamp, BerganKDV’s CEO, spent time with the students sharing about his career journey and the importance of having younger perspectives in an organization. He discussed the significance of having internship opportunities and how he began his career at BerganKDV as its first intern.
From there, students had the opportunity to work through a case study with the firm’s President, Earl Edeburn. The case study was designed to give students an idea of the types of challenges that the BerganKDV team assists clients with, how they would approach those challenges and what solutions they would recommend to address them. The purpose of the study was to encourage students to dig deeper into what it means to be a CPA and how by pursuing their CPA certification, there are many other career paths and opportunities available that aren’t specific to just accounting.
Once the case study concluded, students broke for lunch and then came back to a panel comprised of several BerganKDV team members. Panelists ranged from Shareholders to recent new hires so that students could gain a variety of perspectives on what it’s like to have a career at BerganKDV, and what advice the panelists would give to those just beginning their career journey.
The students then attended a few mini sessions that covered material relevant to up-and-coming professionals. Mini topics included:
- Communication and Collaboration: Students analyzed the results of their MPO assessment, which breaks down how individuals prefer to communicate and work with others.
- CPA Exam Overview and Prep: The sessions covered the steps to becoming a CPA, what the CPA exam entails, tips and tricks for preparing for the exam and what to expect post-exam.
- Intern 101: This session shared insights on interviewing and making the most out of an internship.
- The BerganKDV CPA Experience: This session discussed what it means to be a CPA at an Accounting Today Top 100 firm like BerganKDV, how we are positioned for growth, what drives our culture and why the firm is a standout organization to work for as a CPA.
The second day of XP is reserved solely for interviews and allows students to take what they learned from the first day and apply it to the real world with the opportunity to land an internship or even a full-time position at BerganKDV. We are excited to welcome over 40 interns in 2023 and XP is a huge driver to fill those positions with rising students. Thank you to all the students who participated in XP this year and to the BerganKDV team members who made it possible through their incredible support and efforts! XP continues to redefine what it looks like to recruit new talent by giving students the rare chance to learn more about the career paths available at firms, how to improve their skills to score a future position and experience what it’s like to be on the BerganKDV team to see if it aligns with their individual values and career goals.
Interested in learning more about open positions at the firm and recruiting events like XP? Become a talent insider today to connect with our recruiting team so you are first in the know about available job opportunities and what makes BerganKDV’s culture so contagious. Sign up here.
Check out a few photos below from XP 2022 in BerganKDV’s Minneapolis office!
