Esther
Honor Programs, are they important to employers?
I am an accounting major that is and have attended multiple networking clubs and events. One of the professor of an event said that I should join as much honor programs as possible. He suggested to join the accounting honor society as well as the accounting & taxation honor program at my school. However, another professor asserted that honor programs are unnecessary. What employers want to see the most are clubs like ISACA, where one-on-one conversations with professionals are possible. He also remarked that taking a semester off to do the internship required by the honor program is a waste of time. Internships should be completed during the summertime. In the end, I am conflicted and wonder if honor designations/programs matter to employers? #career-counseling #school-counseling #employers
3 answers
Haider Amjed
Haider’s Answer
Great Questions !!
It's depends on the employers and the hiring manager .. some global companies the prefer the candidate have them & some employers look at these program as activities & passion about the job you are applying too .. and how far are you welling to go to develop and connect yourself .. These program will add value to you100% if you use them right.. Ultimately hiring manger looks at experience and these programs are add-on which make you stand .. Do it for your own benefits.
Best of luck ...
Thank you for the advice!
Esther
Helen Vretanos
Helen’s Answer
Yes they could be important because they teach you how to get the job
John H. Noble, III
John H.’s Answer
Hi, Ester: the question of whether or not to take honors classes and/or programs boils down to what you think you can handle AND what you like to do best. I remember working on the admissions committee at Harvard when candidates would ask, "Is it better to have a lot of extracurriculars/internships or to get good grades/honors?" The answer was always, "Yes." In other words, if you can handle it, take honors programs and do extracurriculars and internships. It's a tall order, but employers will value all your accomplishments and experience. If you have to choose between honors programs and internships, I would favor internships because they give you experience and help you create contacts in your target industry. Taking time off to gain experience is not a bad idea, necessarily, but it does put you a bit off schedule for graduation. Ultimately, your best advice will come from those in your target industry. So, see if you can find some alumni from your school (your career center should have these contacts) and take time to connect. You'll find a lot of confidence in your decision after you talk to some of them. Hope this helps a bit . . . but follow up if you have more questions.