Published:
- by Mount Saint Mary College

Matthew Higgins of Meriden, Conn., a senior at Mount Saint Mary College, and Kristie MacBride of Brooklyn, N.Y., an MBA graduate student at the college, were recently hired to the Global Mobility Services team at KPMG, LLP – several months before graduation.

Higgins, a business administration major, and MacBride, an Accounting major, attended the Mount’s “Real World Connections in Corporate America” networking event in September of this year. Hosted by the Mount’s Career Center, the Real World Connections series unites seniors of all majors with professionals in a variety of fields, including high profile recruiters and successful alumni.

Matthew Higgins of Meriden, Conn.It was at this event where the pair first made a connection with the KPMG representative, Noelle Collazo, a manager at KPMG and a 2009 Mount graduate. This connection, along with the help of the Mount’s Career Center, helped Higgins and MacBride to land their jobs with the company, one of the top accounting firms in the nation.

“The Career Center has been extremely helpful throughout my four years at the Mount, from helping me to create my résumé and preparing me for interviews to finding me internships, and now directly helping me to get a full-time job,” said Higgins. 

The Mount students are excited to begin working at KPMG, and both are relieved that they will not have to scramble for a job during his last semester. 

“Knowing that I already have a job after graduating in May with my master’s degree makes me feel very confident about my future,” said MacBride.

MacBride completed her bachelor's degree in Accounting in just three years, and is now spending her fourth year completing and obtaining her MBA. Her advice to all seniors and fellow graduate students is to “be yourself” during the interview process.

“I interviewed with five different people for about a half hour each and connected with them personally,” she explained. “If you have a first connection like I did, contact them before coming into the interview so you will be able to see a familiar face when you arrive.” 

Higgins suggests that his fellow Mount seniors should apply to as many good jobs as possible and to get as much professional experience in college as they can. 

Kristie MacBride of Brooklyn, N.Y.“Making connections, learning about real-world problems, and getting solid experience is so important, and can definitely help when applying and interviewing for a job,” Higgins explained.

Higgins also suggests getting involved on campus. He has plenty of experience to help his résumé stand out: he is captain of the Men’s Golf Team, vice-president of the Student Business Association, a member of Student Athlete Advisory Committee, former secretary of the Sophomore and Junior Classes, and a two-time study abroad student.

A bright and successful future at KPMG awaits Higgins and MacBride, and their knowledge and experience from the Mount will always be there to help them navigate the challenges ahead.  

“The Mount has prepared me in so many ways,” Higgins noted. His time at the college gave him “the opportunity to learn about so many different subjects. And the business program helped me learn the fundamentals of prominent business fields.”

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