Deloitte Women’s Leadership Seminar

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I have blogged, and now that second semester is here, there are so many wonderful things in store, and I am excited to blog about everything I experience as this semester progresses! Today, I am going to tell you all about my experience at the 5^th Annual Women’s Leadership Seminar at Deloitte which took place on January 17.

To begin with, this was a very fun and informative event where I was able to network with my peers from different universities, as well as with the professionals at Deloitte! This seminar gave me the opportunity to learn so much by just speaking to professionals from the different departments, and I got all of my questions answered. I asked about all the different programs that Deloitte offers, so that I could be well prepared when it comes time to look for internships. Deloitte’s staff was very friendly and they gave great advice about what kinds of things we should do while we are still pursuing our university education.

So now, let me share with you some of the great things about this event. The program began with an icebreaker activity, and this gave me the chance to meet women from other universities such as Northwestern, Notre Dame, Northern Illinois, University of Illinois, and many more! I was able to network with a lot of the women during the “Networking Lunch”, and also during the “Making Moments Matter Workshop” that they had planned for us. During the Networking Lunch, I spoke to many professionals and I got insight on what they do when they come to work at Deloitte. I learned the importance of networking because the staff at the program stressed how networking is VERY essential for individuals if they want to become successful, since it helps one create mutually beneficial relationships which will be valuable in the future. Fortunately, I was able to make connections with the professionals that were already well into their careers at Deloitte, as well as with the students from the other universities.

During one part of the program, we got to hear from current leaders at Deloitte, one of them being Stacy Janiak. Stacy Janiak is the Central Region Managing Partner of the Audit and Enterprise Risk Services Practice of Deloitte. Janiak talked about what makes leaders successful, and she told us women that in order to become a good leader, one must be inspiring and should always stay positive even during hard times. Janiak also talked to us women about the importance of asking questions as well as recognizing one’s weaknesses, for one should never be afraid to get help when they need it. Stacy Janiak was very inspiring, and she said that in this day and age, we need more women to take up leadership positions and become CEOs. Janiak also touched upon what Deloitte is looking for when they recruit, and that is to be yourself when talking about all your experiences during an interview, and again, to ask questions that show that you are interested in working for Deloitte.

During the “Making Moments Matter Workshop” we learned about four different skills professionals at Deloitte use when meeting with clients. These skills include: being fully present when meeting a client (physically, emotionally, and mentally); bringing a new point of view; taking accountability for results; and adapting to the specific needs of the clients. The skills that I learned during this workshop can be applied to everyday for different purposes, and that was the wonderful part about this workshop!

Overall, my experience at the Women’s Leadership Seminar was one that I will always remember, and I hope that for all the female students who are interested in learning more about Deloitte should definitely go to the seminar next year!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience and I hope to share more exciting things next time!