In this “Internship Experience” blog post series, we will be featuring the profile and thoughts of our students from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management as they return from summer internships.
Name: Emma Tangel
Graduation Year: May 2020
Major(s): Accounting / Finance
Hometown: Westport, CT
Intern Company/Title: Deloitte Tax LLP – Multistate Tax Intern
Describe your position and some of your daily tasks?
As a tax intern at Deloitte, I specialized in the Multistate Tax Department. My responsibilities included: resolving notice discrepancies with the State Department of Revenue on behalf of clients resulting in the settlements of delinquent state returns and non-filings, reviewing and researching Nexus laws to determine a substantial claim in states resulting in client tax savings, and researching New York City tax laws to ensure compliance with state and local requirements for all clients. Also, I regularly shadowed client meetings with various partners of the firm.
How did you land your internship?
I landed my internship through a family friend who was able to put me in contact with the campus recruiter for Syracuse University via Handshake. Handshake was the easiest and simplest method when applying for internships, because it allowed me to view the recruiters that were hosting events in my area. After finding the Deloitte Tax Internship on Handshake, I applied and was invited to the pre-networking event the night before my first round of on-campus interviews, which eventually led to two virtual interviews with upper-management.
What did you learn from your internship experience?
My experience as an intern for Deloitte taught me to think critically and analytically about different projects I was assigned to. I was able to learn how different departments worked together to complete tasks. In multistate, many individuals I worked with were either lawyers, CPAs or both. Although I am not focused on getting my law degree, I learned a tremendous amount from the lawyers I worked with about tax law and various tax cases, specifically the Wayfair case of 2018. This case was one of the more recent and popular tax cases that set the precedent for sales tax law. Learning this case was crucial to understanding different clients’ sales tax requirements.
Has your experience changed your plans or career choice when you leave college?
Before going into my internship, I did not have a specific field that I knew or wanted to work in. It was not until after I had accepted the internship that I found myself fascinated with tax. Next year, I will be happily joining Deloitte for another Multistate Tax internship, before going to graduate school to obtain my CPA license.
How will your internship experience help you after graduation?
My experience at Deloitte will help me upon graduation, because of the connections I have made. While an intern at Deloitte, you are assigned an onboarding advisor, a coach and a supervisor who help you in all aspects of transitioning to your position as a Deloitte intern. Besides being a resource that is provided by the company to help you, these individuals also serve as great mentors who are willing to assist you even beyond your career at Deloitte. The people I have met throughout my internship will be connections that I know I can count on in the future if I ever need help.
How has the Whitman School prepared you for your internship?
Whitman’s Excel Certification requirement was a tremendous help to me throughout my internship experience as I used Excel almost daily. Also, Whitman’s focus on groupwork helped while working on group projects this summer. Working in groups in a classroom environment allowed me to succeed in a professional group setting.
What did you enjoy most about your experience?
One of the most unique experiences about being a Deloitte intern or full-time employee is the opportunity to travel to Deloitte University (DU), the Leadership Center located in Westlake, Texas. As an intern, Deloitte provides you with the opportunity to travel to Texas for the weekend to train, learn and network to become a better leader. While at DU, you get to meet hundreds of other interns from around other Deloitte offices in the U.S. within your department and learn more about your business chemistry profile. Your business chemistry is a scientifically designed test that is used in a business context to help professionals understand what type of leader they are so that they can learn how to adapt and build stronger relationships with other business professionals.
Do you have any advice to students who are looking for an internship?
If you are struggling to find an internship, don’t be afraid to reach out to people you may know that are in the field you want to go into! Networking is probably the best, if not the most productive way of finding an internship. Whether it is contacting a family friend, an alumni or an old professor, there are endless possibilities of finding someone who can put you in the right contact with your future employer.
I also suggest utilizing Handshake. Handshake is a great platform that allows you to view jobs and internship opportunities that will be recruiting directly on campus.
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