Bloomsburg brings pipeline of potential to RKL

RKL is building a pipeline.

Of Huskies, that is.

RKL is a public accounting firm and national leader in business solutions with a robust internship program on which they rely heavily to recruit new hires.  Many of those new hires have been Huskies.
“Interns are our largest recruiting effort and how we build a pipeline of candidates,” said RKL Talent Acquisition Manager, Jake Stehman.

Stehman said that since Bloomsburg was well known in the area, and the company had quite a few alumni already working for the company, it seemed a logical location to concentrate some of their recruiting efforts.  Since then, Stehman has found that not only are Huskies prepared academically, but they carry a unique level of professionalism.

“They are not only where they are of the nuts and bolts of what we do, but also have a level of professionalism, are detail-oriented and prepared,” said Stehman. “That’s always something that gets picked up on during the interview process.”

The company typically hires up to five interns each year and has a strong commitment to work-life balance and career development at every level of employment. Interns are paired with a staff mentor who can answer questions, give feedback and provide guidance. Depending on the level of internship, students are given a wide variety of mock projects and/or hands-on experience with clients to assist them in finding their fit within the company. Pair that type of real-world learning with a full evaluation at the end of each experience, and Stehman says that approximately 85% of RKL interns return for another internship or a full-time position. According to Stehman, Huskies are a regular fit within the company. In fact, one of their Bloom interns was offered and recently accepted a position after their 2023 graduation.

“There are certain things we can't teach like communication skills, etc.’” said Stehman. Our internships mirror an entry-level position, so professionalism is important. “We continue to come back Bloom because students exhibit of the soft skills and the ability to adapt that is becoming more important in this current workforce. They’ve done this and they’re ready to go.”