Bloom Students "Get it": CPA firm helps Huskies with the experience necessary to make the climb

John M. Nonnemacher, CPA for Snyder and Clemente, has been hosting accounting interns for nearly as long as he’s been an accountant. In that time, Bloom grads have been a good fit, possessing the unique academic qualifications for the industry and the soft skills required to succeed.

Snyder and Clemente is a large CPA and consulting firm with offices in Kingston and Sugarloaf and a diverse client base that includes government municipalities and fraud investigators, non-profits, and different size companies in various industries.

“We have a long and proud history of excellent client service and community involvement,” said Nonnemacher. “The work we do here is intellectually challenging and very satisfying.”

Nonnenmacher’s first accounting intern was a Husky, and he admits being pleasantly surprised with the student’s technical and professional skillset.

“I knew they were giving up a few weeks of their summer, but they would get hands-on experience with a public accounting firm,” said Nonnemacher who admits first being apprehensive at taking an intern on. I remember that young man called to thank me when the internship was over.”  

That same Bloom grad became one of the top ten students recruited for a large accounting firm in the U.S. Capital Area, but it wasn’t just a good experience for the student. Nonnemacher says that although accounting software has become a staple since he entered the business in 1979, accountants still need to understand debits and credits and double-entry bookkeeping. He stresses that to be successful in public accounting, one has to be able to see the big picture rather than the immediate task at hand. From his experience, Huskies are able to do both.

“Many times, students make journal entries [where] they don’t see the bigger picture [and] adjustments can unravel everything. But whatever they’re doing at Bloomsburg, those students ‘get it’.”

Nonnemacher says that understanding debits and credits isn’t enough. He looks for interns who can work independently, exhibit professional communication skills with clients, can apply what they’ve learned, and know when to ask for help.

“Some students may work independently but don’t know when they’re not making any progress,” explained Nonnemacher. “But when you see a student get it and they’re excited, or when an intern knows they’re over their head and acts appropriately, it’s satisfying.”

Nonnemacher also takes time to help interns with their resumes and enlist the help of affiliated companies to do mock interviews so they can practice selling their skills and thinking on their feet. He also advises students to take advantage of as many courses as possible, like statistics or business writing, that will help them prepare for the CPA exam and get a sense of the different kinds of work they can do.

“you see a lot of different things in public accounting,” explained Nonnemacher. “The curriculum is designed to help you grow and mature from a high school student to a professional ready to start their career. “