Interviewing at the AAA National Meeting and Rookie Camp: Surveys of Schools' Experiences and Impressions Experiences and Impressions

• In Event: Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum 4

Abstract

This research examines schools’ use of the AAA national meeting and the Rookie Camp for recruiting accounting faculty, using separate surveys. Besides the formal AAA interviewing area, schools interviewed in common areas of the convention hotel and hotel suites and may have sent different signals to applicants by their choice of interviewing site. Generally, schools found more candidates worthy of campus visits and offers and obtained more job acceptances from applicants interviewed at the AAA than candidates obtained by other methods. The annual meeting is also used to network for future hiring success, even with no current opening. Results of the AAA survey were also analyzed by school size. Although less likely to interview at the AAA national meeting, large schools showed greater hiring success and satisfaction with the applicants and the AAA than did smaller schools. Nevertheless, the latter generally expected to continue recruiting there. Recruiters rated applicants at the Rookie Camp very highly. However, there was considerable competition for that pool of candidates; the acceptances to offers ratio was lower than for faculty obtained from other sources. The paper provides implications for schools that are recruiting potential faculty members.

Authors

• Steven C Hunt, Western Illinois University

• Keith T. Jones, University of North Alabama