NASBA Center For Public Trust 
Janessa Harkley, a campus recruiter for Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP (DHG), is an alumna of the StudentCPT program and this month’s Alumni Spotlight. Currently at DHG, Harkley attracts top talent on various campuses and leads campus recruiting efforts for offices in Florida, specifically Jacksonville and Tampa, in hiring entry-level audit associates, tax associates and interns. In addition, she leads recruiting efforts for DHG NEAR (Next Evolution of Accounting Resourcefulness). She graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
To become better acquainted with Harkley and how she began her journey to becoming an ethical leader, read her full interview below.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, including your background and your journey to where you are today. I have one older sister and two older brothers, which makes me the “baby” of the family. This may not be an actual status, but I have the baby-of-the-family syndrome! I attended the illustrious North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and currently work for DHG, a top 20 public accounting firm. When I am not working, I enjoy traveling, spending time with my friends and family, hanging out with my cousin to perfect my photography skills and more. To make a long story short, I got to where I am today by having faith in God and making-up my mind that I was no longer going to allow fear to stop me from taking advantage of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Tell us about your experience in the StudentCPT program. Would you recommend it to other students and if so, why? The program helped build me as a person and as a young professional. Yes, I would strongly recommend the StudentCPT program to students. The StudentCPT program really prepares students to face ethical dilemmas head-on, as well as shape them into the ethical people and professionals that they desire to become.
Tell us about the StudentCPT conference. What was your favorite part or memory from that experience? The StudentCPT conference was amazing. It was my first time in Colorado, so I was very excited. I was also a little nervous because I wasn’t too sure what to expect. But, that quickly changed as soon as I went down to the lobby for registration and took a selfie with the CPT staff and the camera man! That is a moment that I will never forget and one of my favorite moments.
As a recruiter, what kind of ethical dilemmas do you think students face today? As a recruiter, I believe students face the ethical dilemma of being completely truthful or being partly truthful when interviewing for internships and full-time opportunities. They want to impress the interviewer, so they may fabricate a story and/or say everything they think the interviewer wants to hear.
Now that you work with students, how do you practice what you learned in the StudentCPT? I behave in an ethical manner and do not show any bias toward students. I view and treat each student equally.
What would you say to potential supporters who are thinking about contributing to the CPT? I would say to potential supporters that whatever amount you are considering donating…do it now. Your donation will not go to waste. If it weren’t for the supporters, I wouldn’t have been able to attend the 2016 StudentCPT Conference and had experience that I had. Nor would I have had the opportunity to meet the amazing people I met.
-Dina Barabash, NASBA Content Development & Web Specialist