Representatives from 15 firms joined Binghamton University School of Management (SOM) students to help them showcase skills in a unique way during the sixth annual Ignite Competition.

The Ignite Committee, composed of 18 School of Management (SOM) students, organized the event, which took place in the Mandela Room on Thursday night. Out of 248 applicants, only 120 were selected to network with professionals and recruiters in an environment that highlighted hands-on skills. Those who were selected had a GPA of 3.5 or higher, as well as no established summer internship plans.

The participants were divided into tables of four students with one to two professionals. Students swapped tables and completed 20-to-30-minute logic challenges in front of recruiters, including building a cube by completing riddles and a decoding challenge. The recruiters scored participants on both team and individual performance.

The decoding challenge entailed teams using a series of coded hints to write a message in a secret code to protect confidential information for a made-up company. They had to decipher the hints and use the same code to write a message as a group. For the cube challenge, teams had to create a six-faced, nine-tiled cube based on clues. There were four viewing areas where, for 15 seconds, teams were able to see a correct completed cube and were able to buy additional clues with the 11 coins they were given. For both challenges, teams had to negotiate because only one submission was allowed.

Brandon Hohenberg, the co-director of the Ignite Student Committee and a junior double-majoring in accounting and business administration, said that the competition strove to differentiate itself from other recruiting events by pre-selecting students and firms.

“In a lot of recruiting events people talk about their experience, what they did in the past,” Hohenberg said. “At Ignite, they get to see their skill set, teamwork, creativity and different attributes that firms are looking for in action; that’s our core value.”

The firms included Deloitte, PwC, Friedman LLP, Macy’s, Goldman Sachs and Geico. The competition was not focused on winning, but on giving students a chance to learn about firms in a relaxed setting while firms could observe students in a working environment. The firms were selected after surveying participants with “matching questions,” including preferred management structure and qualities in a boss, making the competition similar to a dating service.

The competition had previously been held in the spring as a networking event, but this year it was moved to the fall to allow time for the summer internship application process and focused on recruiting, so freshmen were not allowed to apply.

According to Hohenberg, this concept is effective because firms know they are meeting with students who are interested in them, and they fit the GPA and skill criteria they are looking for.

PwC Scholars President Sarah Safeer, a junior double-majoring in psychology and business administration, said that the event is also a fundraiser which raised $9,500 for the Salvation Army soup kitchen in Downtown Binghamton. The money comes from a $600 entry fee firms paid, as well as a $10 student entry fee that included dinner.

Richard Hoffer, a junior double-majoring in mathematics and business administration, said he believed this is one of the best events in SOM because of the stress-free environment.

“There’s no pressure to hand in resumes or have a good elevator pitch,” Hoffer said. “That’s the best part of this event — you get to show off skills you never actually get to show off.”

According to Samantha Azoulay, a professional from Workiva Professional Services, the night allowed her to see students show off their “soft skills,” such as adaptability, teamwork and communication.

“Tonight is very relaxed and you get to be yourself,” Azoulay said. “It’s also a nice time for them to get to know us and see how we would fit in with what they’re looking for.”

PwC technology consultant Karlo Siriban said that events like Ignite are beneficial for employers because resumes can only show so much about an applicant.

“What we’re trying to find today are those couple of gems that stand out so we can fast-track them through the application process,” Siriban said. “There’s a couple kids here who I really want to see working at the firm in the future.”