[Peanut Butter is Good]

Do accounting firms judge you harder when you interview if you are a few years older? Like do they sort of have a limit? Like “we’re gonna take all young people and maybe 1 or 2 older people”?

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[mla1169]

Ageism definitely exists but I believe its not a factor until you are near 50, and even then its a factor but not THE deciding factor.

FAR- 77
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[taxman89]

if you think you are a victim of ageism then your attitude was probably why you wernt hired.* IE if you are going into the interview with the attitude that you are the bomb and if they didnt hire you it must be beacuse of some discrimination….the interviewer probably picked up on that and didnt want to deal with your attitude.

*with fairly rare exceptions.

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[MydnightDarkfyre]

I think ageism exists in every industry; but I also believe that if you are a strong candidate, you will be hired.

I submit myself as an example, being a 41 year old campus hire at a big 4 firm. 🙂 Yes, campus hire. Yes, 41.

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[Peanut Butter is Good]

I don't know. I keep getting rejections. I'm only 29, but look around 25. I never really considered the “ageism” thing, but I've noticed at a few interviews, the interviewer makes comments like “at this job, you're going to take orders from someone younger than you”. And it's not really a question, but they seem concerned, so I say “no, that will be no problem”. Perhaps it's something else that's going wrong, and that's a Freudian slip on their part to give me “a reason” why they already know I'm not getting the job. I sure wish I knew what I was was doing wrong though. I got another rejection (4 in a row now), and I really thought I did my best. Maybe I was too enthusiastic and full of energy, and they took it as mocking or fake. IDK, I have no tricks left in my sleeve. I have PWC and KPMG on Thurs and Friday, final rounds, and I have no strategy left except to just be myself and hope for the best. I still can't believe I've had 4 final rounds, all rejections. Talk about getting humbled (I thought I was already humble).

AUD - 84
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If I passed so can you!!

[ScarletKnightCPA]

All the isms exists in the hiring process and it's probably a lot more common than people would think. The thought process of ‘being the right fit' in addition to being qualified encourages it.

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[Peanut Butter is Good]

I'm preparing for my 2 Big 4 interviews (which are my only 2 interviews left before there are no prospects left for me), by coming up with 6-8 S.T.A.R. stories to tell, so that I can adapt them to however the question is phrased. I bought an e-book that says this is the “single most important thing you can do” to win these interviews. Any experience? (I know this is off topic from my original thread topic).

AUD - 84
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If I passed so can you!!

[MultiMediaWill]

I bet this has nothing to do with age. 29 is young, and you look even younger. You need to go into your final two interviews with as much confidence as you can. Always make eye contact, stand up straight, solid hand shakes, confident and clear voice, smile, be personable (get to know the other candidates, ask them “what school are you from”), ask questions that let the partners talk about themselves, don't let a conversation die out so continue to ask questions to keep the flow, and don't forget to be remembered. My trick for the last part usually takes places at the end of the morning presentation. To stand out from the rest, I always ask a question at the end of their ‘sell the firm to you' presentation. It helps them understand that you are interested in the firm as well as lets you stand out in a confident way (shows you are not scared to talk in front of a group). Do all of the above, and you should be good to go.

[Peanut Butter is Good]

What are some good questions to ask during the presentation?

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If I passed so can you!!

[fuzyfro89]

Age discrimination, in my opinion, is not unique to accounting industry… it's pretty much everywhere.

A post above highlighted what I think may be the most common concern, that an older candidate will have issues taking directives from people who are younger, or be unable to handle the fact that their age peers are managers/senior managers/partners while they are a staff or senior or whatever. I can't imagine being asked that outwardly, but you can bet that if you are obviously an older candidate (either you look 35+ or your resume shows you went to school a while ago or have experience that dates you) that one thing they are trying to evaluate is whether you are going to cause friction with younger employees… obviously, regardless of age they want people who will get along with and work well with their teams.

We all have biases, but personally I think being a few years older is an asset, not a liability. You are likely more mature, tried another career path and later decided to go into accounting and can speak intelligently to why you are in the field now as opposed to 23 yr old kids who don't really have the other experience.

Play the cards you were dealt…

[Peanut Butter is Good]

What do I say to convince them otherwise? It seems to get brought up as a statement, not a question. And I say it wouldn't matter, and they just look at me.

AUD - 84
BEC - 88
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If I passed so can you!!

[Anonymous]

@PB-

I would expand the answer a bit and say something like:

“Having a superior that is younger than I does not bother me in the least. I'd imagine that it happens to most everyone at some point or another in life.

What excites me about your firm is that I know that I will receive direction from someone who, regardless of their age, is [insert desired characteristic here]. Additionally, from what I've come to learn, your firm does an excellent job at cultivating [previously mentioned desired characteristic] to help position your employees into the future leaders within our profession.”

[Iggy1985]

I am also 29 (as of a few weeks ago) and look younger.. probably around 23.. age never comes up.. in fact they don't know my age at all, as it's not asked in the application, and we are supposed to blur out our birthday when submitting transcripts. The only thing that ages me on paper is that accounting is my second degree. I just blend in and don't think about it.

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[JPM-III]

@PB is Good

“I have PWC and KPMG on Thurs and Friday, final rounds, and I have no strategy left except to just be myself and hope for the best.”

I was fortunate enough to have second round office interviews at both of these firms this past October. I am 28 years old, and the question of my age never came up. I list all dates of education and previous work experience, so I'm sure anyone can figure out my true age even if I never state the date of birth on an application.

If anything, I believe that my previous 4 years of professional experience helped my cause, and I stressed the fact that I knew what it took, time/effort commitment-wise, to succeed in the field of public accounting. Sell your experiences similarly. In the highly unlikely event the topic of age comes up, state that the extra years you have on the other candidates has afforded you a level of maturity that makes you more capable of handling the high-stress environments, or something to that effect.

Walk in with good posture, speak with confidence and conviction, seal the deal.

from neuroscience to accounting

[MultiMediaWill]

@Peanut, During the morning presentation, I took notes. Then, I formed a question around the notes I had taken. It's hard to give you a good question now without knowing what their presentation will cover. Rather, I suggest you pay close attention during the presentation and come up with a relevant question at the time.

[mla1169]

The asking questions part is your chance to show you did your homework specifically about this company. You don't want to ask a generic question that could be asked anywhere like “what's the culture like here?” You want to incorporate some independant research. Like “I noticed that your office just moved from Wilmington to Burlington, was that to provide more space because this office is growing?” Shows that you actually took some time to prepare AND gives the opportunity for the interviewer to brag on their success.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Author]

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