Did not work after graduation, still chances to get into big 4?

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  • April 22, 2015 at 1:02 am #193467
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I have one year experience in industry, and then I went back to pursue my master degree. Before graduated with master, I worked as an intern in a local CPA firm for a busy season. Due to family reason, I did not work after graduation for 3 years. Now I got the exams passed and want to step into the job market. Is it possible I can find opportunities in Big 4? Or I need to work in a local firm for several years, and jump over to Big 4?

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  • April 22, 2015 at 4:01 pm #662608
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    It's still possible. You may have an uphill battle explaining your 3 year hiatus, but maybe not. Just make sure you have a rock-solid resume.

    You should probably try to put yourself in front of recruiters, if possible- like job fairs and whatnot.

    April 23, 2015 at 2:21 am #662609
    TheGuyCPA
    Participant

    Hey Bill,

    Got any tips on a rock solid resume? Also what kind of job fairs do big 4 usually attend?

    FAR - 80
    REG - 78
    AUD - 88
    BEC - 84

    State of Illinois Licensed CPA as of September 2015

    April 23, 2015 at 2:21 pm #662610
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    By rock solid, I mean a resume that is 100%, entirely free of errors, and was edited to conform to the desired role.

    I always read the job posting at least twice and list out the requirements and qualifications. Next, I perform an assessment of all of my personal skills, experiences, and achievements and distill that list down to the ones that fit the role of the job.

    List your qualifications in order of most important to least important to the firm. Most important, IMHO, are savings (time or money) that can be quantified, marketing initiatives, leadership roles, etc. I can't stress this enough: QUANTIFY WHEN POSSIBLE!

    Also, if you can, try to have at least two EXPERIENCED business people review your resume. By experienced, I mean like 10+ years of experience.

    If your resume took you less than 20 hrs, you probably didn't do it right.

    Trust me on this, I've been able to land interviews at something like 10 out of the 12 of the places I've applied to this way (this is over two job searches). My last job search it was 100%, and lasted four days with multiple firms. The only reason I could get away with that many interviews is because my boss was on vacation.

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