[SAO247]

Hello everyone. I am looking for a little advice and some information regarding getting hired as an entry level public accountant at a small regional firm.

A little about me. I graduated with my masters in accounting last year, with a 3.40 GPA, with me moving to a new state. Recently i have finished my work with the CPA exam, having passed all four parts and gaining a CPA certificate. I can get a license pending 2 years of public accounting experience, or three years in private under a licensed CPA in my state. I have about 18 months of private GL accounting experience. I had left my previous position 6 months ago to finish off the CPA, and search for public accounting opportunities, specifically in audit, which is an area of accounting I have developed a healthy passion for.

I have gotten a few interview with public accounting firms in the area by sending out cover letters and resumes. Last Thursday afternoon, I just finished up my second interview with a firm. They asked for references, and outlined their hiring process (which they stated they didn’t have a formal one). Being that I really want to break into public accounting and audit, when should I expect an offer? I am currently worried and anxious, being that I have not heard back yet. Are there key things to look out for that indicate I will get an offer or not? I felt that I did well in the first interview with an audit partner, and ok to good in the second interview with an audit manager and the firm’s managing partner.

Any thoughts, comments, or shared experiences would be highly appreciated!

AUD - 81
BEC - 89
FAR - 88
REG - 84

ASO

[tonypineda88]

FAR: 4/15 80
AUD: 11/15 77
BEC: 4/16 80
REG: 8/25/2016 so ready to be done!!!

Lost motivation for the CPA exam for a few months after FAR, but ready to finish now!

[tonypineda88]

Depends on a lot of factors. Some people wait 3 months, some a week.

I got called the day after my interview for my firm, but they were also taking on 25 openings lol. That would make a big difference.

FAR: 4/15 80
AUD: 11/15 77
BEC: 4/16 80
REG: 8/25/2016 so ready to be done!!!

Lost motivation for the CPA exam for a few months after FAR, but ready to finish now!

[tonypineda88]

I say wait a week or two, depending on what their urgency seemed like, and follow up =)

FAR: 4/15 80
AUD: 11/15 77
BEC: 4/16 80
REG: 8/25/2016 so ready to be done!!!

Lost motivation for the CPA exam for a few months after FAR, but ready to finish now!

[SAO247]

If I may provide some context: this firm is filling a single opening. It has not been posted on any online job boards, and it is an extra entry level associate position that the firm wants to fill in response to added business. The firm had told at the end of my second interview that since they were small, that they did not have a formal process, and that I would be contacted within a week.

Is there anything I should read into that suggests I succeeded or failed?

AUD - 81
BEC - 89
FAR - 88
REG - 84

ASO

[Mayo]

2 weeks is a good guideline. It's ok to be anxious, but trying to read their minds will just make it worse. Wait it out for 14 days and then get in touch.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[SAO247]

One of the things I had read is that you receive an offer very close after the conclusion of your second interview. Is this something to worry about?

AUD - 81
BEC - 89
FAR - 88
REG - 84

ASO

[tonypineda88]

Every firm will do it differently depending on their circumstances/needs. And if they don't have a formal interview process, it sounds like it could get put on the back burner until it's absolutely urgent. I think it's too soon to follow up now — try to distract yourself from it for at least a few more days or a week.

To me, if it wasn't a widely publicized opening and you had two interviews that went well, I'd say your chances are great!

FAR: 4/15 80
AUD: 11/15 77
BEC: 4/16 80
REG: 8/25/2016 so ready to be done!!!

Lost motivation for the CPA exam for a few months after FAR, but ready to finish now!

[SAO247]

Tony. Thanks for the reply. Forgot to mention also, that they want the person to start in September, not necessarily immediately. I believe that this in conjunction with what you just wrote might push up the wait time. It still doesn't make it any easier though. I felt my first interview went very well, but the second one just ok. The trouble I am having is turning over every word I said and analyzing every piece of body language I can, which is difficult since all of the people I interviewed with are rather hard to read.

AUD - 81
BEC - 89
FAR - 88
REG - 84

ASO

[SAO247]

I just want to scope out of my experiences are normal.

AUD - 81
BEC - 89
FAR - 88
REG - 84

ASO

[Anonymous]

I just had interviews under very similar circumstances.. I posted position with two face to face interviews that seemed to go well. Will let you know

[Tom]

Your experience is definitely normal.

Things were looking great for me with a mid-size firm in April, but they were taking a while to make hiring decisions.

In the meantime, I had communication with a Big 4 firm and they swooped in and made me an offer and you are way more qualified than I was.

Keep in touch with your contact at the firm and keep reaching out to other firms and keep selling yourself.

There are plenty of firms that would love to have someone with your credentials and additionally, they would love to not have to pay for you to take the CPA exams.

AUD - 91
BEC - 86
FAR - 87
REG - 79

I'm done!

FAR - 87!!!
AUD - TBD (8/15/16)
REG - TBD (10/01/16)
BEC - TBD

[livealittle]

something else to remember is that this firm will extend an offer (if at all) on their timeline, not yours.

– maybe they have ongoing fieldwork that they don't want to bring on new entry level staff until it reaches a certain stage
– maybe they are wanting a particular senior or manager level to mentor/train you and have to wait on that person's workload to accommodate extending an offer
– maybe they are waiting on scheduled vacations/etc to pass before bringing in a new entry level staff

bringing in someone new involves a lot of coordination from more senior level team members – there needs to be enough work that the new person isn't twiddling their thumbs, there needs to not be so much work that experienced team members don't have the time to properly train the new staff. Summer is also a time when a lot of CPAs are getting their required CPE credits and there may be a lot of people out of the office in the next few weeks.

I wouldn't sweat it until at least a week has passed without any word – and good luck

BEC - 8/8/16
REG - 66, 77
AUD - 81
FAR - 9/8/16

[Anonymous]

Tomsmall, did you contact the Midtier firm after you got the Big 4 offer?

[SAO247]

Thanks for all of the well wishes everyone. I appreciate the feedback that my experience is not atypical. My biggest worry comes out of the fact that my interviewers for the second interview weren't as friendly as I had hoped, and they were kind of stony faced and difficult to read, even if I felt I gave some good answers to most of their questions.

AUD - 81
BEC - 89
FAR - 88
REG - 84

ASO

[NA474]

I worked in industry during college. Interviewed for a position at a small cpa firm. I was called back within a week. You will get a job in public accounting eventually. You have the cpa exam under your wing! I say you are doing great 🙂 just be confident in yourself and know you have a lot to offer. You will get the job you desire eventually!

AUD - 90
BEC - 83
FAR - 76
REG - 73, 88

FAR-5/31 -PASS
REG-7/29 (TBD)
AUD TBD
BEC TBD

[Author]

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