[Anonymous]

Folks, I am SOOO excited for next week because I passed a phone screen with a CPA firm and will meet them face to face …. YES!!!!! I can’t wait!!! I REALLY want to work in public accounting!!!!!

But, I do need to prepare for this.. I am a non-traditional licensed CPA with several years of industry experience.. I don’t have much tax experience as it is mostly financial accounting that I did..

This job is pretty much entry level but I AM SO looking forward to the interview!!! Anyone here have some tips?

[Titleistg0lfer]

The most important things you can do are make sure to research the company, ask good questions at the end, and make sure to be energetic about the job that way they really know you want it. Besides those things, just be yourself and you'll do great.

REG: 84 (10/5/15)
AUD: 83 (11/23/15)
BEC: 77 (2/27/16) - The bubble sucks
FAR: 90 (7/20/16) - AND DONE FOREVER!!!!!

[Operation_CPA]

Google Big 4 interview questions. This will give you a general idea of what types of questions they may ask you (mostly behavioral I might add). Maybe even brainstorm a few answers to them this way you aren't thinking of answers on the spot!

Most of the people that you will be interviewing with will be pretty laid back. They just want to get to know you a little better. The one thing I would recommend is if they ask you what industry you're interested in, to have an answer (insurance for example).

Oh and one more thing, (and I am sure you already know this) don't forget to ask for their business card at the end of the interview, this way you have their info later for thank you notes. Best of luck.

FAR - 76 (Lost credit), 76
AUD - 80
BEC - 76
REG - 75

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

[MaLoTu]

Make sure you can express why you want to work in public accounting and what interests you in that particular firm. You have enthusiasm, so I would make sure that you get that across to the interviewers. If you are interviewing for a tax position, it would be powerful if you can tie some of your experiences and skills with what tax accountants do in the CPA firm. If you do financial accounting for a company in an industry that they specialize, it would be great to make them aware of areas that you could be valuable.

Good luck.

Almost always from my phone... please excuse my typos!

All 4 passed - 2016

CA CPA

[jpump]

How big a firm are you interviewing with? Is it strictly a tax position?

I transitioned from industry to public with my CPA 4 yrs ago and it's been great. I think the main reasons I did well in my interview was that I had passed the CPA exam, I demonstrated through our conversations that I had the fundamentals down pat, and I stressed that I was eager to work with a variety of different clients and industries, which was unlike my industry job. Variety is one thing you will encounter in public accounting, depending on the type/size of your firm.

[Amortized and Energized]

I'm starting to wonder if I should be considering the same move into public from industry. Seems backwards, but I feel like I really hurt myself in the long run by not doing so initially.. but then again back then I didn't know I was going to be an accountant! Mid-sized firms sounds kind of appealing.

OP, kudos to you for making the switch. I'd be ready to explain why you are moving from industry to public. Good luck! Hope it turns out well!

AUD - 75
BEC - 79
FAR - 81
REG - 75

Happily Finished

FAR - Aug 2015 (58), Feb 2016 (81)
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BEC - May 2016 (79)
AUD - Jul 2016
REG - Aug 2016

[Anonymous]

OP here, this is a smaller firm.

[livealittle]

I went from public (while still in school) to private industry for about 8 years then back to public (3 years ago).

cliffnotes version of the job search and interview process –

I went from public (small firm, 15 staff, 2 partners) to industry. I had a bad annual review and started looking. I looked for 4 months and made the jump getting a significant bump in pay and fewer hours. I was the company accountant at a construction company. Business was Booming! After 6 months, we had to hire staff to assist me. When the bottom fell out of the housing industry, my kids were also needing me more, so I went to shorter hours – 8-2 M-F no weekends, and picked the kids up from school every day.

Business continued to fall off. I went to part time. Then I was down to 20 hours a week. I started looking for another “part time” accounting job to equal about 35-40 hours a week. I found one – through networking, not ads. Then I worked 3 days a week at 1 job and 2 days a week at the other. I also worked some Saturdays or went back after the kids were in bed for an hour or two to finish up things.

The 2nd job I got was at a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) company. The owners of the DME also owned a mortgage broker company. I did all the accounting for both companies, and all my old duties at the construction company.

My skill set included –

QB
A/P
A/R
Bank and CC recs
F/S prep
Payroll and payroll tax reporting in 6 states
Annual state reports
WC Audits
OSHA reporting classes

then the owners of the DME company decided they wanted someone with CPA after their name in my position. They made the manager tell me. He was super nervous and really didn't want to let me go. He told me over and over how valuable I was to the company, how there was never any drama with me, how he could always depend on me to get my work done and it would be right. He told me they had hired someone and wanted me to stay on for 45 days an train him.

I was shocked! I never saw that coming!

I started looking right away. I'd been using QB for years but never gotten the ProAdvisor certification. I signed up and paid my fees and started the certification process. I applied online for some positions, I scheduled lunch meetings with my “network” of friends and accounting/financial professionals to help me network further.

My husband and I play hockey in an adult league. I had hockey the next night. One of my hockey friends is a police officer and he organized a pick up game almost every week. He had been trying to get his wife to try hockey for months and she finally agreed to try it. He asked me if I would help her in the locker room – if you've never put on hockey gear, it requires a certain order. I also brought some “extra” gear to loan her.

In the locker room I made the announcement that I was in the market for a full time accounting professional position. The wife perked up and asked me if I knew QuickBooks and payroll. I gave her a run-down on my skill set and what I had been doing. When I told her I currently did everything accounting wise for 3 companies except prepare the corporate tax return, she told me to send her husband my resume and she would present it at her work. She works at a “Best Places to Work in Accounting” in our city.

I did and within a week, they called me for an interview. I knew my resume looked weird with 3 concurrent jobs listed on it. In the interview, which was with the head of marketing, I addressed that right off and explained what I wrote above. The fact that I was doing accounting work for 3 very different types of businesses was a HUGE plus. At the time I didn't have my CPA and was not studying for it. It had always been on my 5 year plan, but I hadn't started on it “yet”.

I was called back for a second interview with the 2 managers and a supervisor in the department that was interested in me. The supervisor started asking me QB questions and PR questions and I could tell by what she was asking she was trying to gauge my PR and QB experience. Instead of answering one of the questions she asked, I said “I can tell you are trying to gauge my proficiency with QB and PR, I currently process 5 different payrolls between the 3 companies.The DME company has a bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payroll. The bi-weekly is hourly and salary for the office staff, the semi-monthly is base salary plus commissions for the sales force, the monthly is straight commissions for a different segment of the sales force. They don't use DD through QB, so after I process the payrolls, I have to log into the bank and upload, then log out, log in as a different user and send it. I process all the PR tax deposits through the various websites. 2 of the companies have insurance and SIMPLE IRA deductions. I process all of those payments as well. I process all of the payroll tax reporting for all 3 companies. 2 companies are only in AL. The DME company is in AL, GA, FL, MS, TN, and LA. Some of the staff work in AL and TN and I have to keep up the SUTA reciprocity between them. I also process all the E-Verify and new hire reporting.” or something to that effect. She immediately knew I knew payroll and asked specifically about VA. I didn't have any experience with VA, so I told her so.

The 2 managers asked me a few more questions about some other software including eFaact. I know what eFaact is, but had never used it. Then one of them asked if I would like a tour of the building. I said sure and as he is leading me around the building, he stops in front of an empty office and says “this is where we will put you”. I got home and told my husband and he says “you are so getting an offer”.

So I got an offer and the wife is now my manager. Funny thing is, I had applied about 6 months prior to this on the website and never even got a phone call.

I worked there about 1 & 1/2 years before I ordered the Becker self study material (we get a discount through work) and started working on it.

show your strengths, and if you don't know something say you don't know it. But, what you do know, let it shine through.

good luck!!!!

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

[Anonymous]

Had the interview this week. Seemed to go well but you never know.. Very casual and nothing too tough.. If it doesn't work out I have another thing coming up with a different firm where a friend knows the top partner, although this one I would take over it..

Crossing my fingers.

[lonestar]

@livealittle

That's such a wonderful career story you have shared! I'm inspired by that. I just want to say Thank You.

[Author]

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