How NOT to get a job working for me - Page 2

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  • #184901
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I would not have believed this could happen if I hadn’t been there myself. Wow! That’s the only thing I can say.

    This guy shows up at my office at 4:30pm on Friday, April 11th looking for a job. I introduced myself and then when I told him that he would have to come back at another time because we were swamped, he asked to speak to the “man in charge about setting up an appointment on Tuesday”. I played along thinking this has got to be a practical joke. I go tell my partner that someone wants to see him about a job and he laughed about the “man in charge” comment. He tells me to “let him stew for a few minutes”. So I did. While waiting on the “man in charge” this guy proceeds to tell me that he can do my job in 1/2 the time because he got 91% in Advanced Accounting so the CPA exam is going to be a “piece of cake” and shouldn’t take more than a “month to pass”. My license is hanging on the wall, literally right behind my head. My name is on the freaking building! And he never put two and two together. Finally, “the man in charge” comes out to my desk and introduces himself and then proceeds to introduce me as his partner and tells the guy that “She makes all of the hiring decisions” and points to me. This guy went from the deepest shade of red I have ever seen on a human being to white as a sheet in about 30 seconds. It took him that long to figure out that I was a CPA. I just smiled and said “Good luck with your job search.” When he walked out of the office, I looked at my partner and asked “Did that just happen?” WOW!

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 238 total)
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  • #544772
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    The whole story is ridiculous, but I think the funniest part that he probably still doesn't realize is that he was demanding an interview on April 15th, which (presuming you do taxes?) is about the worst possible day to ask for one! Shows he knows nothing about the business…let alone anything about political correctness, winning friends, etc. Awesome story Kricket. 🙂

    @funtiks Personally when I went cold-calling, I would give them a copy of my resume and cover letter and briefly introduce myself saying something along the lines of “Hi, I've recently graduated with a degree in accounting and wanted to give you a copy of my resume in case you had any open positions.” (Note that it's 8am on a Saturday, so my phrasing may not be the best right now. 😉 ) From there, my goal was friendly conversation if there was an opening…but I think that pushing for an interview (regardless of whether it's April 15th) or pushing to see the manager (regardless of gender) doesn't come across well. Politeness and friendliness goes way further. I got 2 interviews out of my cold calls – one I spoke only to the secretary, who said when I handed it to her “Oh! We're needing an accountant, I'll pass this right on to him…”, and the other the owner/manager happened to be in the front office talking to the other guy, and they'd forgotten to unlock the door after lunch, so the owner/manager ended up being the one to come to the door and unlock it, so I got to talk directly with him. Being able to speak directly with a “big shot” is always helpful, but if you have to be rude to get there, then it's not worth it. You never know whose opinion will matter when the hiring decision is made – it could be that the secretary is married to the owner, so being pushy and rude to get to talk to the owner could be relayed by someone who has more say-so than the owner themselves! (I mean, think about it – if you met with a job candidate, and then talked to your spouse in the front office and they said that this person was rude and annoying, would you hire them? Probably not! Same with a non-spouse receptionist whose opinion you trusted and valued.) I'm sure that you wouldn't have approached it like this guy, just trying to draw contrasts from this story to illustrate what worked well for me.

    #544793
    Tncincy
    Participant

    Oh wow great story….sorry for him. I hope he learned from the experience. He will probably be unemployed for a while with is 91% advanced accounting knowledge….definitely a young attitude problem as well. He would have got on my nerves if he worked at my company….oh wait I am the man in charge and wouldn't have hired him either.

    It begins with a 75
    Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

    It begins with a 75
    Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

    #544774
    Tncincy
    Participant

    Oh wow great story….sorry for him. I hope he learned from the experience. He will probably be unemployed for a while with is 91% advanced accounting knowledge….definitely a young attitude problem as well. He would have got on my nerves if he worked at my company….oh wait I am the man in charge and wouldn't have hired him either.

    It begins with a 75
    Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

    It begins with a 75
    Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

    #544795
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Today, I kind of feel sorry for him. Yesterday, not so much! We occasionally have students looking to gain experience, stop by and ask if we are hiring or if we offer any internships. I don't mind talking to them or helping them in any way I can. Who knows, one day I may need one of them, so I try to be polite and professional. But if you are going to cold call CPA firms, April 1st – 15th is not the time to do it and practically demanding an appointment on April 15th is just the definition of stupid! Had he shown up in January or February, maybe I could have gone a little farther to help him and possibly even used him part time, but his attitude was crazy. The whole “man in charge” thing kind of got to me. I know that this is my problem and I need to just get over it. Right now our office is very small. I don't have a private office, so I kind of understand why someone might think I was a receptionist or secretary. Not that there is anything wrong with being either, because I was one for 20 years. But when my license and two degree's are hanging on the wall, literally 2 feet behind my head and my name is on the building, I expect people to ask my qualifications before they judge me. All of my clients, and most of the new clients we've picked up this year, understand that I am not a secretary who can have a day's work completed before lunch by a 20 year old with a 91% in Advanced Accounting. I got a 97% in the same class with the same professor, by the way.

    @MrsBunny – He hasn't even graduated from college yet. His resume lists one retail store under employment history.

    @14MMonk – I would have if he had apologized and not run out of the office. I was sort of in shock at the audacity of the whole thing. He learned a valuable lesson, so I guess his day wasn't a complete waste.

    @funtiks – We have had a few students come in to apply. Most of them are very professional, they have resume's in hand and copies of their transcripts. I talk to them for a few minutes and usually refer them to Another71.com. The only pet peeve that I have as an employer is their attire. I expect a male to show up in, at a minimum, a pair of khaki pants, a shirt free of holes and stains, and SHOES. Flip Flops are NOT appropriate under any circumstances. I usually tell them this and they don't seem to really get it. Maybe it's a generation gap thing. I don't know. I expect the females to be dressed professionally, not ready to go out clubbing. Low cut shirts, short skirts and 5″ platform stiletto's are great in a bar but not what I want to look at every day. I usually don't let the shoes bother me unless they are combined with life threatening cleavage and a lot of thigh! The key to cold calling firms is to be professional. If you are unsure about the dress code of a firm you'd like to work for, I'd suggest you stalk them from across the street or drive by slowly just to see what the other employees are wearing. If you don't see flip flops or sequined halter tops, then you can assume they are not acceptable. Other than that, just be polite and respectful to EVERYONE and it really helps to know what you want to do and to be able to articulate that to the person you are talking to. If someone called today and said “I freaking love income taxes. That is all I ever want to do in this world. Are you hiring?” I would say “Hell yes! Can you come right now?”

    @CPAMommyof3 – Facebook? Really? There just aren't words to explain what is going on in my head.

    @Lilla – I don't think he had a clue that Tuesday was the 15th or the significance of that date.

    I really can't wait until our new office is finished and I can have a door!

    #544776
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Today, I kind of feel sorry for him. Yesterday, not so much! We occasionally have students looking to gain experience, stop by and ask if we are hiring or if we offer any internships. I don't mind talking to them or helping them in any way I can. Who knows, one day I may need one of them, so I try to be polite and professional. But if you are going to cold call CPA firms, April 1st – 15th is not the time to do it and practically demanding an appointment on April 15th is just the definition of stupid! Had he shown up in January or February, maybe I could have gone a little farther to help him and possibly even used him part time, but his attitude was crazy. The whole “man in charge” thing kind of got to me. I know that this is my problem and I need to just get over it. Right now our office is very small. I don't have a private office, so I kind of understand why someone might think I was a receptionist or secretary. Not that there is anything wrong with being either, because I was one for 20 years. But when my license and two degree's are hanging on the wall, literally 2 feet behind my head and my name is on the building, I expect people to ask my qualifications before they judge me. All of my clients, and most of the new clients we've picked up this year, understand that I am not a secretary who can have a day's work completed before lunch by a 20 year old with a 91% in Advanced Accounting. I got a 97% in the same class with the same professor, by the way.

    @MrsBunny – He hasn't even graduated from college yet. His resume lists one retail store under employment history.

    @14MMonk – I would have if he had apologized and not run out of the office. I was sort of in shock at the audacity of the whole thing. He learned a valuable lesson, so I guess his day wasn't a complete waste.

    @funtiks – We have had a few students come in to apply. Most of them are very professional, they have resume's in hand and copies of their transcripts. I talk to them for a few minutes and usually refer them to Another71.com. The only pet peeve that I have as an employer is their attire. I expect a male to show up in, at a minimum, a pair of khaki pants, a shirt free of holes and stains, and SHOES. Flip Flops are NOT appropriate under any circumstances. I usually tell them this and they don't seem to really get it. Maybe it's a generation gap thing. I don't know. I expect the females to be dressed professionally, not ready to go out clubbing. Low cut shirts, short skirts and 5″ platform stiletto's are great in a bar but not what I want to look at every day. I usually don't let the shoes bother me unless they are combined with life threatening cleavage and a lot of thigh! The key to cold calling firms is to be professional. If you are unsure about the dress code of a firm you'd like to work for, I'd suggest you stalk them from across the street or drive by slowly just to see what the other employees are wearing. If you don't see flip flops or sequined halter tops, then you can assume they are not acceptable. Other than that, just be polite and respectful to EVERYONE and it really helps to know what you want to do and to be able to articulate that to the person you are talking to. If someone called today and said “I freaking love income taxes. That is all I ever want to do in this world. Are you hiring?” I would say “Hell yes! Can you come right now?”

    @CPAMommyof3 – Facebook? Really? There just aren't words to explain what is going on in my head.

    @Lilla – I don't think he had a clue that Tuesday was the 15th or the significance of that date.

    I really can't wait until our new office is finished and I can have a door!

    #544797
    Skynet
    Participant

    @Kricket, I'm just about done with the tax season and was able to get a lot of experience in, however, I didn't really got to get the experience I wanted. I did mostly 1040's. Because we were so swamped, I wasn't able to do returns for entities like Trusts, Estates, S Corp, C Corp, and etc. I was wondering if you or anybody here may know of courses that I may be able to take to learn how to prepare these types of returns? Or maybe point me to the right direction. This way, I would be more marketable in my future job search. Thanks.

    BTW, it's my first tax season and I'm an EA.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #544778
    Skynet
    Participant

    @Kricket, I'm just about done with the tax season and was able to get a lot of experience in, however, I didn't really got to get the experience I wanted. I did mostly 1040's. Because we were so swamped, I wasn't able to do returns for entities like Trusts, Estates, S Corp, C Corp, and etc. I was wondering if you or anybody here may know of courses that I may be able to take to learn how to prepare these types of returns? Or maybe point me to the right direction. This way, I would be more marketable in my future job search. Thanks.

    BTW, it's my first tax season and I'm an EA.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #544780
    Mayo
    Participant

    https://apps.irs.gov/app/vita/choose_path.jsp?level=#

    No idea if this is helpful, but I hope it is :]

    Mayo, BBA, Macc

    #544799
    Mayo
    Participant

    https://apps.irs.gov/app/vita/choose_path.jsp?level=#

    No idea if this is helpful, but I hope it is :]

    Mayo, BBA, Macc

    #544782
    Skynet
    Participant

    @Mayo, Unfortunately that's not what I was looking for. Thanks though.

    I'm looking for courses that will show me how to prepare returns for entities.

    That was the one thing I felt I was lacking and I figured that after the tax season i would see if there are courses that I can take to learn how to do them.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #544801
    Skynet
    Participant

    @Mayo, Unfortunately that's not what I was looking for. Thanks though.

    I'm looking for courses that will show me how to prepare returns for entities.

    That was the one thing I felt I was lacking and I figured that after the tax season i would see if there are courses that I can take to learn how to do them.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #544784
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @skynet – Honestly, I don't have a clue what kind of course you could take to learn to do complex returns. We don't have any clients that would ever require an estate tax return, so I've never done one of those. The trust returns I've done have been super easy, but it's my son's trust, and there really isn't much to it, not much cash, land, and a ton of property taxes that mom gets to pay every year. I'll think on it after Tuesday!

    #544803
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @skynet – Honestly, I don't have a clue what kind of course you could take to learn to do complex returns. We don't have any clients that would ever require an estate tax return, so I've never done one of those. The trust returns I've done have been super easy, but it's my son's trust, and there really isn't much to it, not much cash, land, and a ton of property taxes that mom gets to pay every year. I'll think on it after Tuesday!

    #544786
    Skynet
    Participant

    Thanks Kricket. I may look into CalCPA to see if they have something like that. My main focus is the Corporate, S Corps ,Partnerships, and Non-Profits and Exempt Organization but it couldn't hurt to learn how to do Trusts and Estates too.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #544805
    Skynet
    Participant

    Thanks Kricket. I may look into CalCPA to see if they have something like that. My main focus is the Corporate, S Corps ,Partnerships, and Non-Profits and Exempt Organization but it couldn't hurt to learn how to do Trusts and Estates too.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

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