[Anonymous]

Basically I have a BBQ hosted by a big 4 company and a career fair I’m going to with all the big 4 going to within the next 2 months. Would either of these be a foot in the door for the Big 4? I graduated about six months ago and did good on my first part of the CPA exam. Is there anyway I could possibly score an interview with them and if not then how do you? I never had good luck with interview, internships, and stuff like that. People who had terrible GPAs and failed their CPA parts got job offers when I couldn’t even get a recruiter to speak to me. There has to be something I’m missing.

I am having a ton of trouble getting a job despite having a Masters degree, high GPA, and high score on the CPA exam part I took(not sure if this even matters). I’m working hard labor for 10 bucks an hour which is pretty good pay and has career growth but I’m starting to worry about my back so I really need to get out.

[Ntw6817]

The key to getting a job is networking so I definitely think this would be a good opportunity for you to do that.

[Ntw6817]

The key to getting a job is networking so I definitely think this would be a good opportunity for you to do that.

[Wolfchicken]

I graduated last spring and was not successful last year in the recruitment process to land a job. I interned for two tax seasons at a local accounting firm, but they did not have any staffing needs for a new hire so I thought I was basically screwed in finding a job. I looked all summer, but I do not think that is the best time to find a job since firms typically do not hire until fall which is the recruitment season. I decided to partake in the recruitment process even though I am not a student. My cumulative GPA is 3.24 and accounting GPA is a 3.56. I have passed REG and BEC. I went to Meet the Firms and did some networking. I have landed 6 interviews which has never happened to me before. I would spend some time making sure your resumes and cover letters are excellent. I would also consider emailing and connecting with recruiters on LinkedIn. Be aggressive about it, and show them that you are a qualified candidate. Make sure that you have a specific destination that you want to work and live at and make it clear which area of accounting you want to work in. They want to see that people are committed and know what they want to do. I definitely think it helps that you have passed an exam. Make sure that you have that on your resume/cover letter and also tell them at the recruitment events. Good luck!

BEC - PASS
FAR - PASS
Audit - PASS
REG - PASS

[Wolfchicken]

I graduated last spring and was not successful last year in the recruitment process to land a job. I interned for two tax seasons at a local accounting firm, but they did not have any staffing needs for a new hire so I thought I was basically screwed in finding a job. I looked all summer, but I do not think that is the best time to find a job since firms typically do not hire until fall which is the recruitment season. I decided to partake in the recruitment process even though I am not a student. My cumulative GPA is 3.24 and accounting GPA is a 3.56. I have passed REG and BEC. I went to Meet the Firms and did some networking. I have landed 6 interviews which has never happened to me before. I would spend some time making sure your resumes and cover letters are excellent. I would also consider emailing and connecting with recruiters on LinkedIn. Be aggressive about it, and show them that you are a qualified candidate. Make sure that you have a specific destination that you want to work and live at and make it clear which area of accounting you want to work in. They want to see that people are committed and know what they want to do. I definitely think it helps that you have passed an exam. Make sure that you have that on your resume/cover letter and also tell them at the recruitment events. Good luck!

BEC - PASS
FAR - PASS
Audit - PASS
REG - PASS

[Anonymous]

Network, network, network. My undergrad GPA was an abysmal 2.6. Made up for that with a Master's GPA of 3.9. I contacted all my friends working for Big 4 companies until I got some contacts. Try and get an informational interview where you can control the conversation/questions. I did this and essentially bypassed the entire recruiting process for this Big 4 firm. Landed 2 internships and a full-time offer.

[Anonymous]

Network, network, network. My undergrad GPA was an abysmal 2.6. Made up for that with a Master's GPA of 3.9. I contacted all my friends working for Big 4 companies until I got some contacts. Try and get an informational interview where you can control the conversation/questions. I did this and essentially bypassed the entire recruiting process for this Big 4 firm. Landed 2 internships and a full-time offer.

[numbercruncher123]

@bt_cpa: I know it's not impossible to get into grad school with a low gpa, but just would like to know what were the things you did that made your application more attractive to the admission dept? Example, high GMAT score, etc…..

If you don't mind me asking, did you went to your old university (where you had your undergrad) or to a new one that is accredited?

thank you!

Review Materials: RogerCPA, WTB, NINJA

BEC - IP (May 2014)
AUD - TBA 2014
REG - TBA 2014
FAR - TBA 2014

[numbercruncher123]

@bt_cpa: I know it's not impossible to get into grad school with a low gpa, but just would like to know what were the things you did that made your application more attractive to the admission dept? Example, high GMAT score, etc…..

If you don't mind me asking, did you went to your old university (where you had your undergrad) or to a new one that is accredited?

thank you!

Review Materials: RogerCPA, WTB, NINJA

BEC - IP (May 2014)
AUD - TBA 2014
REG - TBA 2014
FAR - TBA 2014

[Anonymous]

i had a 2.9 undergrad gpa, got into grad school with a 600 gmat, 2 letters of recommendations from internship and volunteer work, and wrote a good essay

i went to the same school as my undergrad as well…

[Anonymous]

i had a 2.9 undergrad gpa, got into grad school with a 600 gmat, 2 letters of recommendations from internship and volunteer work, and wrote a good essay

i went to the same school as my undergrad as well…

[Anonymous]

it did help my accounting gpa was higher than my overall, it was over 3.0. most of my low grades came from my first 2 years in general ed classes

[Anonymous]

it did help my accounting gpa was higher than my overall, it was over 3.0. most of my low grades came from my first 2 years in general ed classes

[tough_kitty]

2.9 GPA isn't THAT low, and it's true that they will most likely consider you if you did good on GMAT and have good recommendations…..of course, it applies to some colleges….

There are always exceptions to the rule 😉

For instance, I made my case and didn't have to take TOEFL exam, which is required from applicants whose first degree was obtained from a country where English isn't a first language.

FAR: 81 (May 2013)
BEC: 81 (July 2013)
REG: 83 (August 2013)
AUD: 82 (November 2013)
California CPA since 1/30/14

[tough_kitty]

2.9 GPA isn't THAT low, and it's true that they will most likely consider you if you did good on GMAT and have good recommendations…..of course, it applies to some colleges….

There are always exceptions to the rule 😉

For instance, I made my case and didn't have to take TOEFL exam, which is required from applicants whose first degree was obtained from a country where English isn't a first language.

FAR: 81 (May 2013)
BEC: 81 (July 2013)
REG: 83 (August 2013)
AUD: 82 (November 2013)
California CPA since 1/30/14

[tough_kitty]

@candlemassisawesome: I feel your pain. I got all the interviews I could get on campus in the semester I was graduating, but got no luck – probably because I was still enrolled in the MBA program and the CPA firms knew that combining evening classes with busy season was not an option…..Unfortunately, I was getting both degrees from the same university and simultanuously so there was no way to hide one of them….. However, I also applied for the state jobs and got a job offer! It's not my ideal career, but at least I get auditing related experience while taking CPA exams and now I am evaluating my future choices as far as my career goes…..

So, my best advice would be to apply for ALL auditing/tax positions out there – even if it means a small CPA firm to start with – it's way better than manual labor and will get you closer to your goal. I know a few people who moved from regional CPA firms to Big 4…and I know WAY more people who moved from CPA firms to the state or corporate accounting…..so don't concentrate just on Big 4…..keep your options open!

FAR: 81 (May 2013)
BEC: 81 (July 2013)
REG: 83 (August 2013)
AUD: 82 (November 2013)
California CPA since 1/30/14

[Author]

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