[nigercpa]

I spoke with recruiter today about getting a job for me. My level of experience is 1 to 2 years experience and I have the CPA license already. She asked about the salary expectation, and I said between 50 to 60k. I live in the mid west region. After the interview, I checked on Robert half and based on the information I entered into the salary calculator for my zip code, it stated between 58 to 65, with additional increase of 15% for CPA or masters holders. So I am thinking of sending a mail to the recruiter to change the figures I gave for the range, cos I noticed he wrote down $50,000 and not a range like I told him. Please can you advice on what to do? Should I send her a mail that I just did my research and noticed the figure I stated was below the average for my location. Pls advice, thanks!

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 83
REG - 77

Licensed in 2015

Far - Passed 83
Aud - Passed 84
Bec - Passed 77
Reg- Passed 77

[Missy]

It depends, what type of experience do you have? Average salary for your location, bumped up for masters/cpa also takes into consideration people with experience which is how you may fall on either side of average. If you have little to no experience and are expecting to be sponsored by your employer you may fall a bit under “average” where if you have a couple of years' experience you should be above the average.

Old timer,  A71'er since 2010.

Finance manager/HR manager

 

 

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

What kind of recruiter? Is this an internal recruiter with the actual company you would be working for, or is this an employment agency recruiter? If it's an employment agency, I would call them back and clarify that you want $60K (or whatever amount you want). If it's an internal recruiter, I wouldn't say anything else. Just see what they offer you.

If you are working with an employment agency, I would go high on the amount you ask. They tend to low ball you. Last time I used one, they told me my salary expectation was “unrealistic, if not impossible.” Well, it ended up being exactly the amount my next employer offered me, so not exactly impossible.

[nigercpa]

Thanks mla. I have a year of experience in finance and accounting reporting. I don't need any employer sponsor, I have my CPA and masters( though not in accounting). What may work against me though is the years of experience which is between 1 to 2 years. Is it okay to communicate with the recruiter about the change in salary expectation. I also just saw some jobs posted by the recruiting agency for positions similar to my level of experience and the stated salary range was between 55k to 58k. So knowing what I know now, is it appropriate to inform the recruiter that I did some research and would like to change the amount I stated. If eventually, they get something for me, I do not want to be underpaid. Thanks.

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 83
REG - 77

Licensed in 2015

Far - Passed 83
Aud - Passed 84
Bec - Passed 77
Reg- Passed 77

[nigercpa]

Thanks AICPA. It is a recruiter that works with an agency, and not a company's recruiter. They are to help me get a job, do I send an email or just call? Thanks for your input, though I stated $50 to $60, I though he was going to write the range, instead he wrote the lower figure in the interview form.

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 83
REG - 77

Licensed in 2015

Far - Passed 83
Aud - Passed 84
Bec - Passed 77
Reg- Passed 77

[Mountain Man]

@Nigercpa You need to keep in mind with recruiters that they don't care what kind of position they land you. They want you to get to work fast because they typically make 40% of your base or can have sign on bonuses over $10,000 per successful applicant. Think of it like a realtor who's main objective is to sell listings for as little effort as possible.

We're in a very strong labor market right now. If you feel you're worth more and are currently employed then just post your resume online and watch dozens if not hundreds of recruiters pursue you. For what it's worth I did this 6 months ago and got a bump from 50 to 80.

FAR- 73, 80
BEC- 81
REG- 67, 75
AUD- 71, 74, 83

Ethics- 95

[Missy]

If he wrote down lower than what you told him, move on to another recruiter. Truly they are not looking out for YOUR best interest they are looking out for the employer's best interest (remember who pays them!)

When I said sponsorship, didn't you post before that you would need an H-1? That comes with an expense to the employer so keep that in mind, as the employer typically wants to keep the total compensation at a specific amount and if they have to incur 5k of legal fees to hire you they won't pay as much in salary.

Old timer,  A71'er since 2010.

Finance manager/HR manager

 

 

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[kyle.brown]

I met with Robert Half in Dallas and hated them. They only found me small companies and told me i would never land a big company on my own. One month later i landed multiple offers form places like Texas Instruments, FedEx Services, Samsung Mobile.

FAR - Passed 4/2016
AUD - Passed 11/2015
REG - ?
BEC - 05/28/2016

[y_u_no_pass]

Those salary guides also depend on region and experience. With only a couple of years you are likely on the lower end for experience. Once I got my license I finally got a raise to the lower end of what I am “supposed” to make. And that did not include any additional amount for my license. The fact is unless you are doing something it requires, you don't get a very big premium for being licensed. But I agree you should let the recruiter know your ideal salary and adjust accordingly depending on the job.

Florida CPA!
Took final exam 2/25/15.
Sent in Application 3/12/15.
Issued License 3/20/15.
Used CPA Excel solely for all exams.

[nigercpa]

Thanks everyone. @ Mla yes I did, but not anymore, I now have my employment authorization. Though I am not currently employed, I just want to get back into the workforce after about 2 years off. I will communicate with him to change the figure I stated.

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 83
REG - 77

Licensed in 2015

Far - Passed 83
Aud - Passed 84
Bec - Passed 77
Reg- Passed 77

[Author]

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