[JonIsHere]

Bear with me, this is a bit long-winded.

I earned my undergraduate degree in 2008 from my college’s journalism school. I worked for the Census for a little over a year, then I spent all of 2011 unemployed looking for work, at which point I realized I needed to go back to school. I took my first accounting class in spring 2012, went through all of the undergraduate classes necessary to begin the MAcc program, was active in BAP and VITA, worked a part-time job doing assorted financial tasks for a veterinary clinic all throughout my return to college. I interviewed for public accounting internships in the fall of 2013 (spring/summer 2014 for the internship) but came up empty. I went through recruiting for public accounting last fall and again came up empty, the only member of my graduating class without multiple offers. I passed all four sections during my MAcc year (had to take AUD twice). I began looking in earnest at industry and government positions after my final rejection from public, and all I’ve had was a 9-week internship for a DJIA component company, which told me the internship was over via phone and to mail my badge in. With many companies, it seems as though “entry-level” full-time positions in industry demand a few years of public accounting experience, but there are a few for which I have applied. I posted all this because I have a few questions.

1. If I failed at recruiting during college, what is my best path into public accounting? Should I even try?

2. How do I maintain contact with the realm of public accounting as neither a professional nor a student?

3. What should I be doing now (in addition to my work with the veterinarian clinic) to maintain what I’ve picked up along the way accounting-wise?

AUD 64 2014Q3 81 2014Q4
BEC 90 2014Q3
FAR 84 2014Q3
REG 84 2014Q3

[Oimie]

Sorry I don't have answers for you since I have no experience in this and haven't job hunted yet. But since I am in this thread, I might as well ask, is it really that hard to find an accounting related job? I've seen a couple of people post threads about it claiming they've been looking for an accounting related job for over a year. Is it that hard even with passed CPA exams on your resume? I have two accounting major friends whom just graduated with bachelors and haven't even thought about taking the CPA exams, yet they both found an accounting related job within a couple of months.

So is it really that hard to find an accounting related job? Or mabe it's because of the location? My friends and I live in NYC btw. Or is it more likely that the problems lies within the individual? Cause a lot of people might have a nice looking resume but they just don't look like they're good at socializing and communicating and/or someone who can be a team leader.

FAR 85 June 2015
AUD 80 Nov 2015
REG 83 Nov 2015
BEC 79 Feb 2016

[ibCPAsoon]

Have you tried a smaller firm? From experience with my university – only the large accounting firms attended the events and recruited hard on campus. Now that busy season is slowing down a bit – you could definately find something with a smaller firm to start and then look for other option after the experience opens your window of opportunities.

BEC - PASS JULY 2014
FAR - PASS DEC 2014
AUD - PASS FEB 2015
REG - PASS MAY 2015

[Gabe]

I was in a similar situation…graduated in 08 with a degree in English and Communications. I had a great job where I was living, got married, and moved to a much smaller city. I went back to school and got my accounting degree. I didn't even look at Big4. At that point I had a newborn, so I looked at smaller firms and got many offers. I would suggest looking at small, regional firms if public is the way you want to go. Maybe reach out to old classmates for leads as well? Good luck!

CPA, CFE
CISA- Experience will be completed by August 2016

[y_u_no_pass]

Well you should definitely get involved with your state CPA society and network that way.

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.

[jbarwick]

It sounds like you need to engage someone to help craft your story for interviews and make sure you resume is top notch. Also look for part-time jobs book keeping and look at smaller firms or companies you could work at. It sounds like you have the right skill set but when you either show up your appearance keeps you from an offer of what comes out of your mouth. Sorry to sound harsh but people usually aren't critical of their own flaws and need someones help pointing them out. And by someones help I mean someone that will be brutally honest with you.

Journey Started - January 2015
FAR - 4/2015 - Passed
AUD - 7/2015 - Passed
BEC - 8/2015 - Passed
REG - 11/12/2015 - Passed

[Anonymous]

Oimie: it really depends a lot on your region. Your school can matter too. It also helps if you are not 100% focused on public from the beginning cause students miss out on industry internships (which often begin summer after sophomore year but students ignore cause they r too focused on public acctg recruiting timeline which starts your junior year in a lot of states) & jobs that way. My MACC class (full of great students ): Prob a third went to public acctg, another third to industry jobs at mid to large sized companies, then another third struggled (some eventually found ok jobs, some still struggling, some doing AP/AR, working at tiny tiny companies…etc). And I'd bet that the % of undergraduate students struggling is much more. With that said acctg is better than most majors for getting a job and then job security once you get some experience.

[SaveBandit]

Hey there,

I would reevaluate your resume. Be sure to highlight things you accomplished; don't just write down job duties. Maybe brush up on your interview skills. Have good answers ready for all the common questions. And when they ask “what is your biggest flaw” say something like “Sometimes I get too bogged down in the details when I'm trying to find solutions to problems.” Don't rule out private industry. One of my close friends is a CPA and is now CEO of a hospital and never worked day in Public. He's 30. Definitely hook up with a recruiter. Those people are chomping at the bit to get you a job so that they can get a commission check.

AUD - 94
BEC - 86
FAR - 85
REG - 90

If you pray enough, you can turn yourself into a cat person.

4 for 4

FAR 85
AUD 94
BEC 86
REG 90

[Shel_178]

@OP – Are you getting calls for an interview and then being eliminated after that? Or are you not even hearing from anyone after you send your resume? The way to fix it really depends on your answer to those questions. If you are getting nixed after an initial interview it could be what someone above mentioned (professional appearance, interview skills, overall personality in the interview). If you aren't even getting calls or interest after applying for these positions it's probably your resume. Things like spelling and grammatical errors will take you out of the running immediately, try to play up strengths/achievements even if you don't necessarily think it's relevant. Do you have a LinkedIn account? It certainly wouldn't hurt and it's a convenient way to get in touch with some possible connections you may not currently be aware of.

REG - 86
FAR - 80
BEC - 79
AUD - 92...I'm done woohoo!

Licensed CPA since Feb. 2014

[Anonymous]

@JonIsHere – You are not alone in this. I am working at a public firm for the first time in my career since changing careers back in 2004. I went back to school for a second degree in Accounting to qualify for the CPA exam. Graduated in '06. Did an internship, entered a big utility company and hated every second of it, moved into the Fed, and so on and so forth. As you can see, I did not follow the traditional path. Don't beat up yourself on the fantasy of working for a public firm. Be real with yourself – what interests you the most and how can you make your professional skillset help that organization meet its needs? What role are you comfortable in? Client-facing or being in-house? You really have to examine yourself first then you can market yourself on your strengths. You passed the CPA exam and that is awesome. I think you would benefit from talking with a number of recruiters and find the one(s) that you feel comfortable partnering up with. Some recruiters are ruthless and do not settle for folks that are going to waste your time.

While you are exploring your options and sounding off here, would you consider the Fed? DCAA? I have a love-hate relationship with DCAA, but it has helped me tremendously with defining my professional aspirations. The CPA is a great credential, but use it judiciously. Not everyone likes public. Not everyone likes the Fed. Not everyone likes AP/AR at a start-up. We are constantly evolving. So, tell us, what exactly are you striving for? Perhaps, we can give more sound advice. I wished you live in DC because I would bring you in for an interview at my firm.

[fuzyfro89]

There area few different situations which could be the true cause, but each will have different suggestions to help move forward. Sit back and really think back over your experiences during school/recruiting seasons and think about which bucket you fall into (it can be part of the way between more than one):

1) You aren't getting many calls or first-round interviews

2) You get quite a few interviews, but never landed an offer

This goes for whether you are looking into public or industry, and large public vs small public as well. The smaller firms and industry jobs are in many cases harder than mid/large public firms just because they are only looking for a handful of interns. Given a large amount of applicants, they can pick whoever they want.

Anyway, to the points 1 and 2 above. If you feel 1 is your issue, then you need to work on some combination of the following:

– networking abilities, speaking ,elevator pitch, resume, and other early impressions… for some reason, people just aren't impressed enough on initially seeing your file or meeting you to give you the first step interview

If you get a solid number of initial step 1 type things (phone calls, email interest, first interviews, etc), but can't seem to close the deal, then chances are you need to work on some of the following:

– interview skills, responses to interview questions, being interesting/engaging/likable in person, having good stories/dialogue to follow up with what's on your resume

Can you venture a guess where your weaknesses lie?

The exception to 1 and 2 above is if you simply live in an area with few opportunities that you are interested in doing.

[JonIsHere]

Addressing responses roughly in order:

Based my the experience of my graduating class, it is not especially hard to find accounting work; any problems as such lie with the individual.

The smaller firms had as much a presence at our recruiting events as did the Big Four and regional firms. In fact, the only firms with whom I earned an interview were somewhat larger firms. None of my old classmates are in positions where they be able to get me hired.

I didn't even realize our state CPA association allowed anyone other than current CPAs and students to join, and even then, I had to dig through several pages on their site to find a category of membership for which I thought was eligible. (Edit: I just got an e-mail saying I wasn't eligible to join in any status whatsoever.)

I have worked extensively with my school's career center on my interviewing (appearance and conduct) and resume. I have always had stuttering issues but in many interviews I have kept that to a minimum or nonexistent. My part-time job is primarily bookkeeping and have made quantifiable improvement to the business; I have documented these on my resume. And yes, SaveBandit, that response almost verbatim is what I have given to that question during interviews. I haven't ruled out industry, but I had mainly been looking at larger companies.

I was generally not even being chosen for interviews, and the only problem with my resume, so far as anyone has told me, is the gap in employment I had before I went back to school. I can see how that would scare potential employers off, so I added mentions of my volunteer activities during that time. I am on LinkedIn, I maintain my profile, I seek connections regularly.

I actually have had an interview with DFAS, but I haven't seen any openings from DCAA. I have spent a lot of time on USAJobs. I would be open to relocating to DC or just about anywhere, really.

AUD 64 2014Q3 81 2014Q4
BEC 90 2014Q3
FAR 84 2014Q3
REG 84 2014Q3

[MaLoTu]

@Jon- that is really frustrating. Have you tried to establish contacts with recruiters? If you have a LI account, I strongly recommend reaching out to a few recruiters in your area. Ask them if you can talk to them about the company and how your career goals align with what that firm has to offer. This is how I have been able to get my information out to firms. Recruiters, by nature, are happy to help individuals. I never solicited any particular job on the first meeting. I always tried to establish with the recruiter that I existed and was interested in working in public accounting at a firm like theirs.

It is a lot of work, but it will pay off. I am sure that you are willing to put in some effort, from what I have read so far.

The CPA association for your state probably allows people to attend events as guests. What area are you located in?

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

All 4 passed - 2016

CA CPA

[MaLoTu]

Also, what is your career target? Is it government or public or industry? Knowing where you want to go is a big part of your personal brand. As long as you are oscillating between the 3 areas it is going to be a red flag.

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

All 4 passed - 2016

CA CPA

[mrgriff21]

Have you asked yourself why you want to do public accounting? There are tons of great opportunities out there that are not in public accounting. It's definitely not for everyone. Definitely get involved with RobertHalf or other recruiting firms, even if it's contract work because that can turn into full time.

I started my career with 4 years in Internal Audit and it was great.

A - 84
R - 81
B - 77
F - 81

[JonIsHere]

Re-visiting this a few days later:

I have been getting a few interviews, but not nearly as many as I would have liked; as I've said before, my resume is missing some things that I can't add unless I falsify my resume. There are opportunities in this area, but connections trump competence ten times out of ten. I have scoured the website and called a couple of people from South Carolina Association of CPAs and to my knowledge, all events are members-only. I have been trying to establish and re-establish contacts with recruiters with public accounting firms and staffing companies.

I fear that my focus on public accounting for so long led me to miss more viable opportunities elsewhere. At the present time, government (mainly federal, but some state as well) has been the main focus of my job search. Widening my net vs. having a clear direction for my career…both seem like ways of ensuring that I stay unemployed forever.

AUD 64 2014Q3 81 2014Q4
BEC 90 2014Q3
FAR 84 2014Q3
REG 84 2014Q3

[Author]

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