[TheGuyCPA]

If I’m getting interviews, it can’t be my resume. It’s ME! Maybe I’m a terrible awkward talker? I always thought I was okay at speaking in interviews. I guess not. Will the CPA even help me then? I think I have better chances of getting a job with big four going after a public presentational speaker license (if it even exists).

FAR - 80
REG - 78
AUD - 88
BEC - 84

State of Illinois Licensed CPA as of September 2015

[Dog pounder1977]

Cheer up. Maybe it is you as a person who knows. I would just be more relaxed and humble during interviews. So much anxiety and pressure to deliver the PERFECT responses to interview questions may contribute to your nervousness causing employers to view you as awkward or non sociable. Just build your confidence in yourself and talk to employers like normal people because that is exactly what they are.

One day I will face that exam.

[Last Chance CPA]

I wouldn't look too much into it. I mean, are you an awkward person? Were you interrupting them, talking about yourself too much, did you sound disinterested? I hate the after interview thoughts in my head. I had been bugging Deloitte to give me an interview for a year, and they finally agreed, only to be rejected afterwards via voice mail….ouch.

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[jbarwick]

I would look online at some reputable sites about interview behavior to see if you exhibit any of these signs. Also if you remember any of the questions, do you think you clear and concise with your answers? Another tip may be a recruiter for like a Robert Half. Usually they talk with you and look for positions and they may be able to help with any interviewing issues you are having.

I went on a ton of interviews in 2010 for jobs post-MBA and it was a rough time for hiring. Once you have good solid work experience to talk about, future interviews are a breeze.

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

[MaLoTu]

Can you give some examples of questions they asked and responses?

It is hard to judge what their perception of you is over the phone. At least in a face-to-face interview you would have the chance to see their facial expressions to know if you are on the right track or not with your responses.

I think that you could be saying things that are raising red flags. The biggest offenders (I would guess) are that the individual doesn't really have a good understanding of why they want to practice in the particular area or the individual is clearly only using the position to bolster their employment prospects somewhere else (i.e., I plan to stay here two years then move to industry). These are common themes that come up on every interview I have had. Recruiters from regional firms have told me, on a personal note outside of interviewing, that they want to hire people that plan to stick around.

If you let us know some of the responses you give we can maybe narrow down where the disconnect is happening. It is definitely not experience if it is at the entry-level. It might not be personality … from what I tell your responses on the forum have been appropriate and insightful.

[Anonymous]

Maybe its a combination of you not being at your best and the fact that getting into thr Big 4 is hard.

[TheGuyCPA]

@ MaLoTu thanks for the info.

For EY it was tell me about a project you had to lead. I did not come up with a good enough answer because I brought up something about a school project.

PwC: Tell me about a time you stood up for something you believe in. I talked about a time I stood up for a fraternity member when he had our inventory stolen.

Deloitte: Tell me about an experience you use your professional skepticism. I don't think I have enough experience to even have dealt with this type of situation since I've never done real audit work.

Idk, I think some of these questions I can't really relate to because I have never experienced them for example they were probably looking for someone who experienced a big leading audit project and not for school, but I don't have that kind of experience.

FAR - 80
REG - 78
AUD - 88
BEC - 84

State of Illinois Licensed CPA as of September 2015

[Anonymous]

Big 4 interview WAY more people than they end up hiring. Still definitely practice interviewing and doing mock interviews, but don't take the rejection too harshly. It's just competitive out there. When I was in school, interviewed everywhere for intern, didn't get any. For full time, interviewed 9 places on campus interviews, got 2 second rounds and one offer. You just have to keep at it and stay confident and continue to practice. They are prob interviewing at least 10 ppl for each spot they have available so if you thought you did well, you prob did but tgey just liked someone a little better.

[cool_kid]

It's hard to say whether you're just not good at interviewing or maybe you're not as strong of candidate compared to other applicants. I've been interviewing since Fall 2014 and I've been to 8-9 in person interviews, not even including the phone interviews I did. I wasn't sure why I wasn't getting any offers but after getting a second round with a fortune 500 for a tax position, I realized that it wasn't my interviewing skills. My GPA wasn't really that high (3.4) and I never did any internships or had any internships so I was just an average candidate. In other words, it's not you and it's just that there are better candidates for that specific position. Most people who I knew that had received offers had one of the two, either a high GPA or relevant internship/experience.

I was actually quite worried that I would be graduating without a job offer and was frustrated that nothing worked. But about a week and half ago, I finally got an offer from a small firm. Keep trying and you will eventually find something. You should also try interviewing with other firms too besides the big 4. And lastly, you will eventually get better at phone interviews and in person interviews as you go along. I know for a fact that I was definitely not as good as I am now and that I've improved.

[MaLoTu]

@TheGuy – those are very hard questions to answer when you don't have too much experience. In the case of EY, I think that a school example would be fine.

@cool_kid – you are absolutely right, the more interviews you do the better you get. You learn what stories or qualities interviewers want to hear and what types of things they find favorable, as well as things to just stay away from.

My big thing was rambling on and speaking too quick. Phone interviews are the worse because you don't get any facial clues that show you “hey you are talking to much” or “I need more info”.

[MaLoTu]

Oh, and don't stop connecting with the recruiter. If a job is posted in a couple weeks, apply and in a day or two later e-mail them and let them know that you had spoke to them previously, you applied for whatever position, you are still interested in working for the company, and do they have time for a brief phone call to discuss the position. That was sort of how I got this last set of interviews that I will know if I got the job sometime next week.

[Anonymous]

dont worry you'll learn from experience and get better. It took me many tries to get decent at interviewing and even now the thought of it makes me nervous. I remember one of the first interviews I had was at one of the largest companies in the world (maybe top 40 in revenues among Fortune 500?) and I totally screwed it up. I was overwhelmed by the entire process and it made me upset when I found out I didnt get an offer, but I have no regrets and the experience helped me. Besides, I am happy to be in public accounting right now. These bad experiences will only make you stronger and everything that happens happens for a reason.

[Author]

Replies