[labruin06]

I have an interview with a senior manager, partner and HR manager. Is it normal to have just 3 interviews? Is this a clue they’re really not considering me? Also, I’m scheduled to come in at 10 and there was no mention in the email about lunch being provided. Another bad sign?

[Sparty On]

Is this a first round interview or second round interview? Either way, I wouldn't expect to spend more than 30-45 min with each person. So I don't see the lunch thing as a bad sign.

AUD - 92
REG - 88
FAR - Awaiting score
BEC - 8/13

[Sparty On]

Also, is this an experienced hire? And if so, what level?

AUD - 92
REG - 88
FAR - Awaiting score
BEC - 8/13

[labruin06]

Experienced hire. I'm not sure what round, but I had a phone interview and this is now the office interview.

[Sparty On]

Sounds pretty normal to me. A partner interview is always a good sign because they are the decision makers. Partner time is very valuable so they are usually the last step after everyone has been weeded out.

AUD - 92
REG - 88
FAR - Awaiting score
BEC - 8/13

[labruin06]

That's good to know. Are you saying you've heard of office interviews where some people didn't get to meet with a partner? Also, what's the role of an HR manager interviewing? I've never heard of that I until I saw it was happening for me.

[rknight21]

standard process with most big firms it seems… i recently went thru the same process and below i have explained my experience;

HR Manager – will ask questions about yourself, not the ultimate decision maker but this interview is just as important. They will ask questions such as why this firm? why should we choose you? General questions really….My interview with the hr manager was interesting. she sited certain red flags in some of my answers and gave me advice on how to answer it better for the other two interviews

Senior manager – a little tougher. More serious tough questions. I was asked 3 accounting and auditing question. I was caught off guard so i got 1 completely correct and half of another question correct. You will also get the interesting behavioral questions…Somewhat more indept questions. I was asked to explain my communications skills and leadership skills. He asked about my ability to adapt and accept criticism.

Partner – A bit more laid back. They usuallly opened with a story or current affiars to break the ice and laugh a bit…at this point you'll just be repeating stuff you have said before and showing the partner you have charisma and that you are friendly and now how to smile….

That seems to be the usually process that i have seen with on campus recruitment and my most recent iinterview….

I believe taking out to lunch only occurs during OCR season when they have more than one potential candidates come in, not for a one off interview

[labruin06]

@rknight – What do you think the chances are if you interview for a one off? I think I had a similar experience with OCR two years ago with a B4. 34 candidates went in and 7 got offers. Prior to that, I heard that if you got an office interview, the only way to mess it up is show up drunk. I hope I'm in the latter scenario and not the OCR scenario.

[mnCPAwannabe]

Depends who your interviewers are, but this was the exact same process for me. I was a campus hire, but had the same three interviewers. At the firm I interviewed at all three played a role in the hiring decision. You had to be manager level or above to make hiring decisions. All didn't ask too difficult of questions, it was definitely more of a “would I want to work with this person” interview process.

FAR: 84
AUD: 95
REG: 78
BEC: 88
ETHICS: 100

[rknight21]

i think chances are better for one off interviews… I ended up getting an offer

[Anonymous]

I once had to interview for 6 hours with 11 different people…and didn't get an offer. That sucked.

[Anonymous]

Standard Process. The whole in office thing will most likely be laid back. The lunch will probably be with 3-4 people who are closer to your age and skill level. All of the meetings will be laid back and the questions will not be pressure packed. If they are getting you in the office, the odds that you are going to get hired are actually pretty high unless you make some colossal mistake. Most importantly be yourself and do not be uptight. This is more of a test as to how you act and converse in a professional environment. However, they do not want you to be tight lipped and completely incapable of being normal in this type of situation so feel free to loosen up a little bit. Often times you end up talking about sports with one or two of the individuals. Also prepare some pretty mature questions for the Partner. That always impresses. It is crucial to the process. The Partner wants you to ask great questions to show maturity and your interest in the firm.

[rknight21]

Ditto to everything cpawinning said….my mistake in pass interviews was not being myself and being uptight… more concerned about whether i dressed ok for the interview than truly expressing an interest in the firm. It is the partner that normally talks about sports. In my most recent interview the partner and I spent a good 5 minutes talking about the sweltering heat outside and sports lol

and yes questions are very important!! funny enough the partner answered my question for him without me asking….. i was honest about it and told him he actually answered the exact question i wanted to ask him…a bit of a risky move but i wanted to be honest..

@smith sorry to hear… that sounds way intense tho… a friend of mine did a serious interview like that one time. he was in the center of a room with about 4/5 senior persons throwing tons of questions at him for a good minute(not an actual minute ppl) he said he dont know how he survived it but he did and landed the job(engineering job)

[Vern]

How much are these jobs paying in major city? Entry level, 2-4 experienced, 5+ experience?

Audit Passed
FAR Passed
REG Passed
BEC ??

[rknight21]

entry level will be anywhere from 50k-54k

[jelly]

Usually:

HR = screen for crazy

Sr Manager = you'll work most closely with, day-to-day.

Partner = you'll see once in a while. Concern is how you appear to a new or old client, b/c that's what the partner is selling.

Partner & Sr Mngr know the budget size, client revenue and staffing needs for engagement/job.

It's also August, so people are out on vacation until the busy season starts up in the fall.

Couldn't pass again!

[Author]

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