[Anonymous]

Hello All,

I’d like to ask anyone who has ever worked/applied to work for Robert Half / Accountemps what your experiences were?

I told them I was done with 3 parts of CPA and wanted to get experience (I have ZERO). This was with the Accountemps office in my area. This was about 10 days ago. Now today I received a call from a “different division” of Accountemps (but same company) called “Salaried Professional Service”. They gave me this whole pitch about how great it is to get experience while going to different companies on different assignments (there may be 3 different projects you are assigned to per year or more). They mentioned something about getting paid even if there are gaps in the weeks between projects. This sounds ok I guess, but I am extremely leery about Accountemps/ Robert Half in general. I know the game they play and I know they may be interested in me because they may feel they can bill me out at a great rate. I’m reluctantly going to meet with the person who is in charge of the “Salaried Professional Service”.

Any warnings/ other advice is GREATLY appreciated. Like I said, I’m new in accounting land and even with the CPA passed I still have to earn my stripes.

[Anonymous]

@75 That makes 2 of us. Thanks for providing me with your experience. Could you provide me with any advice or methods that have been successful in landing you interviews?

@ cardinalhoya That is a good question. My CPA prep experience has been consuming all of my time. Now that I”m almost done I wanted to “put myself out there” without putting in the time commitment of a full time job search since I'm still studying through August. I' have a tendency to deeply focus on ONE thing at a time. So after the CPA is done I'll shift to job search mode.

I'm not taking on the CPA ego thing. I love the credential, and I think it has major value. That being said, I'm willing to work my way up and have no sense of entitlement. The only people I feel more qualified than are the ones who are landing good jobs right out of college with no CPA. That is luck any way you would like to slice it.

[Anonymous]

BARF, it's completely random. I haven't had any success whenever recruiting software is involved.

The only times I've had success is whenever a recruiter had received my resume relatively early after posting a job opening. They usually receive 500 resumes within the first day only.

[Anonymous]

@75 May I ask your age? I know this isn't “appropriate” but I'm curious of a few things.

Also, what is your background? Are you fresh out of a masters program, bachelors, or do you have experience in a field that is “kinda” accounting but not really.

I worked for a MAJOR mutual fund company as a licensed trader. It's funny that I was good enough for them but Robert Half doesn't want me…..LMAO!

[Anonymous]

I'm 31, not fresh out of anything apart from the CPA, with good accounting experience and some well explainable resume gaps.

The CPA has put me in a different category. I'm clearly overqualified for most of the regular accounting positions and underqualified for others. My B.S. is in economics, not accounting, which is something Taleo doesn't particularly love.

There's something in my resume that intimidates most of the recruiters. I think I should dumb it down for some of the positions I'm applying for.

[Anonymous]

@75 Yes I agree about the intimidation thing. I've been trading securities on my own while going through school. I have been series 7 licensed for a while. I'm pretty sure recruiters/hr people don't take the time to even learn what that is. I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance. I went back to school for Accounting and received an associates degree in 2011. I've passed 3 parts of the CPA. Yet this “person” (is that what they were)? today felt the need to totally unload on my about how they could not help me and they “can't help everyone”. I felt the need to “unload” on them but really had to refrain. I love the saying “don't burn any bridges”. Sure, when you hate someone you will want to. But I”ve had it come back and bite me in the behind a few times. I just bite my tongue now. You will probably be pleased to know I got in a few shots at “this person”. I love the whole “interviewing the interviewer” tactic. If an interview is going so badly, please use this. Basically, feel free to be as condescending as you would like and ask any questions you normally would not. Ex.–do you have any questions for me? Look down at your paper/notebook review your paper and say, NOPE. Then, ask THEM about THEIR background. This is usually the thing that pisses them off if they don't want to talk to you. YES! What did you do? I hate you but I'm REALLY interested in the things you have done to become such a complete d-bag in your everyday life/career. Please send me daily notes on the steps I can take to NOT be like you. Thanks in advance- IT WAS SO NICE MEETING YOU! P.s- I'm 33

[makinthemagic]

I try not to work with any staffing agency. They always call with some great job looking for my education/skills/experience, offering more pay than I am asking for, benefits, good company culture, etc. I talk with the agency after they get done stroking my thing they tell me they will present me to the company and I should hear back soon. I never get the job offer. Usually it was “filled internally” or some bs but they have some job, in a dying industry, twice as far from my apartment for half the pay. The company usually faces “challenges” and has “difficult” people to work with. Then they ask if they can present me for that job.

I've heard that recruiters have quotas on how many people they must interview and how many resumes they must collect. These are filler material to present with the candidate they actually want to get hired, just so they look like they have infinite people to select from.

Bec 4/11/11 91
Aud 7/11/11 75
Reg 8/31/11 80
Far 5/24/11 86
Ethics - 98
California Licensed CPA
Illinois Registered CPA

[Author]

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