[ajurew1]

I was told by a recruiter that passing the CPA exam won’t help me find a job, and employers will not take it into consideration since I don’t have the kind of experience they are looking for.

I have been working as a lease/recovery accountant since I graduated college. I read tenant leases and bill the tenants based on the terms of their leases. I have been unable to get interviews for Staff Accounting type jobs. Do I have any way out of this position and into something that offers more career growth?

BEC - 84 (4/13/2013)
REG - 82 (10/17/2013)
AUD - 85 (12/5/2013)
FAR - 75 (10/11/2014)

[studylongUstudywrong]

Does anybody have experience using a resume critiquing/writing service?

Licensed Texas CPA

[studylongUstudywrong]

Does anybody have experience using a resume critiquing/writing service?

Licensed Texas CPA

[jlough]

@OP- always keep in mind that recruiters only want one thing- to place you in a job as quickly as possible so they get their commission check. They (for the most part) don't care if the job will fulfill your career goals or help you build skills or will be the right fit. They want to overload the hiring managers with resumes, hoping that one of them will be hired so they get paid.

And if they honestly think that passing one of the toughest professional exams won't reflect positively on you, they should really pursue a new career. And get their head checked.

PS- have you thought about going into Property Accounting? I work in corporate accounting for a property management company and we have had plenty of people transition from property accounting over to corporate.

F- 7/13- 84
R- 10/13- 79
A- 11/13- 99
B- 1/14- 86

Licensed in PA- 3/20/2014

This exam ALMOST defeated me back in 2006-2008, but I came back and WON!

[jlough]

@OP- always keep in mind that recruiters only want one thing- to place you in a job as quickly as possible so they get their commission check. They (for the most part) don't care if the job will fulfill your career goals or help you build skills or will be the right fit. They want to overload the hiring managers with resumes, hoping that one of them will be hired so they get paid.

And if they honestly think that passing one of the toughest professional exams won't reflect positively on you, they should really pursue a new career. And get their head checked.

PS- have you thought about going into Property Accounting? I work in corporate accounting for a property management company and we have had plenty of people transition from property accounting over to corporate.

F- 7/13- 84
R- 10/13- 79
A- 11/13- 99
B- 1/14- 86

Licensed in PA- 3/20/2014

This exam ALMOST defeated me back in 2006-2008, but I came back and WON!

[NoraU]

OP: I check sometimes the ads for accounting just to know the requirements and most of them are either “CPA preferred” or “CPA required” even entry level. Are you sure this recruiter is in accounting industry :-)?

BEC 05/12/14 77
REG 08/25/14 82
FAR 11/25/14 80
AUD 02/25/15 72, 05/15/15 98! DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NoraU]

OP: I check sometimes the ads for accounting just to know the requirements and most of them are either “CPA preferred” or “CPA required” even entry level. Are you sure this recruiter is in accounting industry :-)?

BEC 05/12/14 77
REG 08/25/14 82
FAR 11/25/14 80
AUD 02/25/15 72, 05/15/15 98! DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zieba]

CFE for fraud… not CFA, right?

If someone doesn't have the drive to do CPA, they surely don't have the drive to do CFA I-III!

I'm going for my CFE after this… If I understand correctly, it's a walk in the park compared to this and just a money collection stop on my letter collecting journey.

I have a friend who works for the Department of Treasury in the bank crimes enforcement division, or something like that. I bet my CPA, CFE designations would be a good fit for that sort of work.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[zieba]

CFE for fraud… not CFA, right?

If someone doesn't have the drive to do CPA, they surely don't have the drive to do CFA I-III!

I'm going for my CFE after this… If I understand correctly, it's a walk in the park compared to this and just a money collection stop on my letter collecting journey.

I have a friend who works for the Department of Treasury in the bank crimes enforcement division, or something like that. I bet my CPA, CFE designations would be a good fit for that sort of work.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[Anonymous]

@zieba–I guess you're talking to me since I'm the only one that brought up fraud. I thought she said CFA, but it could be CFE. I don't pay much attention to all the nonCPA certifications, but it is the one for fraud. She definitely has the drive for tha CPA, she just preferred fraud to financial accounting and chose that over going for her CPA. I think having both would be great for the job you're looking at. It sounds fascinating and there are times I wish I had gone into fraud. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

@zieba–I guess you're talking to me since I'm the only one that brought up fraud. I thought she said CFA, but it could be CFE. I don't pay much attention to all the nonCPA certifications, but it is the one for fraud. She definitely has the drive for tha CPA, she just preferred fraud to financial accounting and chose that over going for her CPA. I think having both would be great for the job you're looking at. It sounds fascinating and there are times I wish I had gone into fraud. Good luck!

[zieba]

the levels of CFA is every bit of the journey the CPA is… though out of curiosity the other day I glanced at some review materials and saw % of completion of JE's.

Cert Fraud Examiner is CFE… I am also banking on people seeing CFE and thinking CFA and floating my piece of paper to the top (I am one tenth serious about this). Right now, I'm happily employed and focusing on getting certs first.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[zieba]

the levels of CFA is every bit of the journey the CPA is… though out of curiosity the other day I glanced at some review materials and saw % of completion of JE's.

Cert Fraud Examiner is CFE… I am also banking on people seeing CFE and thinking CFA and floating my piece of paper to the top (I am one tenth serious about this). Right now, I'm happily employed and focusing on getting certs first.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[san4596]

I completely agree with Kricket! That recruiter has to be on crack! You need to tell him to go sniff his crack on his own time, and send you to a professional recruiter that understands your line of work.

I would have bust out laughing if the recruiter said a CPA license has no weight. My cousin is a headhunter, and she said that my MBA and CPA will get me anywhere. That the combination of the MBA and CPA is like holding a golden ticket.

CPA EXAM: DONE!!!!
Ethics Course: Passed
Application Mailed: 3/16/15
Professional Conduct Exam: 97
Certification Date: 4/2/15!!!

[san4596]

I completely agree with Kricket! That recruiter has to be on crack! You need to tell him to go sniff his crack on his own time, and send you to a professional recruiter that understands your line of work.

I would have bust out laughing if the recruiter said a CPA license has no weight. My cousin is a headhunter, and she said that my MBA and CPA will get me anywhere. That the combination of the MBA and CPA is like holding a golden ticket.

CPA EXAM: DONE!!!!
Ethics Course: Passed
Application Mailed: 3/16/15
Professional Conduct Exam: 97
Certification Date: 4/2/15!!!

[Study Monk]

My guess is that a CPA with little experience should be able to find a job fairly easily in public accounting, but jobs in private accounting may be more difficult. That being said there's bound to be hiring managers in private accounting who have their CPA and would love to hire a person who went through the same obstacles in life. I imagine that having a CPA is like being a member of a club.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[Author]

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