[SAO247]

Hello everyone. I am looking for a little advice and some information regarding getting hired as an entry level public accountant at a small regional firm.

A little about me. I graduated with my masters in accounting last year, with a 3.40 GPA, with me moving to a new state. Recently i have finished my work with the CPA exam, having passed all four parts and gaining a CPA certificate. I can get a license pending 2 years of public accounting experience, or three years in private under a licensed CPA in my state. I have about 18 months of private GL accounting experience. I had left my previous position 6 months ago to finish off the CPA, and search for public accounting opportunities, specifically in audit, which is an area of accounting I have developed a healthy passion for.

I have gotten a few interview with public accounting firms in the area by sending out cover letters and resumes. Last Thursday afternoon, I just finished up my second interview with a firm. They asked for references, and outlined their hiring process (which they stated they didn’t have a formal one). Being that I really want to break into public accounting and audit, when should I expect an offer? I am currently worried and anxious, being that I have not heard back yet. Are there key things to look out for that indicate I will get an offer or not? I felt that I did well in the first interview with an audit partner, and ok to good in the second interview with an audit manager and the firm’s managing partner.

Any thoughts, comments, or shared experiences would be highly appreciated!

[Finallya75]

If you guys want I can refer you at PwC.

[CPAfit]

@finallya I just sent you an email for referral. Thanks for doing this 🙂

[Anonymous]

Finallya75 just joined an hour ago and posted their email address in 2 places as an offer for referral, and that's their only 2 posts. I would be suspicious of whether this person is truly a PwC employee making referrals or not, and if s/he is, if that's a referral I'd want, since it looks like s/he is referring complete strangers willingly, so his/her referral is probably pretty worthless. If it was someone who had been around here for awhile and knew people to some extent and was referring people they knew, that would be different. 😐

To the OP – if they said they'd take a week, follow up after a week. Also, in most states you don't have a CPA certificate till after you've acquired the experience – make absolutely sure you do have a CPA certificate in your state before putting it on your resume as such. I'm actually not aware of any states where you would have one, but I don't know the rules for all states. In most states, just exams and education doesn't give you any credential; only exams, education, and experience altogether gives you anything, which is the license/certification (or MA where a non-reporting license is extra education and exams, but no experience).

[Tom]

dadud3r,

I did. I let them know that I had an offer on the table from the big 4 firm and that it was a strong one.

They asked what the offer was and could not match it when I told them. However, they asked me to keep them in mind if things change in the near or distant future.

This was very important as anything can happen and you never want to burn any bridges.

[SAO247]

To Lilla: The state I am in allows for a two tier system. You can apply for a CPA Certificate which states that you meet the education requirements, and have passed the CPA Exam and the related AICPA and state ethics tests. Basically a certificate states that you meet the requirements for a full CPA License pending experience.

[Anonymous]

@SAO247 Awesome. 🙂 I know a lot of people on here have thought they could claim CPA in some way once they passed the exams, so wanted to make sure you hadn't fallen victim to that common misconception, but you're way ahead of me. 🙂

[SAO247]

Lilla, thank you. What I am wondering is how normal is it for the interviewers (ie. the partners) at these firms to be hard to read and stoic? Or does it mean that I failed to impress them? Or are all audit partners trained to be as difficult to disciphere as possible during these interviews to shake interviewees off? Or am I reading too much into this and driving myself crazy, and is this really all a crapshoot and that you will never know for sure?

[ruggercpa2b]

I think you are reading way too much into it and driving yourself crazy. Some partners are serious others are very easy going and easy to talk to. I have had interviews where it was laid back and I felt like I hit it off with all my interviewers and I didn't get the job. I have stopped tried to read people and just work on improving my interviewing skills. The things that you wish you could have said or if you could have responded to a question differently I would write that down and work that into your future interviews.

AUD - 73, 72 retake 7/2/2016
BEC - 8/20/2016
REG - TBD
FAR - TBD

I am so ready for this nightmare to be over. Been at this way too long.

[MOAC]

@SAO247, Is there an update?

No one is hard to decipher, you know by their body language and interest if they like you or not. If you talk about different things and your connect well then that's a good thing, doesn't necessarily mean an offer will be extended but will put you ahead of others, then it's down to a bit of luck but if you don't connect then it's a gone case.

I'll say this. It's easier to impress partners than HR personnel. Partners look right into your credentials and personality but HR people just follow a script.

I don't know if you get this job or not (hopefully you did) but don't worry, you will get into public accounting. You have very good credentials be proud of it and state them proudly. When you go to an interview take your transcripts, CPA score and resume with you, that will give you credibility.

FAR May 2012 81 (lost credit, didn't sit for other sections.)
FAR 86 Aug 2015
AUD 85 Nov 2015
BEC 84 Dec 2015
REG 78 Mar 2016

Passed ALL sections in first attempt!!

[SAO247]

Thank you. But it is still difficult to deal with the lack of contact from a lot of these firms. Even on following up they remain ambivalent a lot of the time.

[Mehow]

From personal experience every offer I've received has been the same days if not hours after. Every firm is different though, a week or two may be okay.

FAR = 86 4/22/16
BEC = 80 6/01/16
REG = 07/26/16
AUD = ?

[SAO247]

Hey guys, things went well. I got the position as an staff auditor at a small regional! Thought I should give an update. Work is hard but I enjoy it and am working hard and hanging in there!

[NeedsA75]

God bless all of you that work in public…especially a big 4 company…I think the hours would kill me. The only thing appealing to me regarding working in the public sector is becoming partner but I'm set on the CFO track instead

[DZagt]

I would say to keep interviewing until you get an offer letter that you like.

PS I only read the original post.

For my firm I interviewed Friday and got an offer that Monday.

[Author]

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