[Anonymous]

I passed two exams already.

I’m going to be done with school this August.

I already have gotten into contact with some recruiters to be told that “they aren’t hiring now”..well some at least, quite a few didn’t respond at all.

The only silver lining so far is that I’ve gotten hints that many of these firms will consider hiring more entry-level associates before the fall.

Career services told me of some public accounting firms who were hiring..sent my resume to those places..haven’t received any response yet but am hopeful since it’s been less than a week.

I participated in OCR this fall. I had no real job interview experience. I screwed up at interviews with Big 4/midsize firms and realizing my mistakes, I feel confident that I can do a better job this time around..basically, just hoping for a second chance. I naively thought that the firms would be happy to hire those who had the strongest understanding of the material but I realize that they’re looking for other qualities moreso..qualities that I can really only get across by my answers in the interviews.

I am an outgoing and energetic guy which I feel will help once I figure things out..but at the same time, job interviews make me nervous..there are so many reasons why I feel it is so important I get a job..it’s really important for me to no longer have to financially depend on my parents AND to pay off my student loans AND to be able to provide my future children with good schools [essentially having enough money to make that happen..I want to be able to live in either a top school district or a safe area with mediocre school districts but being able to afford private school.]

I’ve heard from people who work at the top six firms that passing AUD and REG would definitely increase my chances of getting a job at most places. So, essentially, what can I do besides what I’ve already done?

[Anonymous]

Pass all four sections of the exam and put it on your resume. I was not able to get interviews anywhere, and had no luck finding a job in accounting (probably because I had no experience). I decided to pass all four sections of the exam to boost my chances of getting a job at a public accounting firm. I managed to pass the exam in one window. I put that on my resume and emphasized it during my first two interviews after passing. To my surprise, I had offers for both of the jobs.

I couldn't believe how much passing all four sections helped.

[mgoloubenko]

I think so much about interviewing is trying to find a way to connect with the person. You already have the credentials if you're in the interview room, now what they're looking for is someone that they can see themselves easily working with. Everything in accounting firms is in close knit groups so recruiters are looking for the intelligence, but a lot of emphasis is placed on the soft skills. You also have to find a way to stand out and show your eagerness to become a part of their firm. I send thank you emails after my interview as well as personalized hand written cards which I believe made me stand out.

FAR 4/9/12- PASSED
BEC 7/13/12- PASSED
AUD 8/16/12- Ughhh 71, Rematch: 90!!!
REG-12/6/12 PASSED

USC MAcc- Fight on!

They say good things come to those who wait, but only those things that are left by those who hustle.

[Anonymous]

@danger22: I'm definitely going to work on studying for the next two. I'm a tad indecisive on whether I should go out and take the other two while I'm still in school. I took AUD and REG during our two-month winter break. It might be too much but I don't know. I've gotten different advice on this from people..some think I should just focus on my schoolwork, others think I should go for it and try to pass the other two sections.

@mgoloubenko: Thank you for the good interview advice! I know what I did wrong last semester..I kind of thought since I was clearly qualified, resume-wise, that I would get an offer at places. I know what I need to get across now..in particular, that I am a team player. It's funny. While some of the top students did get offers, there were other top students (including me) who didn't get them..there were some with much lower GPAs who did get offers..I can't say I'm too surprised now..I'm willing to bet that there are plenty of Big 4 partners out there who weren't top students..not saying they looked for people with low grades of course, but that they heavily focused on “soft factors”.

I'm trying to look at this positively though. If I got a winter internship through OCR, I would have never passed two sections of the CPA exam and have already gotten some positive feedback from accounting firms due to this..it's just that they aren't hiring right now.

[Keely]

@dreaming: I don't have any interview experience either. I'm just curious what kind of questions threw you off in your interviews? I just graduated last semester and I'm going to try to pass all four parts of the exam before I really start looking for a job, but I have absolutely no idea what accounting interviews entail! Any insight would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[mgoloubenko]

Just from personal experience, my on campus interview was pretty easy. I only had to speak to one person and I could read him pretty well so I felt like I connected with him. I had about a 3.4 GPA and got called to second round of interviews, while some of my friends had 3.9's and didn't. I think sometimes with interviews you need to be adaptive, if you can tell the person is really conservative then it's best for you to mirror that and be 100% professional. But more often than not, recruiters are younger people who have gone through the process maybe 5 years ago, so you have a lot more of a chance to connect with them. I've had friends who talked to their recruiter basically about football/sports the whole time and made it to second round! Also, attire is so important. You have to look sharp and like a well put together person. I think if you're only meeting with someone for 20 minutes, how you're dressed can leave an impression. My second interview, the actual office visit was a lot harder for me. I found out that I had mono two weeks before but I really didn't want to reschedule so I hauled myself out of bed, took some cold medicine and had my dad drive me into the city for the interview. I didn't tell anyone I was sick and I felt like garbage, but I just knew I had to do it and I did. 🙂

FAR 4/9/12- PASSED
BEC 7/13/12- PASSED
AUD 8/16/12- Ughhh 71, Rematch: 90!!!
REG-12/6/12 PASSED

USC MAcc- Fight on!

They say good things come to those who wait, but only those things that are left by those who hustle.

[Author]

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