[cpacandidate408]

Hi all, don’t know if I would have gotten through the CPA exam without the support and help from this great community. Knowing that there were other people in a similar situation was me was super helpful in getting through the tests. That being said, I finished taking my last CPA exam last night, and am looking for some career advice from others.

Out of college, I had a weak GPA and ended up working at a small, local CPA firm in audit with a pretty niche specialization in governmental audits. I worked for almost 3 years and got promoted to senior level within 2 years. I felt like I wasn’t learning anything new (or useful to my career) and decided to quit to study full time for the CPA exam. Now, I’m looking for an experienced associate role at preferably the big 4 or a national firm. I have no clue where to start, can anyone pass on any sage advice? I have some very weak school connections to a few offices nearby, but not really sure if to start from there or start looking for recruiters on linkedin or directly through a firm’s website.

Thanks in advance, another71 fam!

[r00shine]

Hey, i would suggest applying for an associate level role instead of an experienced associate role. Big 4 and other national firms usually expect experienced associates to have experience in other big4 or national firm. I was in the same boat as you. If you know someone that works at one of the firms, i strongly suggest you ask them to put in a referral for you. I was working at a very small accounting firm as well and got into a big4 because someone referred me and opened the door. If that isnt an option for you, maybe you can go to events hosted by the firms and reaching out to recruiters for sure. Reach out to your school and see if you can go to recruiting events. ALso, you can try to see if there are any alumni/professors at the school that have connections to the big 4 firms that you can reach out to and try to connect with. Best of luck to you!

[cpacandidate408]

Thanks, appreciate the input! I don't mind starting at associate level again, and I'll work on networking and trying to get a connection to get in

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