[luyiqing]

Here’s the situation.

So I found out I passed my last section and I am done with the exams. I have been working in a tiny online tax preparation company since Jan this year and I am customer service representative/tax processor for individual tax returns. My boss told me before he would give me a raise and reimburse me the materials after I pass the exams but now he only said congulations. Also, my boss told me that he would let me work with him which will be tax programming/anslysis after my exams but now he didn’t mention anything. Colleagues said I should celebrate so I decided to treat everyone dinner next week.

My manager is only an associate graduate and still pursuing his bachelor degree. He became not happy and jealous after knowing that I passed all the exams. The job is too easy and I cannot utilize my skills fully and grow. I have been thinking about getting a new job for a long time, but for some reason it’s difficult for me because I need work visa/sponsorship and I am only a recent graduate which means I don’t have 3-5 solid work experiences.

I am a master of science in taxation graduate and I really want to join a company where I can establish my long-term carrer goal and make contributions. I am really very confused at this time because I think I already did what I should do including passing the exams in a short period of time and working hard.

I really need suggestions regarding what I should do now. Any comments will be highly appreciated.

[luyiqing]

Up up don't sink please…

[luyiqing]

What's the good reason why do you want to leave your current company? Any suggestions?

I want to say that the job is not very suitable for me because it's customer service/tax processor in a tiny firm. In what way can I say that to my potential employers? Thanks!

[ruggercpa2b]

Considering you work for a small firm you can say that you are looking for an opportunity with growth potential. You can say that you work in a smaller firm and advancement opportunities are few and far between. People are not based on performance but based on positions opening up and considering the group is so small you are not sure when a position will open up. You want a position with a firm that offers professional and personal growth. Blah blah blah.

That way you don't bash your current job or current employer.

AUD - NINJA in Training
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - NINJA in Training

AUD - 1/6/18
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

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.

[luyiqing]

Thank you. What if the potential employer is still a small firm but it's a CPA firm where I can get my qualified experiences for NY license? My current firm is not a CPA firm and there is no licensed CPA there. My boss is Enrolled Agent and he developed online websites for people to enter their information online and we process those returns and provide customer service. (mainly low income to mid income customers).

[Missbots]

KPMG hired my friend and sponsored her H1 visa, no other unique talents just a simple CPA that just got her license, she was interning at PCW and I guess has tons of experience, and yes CPA is classified as skilled labor, keep looking. You never know you might get lucky.

[luyiqing]

Thank you! I looked at big four websites and some search engines like Indeed and Monster but a lot of jobs require 3-5 years solid experiences in a similar role. I find it hard to find entry level positions since I don't have many experiences. Do you know what is the best search engine for me to find entry level sponsorship provided jobs? Thanks a lot for your suggestions.

[ruggercpa2b]

Go to the actual firm's websites. I currently work at a Big 4 and I saw postings for audit staff to start in the Fall of 2015. So they have started recruiting for 2015. I have been looking to make a jump to a regional firm and I spent a Saturday googling the regional firms in my area and when I found a list. I spent all day looking at their websites and trying to find any open positions and the contact for someone in HR. If they didn't have an open position I sent an email to the recruiter. The firm I am interviewing for now I remember that I sent their HR person an email at least once a quarter to check and see if they have openings.

I think MLA has posted about her experience looking for a job and I learned from reading her posts. Looking for a job is a full time job itself and you have to be diligent.

AUD - NINJA in Training
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - NINJA in Training

AUD - 1/6/18
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

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.

[luyiqing]

Thank you. It was very helpful.

[luyiqing]

I am currently in individual tax returns field but I want to dive into corporate/partnership tax returns area. Can anyone tell me about the general or typical procedures to prepare those tax returns and what we should pay attention to when preparing those tax returns? Thanks a lot!

[luyiqing]

Hi I got an awkward situation. I currently live in Queens NY. I got an offer from a small CPA firm as a tax reviewer but basically I will only work with the partner. The issue is that it is in Staten Island…so far…and they want to pay me $16 an hour.

I currently earn $15 an hour in an online tax preparation company as customer service/tax processor. I understand that CPA firm no matter what size contains more technical skills than tax preparation company but I am really confused what is the best way for me to do now….any advise would be highly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

I would advise you accept the position. This will qualify you to get your experience to become a CPA and will be work experience doing real accounting work, both of which are valuable for your future. They pay may not be amazing, but assuming you've been able to support yourself on $15/hr right now, that means $16/hr will pay your bills, so it's enough to get you the experience you need. Your first job may not always be high-paying, but it's the experience that counts.

For what it's worth, my public accounting tax job paid $8/hr when I was hired – I'm in an area with a very low cost of living, so it's probably roughly equivalent to the $16/hr offer you've received.

[luyiqing]

Thank you Lilla. My concern is that this firm is very far and I need to take ferry to go there. If I consider moving, it would be difficult for me to look for other jobs if I want to look for new opportunities in the future. Yesterday I was reading that if you took a job which undervalued you, you would be dragged behind for future careers since future employers will ask what you make currently….when the recruiters asked how much I make in my current job, they all got shocked since the pay is extremely low based on the fact that I have a master degree and passed all four CPA exams.

[Anonymous]

You don't have to answer when they ask about current or prior pay, so I would try to avoid those questions – “Pay is negotiable” or something liek that. I was concerned about that as well with such a low paying job, but was able to get a 50% pay raise when I switched to my next job.

However, having to take the ferry and having a long commute presents more of an obstacle. I'm not familiar with NY so didn't understand the significance of your location vs the location of the job. How long do you think it would take you every day to go to work? I'm switching from a job with a relatively long commute to a much shorter one (will start a job 3 minutes from home on Monday 🙂 ), so I know that a long commute can get tiring.

I didn't see this thread when it was first created, so if you're considering looking for a different offer, I'll offer now the advice I would've offered if I'd seen this thread at the start: Try cold-calling. Make sure your resume is in good shape, then send to the smaller firms in the area, or even better yet dress up professionally and go visit them. I know that visiting them is harder when you're already employed, but if you could take a vacation day and go drop off a resume and cover letter in person, that would be ideal. A lot of smaller firms never advertise their open positions, so you could find something this way that's not on Indeed or Monster or even their website.

[luyiqing]

Thank you Lilla! The new firm would take two hours each way and my current company takes me one hour each way. My current company is a tax preparation company(not a CPA firm) and I am just doing very simple work (customer service/tax processing). The pay is obviously little. The new firm is very small too and basically I would only work with the partner doing tax returns(maybe complicated ones) but it's far and the pay is little.

I am still waiting for other opportunities though…I am really very hesitant to take that rough offer :(((

[JaySt]

I'm in somewhat of a similar situation. I am a non-US Citizen and require a work visa.

During my senior year, I was applying for position at CPA firms across the country. I had many, many phone interviews, but every single one of them led to “We would love to offer you to come and interview with us, but we don't sponsor visas. Sorry”.

My grades were decent and I have a solid resume, companies just aren't wanting to sponsor visas because of their cost.

I applied and got accepted for OPT and that expires in July 2015. A local company (not a CPA firm) was hiring an accountant, so I took the job there and I'm trying to get a position at a CPA firm before July.

I'm not sure what Visa you're on, but my plan is to go onto an E3 visa (I'm Australian) once a CPA firm gives me a job offer. I have a couple of places interested in hiring me, but they are currently in discussions with their immigration lawyers trying to work out if they will be able to “sponsor me” (The E3 visa doesn't require sponsorship, but its such a unique visa that nobody really knows that… That's another story in itself).

If I were you, I'd be trying my hardest to get into a large CPA firm. The larger the firm, the more likely they are to sponsor. I know PwC, KPMG and EY will all sponsor visas. My GPA isn't strong enough to get a position at one of these places and with the new CPA certification changes, most places wont talk to you unless you have 150 credits or a Graduate degree.

Use all the connections that you have available. Friends, family, professors etc. People have been very supportive of me and landing jobs is 90% about who you know.

Whats your current visa situation? Are you on OPT?

CPA Excel Gold, Ninja Flashcards, Ninja Audio
AUD - 70, 79!
FAR - 64 Retake 4/30.
BEC - 71, 78!

[Author]

Replies