[Anonymous]

Title says it all. I’m frustrated and ready to take any under-paying bookkeeping position offered but still no luck. What should I do?

[Anonymous]

@bobkorz

The job market sucks in Chicago.

It's full of fake job postings and there're no more than 2 sort-of-decent accounting jobs per day.

Many companies don't want CPAs for Staff positions. Others want CPA+MBA for Senior Staff, which is insane in my opinion.

It's truly a catch 22.

[Anonymous]

I sent a few resumes out and haven't heard anything. Looks like it's going to be tougher than I thought.

[Mom2two]

This thread is interesting for sure. I have to add my take since I was a non traditional student and went Big 4 straight out of school. I was 27, granted not to much older but older than most so I had a different perspective. It is funny to hear people say stuff about where else can you make manager in 5 years because so many of those so called managers completely fail at life and in industry once they switch because they are pompous dbags with no ability to actually be a leader, let alone a manager. But then again I hated being around pompous, dbags who thought they knew everything and didn't. Maybe they knew some about accounting, I respect their one's that had their CPA, but even then I met a lot of dumb CPA's. And for sure most were completely delusional about life. So it is a hard choice, it always looks good to have that on the resume. It landed me in a manager role coming out of public without my CPA BUUUUTTTT after that I had to work my a** off to prove I was worth it. Every opportunity since then has been because of my work ethic, not just Big 4 carrying me through. And when I say work ethic I mean working as many hours as it takes to get the job done, volunteer for every extra project, committee, network, never get an attitude, always do the right thing, take initiative and figure it out on my own, but most importantly, remain humble and approachable to people…never forget you are replaceable and its just a job at the end of the day. I guess my point of this little rant is I don't care for Big 4 and if you do get in, please don't lose yourself and be something you are not. And side note, I am sorry about the interviews you have had. I am in a manager position now and interview people regularly. I am not intimated by someone that has their cpa and would rather have a high-speed staff for even just a year than a lifer with no initiative. But what I would never want is an arrogant person who thinks they are better than others just based off the fact that they have their CPA, not saying you give that vibe, just what I look out for.

B: 81 (3X) May 2012
A: 76 (1X) Nov 2011
R: 86 (2X) Feb 2012
F: 64, April 2011, retake 10.01.12 - 75!!!!!!!!!!

[xcaramel03x]

@cpham, @75 “And more importantly, for staff accounting positions they don't seem to like me having passed CPA”

I disagree with this. I'm starting work at one of the Big 4, and they actually reward you with a bonus ($5k) if you pass the CPA exam within 1 year of starting work (or having it done b4 u even start). They really encourage you to get your CPA exams done before starting work. Maybe it's different if you have your CPA completed BEFORE you get the job offer.. i'm not sure, but they did encourage it.

Good luck on the job search :/ In my experience, the Big 4 love it if you're really interested/excited to learn. My school had a career fair where we had a lot of accy firms show up as well as all the big 4. Alumni are also allowed to attend. Networking is also huge: if u have friends who work in public accy firms and can attest to your drive, work ethic, etc, maybe they could introduce u to their recruiter.

FAR - 96 (1/25/12)
BEC - 89 (2/27/12)
AUD - 97 (4/09/12)
REG - 90 (5/15/12)
Done!!!

[Anonymous]

@xcaramel03x

I was referring to industry, not public accounting.

[round1]

Ok, I'm in the same boat… Not even looking now for a PA position, just for an entry-level accounting position. Gosh! Still it's very hard. Seems like everyone is looking for a candidate with 2-3 years of experience – even if says ‘entry-level' in the job title. I've even seen interns' job ads requiring previous experience. <

---

That was my rant, sorry!

Now I have some real questions: Do you think it's a right decision to spend some $180-270 to join the State Society of CPAs just for those ‘networking opportunities'? I don't have a business card (what to put there anyway?), so how to make sure my contact information goes forward (if that job opportunity arises in the future)? Do I go and just ask for a business card at the end of a conversation? And give them nothing in return? Or do I come with a folder full of resumes and just hand them :-)))? I'm exaggerating a little bit, but that's a real problem for me.

Apart from this, what other avenues might be open for networking? I'm in a new city, thus no help's available from my university career center, no relatives or friends in the accounting industry.

DONE!

[Anonymous]

I've been looking for work since mid-March 2012 and it's been hard. I'm in my mid-40s, have my CPA, have experience (though not public accounting experience) and the lesser positions (e.g. clerk) won't hire me because of my CPA yet I don't have enough experience to get into public accounting. I'm expecting to get an offer soon (according to HR) for a budget technician job at Indian Health Services. While the money is less than what I was making, the benefits are substantial. The worst thing about the position is the drive for one hour each way each day (hello audio books!). The good news is that I'll finally be working again after getting very discouraged. Like one of the people above who thought that finally getting the CPA would be a new beginning with a lot of doors opening…that just didn't happen for me either. So right now I'm just happy to (hopefully) be working again.

[Anonymous]

First of all I am grateful to everyone who had something to say about this. Some of you made quite unique suggestions that I probably would not have thought on my own, so thank you for that. All of us at some point have been in my position, looking for job is a job in itself, and not an easy one at that.

Now to make some specific remarks;

@lateralus: This is a late response, but do you mind telling me a little more about oil and gas accounting positions? Where can I find more info. about the industry and employers?

@Mom2two:I do agree, in many cases big 4 managers are not qualified (experience-wise) to be regarded as managers, granted big 4 grind does provide technical proficiency in accounting.

The dilemma that I am facing is simple. For staff accounting level positions in the industry, I am deemed overqualified on grounds that I will not be content with responsibilities and benefits of being a staff accountant and my CPA will probably earn me better options soon enough making me want to leave. They would rather have a plain old fashioned accountant who would gladly stay at staff level for next 3 – 5 yrs and not seek promotion. As for public accounting, the firms that are worth working for, i.e. mid to large scale, these are the only ones that are willing and have capacity to train new employees, they only make new hires twice a year. Leaving me stuck waiting for the next recruiting season 🙂

[Anonymous]

CPA_likeABoss,

I have found http://www.indeed.com a great place to find a lot of legitimate opportunities in my area. While there are some bogus ones, many are not. You may want to search for oil & gas accounting on indeed.

Also, have you ramped up your LinkedIn profile with credentials and experience and let people know you are looking for work and willing to relocate?

A newspaper in my area, http://www.JobsHQ.com also lists legitimate opportunities.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Hello all- I've recently read all of the posts in here and I've seen some good points. I'm in the same boat as some of you. I honestly haven't been applying for a long time now. Maybe some background information on me will help you understand why. I went back to school in 2010, at age 31. This isn't “old”, but isn't that young either! I graduated originally in 2001 with a four year financial services degree. I had some accounting classes but not many. I hate the sales aspect of working in financial services so I decided I would be better suited for accounting. So my choice was to go back to school in 2010 and get the required accounting classes at a 2 year school that is close to me.

In the process, I met a great accounting chair who was able to help me get all of my previous credits transferred. This meant me getting a 2 year accounting degree in addition to the required accounting credits to sit for the CPA exam. I finished school in December, 2011. I started studying for the CPA in January. I have passed 2 parts of the CPA and just took REG last Wednesday. So I'm hoping to have 3 under my belt come Friday.

Here is where the fun starts I suppose. I have always felt it is hard applying for jobs online. Like many have stated, I feel it can be a big black hole garbage can for resumes. It can be disheartening to apply to jobs and be hopeful, to never even hear a response or get an interview.

I have 2 people who recently finished school with me. Both of them have jobs, but both started applying much earlier than me. One was a first time student my age (33 now) who was not even in a business field before obtained an accounting coordinator position. The other, who had a very similar background to me, received a higher paying job (mid 40's but very friendly and personable). He stated he was making around 41,600 to start but was doing a multitude of tasks from cost to payroll, to tax withholding submissions. I made a mini connection back in February with a recruiter who primarily deals with accounting positions for an agency. She knows I have been focusing on the CPA but has only approached me about 2 positions. One was weak, but I wanted experience so I said submit me. It was only $15 an hour but I figured get experience and leave (perhaps they would pay for CPA). They told her no to me, they were concerned I would leave. I'm fairly certain this may be a common brick wall I may run into. She has been sporadic at best about contacting me with anything. So this week I am trying to modify my resume while (hopefully adding REG to my list of passed exams as well).

So my questions are as follows. #1. Since I am no longer a student, what is the best way to apply to all of the big 4 for entry level positions? I have been to their sites and it usually says they recruit from the campus. I'm hoping to at least get an interview with one of them. But since I have no accounting experience, I'm wondering the best way to apply. As a side note, my brother in law's niece works for E&Y. She was a brilliant student and was recruited from campus, got an internship and was hired. She went to a better school than me and has a better GPA. I've never actually spoken to her in person, but my brother in law gave me her contact information and told her my situation last summer and told her I”d be emailing her. I did contact her but I am wondering if it was too soon. I wasn't done with school yet and couldn't even sit for the CPA. She forwarded my resume to an E&Y recruiter in my area and I heard crickets chirping. I never heard from them at all. So I'm thinking I should contact her again now, and give her an update with my improved credentials. Sometimes I think recruiters look at your school and say “he or she will not be able to pass the CPA”, and automatically write you off.

#2. My friend suggested posting my resume on Monster/Cragslist/CareerBuilder and see if I get any bites. You never know who is looking. My primary concern is getting calls about jobs unrelated to accounting, but I think it is worth a shot. Do you guys think it is worth a shot?

#3 I contacted my local Robert Half/Account temps last summer. Again, I believe I was premature in my job search since I wasn't done with school. I met with the branch manager and it was hard to determine if she was giving me lip service. She was like “I love that you have initiative and you are seeking to improve yourself via the CPA”. “My employers love that, and they love the fact that you aren't tainted by previous employers so they can mold you the way they want.” ” My job is to work for you from here on out until you have a position.” I never heard from her again. She wasn't clear about the process whether I should be applying to jobs they had listed or if they would contact me. Since I never heard from her I'll assume they won't be contacting me and actively looking for anything for me. There are simply too many other candidates looking for work. Should I contact her again with my updates, (resume, etc. stating my situation has changed and I am now actively looking for work?

#4 What are other good sites such as indeed.com are good for job searches specific to accounting?

#5 What other agencies/recruiters are good in the Ohio area? I'm between Dayton and Cincinnati, so I would have roughly a 35 minute commute to either city. (K-Force, Aijilon, Adecco are the only ones that come to mind.)

#6 What skills should I emphasize on my resume and should I list education and specialized skills first? Since I don't have experience, I figured this would be good to emphasize what I can do, and a buddy suggested if you get an interview bring your college transcripts to the interview. Since I did fairly well in school, having mostly A's could demonstrate you aren't a complete rookie in that area.

Thanks in advance and good luck to all.

[Herbieherb]

@ barf I wouldn't contact your neice again until you passed all exams, your credentials will be much more improved with all parts passed and your acctg degree, rather than just a one in a million accounting grad from xxx college. The recruiter has seen your resume before, its not much different with a degree, since they hire on campus to those who haven't graduated anyway Make your best first impression with the CPA exams passed…careful of recruiters some of them have bogus positions that never get filled and they just want to get your contact list of former supervsiors so they can contact them. A lot of the jobs they advertise are on indeed already…

I did get a positon from Robert half a few years back, so they do work, however it was the worst job I ever had, was a nightmare that I quit from after 8 months… that position I filled was a revolving door. Coworkers would take bets on how long the new hire would last LOL…I was told the shortest stay at the position was a few hours. New hire came in at 8, took lunch then never came back …

My current job I found on indeed and got it without any referrals.

NEW YORK- DONE

[lateralus ag]

@cpalikeaboss: you asked: This is a late response, but do you mind telling me a little more about oil and gas accounting positions? Where can I find more info. about the industry and employers?

I know this isn't specific to this firm, but Anadarko did some recruiting on our campus and like I mentioned before, one of my friends was picked up by them. She was “non traditional” student with a very good GPA but had no desire to be in public accounting.

They have an accountant program where they train you in all of their departments and then allow you to choose which one you like. Some of these firms want experience, some of them don't require it.

There are a ton of small suppliers, etc. for the oil and gas industry down here. Houston is the best place to start. I would start by searching for firm names in Houston, and then going to their website. Don't just submit a resume, call someone in HR.

I would look at Exxon and Marathon and a lot of the smaller firms as well. They all have armies of accountants and are bound to have something available. It will be a lot of leg work.

I don't know if this answered your question or not.

FAR 88
REG 89
AUD 89
BEC 86
DONE!!!
Using Becker Review and Becker Final Review, and Ninja Audio for BEC

[Tootsie]

Do you network? This is very important and should be at the top of your list. This is how I've gotten most of my jobs.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Anonymous]

The most important thing you can do is get face time with recruiters. Contacting your former university's career services would probably help you a great deal. They should have contacts with local CPA firms at least.

This face time is vital because, as people mentioned, there is some hesitation for the larger firms to higher older individuals. In my experience with the Big 4 there are two main reasons for this. The first reason is that many people 30+ have a real hard time having someone aged 21-25 telling them what to do and reviewing their work. At 22 I reviewed the work of a 35+ subordinate and had him blow up at me. He didn't end up being a full-time hire.

Another reason for the preference for the young is that many larger firms use sophisticated proprietary software and sampling software that their employees must have mastery of. When I was an intern there was another intern who was a 40+ woman with a 4.0 GPA. Unfortunately she had troubling even navigating and working with the outlook email and calender system. She was not hired on full-time.

Larger firms WILL hire older individuals, but they need to demonstrate a strong interest in technology, a willingness to work with (and be bossed around by) 20-somethings, and a great deal of energy and excitement about accounting. These attributes are difficult to portray on a resume, thus reinforcing why face time is so important.

[Anonymous]

The most important thing you can do is get face time with recruiters. Contacting your former university's career services would probably help you a great deal. They should have contacts with local CPA firms at least.

This face time is vital because, as people mentioned, there is some hesitation for the larger firms to higher older individuals. In my experience with the Big 4 there are two main reasons for this. The first reason is that many people 30+ have a real hard time having someone aged 21-25 telling them what to do and reviewing their work. At 22 I reviewed the work of a 35+ subordinate and had him blow up at me. He didn't end up being a full-time hire.

Another reason for the preference for the young is that many larger firms use sophisticated proprietary software and sampling software that their employees must have mastery of. When I was an intern there was another intern who was a 40+ woman with a 4.0 GPA. Unfortunately she had troubling even navigating and working with the outlook email and calender system. She was not hired on full-time.

Larger firms WILL hire older individuals, but they need to demonstrate a strong interest in technology, a willingness to work with (and be bossed around by) 20-somethings, and a great deal of energy and excitement about accounting. These attributes are difficult to portray on a resume, thus reinforcing why face time is so important.

[Author]

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