[Meg267]

With the last score release, I passed the CPA exam. I’ve been thinking about making the jump to public accounting for a while. I applied for a couple positions a month or so ago. Now that I’m licensed, I applied for a few more positions.

My husband will be applying for residency programs, so we have no idea where he’s going to end up. We won’t know until March or so. There are literally only two firms in town where we are located, neither being Big 4. I’ve applied to both, haven’t heard anything. Last night I applied to a Big 4 in three different cities within 3-4 hours away. So many of the jobs for the entire next year or two are already accepting applications.

I guess where I’m going with this is, how do I get into public after being out of school for 4 years? I’ve got 4 years of private experience and now my CPA as well. I’ve submitted a few applications (before CPA designation) and never heard anything back. I’m starting to worry that I won’t be able to get into a firm. Anyone have advice?

[Meg267]

Any advice? It is possible to get into a firm having been out of school for a while and only having private experience? I haven't heard from any of the jobs I've applied for.

[makesmewannadance]

Yes, it's very possible to jump into public from private. You will be coming in as an experienced hire. I came from 3.5 years in private, 1.5 from small private company (non-CPA) and 2 from a publicly traded company. I was able to get my job in the Big 4 through referral. I don't have my CPA yet, but I was able to leverage what I have learned at my prior company. A friend of mine in similar shoe (without referral though) applied directly online and got the job. My advice to you is to keep applying online, reach out to recruiters, and/or go to networking events.

[OG_Loc]

Don't put public accounting on a pedestal, and don't let them use you by making you drink their kool-aid.

I did it for a while, left after 2 years.

They should be scrambling to get you, not the other way around.

If they don't take you, thats a blessing in disguise. I'd just keep doing private if you could, but if you must see for yourself, then go ahead but heed my warning that it sucks.

[Meg267]

Thanks for the responses! Makes me feel a little better knowing that others have done it this way as well, going private first and then going to public.

[Juice23]

It's definitely possible, but with 4 years of experience you'll need to make a calculation about what level you want to go in at and at what pay. Going in as an experienced hire might get you a slightly higher salary than a new hire, but it probably won't be anything to get too excited about. Depending on how fast you want to progress in your career (assuming you will perform at the appropriate levels), you'll want to have a very frank conversation about how quickly you'll be considered for a senior position. You've probably got the knowledge and maturity to be a senior, but probably not the tacit knowledge that comes with working in public for a few years.

Maybe others in the forum have gone the experienced hire route, and can offer more insight. I ultimately turned it down to stay in private, but that is a decision that is particular to my situation, experience, and financial needs (2 kids!).

Good luck!

[Pete]

The transition from private to public is possible to do; however, it's extremely difficult, without knowing the right people and having the right experience. I've passed both the CPA and CFE examinations, have 6 years private accounting experience, have a 3.9 gpa from community college (extra 30 credit hours) yet I've received another entry level job rejection letter today. I've been on the search for over a year now; I can't get my license, without the experience (so i'm sitting on a CPA and a CFE exam, which I can't get licenses for).

If you look at most of the positions at CPA firms, you'll see the problem; they all basically require “Recent public accounting experience.” None of the positions are entry level. Most of the entry level positions are filled by campus recruiting/interns. I've heard in the past from others; the firm rejecting me, has rejected others with a 4.0 GPA. I've looked at a few of the people they ended up hiring. Many of their hires (in addition to having near a 4.0 gpa within an MBA program) are presidents of multiple accounting clubs and are accounting managers (impressive at 21).

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Anonymous]

You get told go to school and get good grades, but what else have you done outside of school?
What are your extracurriculars?
Can you confidently answer the typical behavioral questions: tell me about yourself, what are you most proud of on your resume? What are your strengths/weakness?

Do some volunteer work, VITA or something else. Be able to speak passionately about something in your life.

Last year, I gaffed off the recruiting cycle and nonchalantly went to interviews. This year, I went prepared for interview questions, tweaked my resume and inventoried all the stuff I've done over the years and was able to convey that to the recruiter in a decent way. And relax, they're people too.

I got two Big 4 offers and I'll be choosing one shortly. So how are your interview skills?

[Meg267]

I'm the President of my homeowners association. I have been for the past three years. I've volunteered here or there, but nothing major. I've been studying for my CPA for the last 1.5 years and working full time. I did do VITA in college.

I think my interview skills are decent – not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty likeable person (I'd like to think anyway). My problem is that I haven't heard anything back from the positions I've applied to. From the sounds of it, the Big 4 might be done hiring for this upcoming season? Congrats on the two offers @cessnapilot30!

I spoke with a local recruiter today and he told me I probably won't get in at the firms in town as they tend to only hire people with public accounting experience. We basically only have two firms in town. The nearest Big 4 office is at least 3+ hours away.

Did I miss the hiring season?

[Pete]

Are you interested in tax or Audit? Small or large firm?

For large firms (anything over 50 people), you're probably a bit late to bat this year. I was told that in my region, firm offer letters typically went out last week by a partner, whom I'm meeting with soon. Person at the firm, which I applied to, must have accepted the offer today, which is why I received the rejection letter suddenly. Additionally, those offer letters were typically for a fall 2018 start date (although a sparse amount of positions were for winter 2018-position that I interviewed for). You might get a straggler or two, but I feel most large firms have already made decisions.

With smaller firms, you probably still have a good shot; they will start getting even more desperate as December/January approaches. If you are interested in tax, a small firm will probably be a far easier route to break into public.

I was actually told that I interview better than most candidates. Several firms have told me this, but still no offer from either… go figure.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Author]

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