[abacus]

I am considering going through campus recruiting and looking for some advice and a reality check for those that know more than I do.

I graduated in May 2009 and worked at a government agency auditing pension benefits.My GPA was not great (2.9 with my accounting major classes even lower) so I did not even go through recruiting. My GPA was lower than the minimum to apply and I had a different route in mind (governemental accounting, officers program with the army in finance, FBI — oh the strange dreams we have in our 20s).

I went back to get my Masters in Accounting and graduated May 2011. I did better with grades (3.35 GPA) and went through recruiting in the Fall of 2010 and interviewed with 9 firms. I got 2 call backs, but no offers. In early 2011, I moved on to a Fortune 500 company. I started in A/P and now work as a staff accountant.

I am hoping that my progress towards the CPA exam will overshadow my grades. I worked full time as both an undergrad and grad student (usually a full time and a part time) to pay the bills.

I am interested in making the move to public (not necessarily B4), but I know I am in an odd position where I might be too old (not old, but I’m 27 compared to 22 yr old grads) to get hired as a staff, but I don’t have the right experience to come in as an experienced hire.

I am considering going through recruiting this Fall, but I have a feeling I will be met with some hard questions. Would recruiters find value in someone with professional work experience (3 yrs) and some accounting experience (less than a yr)? Is there a better way to go about this?

BEC 81
AUD 76
FAR 70, 76
REG 58, 78! DONE!

"I am not my intentions. I am my actions."

[MeaDebitum]

I'm pretty sure your grades have very little to do with hiring after your first job.

[Anonymous]

If you apply for an entry level position then GPA is a huge factor. For experience hire it is very irrelevant. So it all depends on what position you are applying for. For you I would go the experience route.

[mmcgrad1]

I'm in a similar situation, graduated in May 2009, and considering a similar approach. I've also been using Linkedin, job sites, and my Alumni Network to try and help me get in contact with recruiters. I've had lots of contacts for corporate jobs in consolidations and Financial Reporting. I graduated with a 3.3 but I failed out of school Sr. year. I worked in Financial Reporting for 1.5 years and then actually went to Seminary school. Now I've passed the CPA exam and am looking to get into public accounting.

I'll keep you posted on my progress if I find something that works for me and may be helpful for you.

NIU CPA Review Correspondence is awesome!

I passed all four sections on the first attempt

[Mayo]

Early 2011? Well, unless you're out of options I wouldn't show up at a recruiting event. It just smacks of desperate and tells the recruiter:

-You don't have much of a network when campus recruiting is still on the table after almost 2 years after graduation.

-You probably didn't take care of business when you were in school

-Your experience is probably not relevant for an experience hire

-You're pretty much out of options

Not trying to be negative. Just realistic and honest on what I would think if I met you at a recruiting event representing my firm.

That being said, if you're out of options, I would totally go for it. You never know who you might hit it off with. At the very minimum it's an opportunity to practice amd hone your networking skills.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[mmcgrad1]

@Mayo

Depending on the school, some schools offer opportunities to meet with companies within 2 years of graduation. I know my school did that. I don't think just showing up is a good idea. A person should see what the career services at their school offers for recent grads.

I'm not saying one should depend on campus recruiting to find a job. However, I don't think it should be overlooked if someone really wants to try and enter public accounting coming from a corporate background.

I know you're being honest and that is appreciated. However, I think it would also be beneficial for the OP if you gave some positive alternatives. OP is obviously asking this question because they are unsure of how to approach this career path. Maybe you can offer OP some networking tips.

I think attitude has a lot to do with how successful a person can be in life and it seems like honest and positive advice would help the OP.

NIU CPA Review Correspondence is awesome!

I passed all four sections on the first attempt

[runhomejack]

I really hope what Mayo said is not true for all big 4 recruiters… I did not really fully commit myself to the CPA track until after I graduated. So now it's 4 years after my graduation, I have 3 exams under my belt and I am planning on attending an event at my school to try to score an interview with a Big 4. I am banking on the fact that my school is in the top 10 and that I have real world and industry experience to make me an attractive candidate.

I do have some contacts who I rather not talk to if I don't need to. I will if I don't get any buzz at this event.

BEC - Pass
FAR - Pass
REG - Pass
AUD - Pass

[Mayo]

Ugh..I just wrote a huge post with tons of suggestions, but I “lost” it in the interwebs.

Here are the cliffnotes:

1.) network

-CPA Society

-ALPFA

-Linkedin networking groups (ones that actually meet)

-***IMPORTANT*** Networking = cultivating long term relationships. Don't have a “I need a job ASAP!” attitude

-If you suck at networking (like I did), I'd recommend Never Eat Alone and The Networking Survival Guide. Also, wall st oasis sells a very good networking guide for those that would like to try short term networking. It's more for finance, but it's easily translatable to accounting.

2.) Volunteer. Offshoot of #1

-Great way to meet professionals (e.g. Big 4)

-United Way is the most popular one at my office. I recommend it.

-Try VITA (free tax returns) if you wanna try tax

-Find out when the firm has their mass volunteering day, and show up in order to maximize your chances at meeting someone from the firm (high degree of creepiness in this one, but still effective IMHO).

Heed the warning in #1. You are there to meet people. That is all. If you hit it off with someone, ask for a business card and tell them you'd like to talk/ask questions about their job some day. If not, don't be a weirdo and force the issue (e.g. “so umm..you work for KPMG huh? Are they hiring right now?).

3.) Specifically at the OP, look at smaller firms that audit governmental entities. Even if that's most of what they do, you now have your foot in the door of public accounting.

I'm currently auditing pensions as well. My point? Auditing skills are auditing skills are auditing skills. Although the experience might not be the same, having someone who knows an auditing process, how to “audit”, work independently, and take directions well is an asset to any firm looking to hire. Make sure to showcase those skills when looking for work in public

4.) Internal Audit. Not specifically for the OP, but if you're a staff accountant looking to go to public in the future, consider IA a good springboard for that. Maybe not Big 4, but definitely small to midsize CPA firms.

OP, as a final note:

Going to campus recruiting 1.5-2 years after graduation is like going for it on 4th down. Don't try it until you have to or have a very high probability of being successful.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Author]

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