[Anonymous]

I haven’t worked in 5+ years, and accepted a $30,000 position at a small CPA firm. I then canceled an interview (which I am 95% sure I would have got) that pays almost double that amount (I later found out).

Should I take this job and keep looking, or reneg and keep looking? I would prefer to hand deliver my resume as I did this for the job I canceled an interview with and I think it made a huge difference (but maybe it’s even better to look while having a current job on my resume).

I think I would find something pretty quickly as firms are gearing up for the season. It also only took me about a month of real search to land this one.

[Anonymous]

Dude, not at all. Freaking intern students (no degree) make $42k lol. I'm in Texas.

No, this is not fair at all. I'm walking if they pay less than a certain amount. Gonna try for $55k. Gonna walk if it's less than $43, maybe $47.

Only took a few weeks of real searching to get this anyway, and during off-season, after the real hiring. Think more hiring will occur Jan. & Feb. too.

So, at least now I know what to ask for.

other posters:

It's never too late to ask for more.

Don't sell yourself short.

[Anonymous]

If you really want the job, it can at some point be too late to ask for more. 😛 If I offered someone $30k and they accepted, in my mind, it'd be a done deal – if they came back and asked for more, even if I gave it to them, I wouldn't view them the same. However, the chances of them giving approx 50% more than they offered isn't great, either, so it sounds to me like you're quite happy to have this offer revoked (since you're pretty sure that more hiring will happen in the next month or two)…which is fine – your job, your choices. 🙂 I'm just saying that I think the reasons that some of us said it was too late to ask for more was acting on the presumption that keeping this job offer was important.

And…just for those curious about lower-end accounting wages, my first public accounting job I was given $8/hr starting out. Dead serious. I live in an area with a low COL and it was below market…but these things do happen! Then I switched to an accounting clerk job and got over a 50% “raise” by doing so.

[Anonymous]

If you really want the job, it can at some point be too late to ask for more. 😛 If I offered someone $30k and they accepted, in my mind, it'd be a done deal – if they came back and asked for more, even if I gave it to them, I wouldn't view them the same. However, the chances of them giving approx 50% more than they offered isn't great, either, so it sounds to me like you're quite happy to have this offer revoked (since you're pretty sure that more hiring will happen in the next month or two)…which is fine – your job, your choices. 🙂 I'm just saying that I think the reasons that some of us said it was too late to ask for more was acting on the presumption that keeping this job offer was important.

And…just for those curious about lower-end accounting wages, my first public accounting job I was given $8/hr starting out. Dead serious. I live in an area with a low COL and it was below market…but these things do happen! Then I switched to an accounting clerk job and got over a 50% “raise” by doing so.

[littlenumberrobot]

In central California I accepted a public accounting position for less than $30k right out of college, with 1 year private accounting experience… I had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully I was given 35% raise in 6 months. I think it is where you are located too.

CA CPA - All because of the journey listed below
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FAR - 53('10), 8/25/12 79 PASSED!
REG - 66('11), 69('12), 12/06/12 77 PASSED!!
BEC - 58('10), 74('12), 01/05/13 77 PASSED!!!
AUD - 43('11), 66('12), 69('13), 74('13) 7/29/13 85 PASSED!!!!!

(Combinations of Roger, Yaeger, Wiley Book, Wiley TB, & NINJA Notes)

Ethics 90%

[littlenumberrobot]

In central California I accepted a public accounting position for less than $30k right out of college, with 1 year private accounting experience… I had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully I was given 35% raise in 6 months. I think it is where you are located too.

CA CPA - All because of the journey listed below
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FAR - 53('10), 8/25/12 79 PASSED!
REG - 66('11), 69('12), 12/06/12 77 PASSED!!
BEC - 58('10), 74('12), 01/05/13 77 PASSED!!!
AUD - 43('11), 66('12), 69('13), 74('13) 7/29/13 85 PASSED!!!!!

(Combinations of Roger, Yaeger, Wiley Book, Wiley TB, & NINJA Notes)

Ethics 90%

[mla1169]

Dave I want to say this as pleasantly as possible. The fact that you went into this process so unprepared as to have no idea that a $30k offer was too low for you until after you had accepted an offer means that perhaps you need to do a bit more research before you make a knee jerk reaction. Interns making $42k? Is that from a reliable source? Theres a big difference between a temporary intern making $20/hour with no benefits, etc and a full time $42k salary with bennies.

If you've got no work experience, or if its been 5+ years since you worked, you are entry level regardless of the fact that you've passed all 4 exams. Again not sure where you got the information about the interview you turned down, but a starting salary of $60k for an inexperienced hire is not likely at all, not even in a big city.

I strongly urge you to look at salary.com and the Robert half salary guide for YOUR area before you pull random numbers out of the sky. I am concerned because you sound too far all over the place to have really thought this all through.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

Dave I want to say this as pleasantly as possible. The fact that you went into this process so unprepared as to have no idea that a $30k offer was too low for you until after you had accepted an offer means that perhaps you need to do a bit more research before you make a knee jerk reaction. Interns making $42k? Is that from a reliable source? Theres a big difference between a temporary intern making $20/hour with no benefits, etc and a full time $42k salary with bennies.

If you've got no work experience, or if its been 5+ years since you worked, you are entry level regardless of the fact that you've passed all 4 exams. Again not sure where you got the information about the interview you turned down, but a starting salary of $60k for an inexperienced hire is not likely at all, not even in a big city.

I strongly urge you to look at salary.com and the Robert half salary guide for YOUR area before you pull random numbers out of the sky. I am concerned because you sound too far all over the place to have really thought this all through.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

Sure, take it and keep looking. In this depressed economy you do NOT want to quit a job unless you have a second offer already in hand and a start date immediately.

[Anonymous]

Sure, take it and keep looking. In this depressed economy you do NOT want to quit a job unless you have a second offer already in hand and a start date immediately.

[Anonymous]

@mla1169

Robert Half numbers are $43,600 to $54,600. The ‘almost double' salary was from the partner at a firm I called yesterday. I canceled an interview with him; said starting range was $47-$52, more because I passed exams.

@bobkorz

Dunno man. Illinois & Mass aren't Texas. Took me like 2 weeks to get this offer and about 10 interviews.

[Anonymous]

@mla1169

Robert Half numbers are $43,600 to $54,600. The ‘almost double' salary was from the partner at a firm I called yesterday. I canceled an interview with him; said starting range was $47-$52, more because I passed exams.

@bobkorz

Dunno man. Illinois & Mass aren't Texas. Took me like 2 weeks to get this offer and about 10 interviews.

[Anonymous]

I don't see why not take it and accountants don't make as much as some people make it out to be. I had a masters in accounting and made about 25k for 2 years working 60 hour weeks because I couldn't find a job, keep in mind 1 of my jobs was night time security where I got paid to study for the CPA exam and play video games. I would have jumped at a 30k job that was accounting related and gave me my CPA experience and no weekend work. I would say just get the job but don't break your back trying or work weekends.

Who knows you might love the job and the people you work with and not even care about the money.

[Anonymous]

I don't see why not take it and accountants don't make as much as some people make it out to be. I had a masters in accounting and made about 25k for 2 years working 60 hour weeks because I couldn't find a job, keep in mind 1 of my jobs was night time security where I got paid to study for the CPA exam and play video games. I would have jumped at a 30k job that was accounting related and gave me my CPA experience and no weekend work. I would say just get the job but don't break your back trying or work weekends.

Who knows you might love the job and the people you work with and not even care about the money.

[Anonymous]

If this is your first job, I wouldn't be afraid to jump ship from there after a few months. People will understand based on that salary. The employer needs to be smart enough to know that they can't pay such low wages and expect employees to stick around for very long…loyalty is a two way street. When I got out of college in 2004, I got my first job making about that same amount of money. They got me all trained and then I applied to the company I work at now and they gave me a raise to near $40k.

If an employer only wants to pay $30k and the market rate is a lot higher than that after the person gets a little experience, they are going to have a revolving door where they train people people who are new to the industry, don't pay them enough, and lose them. If they want to train their compeitor's employees this is a good strategy for them!

[Anonymous]

If this is your first job, I wouldn't be afraid to jump ship from there after a few months. People will understand based on that salary. The employer needs to be smart enough to know that they can't pay such low wages and expect employees to stick around for very long…loyalty is a two way street. When I got out of college in 2004, I got my first job making about that same amount of money. They got me all trained and then I applied to the company I work at now and they gave me a raise to near $40k.

If an employer only wants to pay $30k and the market rate is a lot higher than that after the person gets a little experience, they are going to have a revolving door where they train people people who are new to the industry, don't pay them enough, and lose them. If they want to train their compeitor's employees this is a good strategy for them!

[Author]

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