[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

I just left public a month ago w/my CPA license in tow (thanks again to Jeff and the Forum!) and want to get my foot in the door at a specific large private sector firm (“ABC Co.”). ABC Co. has an online database of job openings to which potential applicants may post resumes so to be contacted directly if positions open up. The database appears efficient and I myself have found several jobs I would be qualified for by doing simple searches on the page –I have not yet posted my resume on this job page however for the reasons described below.

I currently have a Roberthalf recruiter who has told me I should NOT post my resume to this database because by using RobertHalf they will utilize their connections inside ABC Co. to decrease the chances that my resume does not get overlooked. Furthermore my recruiter told me that, if I was to post my resume on ABC Co.’s jobs page, he will not be able to assist me in obtaining a job there –apparently RobertHalf cannot collect the finder’s fee if an applicant’s resume is already in the hands of a potential employer.

Just based on the above, do you guys think I should stick with RobertHalf or move forward with posting my resume and try to get a job at ABC Co. on my own?

Thanks as always guys! Wish everyone the best.

[SoFlaAuditor]

I believe it to be true. When I left public accounting, I applied a few places completely on my own (my recruiter, as yours said, was unable to submit me for these jobs after I submitted on my own). After a couple of weeks of waiting, I decided to go through a recruiter and look at some other jobs. I was hired within a week at a private company.

I didn't get replies to my application at the jobs that I applied to on my own until over a month after I started my new job. The responses were just general e-mails saying that another candidate was better suited.

It is my understanding (and experience) that recruiters have direct relationships with HR departments and are more easily able to set you up for an interview. If you submit on your own, your resume would have to really stand out for an HR dept. to pick it out of a pile.

TLDR; go through the recruiter.

Good luck.

REG - 83
BEC - 81
AUD - 73, 92
FAR - 90

Done!

[Monkey Wrench]

I would personally try and find people on linkedin to get into contact with, like there in house recruiters. If that fails you can go with roberthalf

[rp 12]

I didn't like RobertHalf personally. I would not recommend it. Searching for job takes time if you looking on your own. I got more interviews on my own than the recruiters (search companies) I was working with. There is certainly an opportunity cost involved (investing your own time along w/ your current FT job). Also, I used indeed.com. Best in my opinion. As Monkey Wrench mentioned above – try maximizing your use of LinkedIn. I have got couple interviews through that site as well.

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss act only as motivation"

AUD: 68, 62, 77✔ (expires 10/31/16)
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[Anonymous]

I posted to 5 jobs in the last 2 months, all via the company website, and got called back on all 5. I am sure having the CPA helped me out here and I believe would do the same for you. What the recruiter said is accurate; however, as a candidate I am willing to take the risk that an in-house recruiter see's my resume (CPA will most definitely be a keyword so you will get by the electronic monitoring.) A recruiter will take a 20-25% commission based on your salary, if there are equally qualified candidates and one of them came through the website, one through the recruiter, as a hiring Manager the decision seems pretty easy.

[Anonymous]

I would post to it myself. Robert Half was okay. They tried to sell me on sub-par jobs so they could get their money. They don't really care about you because you are just the means to a paycheck. They also tried to tell me that my salary requirements were unrealistic, which was bogus because I got the amount I was asking for plus a bonus by applying on my own. If I was desperate for a job and willing to take anything, I might go through Robert Half to speed up the hiring process.

[Tscape16]

If you have at least a year experience in public and post that you are a CPA, you'll have internal recruiters from firms messaging you all the time. Once my first year was up, I started getting a message or so weekly. I included my scores thus far on my Linked In page and I have been getting them every other day from different people.

I would not under-estimate the power of Linked In and I'm disappointed in myself that I did not realize its potential until about a year ago after I started at my current firm.

FAR - 90 ✔
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*Licensed CPA

[Anonymous]

I can't stand Robert Half or recruiters in general. They see you as a dollar sign rather than a candidate for an accounting position. In the past, I spoke with a loud mouth, fast talking recruiter from Robert Half and I couldn't even get a word in. I told her “you know what, goodbye” and just hung up.

[Anonymous]

I've seen instances where Robert Half or another recruiter works against you. If you and another candidate are fairly equal, the company will go with the one without the recruiter to avoid paying the finder's fee. I will echo what @Monkey Wrench mentioned earlier, LinkedIn could be a huge tool for you. Having already passed the CPA and having a year of public, I wouldn't think you would need RH to find a suitable job.

[SaveBandit]

Recruiters can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. I've worked with most of the recruiters in my area, and the vast majority are snakes out to make a buck. However, if ABC has developed a relationship with RH over the years and have had good results with their candidates then they are probably more likely to interview you than they are a candidate coming in through ABC's website. Also, HR can filter out your resume for no good reason other than they are HR and those people have no idea what they are looking at. Honestly, I don't know how some of our HR people make to work without using Google Maps. But definitely try to look and see if you have any mutual “friends” on Linkedin also. Linkedin is a good tool, too, for finding out what people think about working at a specific place. I used it when I was searching. It was nice knowing that other people had a good experience working for a certain company before I signed my name on the dotted line.

4 for 4

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[Anonymous]

Generally, applying thru a recruiter means the hiring manager will be sent your resume and actually look at it. That is far from guaranteed if you just apply online. The company I work for posts jobs online but then never really looks at applications, we hire thru recruiters almost exclusively. With that said I've also interviewed at companies only for them to say, give us a couple weeks we want to give our internal recruiting group time to find a candidate too before we decide. In MOST cases I would reccommend using a recruiter but you never know.

[cpagal]

I would stick with Robert Half, but would also look at other recruiting agencies in your area. Most companies have a relationship with one recruiting agency or another and limiting yourself to Robert Half will only limit your job possibilities. The Personnel Consulting Group is one in my area that was great to work with. They are smaller and I felt like getting me a job was their priority instead of getting their clients a worker. They got me my current job 9 years ago, sent me a sympathy card when my father passed away and call me all the time to see if I need to update my resume in their system or if I am looking for another position. Maybe Robert Half isn't the right recruiting agency for you, but I would definitely find one that meets your needs.

FAR - 08/30/15 - 90
AUD - 11/12/15 - 92
REG - 01/19/16 - 82
BEC - 02/29/16 - 83

Passed all on 1st attempt using GLEIM (full program) and NINJA (MCQ only)!!!

Louisiana Licensed CPA

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input guys! Very helpful and I greatly appreciate it.

[Author]

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