[jeff]

NINJA Question –

The Giveaway: There will be 5 winners randomly chosen.

Each winner will get access to the MCQ section of their choice (3 mo access).

Value of prize: $47

How to Enter: Post a “Career” tip on ONE of the following:

1) Interviewing / Pre-Employment social gatherings / etc

2) Internships

3) Public Accounting

4) General Career Tip

Simple as that 🙂

If a winner already has NINJA MCQ, they can substitute it for NINJA Notes or extend their current subscription.

Winners selected at 5pm EST Friday 10/25.

[goforit2015]

4) General Career Tip

Before your interview, research the company culture through web sites. Try to understand the dress code so you don't show up in business dress, when the company is more jeans and t-shirts.

[scarecrow]

4) General

Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and preferred cities to begin a career. Take advantage of locales that have booming economies that may seem less desirable as lifetime destinations. You will find more opportunities for advancement, and gain valuable experience to help you achieve your long-term career goals faster!

317 CLUB

[teamryan15]

Interviews

When taking a phone interview get in the mindset that you are taking an in person interview. Smile and nod it shows your enthusiasm even over the phone.

[taxman89]

Interviewing:

Esp for entry level (but really any job). practice humility combined with a willingness to learn. You have to understand that you will be the least exp who knows the least and will need to learn all you can from your manager/s.

Aud-75 3x I knew i never liked you
Bec-77 1x being in the bubble is stressful
Reg-82 4x its not me its you...and no we cant be friends
Far-78 1x easiest section

[kdawg0612]

4) Know how to use excel. At the minimum you should be able to do vlookups and create pivot tables. Knowing this will save you valuable time, and allow you to compare/review large amounts of data.

Presentation of the numbers is almost as important as the numbers themselves. Make sure the important numbers “POP” and are in a format that is understandable.

Always check your work (rollups rollup, numbers add up, calculations are done correctly, etc)and never answer with a guess if you do not know the answer (say I'll look into it, or I'll get you the answer). Your reputation is based on the accuracy of the numbers you present and you do not want to tarnish your reputation because you did a + instead of – or you guess at a number because you do not know it off the top of your head.

[MSWANN1473]

Internships

Make sure that your eyes and ears are always OPEN.

I was lucky enough to have lots of internships through college, and I found that one of the best things I could do was to keep my head down, and my eyes/ears open. I made sure to always ask LOTS of questions. That's the only way you can learn, and my questions were not always about clients or the work, they would be about busy season, the firm, and the expectations once you're a staff member. There was a HUGE gap between intern responsibilities and expectations versus employee. Make sure that you ask about those differences so that you are 100% prepared. Remember that people might also be ‘sugar coating' so add more that they specify (If they say 70 hours, go ahead and add at least 5 to that).

Pay close attention to the first year staff up to seniors at your firm. How many hours are they working? How stressed to they seem? Realize that sometimes what you are told to expect as a first year and what you witness occurring might not always align.

During busy season our ‘true colors' can come out. You're tired, cranky, stressed, and just OVER it. So while your and intern make sure that you don't take anything that is said to you in a harsh manner personally, but do NOT dismiss it. No one's perfect and stress can do bad things to people. But you have the possibility to see first hand how a team/firm works together during the most stressful time of the year. Are they assisting each other and pushing through it? Or are they falling apart and taking one another with them?

These are a few of the things that most employees will not tell you about, especially if you ask about them directly. But in the 11th hour they're going to forget (or just not care) that there is an intern watching and they are going to get it done however they need to. Make sure that you witness that and decide if that's the level of stress you are okay with signing up for when you join a firm.

Professors in college always stress that you are using your internship as a trial period to convince the firm to offer you a job. But in reality it's just as much a trial for the firm to convince you that you want to be a part of the team.

[TNCPA16]

My career advice:

Don't ask someone to do something you are not willing to do yourself. Don't ever be “too good” or “too important” to do some of the menial tasks at work – your staff will respect you more if they know you are willing to pitch in.

Also, network, network, network!

[Anonymous]

4.) General Career Tip:

NEVER act like you understand something that you really don't, and walk away from your boss shaking your head yes. It will come back to bite you. I've learned a very important lesson from a previous boss of mine when I did exactly that because I was too embarrassed to say I didn't understand.

I went back to my desk, and had absolutely no idea what I was looking for in the financials. He was stuck in a late night meeting for a couple hours and expected me to have an answer when he got out. When I didn't, I told him I didn't understand what he said – it didn't go over well.

The next morning he called me into his office and apologized if he was short tempered, but hopes I learned a valuable lesson. I sure did. I cherish him for even taking the time to apologize and make sure I learned from the experience.

Do not be ashamed to ask for clarification! You will look like a bigger fool for saying you get it and then producing nothing!!

[ironryanis]

Interview tips. (1) Apply to jobs you really want so you are not feeding them a line of bull when they ask you why you want to work for them. If possible, don't go after a job just because you need something from them, consider how you can add value to their organization even as a newbie. (2) Following tip #1 will help you to be more confident and enthusiastic during the interview which will (3) help you to make eye contact, be relaxed, and SMILE.

AUD 91
FAR 80
BEC 79
REG 84

[mustpasscpaexam]

4) General Career Tip – Dream big, work hard, and don't be afraid to take risks.

[markeckerle]

General Career Tip

I used to do this during my internship as a personal preference (and because I saw my boss doing it), but I did not realize how effective and important it is until I heard a recruiter at a large public accounting firm tell me how important it is.

When you are in the workplace, take a notepad and a pen, no matter where you go. You will never know what you will have to jot down when talking with a coworker or maybe something pops into your head and you can write it down before returning to your desk so you do not forget later on.

You may think oh I remember it now, but before you know it, you will have forgotten it until it is too late. It is important because it will help you to not have to be reminded and it looks like you are engaged if you are taking notes.

FAR - 66, 76
AUD - 71, 63, 84
REG - 68 , JAN 15
BEC - FEB 15

[Anonymous]

General Advice:

You don't need to throw people under the bus to get ahead. Always help your peers. It'll pay off in the end like karma always does.

[Anonymous]

4) Never give up…continue to put in resumes at CPA firm at different times of the year. Volunteer during tax season to gain experience and better understanding of taxes. Be willing to start from the bottom and move up!!!!

[Shellyinsd]

It's really important to do your research on the company you wanna work for! Ask questions wisely and learn to network.

[wombataholic]

Intern tip: Think of interning more as a personality/work ethic audition for a potential employer than as a chance to gain experience.

Licensed CPA
Passed each section on the first try with Ninja Notes/MCQ/Audio

[Author]

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