[Hammer]

I graduated college in December of 2010 and I basically know absolutely nothing about public accounting (never had an internship). The only “accounting” expereince I have is when I worked as for a local company’s accounting department while in school, then started working at a University after graduation. Took the University gig because it was time to stop living off mom an dad but it certianly isn’t teaching me the skills I need for a position in public accounting.

I recently have decided to sit for the CPA exam, and because of this I started looking for a better job. By a stroke of luck, I landed a job interview at a regional firm. Seems like a pretty legit firm based on their website and how many clients they serve and offices they have and all that jazz. The job is for a tax accountant.

Lets be frank. I don’t know shit about tax and I’m planning on spending at least 3 months studying for REG. Any advice for the interview would be greatly appreciated. Not sure how I’m going to bullshit my way through my “accounting” experiences. My resume looks solid on paper, but in real life it is a joke.

FAR - 70, 81
AUD - 83
BEC - 77
REG - 70, 78

Licensed in Ohio.

Now what the hell do I do?

[Anonymous]

lol I like your honesty…. most ppl's resume looks good on paper for their first or second job… You have some accounting experience. That's good… you should add jobs done by your co workers that you are familiar with to your experience. So what if you didn't exactly mow the lawn… you know how it was done, you watched the lawn person do it…. you practically did it yourself lol. Take that approach. Get familiar with excel functions too and trump up your excel experience. (Even though I do not know if excel is used much in taxation)

[jenuno01]

” you should add jobs done by your co workers that you are familiar with to your experience”, seriously? Don't do it. Be honest, show the real YOU.

Class of 2012

[mena je twa]

Hammer Time…

Just be your normal self…..Be very honest about the whole interview process. Use basic words in your interview, dont try to out-smart the interviewer.

Also, be ready to spit out your whole resume in 1 minute or so. You might be asekd about Tell me about yourself and why our company? and why we should hire you..

Goodluck….

Licensed CPA, Texas - 2012

[ROACH]

Hammer Time.. how'd you land yourself an interview with a cpa firm?

anyway, goodluck. I'm in the same boat. I worked at a small local company's accounting dept. and don't know more of anything but AR AP and billing.

let us know how it goes… could help others out nahmean>?

BEC: 66 | 69 | 7/23/2013
AUD: 8/28/2013
REG:
FAR:

[Anonymous]

“you should add jobs done by your co workers that you are familiar with to your experience.” What? I don't even…

https://www.pigskinbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/jaguars-fan-gif.gif

[Mrs 300]

Is this Chicago by any chance? This sounds like you could be interviewing for a job at my firm. 🙂

I agree that you should just be yourself. Most of the time, the interviewer is trying to decide whether you fit with the culture of the firm and whether you'll get along with the staff. If it's a staff position, they plan on molding you into their own anyway.

Good luck!

REG - 80 (Becker only)
BEC - 76 (Becker only)
AUD - 71, 76 (Becker only)
FAR - 65, 74, 81! (Becker, Wiley Test Bank, Ninja notes & Audio)

CPA Class of 2012 🙂

[TheBsEr]

The best advice is to be energetic (tell them you're excited to be here), seem very interested in their firm, research their firm and something that is interesting to you, and prepare for the behavior questions that will most likely be on the interview.

Prepare to answer general questions like these and it'll make a difference as to how they perceive you.

1) Why did you choose our firm? (This is where the research kicks in)

2) Why did you choose accounting? (This can be where your experience or classes kick in)

3) Tell me about a time that you showed…(Describe the incident briefly, describe the problem, describe what you did to fix it, and describe the outcome)

As for your experiences, sit back and really think about all the things you did while working there. Think of a few key moments that will be especially relevant to the job, or that interested you to like accounting more. Remember, when they ask about your experience, they don't expect to hear your life story there. Bring up the key points about what was relevant for the job and what you enjoyed and it will be a great answer.

Be confident, smile, shake hands firmly, prepare and research ahead of time, and you'll ace the interview no problem!

(I used the above tips and out of the 6 interviews, I got 2 job offers right away and 4 second round interviews even though my internship was not as impressive as most of my peers)

AUD - 91
FAR - 90
REG - 87
BEC - 91
Ethics - 98

[Anonymous]

hey guys… it was all a joke……. I agree with everyones post. Be yourself, energetic, personable and prepared. Most importantly, be honest!!

[Author]

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