[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I’ve had something weighing on my mind for some time and I couldn’t think any other place where I might find some like minded individuals…

The Story:

10 months ago, I had been out of work for 15 months. One day, I received a call from one of the biggest temp agencies who had a “temp-to-hire” position working in the international finance department for a large well-known publicly traded company… but there was a catch…

DILEMMA #1: I was told specifically that if I had revealed any background in Accounting I would be turned down for the job, or fired if they were to find out after getting the position.

To the long-term unemployed, this is a difficult decision… I wound up going in to the interview and the résumé the company received from the agency was tailored to remove ANYTHING that mentioned accounting (coursework, experience, intent to sit for the CPA exam — at the time, I was still studying). They loved me and I got the temp position the next day, but I have since seen others apply for a job on my team, and seen them turned away by my director on the grounds that “they were accountants”.

DILEMMA #2: Here I am 10 months later and I am still a temp. No benefits, but with all the responsibilities and half the salary of a staffed employee for this job description in this industry (to give you an idea, industry average is $64,000-$70,000). I have had great reviews each quarter, but absolutely nothing to show for it. There is another guy on my team whose been a temp (through the same agency) for almost two years. Here’s the twist…

There was another guy on team for about 2 months this past summer, through the same agent. His time here ended when he called the agency and told them that he had booked an interview with another company. The agency flipped out and offered him a 50% pay increase. He went for the interview, got the job, and left. For someone who has experienced long term unemployment, is that a lead worth following (even if just to bluff to the temp agency)?

DILEMMA #3: As of today, I have been here for over 10 months and have not seen anything that I understand to be illegal (at least not blatantly), but I took my first CPA exam in October and will be sitting for my next one in 2 weeks. I wouldn’t have had the money to take the exams had I not taken the job, but clearly I can’t stay (they still have no clue that I’m going for my CPA). The workload is vamping up and it’s killing me working 50+ hrs/wk and secretly studying. The temp agent has made it clear that if I voluntarily leave, that agency will not reassign me anywhere else (and from my time here, I’ve noticed that managers go directly to agents — they don’t even bother looking at direct applicants)…

I guess all I really want to know is if I’m alone.

Thoughts?

[musicamor]

Very interesting predicament you are in; however, you are not alone. I have heard many a situation like your where individuals have to make hard ethical decisions.

Based on the fact that you took the assignment, you may do more damage by ending it solely on the grounds that you feel your are hiding something from your employer. Since the recruiter is threatening you if you end the assignment, I would not worry about burning that bridge. Any recruiter that is working below the belt like that is not worth a relationship. I am not too sure where you live, but there are other recruiters in your area that you can work with; let alone careerbuilder, monster, etc.

Unless you're prepared to be terminated by your recruiter (which may be highly unlikely unless they have another candidate lined up), you may not want to play hardball by threatening to move on to a nonexistent, “better” opportunity. It is a gamble that people play all the time; weigh your options. Remember, your recruiter's compensation is tied to you being on assignment–you may just get them to bend if they have to choose between making money (you on assignment) or losing money (you being terminated).

One last bit of information to consider is your [possible] long-term viability at this company. Say they offer you permanent employment as a “non-accountant” and then you pass your exams and are ready to move into something else? I would find it a lot easier to end my relationship with said employer as a temp rather than as a perm employment. You need to keep that in mind, otherwise you couldn't go anywhere in the company; your current manager would spread the news that you were keeping something from them the whole time you were a temp.

Final thought: You're not alone!

Texas CPA - licensed in 2012!!!

[spongfunk]

I agree with the poster beofre me. I don't really feel that it is a moral or ethical dilema. There are no rules being broken here. It's an unfortunate situation but the company is simply using the fact that there is a surpluss of workers out there to their advantage by using temp instead of full time labor. One reason they may not have wanted to hire an accountant is because they know those skills demand higher compensation than a non-accountant. My advice would be to simply sit back, continute to plug away and study, and then the second you pass the CPA exam start sending out your resume to any public accounting firm in the area.

FAR: 85
AUD: 80
REG: 78
BEC: 82

[LSNYC]

Interesting situation, but I know my past recruiter has a stronger relationship with my employer and will not place me again. They make more money dealing with an employer then an employee so dont take that personally. What is your exam schedule look like? I would think stay till your done and start looking for new jobs. You could also find a new recruiter.

Another option, you could tell your employer you are really interested in a permanent position and see what they say, do you think they are trying to get cheap/free labor without paying benefits? I know contractors at my company with no benefits normally get paid more.

What do they have against accountants? Will they really fire you if they find out? They like you now you proved yourself, I'm not sure why it matters to them now? Seems ridiculous to me…

A - 61, 91!!
B - 78!
F - 76!!!
R - 71, 73, 74, 69, 77!!!!

Finally done!

This is my 2nd attempt at the exam, I had two parts passed (failed many) and I stupidly quit, big mistake. Now I'm back and with a vengeance!

[gkirk78]

O.P., where do you live? I've never heard of anything like that… my company cant find enough accountants, finance, economics and business majors to keep up with demand… its in DC, but that hasn't stopped the many thousands of people that come here each year for the better economy and plethora of jobs.

AUD OCT 2013 - 84
FAR FEB 2014
REG TBD 2014
BEC TBD 2014

Studying with CPA Excel video gold medal and
supplementary courses through a community college and iTunes U

[Anonymous]

@musicamor: Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it; especially the last part 🙂

@spongfunk: I guess the part that makes me most uncomfortable is the fact that I need to keep quiet a background in accounting, while working in a finance department — my bachelor's degree was in marketing (minored in accounting), while the backgrounds of other people in the department are across a wide spectrum. We have people who studied everything from finance to art history to theater, but for some reason, accounting is an absolute “no”. Though I may not actually see any wrongdoing, I can't help but to notice that a big difference between accounting and finance is the emphasis of law and regulation.

@LSNYC: I can't confirm this company's motivation for hiring temps, but there are a TON of here, and the few that have been offered permanent positions were temps for almost 2 years (in many cases, they are also let go right before 2 years).

@gkirk: I'm in Los Angeles

Really, I appreciate your guys' comments. It is perhaps the combination of a prolonged temp position, stress of studying for one CPA exam while awaiting the results of the last one, and uncertainty about the future (present too i guess) that got me stressed. Thank you again 🙂

[mla1169]

I can clearly understand why you took this job in the first place having been unemployed so long. That said I'd do whatever it takes to find another job and get out ASAP. The temp agency is unethical at best threatening you like that, and deliberately lying to your employer about your background. You want a position where you are encouraged to complete the CPA as well as have potential for advancement when you are done. Discretely pursue another job.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Maverick]

The fact that you can't be honest with your employer because you may lose your job due to the fact that you may be over qualified or may require more pay, lead me to believe your employer do not value employees. Furthermore, if I were you, I would seek another employment agency. You were given advice to be dishonest about your credentials and your resume was tailored for the job instead of finding a job that requires your experience.

Your temp position?…stressful; CPA exam?…stressful; Uncertainty about the future?…Can be even more stressful. For me, the way I handle uncertainties, especially substantial uncertainties, well, I disclaim them and in my opinion…give them to God.

Btw, I am currently studying for the Audit exam, thus, my previous sentence. Maybe I should post that in ” You know your a CPA candidate when…”.

F - Passed...THANK YOU, LORD. GLORY TO GOD.
B - Passed...THANK YOU, LORD. GLORY TO GOD.
A - Passed...THANK YOU, LORD. GLORY TO GOD.
R - Passed...THANK YOU, LORD. GLORY TO GOD.

Ethics - 95

Licensed CPA

I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT MY LORD. THANK YOU.

"According to your faith will it be done to you." Matthew 9:29

[Future-CPA]

I work in Finance and really do not understand why the company has such a policy against accounting/accounting? Sounds really weird to me. The other thing is the temp agency is really milking you ( reason why they could afford to give a 50% raise to the previous worker who left). Your company is paying probably triple your salary to the temp agency and they are pocketing the rest. The only person being unethical here is the recruiter and the only reason why he/she is threatening you is because he/she will lose his/her monthly income that they get from your company if you do leave. My advice would be to start looking for another job in the area, now that you have been there for 10 months, your resume will look better and there are other temp agencies you can work with but before you leave, tell any recruiter that calls you that you are looking for a PERMANENT position not a TEMP one, the thing is the recruiter wants you to be a temp forever because they get paid as long as you are working there while for a permanent placement they only get paid once. It is in your best interest to find a position better suited to your needs/qualifications and also offers benefits. However do not quit or tell anything to the recruiter till you find something, which will put you in a better position to negotiate. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Get out of there!! Get a job at Wal-mart, Quickee-Mart, anywhere! The Temp agency is making a ton of money off of you and have put you in a really bad position. I've worked for several temp agencies over the years, but never one that specifically asked me to lie, granted, this is a lie of omission. Temp agencies will do some seriously underhanded stuff. One that I worked for had a “Tier Payment Option”. Which meant the business would pay a lower rate for the first X number of weeks. If you stayed beyond that point, the temp agency would get a much, much higher rate. So the business would use temps right up to that point and then send the temps home. No reason given. Just go home, you don't have a job anymore. I seriously doubt you could ever get a full time position with this firm anyway, because you would have to put your degree on a job application. Right now, the Temp agency has your resume and can white-out at will. If you got hired, the HR dept would ask you to fill out a job application. If they really do have a problem with Accountants, then you are fired before you start. I just don't understand why they would have a problem with Accountants.

[kgirl]

Seek other employment elsewhere ASAP. Try careerbuilder, indeed, check with your university career services department, companies' websites, and other recruitment firms. Ask around and see who's reputable to work with.

Hope you find something else soon!

[D]

I agree w/mla and Kricket.

Aside from providing financial support, it sounds like this job is just holding you back from reaching your potential. Focus as much time aside from work and studying into finding a job where you're not forced to falsify your own resume just for them to accept you. Its understood that you are happy to have this job for now, especially for income, however it would probably be of your best interest to find something where you can hone your accounting skills and not hide those true accounting roots. 🙂

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AUD - 74, 77! (1/2016)
BEC - 80! (5/2016)
REG - tbd (8/2016)
FAR - tbd

Study materials: NINJA MCQ/Audio/Notes

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!"
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[Anonymous]

Thanks guys! I really needed this. I've revamped my resume and am only waiting on the results from my first exam (FAR) so that i can include them. Supposedly I should have them by monday or tuesday.

Regardless of whether or not I passed, I'm sitting for AUD on monday (calling in sick because I can't tell them I'm taking the exam), and sending out resumes all next week. fingers crossed!

[Anonymous]

UPDATE: The temp who was there for two years in Dilemma #2 was just let go on Friday. The way it went down was extremely uncomfortable.

Everyone on the team, except for that temp, received an email at 2:00pm that said “*the temp* is being terminated today. *the director* wants everyone else in the conference room at 5:00pm. DO NOT TELL*the temp*!!”

For the next three hours, I was actively working with someone who I knew wouldn't be there come monday, though he had no clue. That's not normal is it??

[Anonymous]

No. That's not normal. That's twisted! These people are not ethical people. I hate that you are in this situation. I guess because I'm from a small town, (where if you don't know what you are doing, call your neighbor, because they know), but I had no idea it was that difficult to find a job in a place like Los Angeles. Can you relocate?

[Future-CPA]

This is disturbing on so many levels! Runnnnnnnnnnn while you can

[Author]

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