[Anonymous]

I can consume my days completely by doing one of the following two options. I cannot do both 100%.

Option #1 Contact recruiters/headhunters, send resumes out, network, submit applications on corporate websites, gather advice, refine resume, interview, travel to interviews, etc.

Option #2 Collect unemployment and study from 7:00am to 5:00pm six days per week.

When working at my pressure-cooker of a job, I worked 60 hrs per week minimum. When I got home around 6:00pm every night, I would spend time with family (give kids baths, bed time stories, etc.). I would *finally* sit down to start studying around 9:00pm! For me, this was not an ideal study situation for me. By 9:00pm, I was spent. I couldn’t absorb anything that I studied.

This may be why I couldn’t pass the final two parts of the exam. I’m curious how quickly I could pass the exam if I studied from 7:00am-5:00pm all week long? I would be 100% alert. No distractions at home.

What do you all think?

[PursuitCPA]

Now the truth comes out…2010 is a different climate than 3 years ago!

JM I have quickbooks, excel from job experience…. SAP, great plains from College. Its not that hard to learn these programs, you just need a chance to do something.

CPA EXAM - Passed

[Guccimane]

yup Q1-Q4 2007 is about as good as it has gotten since Q4 2001

83 Reg, 76 BEC, 94 Aud, 79 Far

Done ......!

[Guccimane]

no chances any where but maybe some overseas if you are fluent in more then just english and good at oil & gas acctg

83 Reg, 76 BEC, 94 Aud, 79 Far

Done ......!

[Anonymous]

Okay. So it seems the majority of people on this thread think I should study the exam with this new found time off. The reality of my circumstances is that it is currently tax season right now. Any hiring manager is not focused on looking at resumes, he/she is focused on getting tax returns done. In a lot of corporate tax departments (calendar year filers), busy season will last well into the summer. So I very well may be waiting till the summer before I start fielding a lot of phone calls from recruiters and employers. We'll see. But I do think I should take advantage of this time.

I'm a little bit interested in that program someone posted on this thread earlier about getting financial assistance with the CPA exam. I would think that type of benefit would make me ineligible for unemployment benefits. I don't know.

[Anonymous]

It's sort of disheartening to hear people (well, not people, just person) discouraging folks who are unemployed from meeting with staffing firms. It's almost as if people are supposed to feel like they are too good for these places, or the jobs they can offer. If you are unemployed, and are looking for work, these staffing firms are excellent. They aren't low level jobs; some companies have had good experience with a specific staffing firm and will go back to them if they need more resources. You won't be seeing any huge companies recruiting through these places, however. Those places can put a listing on monster and get 1,000 resumes by the end of the day.

I have a friend who used a staffing firm to get a summer job early in college – and since then he's been promoted multiple times. He's filled multiple positions that were left vacant by folks above him who have quit or retired. There's no reason that if you work at a company that may be temporary, they won't have a need later and bring you on full-time.

Is this ideal? No. Is the situation I described above universal and will happen for everyone? Of course not. But trust me, if you meet with a staffing firm representative and you tell them that you have a BS in business/accounting or even a CPA license, they won't try to staff you as someone who licks envelopes all day. They will work to align your qualifications with the best/highest paid job possible. It's in your favor (and their favor – since they get paid by the hiring company a portion of your wage) to do so.

[PursuitCPA]

When did your friend get the job from a temp agency? is this also 3 years ago? Now a days I say you have to be pretty lucky to get anything from them out of college. There is so many people out there they cant figure out who is a good fit for a certain position. It is what it is

CPA EXAM - Passed

[Anonymous]

Yes it was a few years ago, and there were more jobs. But people still get hired today. People at companies still quit their jobs and create vacant positions that companies need to fill, despite tightened budgets and a decrease in recruiting activities.

You're essentially telling people not to try these staffing firms because you think they are “the worst” – which is what I am disagreeing with.

[75 CPA]

JM2010FL

Thanks for your help!

[Guccimane]

head hunters work

so if you have to eat and have to pay bills get a job first

then once settled in a your new job study for exam

use some common sense……sometimes book smarts get you no where when it comes to reality

83 Reg, 76 BEC, 94 Aud, 79 Far

Done ......!

[Poptard]

I live in the Cincinnati, OH area. I graduated with a MBA in August 2009 with a 3.9 GPA. I also have passed 3 of the CPA exams and am taking the last, FAR, in April. In addition, I have excellent references and letters of recommendations from an internship and a Graduate Assistantship. Yet, after searching for a job since December 2008, I have still not been able to find anything. I have gone through staffing firms, recruiters, and have applied on my own. I have sent in well over 1000 applications and resumes. The only thing that I don't have is actual accounting experience. After all of this, I recommend searching for another job and studying for the CPA exams. You don't want to pass up a potential position just because you were studying, but you also don't want to pass up the opportunity to get the exams out of the way.

[Guccimane]

Poptard -quit asking for so much money and you would land a job w/o experience you have to

83 Reg, 76 BEC, 94 Aud, 79 Far

Done ......!

[Poptard]

I would accept one paying in the 30K range. I don't think that is too extravagant. I have been very modest. I just need experience. Still, no opportunities.

[JM2010FL]

Jesus, Poptard, that's too low!!!!!!

[Poptard]

JM, it is my intention to start my own practice after gaining some experience. Can you give me some more insight on acquiring new clients? Any further information would be greatly appreciated.

[JM2010FL]

Build rapport, tell your potential clients what they get NOT what you do, and tell them you are smarter, faster and less expensive than their current accountant and that you provide superior customer services and are looking out for their best interest, ask them what their current ratio is? ask them how's their current 3 year plan coming along…….stuff like that usually works for me…

I just met a recently layed-off CPA from a medium CPA firm, he's a gold mine doesn't even kinow it…lol

[Author]

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