[kdcpa]

Hi,

I am curious to know whether anyone who is absolutely fresh in the job market got any help from Roberthalf? Campus recruitment did not work for me. I have no work experience and planning to apply for seasonal tax preparer position. I got advice from this forum about getting their help but I am not sure whether they are effective in getting you the very first job? Please share your experience.

[atrain531]

I used them for two jobs. On my second job i got converted to full time. While they can help, i do not think i would recommend them again. spend the time and actually work on your resume and getting yourself out there. it may take extra time but it will be worth it in the long run. if you are in a bind and need experience/money, i guess it would be worth it. just remember you are getting the short end of the stick and that you are possibly being exploited. they definitely helped me tho

[kdcpa]

@astrain531 I understand. The only point is that I need that first job so that I can gain the confidence of some sort of work experience and write about it on my resume. I was not successful in 2 recruitment seasons on campus so I feel that at least I should give it a try so that I would get some practical experience of how things actually work especially in tax season.

[Paydirt123]

RH was utterly useless to me and countless others I've spoken to regarding career development. Not returning phone calls, not returning E-mails, not applying candidates to open positions they are clearly qualified for is par for the course. From their perspective, they have say X amount of available opportunities and X times 100 qualified candidates, so there's that. If you're experience is different from mine, I'm very happy for you, good for you. That said, any job is better than no job, and it's not costing you any money so if you haven't already, yes, definitely set up a profile with RH and network the best you can and best of luck.

[kdcpa]

@paydirt123 I feel as you said any job is better than no job because I need something on my resume apart from my educational qualification. I am not sure whether they would actually provide me any help or not and that's why I thought it would be best to know from you guys.

[Paydirt123]

@kdcpa I feel you. It doesn't cost you any money, so you're not at risk. My description was my personal experience with RH over several years of dealing with them, and I've understood from others my experience is common.

[Paydirt123]

@kdcpa having said that, I recommend accountants such as yourself to take the time to go set up a profile with RH, do some networking, make some connections, etc.. because they do find countless job opportunities for young accountants such as yourself trying to get a foot in the door.

[kdcpa]

@Paydirt123 I have never received any success story so far. But by posting here, I wanted to know whether others do have a good experience or not. I do appreciate your feedback and recommendations. Thanks for your help and I feel that nothing wrong in giving it a try.

[andjela]

My experience hasn't been positive either but I think that the experience you end up having largely depends on your circumstances and the people who work at your local RH office. The office in my area had an unbelievable turnover – people would be there for a month and then a new recruiter would show up and take over. I had to be interviewed twice because the new person did not want to rely on the notes left by the person who departed. I also wasn't the most flexible candidate – I couldn't take positions that required an hour commute one way as I have a family. They often recruit for companies that have a temporary staff need only. They charge them huge amounts (30-40% of your gross pay) so these companies try to drop you as quickly as possible due to the huge expenses. There are people I know who had positive experiences with staffing agencies in “temp-to-hire” situations but those are in the minority. However, if you're desperate to put something on your resume you should give them a chance. But don't stop looking and network like crazy. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Made a similar thread a few days ago. A poster gave some great advice when dealing with any recruiter:

When you talk with them, be firm and tell them your minimum requirements. Then let them contact you when relevant positions become available.

I would also recommend not applying to positions on their site as you are doing your job search. They are often fake posts (not all the time) just to generate traffic and enter more resumes into their database.

Just contact them and introduce yourself. Go in for an interview and tell them your minimum requirements (salary, title, location, responsibilities, etc.). Then let them enter you into their system that way and they will contact you when something that matches opens up.

[kdcpa]

@andjela thank you so much for your advice. I would not like to rely on them but just give it a try. I would like to keep other options open. It would be great if you can suggest as to how can I take advantage of networking as an international student because I do not know many people here and do not have work experience so far.

[kdcpa]

@BrickellCPA I would like to work on your suggestions.

[Theodore]

Currently helping me find a job as I am completely new to a new city and do not know anybody. They have reached out to me a couple of times with part time opportunities with pay way less than what I was getting compensated. I've rejected these potential offers because of reasons stated above including the fact that I am looking into working with a CPA firm to gain public accounting experience. They won't reach out to you unless they have an offer. OVerall, they have been very nice and actually trying, but if you already have some experience, I wouldn't recommend them. You're better off on your own. I just got a job offer from a local CPA firm after spending weeks on my resume and cover letter and sending them out to majority of the CPA firms in town. Good luck!

FAR: 66, 76!
REG: 76!
AUD: 72, 9/7/2016
BEC: TBA

Don't Stop When You Are Tired, Stop When You Are Done.

[kdcpa]

@Theodore thank you so much for sharing your experience. I would definitely like to keep my other options open. I would just like to give it try as my starting point into the profession. I would give other options more emphasis but at the end of the day if nothing works out then it would be better to take this option.

[andjela]

My school had a ton of networking opportunities and continues to organize events open to both students and alumni. You should consider joining your school's alumni association, especially if there is one for specific majors (e.g. accounting and finance alumni association). Go to alumni association events as well as school events where both business community leaders and alumni are invited.

Check out the website of the CPA society for your state and see if they have a chapter in your area and events nearby. These events are often free and if there's a cost involved it's relatively small. You should also check if there are any local associations of accounting professionals. Don't be intimidated by the fact that you have no work experience. Tax season is coming up and if you want to gain tax experience there will be plenty of opportunities for seasonal work or volunteering in VITA program.

[ultrarunner]

@kdcpa, how did you do on-campus recruiting? The students with no experience have the best chance in on-campus recruiting. On-campus recruiting is not about having a good GPA or academic record or work experience. It is all about branding and selling yourself. Did you go to interview workshops, practice mock interviews and attend firm events or join accounting clubs like that? Public accounting loves to hire fresh new graduates who are willing to work nonstop to build their resumes.

Regarding RH, 10% of my linkedin connection are recruiters. I didn't reach out to them. They reached out to me. Most of the jobs that they are offering are temp. assignments for the experienced accountants. They do not usually work with public accounting firms. If you have good years of experience in industry and look for a temp. job (no chance to convert to perm), RH is a good place. Also, the recruiters do not remember each candidate. When an opportunity comes for them, they will contact many candidates. I sometimes got an opportunity like temp. assignment for less pay. Of course, I won't quit my current job to take a temp position with less pay and no benefits. The recruiters work with many people, so they don't try to understand or know each candidate. But that's understandable. I like @andjela's suggestion. Networking is the key.

FAR 72,67,79 (Roger+Wiley test bank)11/15
AUD 80 (Roger)10/15
BEC 80 (Roger)4/16
REG 63,78 (Roger+Ninja MCQs)5/16

[Author]

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