[CPApracticer]

A little background….

Back in 2010, I was an undergrad sophomore in college, and knew the Big Four track was the route to take to guarantee a job and comfortable living after I graduate. I was not the best at my accounting classes, receiving B/B- in my accounting class. One day, I received a 70 on a Stats midterm when the class avg was a 90. I knew I had to do something outstanding if I was going to get into a Big Four. I ran into a friend who introduced me to an accounting scholarship. After writing a great essay and doing well in interviews, I received the scholarship, went to a convention, caught the attention of Big Four, and got into one of them.

In 2013, after graduating with 150 credits, I started working for the Big Four as an auditor. The job went fine my first year, I received a Meeting expectation on all my engagements. However 10 months into the job, the managers had a consensus meeting and my score for the year came back as a Did Not meet expectations rating. I was not promoted to a second year auditor and did not receive a raise. For the people who get a not meeting expection rating, they are put on an improvement plan for a year, if they get another did not meet expecting rating, they will be fired.

Fast forward to today, I have been on a few new engagements since I received the not meeting expectation rating. Although some engagements did not go as well as I hoped, I was banking on doing well at my busy season client so that I can get a Meeting Expectation rating. However yesterday, I was discussing year end evaluations with my busy season partner and it turns out that he was very disappointed in my performance, I received feedback from him and received a not meeting expectation for the engagement. I was completely devastated when he told me that, because during the engagement, everthing seemed fine, but it did not meet his expectations. On my schedule, I am scheduled on my current client til the end of this week, and will likely be fired after this week. However, I made progress in my working papers at my current client and the team is understaffed, and would really like to extend me longer, so they are talking to HR about it, and HR is not sure they can extend me after what had happened. My manager does not want a new staff member to continue where I left off because it would be a lot of my senior to explain to a new team member, he would prefer if I get extended for 2 extra weeks so that I can be here from start to end of engagement. I am not sure if this manager knows the detail of what has happened to me, but I feel confident that I can help him and the team greatly with finishing up the engagement.

What I am going to do now is to fix my resume and contact people who have reached out to me on Linkedin so that I can try to get a new job and quit my current one before getting fired. I have seen some of my other colleagues who had similar situations get fired after receiving my rating. I have worked in public accounting for 1yr 10 months. My goal is to have 3 years of PA experience and pass CPA exam. As you can see from my signature, it has been a struggle, but I am making progress. Praying for a pass on May 5th. I am trying to get a fresh start at another Big Eight firm, so that they can reimburse for exam. What I think I will do is try to convince my manager to get me extended for another 3 weeks so that I can help the team finish the work. In that 3 week, I will have enough time to apply for new jobs.

I hope you guys can understand me, and not be harsh of me screwing up this opportunity w/ B4 firm. Honestly, accounting is not really for me. I majored in it because I wanted to be safe and have a job. I did it to support my parent with the bills and I still live at home with them. I sometimes feel I do not belong in b4, my peers did better than me in their accounting courses and I basically just wrote a fancy essay to get in, and it was not because of my grades that I got in. I am trying to get CPA exam passed and have another year under my belt so that I can afford to take some risks and pursue something I am more passionate about, that is the dream. And if I fail, I know I can always fall back to accounting if I have the years of experience and the exams passed. I have told my parents last year about my below expectation rating. But I did not tell them about the call that I had with my partner yesterday and that I am expecting to be fired yet, but will plan to tell them soon.

My plan is to convince my manager for an extension on my engagement, use some of that time to hopefully get a new job, because it will be extremely difficult to get a new job once you do not have a current job. And when I get the new job, give in my resignation notice before officially getting fired….I really need your help guys, I do not know what to do, I spend the whole day thinking about this and I cannot sleep and am being tormented. Any advice would help..Thank you for reading this far!!!

TLDR: Found out I received a below meeting expectation rating and will likely be fired after this week, trying to get a new job before officially being fired…

F: 54 (4/13) 60 (4/14) 67 (9/14) 66 (10/14) 63 (11/15) 79 (2/16) PASSED
A: 60 (5/13) 80 (4/16) PASSED
R: 60 (7/13) 61 (2/15) 70 (4/15) 77 (7/15) PASSED
B: (6/16)

[Missy]

I think you've got a solid plan going. If they do let you go, make sure they won't try to interfere with your ability to collect unemployment (most likely they won't but good to know either way) and find out what their policy is on job references. Most places will only confirm employment dates and title, some decline references entirely. That much, knowledge makes the transition easier.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[CPApracticer]

@mla11692 in that case, should i purposely not quit and just let them fire me so that I can get some unemployment benefits, instead of quitting and not being eligible for me? i also know that i should not sign anything on my way out after getting fired..

F: 54 (4/13) 60 (4/14) 67 (9/14) 66 (10/14) 63 (11/15) 79 (2/16) PASSED
A: 60 (5/13) 80 (4/16) PASSED
R: 60 (7/13) 61 (2/15) 70 (4/15) 77 (7/15) PASSED
B: (6/16)

[Missy]

Every state's unemployment rules are different, so I wouldn't intentionally plan on it but continue looking for another job and hang in with this one until you have a solid offer on the table if its possible.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Penguin63]

It just sounds like a very bad fit to me. Very bad.

[Anonymous]

Start looking for another job ASAP. The fact that you would stay a whole nother year after receiving low ratings AND being held back is astonishing.

Note to all, when your employer gives you a low/not meeting expectations rating they are giving you a big fat hint. Not meeting expectations = look for another job. performance improvement plan = look for another job. Don't think these things actually mean they want you to stick around and succeed. They don't. If they did they would give you an average rating but give you a couple areas to work on. Unless the office has lost a lot of clients, it is pretty rare for the big 4 to fire people. Big 4's typical approach to push people out is to give them low ratings or hold back promotions or not put them on jobs (so you end up unscheduled during non-busy times of the year) – then the person leaves themselves.

Deloitte in particular pretty much gives everyone average ratings – even people who suck. Giving people low ratings just causes stress, bitterness and they only give it if they want you to leave or really do not care at all if you take off.

[rp 12]

@CPApracticer – It really sucks to be in this position. Trust me. I have been in this spot couple years back – when I was at EY. I was let go in Sept. end 2013, and to land my next gig/job was not in 2 weeks or 2 months. It took me 4 months, and that too I wasn't able to get any offer from Industry side (IA, Fin. Analyst, and/or Staff Accountant). In February 2014 I had to start a seasonal employment with PwC – ended up getting to Big4 again. Since this was a seasonal role – my term ended on October 2014, and since then it took about 6 months to land another job but this time it was in an industry. I will give you an optimistic hope of words – you will get interview(s) in industry side and/or in various public accounting firms. But you will be competing with your peers who are looking to quit public accounting side and who have also got/obtained their CPA's (exam passed).

Am not trying to scare you, but there is a high possibility of finding next job might not work out in 2 weeks time. Hang in there fellow Ninja – you are not alone in this process. I wish you the very best!

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss act only as motivation"

AUD: 68, 62, 77✔ (expires 10/31/16)
FAR: 53, 48, XX (retake 6/16)
REG:
BEC: 53

[lalap]

Passed

[Anonymous]

Why wait to get fired?

Maybe you may want to resign first,

so the fired is not on your record.

[Missy]

Theres very little need to worry about “fired” on a record. As mentioned most employers will only verify dates and titles. I have been fired from a job before and the only people that know that are me and my family. Nobody else even needs to know. The only time its an issue is if you're interviewing with someone who personally knows someone at the job who fired you, then the gossip mill will catch you. But honestly if its a gossip mill, its going to come out that you quit because they intended to fire you.

TL:DR Don't ever resign a job without a new one lined up unless there is some extenuating circumstance (like sexual harassment).

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Author]

Replies