[Parthamis]

So after a year and a half, my firm let me go.. literally the day after the deadline less than 2 weeks ago. I endured a 15% pay cut for 3 months during the year, extensive overtime practically all year round, and now I am out. It is simply hard to recover from this. I feel like they just used me, literally abused me year round, then tossed me aside. I was most likely the victim of some office politics, I never got a clear answer as to why they let me go.

How do you recover from this? It is a deadly feeling, and I feel that with the pandemic and the fact I do not have several years in the industry, I am not able to get a job in this market.

[Recked]

There isn't much you can do at this point except learn some valuable lessons from it.
They certainly used and abused you.
Next go round, don't work crazy hours/unpaid OT.
It might be expected in the industry, but they're just using as much of you as possible to get their own maximum benefit. Your sacrifices are not recognized or appreciated.
Look for smaller firms, or reach out to older practitioners who might be 5 years away from retiring without an exit strategy.
So many baby boomers out there that need a path to retire.
The sooner you can start being self employed the better off you will be.
Start looking now so you have time before next tax season.

[monikernc]

@Parthamis it happens. A LOT! It is one risk of tax that they say it will be year round and then as soon as the season is done, you are out! If they had a real beef with you, you know what it is, and can work on it. As for explaining to new/potential employers just use the end of season as the reason. I don’t know where you are but firms are hiring and accounting jobs are available where I am. Apply for unemployment because it sounds like you were let go through no fault of your own. Good luck with your search. If you are licensed take one of the remote Intuit jobs for tax prep support while you look for something else. If you need to finish up your license do it now. Keep us posted on your progress. Don’t beat yourself up. Take care.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[Lucky88]

This kind of thing happens everywhere. You are not the first one and cannot be the last one. What we can do is— go ahead and get the next job.

[livealittle]

there are accounting firms hiring in my area as well. keep looking and try not to let it get you down. It's pretty common.

BEC - 8/8/16
REG - 66, 77
AUD - 81
FAR - 9/8/16

[CPAHOPE]

Thats f*k up man. Sorry to hear your situation. Working with 15% pay cut and still putting smile on your face? Wow. Good luck on your next job! You will find one soon

[Vanquished]

Have you considered working in a corporate accounting office?

I work for a ginormous company and we have a large accounting department. They don't let us go after any deadlines. The pay may* be less but… you'd probably be able to start at an Accountant III level since you have your CPA and prior experience. I dont work on the tax side but…

[Anthony]

Welcome to corporate America.

Once you got the 15% pay cut the first thing you should have done was search for another job. That was a signal that they were gonna probably send your head to the chopping blocks soon or later.

Don't bother seeking answers why they decided to cut you as it's a waste of energy/time. Focus on what currently on your plate and move on.

[Mike J]

Yeah, it very much sucks. Insert rant about corporate America and the need for worker-owned coops here.

Truth is, as Recked, Monikerc and others wrote, it is probably better to get out of a toxic situation. It happened to me also.

But as most others said above, dust yourself off and take the opportunity to improve. You were let go. It wasn't your fault. Apply for Unemployment. While you're on it, set up job alerts via indeed, your school, usajobs, etc. While you're waiting, take a few online classes to acquire more skills. So when not if you interview next you can say, since I was let go due to tax season, I learned…

[ashleydaniel]

Actually I am faced that situation before, Don't be worry about that just go and find a different and better one.

[iwantthiscpa]

bruh we are dying for a good senior accountant and manager. i'm sure a lot of other places are too. i'm in industry.

take it as a blessing you got let go (severance doe??) and look for a place you may like better and a place that wont abuse you.

sorry, that's easy for me to say. i really just want a break and get paid a fraction of my salary for a month to be able to just stay at home and get a break. i know not everyone can/wants to deal with that. but i wouldn't mind a break =/

[kellerja05]

This unfortunately happens and don't be mad at yourself. Happened to a buddy of mine that a small local practice wasn't happy with his development in his first year and now 6 years later he's an assistant controller in industry at a very large corporation. Find a good fit for you and as others have said don't be afraid to look at industry. I've been in industry my whole career and it hasn't hurt me at all from a comp or career perspective relative to the guys I went to school with who started in public. It's about finding what is best for you and your development. With your license you'll find something in no time. Also, don't be afraid to work through a recruiter, they'll know how to frame your departure in a positive light with where you go next.

[sdollen64]

There's a reason they use a saying in the industry – “burn and churn”. Burn 'em out and just churn through them with replacements. Or, “use 'em and abuse 'em”.

Sorry for what you went through but with your experience and license, you shouldn't have many issues finding a new position somewhere.

[Ran2021]

@Parthamis I'm sorry about your job loss!
I just want to mention that when you're looking for your next job you should ignore the lower salary after the 15% pay cut. They were paying you at 100% and that was before you had the 1.5 years of experience. In my opinion the 100% pay rate should be your floor. Obviously the current market may impact what you're able to find. I mainly say this because I don't want you to short change yourself from the start of your job search.

A lot of companies took the approach to temporarily reduce wages during the COVID crunch. It's not an indication of your worth, just the pandemic situation. Also, from a hiring standpoint I would agree with saying that you were let go because of the end of season reason.

[Author]

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