[Pete]

Hello,

I was wondering what additional letters would be good to get, after my name for employers. I am looking to get into the auditing department at an accounting firm. So far, I have passed the CPA and CFE examination. I was thinking about getting some sort of asset valuation license.

Basically, what additional letters will make me look more attractive to an accounting firm (audit specifically)? 6 letters does not appear to be enough.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[shawn in VA]

JD? MBA? CFP?

I think you should be able to get into an acct. firm with a CPA. Are you having trouble?

I once met someone with a JD, CPA, and MBA all after his name. He had a good sense of humor.

[Anonymous]

I'm in a big four audit group catering exclusively to financial services clients. Just finished with a private equity client.

Up front, CFE will be good for advisory. Feather in your cap for assurance, can't hurt, but it'll never be mentioned. Zero people get it – so it has near zero value.

Some people in financial services have CFAs. Out of 200 people – maybe 1 or 2. It's ‘nice' to have, but partners don't have it – so don't expect it to gain much attention. I am going for the CFA – and the immediate reply from others is “what are you trying to leave?” So that's the image it will put off – not really a positive one given the huge undertaking of effort it will be. I'm just making it a quiet learning experience – as I think you learn a lot and it will specifically attest to some valuation knowledge. That being said the CFA is the single most valuable valuation-like credential you can have.

You may find better and more applicable aid to audits specifically by reading your firms audit guides, however. That being said IF you want the most applicable cert other than the CPA it is the CISA CISA and CISA hands down zero exceptions. If you want to “break in” to assurance a CPA + CISA will absolutely force the hand. CPA + CFA will push more to deal advisory that comes in and out of vogue (available jobs) with the economic cycle.

Computer information systems auditor. Nothing else comes close to #2. It takes about a month of review. Great bang for the buck.

After that I'd put CFA at #3. It's takes three years to pass the tests at the earliest + 4 years of experience – with finance clients specifically.

I hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Your main job should be to find full-time employment first. Unless you plan to go in to academia, letters are useless without work.

Cheers!

[Pete]

“I think you should be able to get into an acct. firm with a CPA. Are you having trouble?”

I'm having a hell of a time man. I can barely get accounting firms to respond back to reject me, let alone to get an interview. I don't know if it's the 150 credit hours or the fact i'm out of my feeder school, but I've been trying for YEARS to get into a position with more substance. I'll have just passed the 1 year mark on the date in which I passed the CPA. I must have been on over 30 interviews last year alone (pretty much all in private). Some second and third round interviews.

Without solid experience, you're up a creek.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[lou]

passed your CPA but don't have 150 credits to get licensed?

Sounds like a tremulous waste of time and effort… Don't salty your achievement by lacking the education to get a good job – most large firms require 150 credits… I go to a small state school so that shouldn't be a factor… get to 150.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who is CPA, MBA, CGMA. I asked him why he got the CGMA and his answer was basically that it was to bolster the MBA element because these days any idiot can get an MBA from a fully accredited online university.

[Anonymous]

Yea if you don't have 150 credit hours screw the letters and go back to school. At least know that's a bridge you should be crossing first. Online while working, etc. without the credits you can't be a CPA and must be supervised indefinitely.

Not only does my big four firm require 150, but if you didn't have 150 by the time you started – it was “the highway.”

Going to give the tough love – you're near dead in the water without 150 for any big four and most likely the nationals.

Regional firms will let it slide, for awhile, but i'd go for a masters in accounting that's a target school for the big four or otherwise only apply to regionals and locals. To be mentioned, in the regional setting, i'd largely forget the CFA and CISA. Can be done – but specialized opportunities become few and far between. You really won't use any knowledge on credit default swaps or DCF valuation when auditing a local car dealership. They wouldn't be large public clients, so information systems beyond “quickbooks” just wouldn't exist.

Focusing on these credentials there is no doubt you are very motivated – and would succeed. Some people are dismissed from the big four because they never pass the exam. You're outside and have done it. Keep it up – you definitely will get into public if you tie these things down or present them differently.

Going forward, if nothing was changed, I'd tell employers that you planned to do night school and finish up the 150. Making the most of the hours and your scenario – i would say you ought to do a (good) grad program as that is what gets you in front of recruiters, too, and solve all of these problems simultaneously.

Again, you are clearly bright and determined – it just sounds like your undergrad program really didn't give you the memo.

[Anonymous]

I agree with those who say you should focus on getting real working experience. All those letters will be useless if you don't have anything to put on your resume.

[Missy]

ratfus 30 interviews is NOTHING, I went on over 100 total over the course of a year and I am licensed AND have 20+ years experience.

I don't think more letters after your name will make your job search easier honestly, and I don't think your lack of experience is a deal breaker. Its competitive out there and you're going to have to accept that 30 times you were a GREAT candidate but for some reason someone else was preferred for each position. Just keep applying and getting out there, 30 interviews isn't even 3 a month and if you're actively job searching thats on the very low end.

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

[Anthony]

@Ratfus Do you not have 150 credits to get license for the CPA yet? If you do not, get it. I don't know what state you're from, but I'm sure that all, if not most state requires 150 credits to get license.

Not to mention it makes absolutely no sense in passing the exams and not fulfilling the rest of the requirements to get license. I mean seriously, all the hard work and trouble you been through to pass and yet you don't or have yet to attempt to get fulfill the rest of the requirement.

[Anonymous]

I don't really like tax, but I do enjoy law. I am considering getting a JD, but haven't at all looked into what kind of opportunities it could present.

It doesn't necessarily align with what I want to do in the future (I don't think) but I think it would be more valuable than an MBA or even some of the other professional financial/accounting certifications.

[Pete]

“it just sounds like your undergrad program really didn’t give you the memo.”

This is what I've finally determined, 6 years, after graduating. I graduated in 2010, but was never told that the 150 credit hours were basically needed to get any significant position. For the past 6 years, I've been basically doing book-keeping work, but haven't been able to get into anything else.

When I graduated, the BIG 4 would take you in, without the 150 credit hours in my area, per campus recruiting; however, they would base your contract on completion, within 6 months of starting. My lack of having a plan to obtain them/being in grad-school, likely screwed me over. In reality, the BIG 4 probably wouldn't really hire you, without progress towards the 150 hours (in retro-spect).

Right now, i'm actually VERY close to closing those 150 credit hours though. In addition to passing those tests, i've been chipping away at those 30 remaining credit hours.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Author]

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