[Pete]

Hi, for numerous years, I’ve worked as a staff accountant. Unfortunately, a few recruiters have advised me that it looks really bad that I stayed at that level and not progressed. This is because at the smaller organizations I was at, growth was relatively limited.

Any advice at breaking out of this slump? I’ve been applying to senior level roles (senior accountant), trying to meet with people for coffee, and I plan to get involved with my states CPA society. I’m also trying to provide value to networking contacts I’ve made in the past. Lastly, i’m working with a few headhunters.

I haven’t even managed to get a single interview in the past few months, despite currently being employed. What else should I be doing in my search? Do people follow up heavily (2+ times after applying for jobs?). I’ve probably applied to 40+ positions so far. I did manage to almost get a phone screen, but it was cancelled, due to the position disappearing.

Also, luckily, my state prohibits employers from asking for current salary, which is a blessing for me, since i’m vastly underpaid (obviously not, if i can’t land though). As an FYI, I’ve passed both the CPA and CFE examinations, but am not currently either, due to my experience.

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

[12tang]

I'd keep on networking. It's a slow process but you're bound to find something. I don't buy in to that mumbo jumbo that some people spew about accountants being stuck if they never do public and the such… I've known so many people that were actually unqualified but networking boosted them. Just curious, how many years have you sat in the staff position? Also are your searches limited to a small region? If so, try to expand it.

Using Becker self-study
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[bigstakk]

I currently manage a few staff and have directly hired or been involved in hiring many in the past and unfortunately for many employers it’s a red flag if you’ve never been promoted or managed to otherwise move around for a more senior role. In general, a majority of upper management accounting roles (CFO, VP, Director, Controller) involved in the hiring process come from an audit background, so there can be a bias when it comes to strictly private experience to some degree. You can definitely move up on the private side without it, but it seems to take much longer. I started in public and even though it was just 3 busy seasons I would say the experience was key in getting offers throughout my career despite the fact that I was not licensed (currently pending and something I should’ve done many years ago). If you can get into public I would highly suggest going that route. Plus it would help you get your CPA.

Ultimately, though you have to look yourself in the mirror and figure out why you’ve been stuck. Is your work product an issue? Have you just been coasting and treating it as a day job and not a career? Is there something about the way you interact socially with your peers that is an issue? I would really dig deep. People that hire may see the lack of progression it as a red flag, so you’ll need to find a way to either go to a smaller shop or jump into public accounting and start over as an associate. We do have some older accountants that literally do not want any additional responsibilities and are happy at the staff level. Some of the times they have other hobbies or career goals like wanting to be a musician or actor or they just like not taking on a bunch of responsibilities and are content with the pay range they're in.

Bottom line, if you work hard and are easy to work with and are ambitious, you’ll be able to find a way to communicate your need for growth and make it happen. No one is going to promote you on their own or pay you more unless you stand out as a high achiever and even then you’ll need to somewhat negotiate your career progression along the way. More than anything though, as long as you are really great to work with that’s a big key. Getting involved in workplace drama or negativity are big deals for managers, so being positive at all times and adaptable and proactive when it comes to your demeanor is important as well as offering to take on additional responsibilities when the opportunities present themselves. As a rule of thumb
, if at the 2-3yr mark of your career path at a specific company you are not talking about your next career steps with your manager then you need to imitate the conversation and start gauging your market value by checking job postings or talking with recruiters.

How long have you been a staff accountant and how old are you if you don’t mind me asking?

[Pete]

Sure, 7 years, which is definitely way too long (especially at 30 years old). I've looked for new roles on and off throughout that time-span (not constantly), but haven't succeeded in finding anything; they probably view my experience as more of a book-keeping role unfortunately, due to the sizes of the organizations. It's hard to progress in an organization that has 1 accountant. I've jumped positions a few times (at smaller organizations), but the fact that I've been in smaller organizations, seems to prevent me from progressing.

I'm trying to get into public CPA firms as well, even entry level, but I've actually had one recruiter tell me the lack of career progression as an issue for one internship a while back (2 people saying something should raise my eyebrows). I even did an internship (separate from the one above), but was later told the firm “wasn't hiring.” They (firm where I interned) recently reached out to me for a role that had opened up, later telling me the role had in fact already been filled months ago; the posting was just a formality, i think. I doubt i did that poorly, if they reached out to me to fill their role.

I was hoping passing the CPA/CFE examinations and completing the required hours would help a lot more than it actually has so far. I'm just having a tough time getting around the elephant in the room it seems.

I think I've progressed in the difficulty/complexity of the work that I do, but not necessarily in title.

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

[MaLoTu]

what are your current responsibilities? Is there any way that your current company will bump your title to senior? I am making an assumption that you don’t mind the place you currently work at but you cannot move upwards or get your CPA experience sign off.
7 years is a long time to be in one place without any progression. You are going to have to rationalize why you stayed for 7 years and then build a narrative for yourself that makes sense to employers.
I agree with @bigstakk above. I would also add to look at staff positions on companies that have CPAs. It is important for you to get the experience taken care of.
I would say at this point you can email recruiters your resume. When you send it provide them a “cover letter” that explains why you are interested in their company (they do something you are interested in or they have a reputation for something you admire, try to give an anecdote) and a brief explanation of why you are ready to leave your current company (this directly ties with assessing what has caused you to be in the same spot for 7 years, but try to spin it to be beneficial). This is a hard initial process but it will get easier the more you do it. I know you have asked for quite a few meetings with people at firms and companies but I think you are going to need to employ more aggressive tactics if you want to make this happen.
One last thing, non- traditional type candidates (I.e., those not fresh out of college) have to do a lot of foot work to get interviews and get hired but it isn’t impossible.

[Pete]

By “recruiters,” do you mean external recruiters or internal ones? I'm afraid of over-saturating the market with my resume by placing it with too many external recruiters.

I currently handle a ton of balance sheet reconciliations (multiple cash accounts, receivables), I prepare and submit financial statements, handle accruals including payroll, handle cost allocations, handle AR/AP, and sit in on committee meetings. I'm also involved in creating projections and preparing the budget.

Actually, I've only had the current job for 2 years. I ended up taking it for the increased responsibility; however, it didn't come with an increased title. I liked my current position, until new leadership took over recently; then things took a turn for the worse. The environment at the organization has become incredibly toxic with managers fighting constantly. Most people at this org are looking for a new gig; the writing is on the wall.

Further, I fear that our organization will completely run out of cash within 6 months. Beyond that, a few high level managers (directors) never wanted me hired in the first place. They've wanted me gone, since the first day that I started. One has been trying to remove me for over a year. I only got the job, because of a director, who's recently left. Without him there, I fear that I have a huge target on my head for termination; it's likely only a matter of time.

I definitely need to leave this organization as soon as I can; it's just not a fun place to work anymore, especially for the amount i'm getting paid.

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

[MaLoTu]

Hi Pete – I meant internal recruiters at both public and private firms and I would really start hitting it hard if your situation is as ominous as you have stated.
Sorry for the misunderstanding of the 7 years. I think that you should be able to build yourself up nicely. You clearly have experience. I think it is your approach that is hindering your job prospects.
BTW- I wouldn’t deal with external recruiters. They are not normally effective at the staff and senior level.

[ultrarunner]

Hi Pete,

I was in your shoes a while ago. I thought I wanted to work for a bigger organization in industry, so I applied many jobs and got a job. Usually, working for small organizations won't give you any better opportunity, but I got lucky that a hiring manager really liked me, so I got a job in a small but nice public company. However, soon I realized it would be impossible to move up to the next level without audit experience (even if I am a CPA) plus I got sick of the corporate accounting (so repetitive and nothing to learn). I applied and started a graduate program, and after going through one campus recruitment season I got hired by a big public accounting firm. The hours could be long, and job duties could be overwhelming, but I have no regret to give up my comfortable corporate accounting position and move to the public. I learned so much from the public experience, Tableau, Power BI are just a few. I am working on data analytics, automation, and some basic coding as well. Industry would never invest their accountants to have technical skills, but public accounting would. Think about what you want to do in next 5 years and decide which route you'd like to take. By the way, I am much older than you, so your age (30s) is not an issue at all. All the best.

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

[jjjgolf500]

@Ultrarunner what position where you in learning Tableau, Power BI, coding and such?

[ultrarunner]

@Jjjgolf500, I am in tax. The training are for all positions or line of services (assurance/audit and advisory). Many people in my training programs are in advisory services. Here is another reason to finish CPA exams ASAP. I've seen many people consuming their times passing the exams while working so they miss out the opportunities to learn. Although trainings are optional, I highly recommend to learn if your firm offers free trainings.

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

[Pete]

Hi guys, really appreciate the help.

In order to reach out to internal recruiters, should I get a LinkedIn premium account? I'm not sure how to message recruiters without premium. Also, should I simply look for HR people at these organizations and message them?

I'm currently targeting both public firms and private organizations. I figure, I can always continue to look for public accounting jobs/network if I get hired at another private organization; at least that way, i'll be employed somewhere in a few months.

Things keep getting more and more grim at work while the working environment continues to deteriorate. Things just keep getting more and more toxic. How many not-for profits expect their staff to work 45+/hours per week while paying much lower than most other NFP organizations.

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

[MaLoTu]

Yes, get LI premium. Also, cast a wide net, try to expand your job search. Maybe focus on markets that are in greater need of manpower if your current area is not hiring rapidly.
Also, when I applied to jobs on LI I would follow up directly with the recruiter (when available) letting them know that I applied and why I felt I was a good fit. I would also send a resume for quick reference. This worked very well.
Good luck

[bigstakk]

Definitely get an external recruiter to help you figure out your options. They do a great job selling you as a candidate and getting you in the door for many opportunities. There’s really no other way to do it when it comes to casting a wide net.

[Author]

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