[Anonymous]

So I turned down a job in Public in tax/audit this past December to focus on taking the exam and have since run into some headwinds financially as ive been whipsawwed several times in the options market resulting in rather large losses. Kind of regretting doing so at this point.

So now I’m looking for positions in anything I can find in multiple citites…Chicago/STL/Quad Cities to be exact..

Just wanted to feel out anyone on here on what they did to go about getting an accounting job to start out. I keep running into the 2-3 year experience crap for an entry level job..and I don’t trust staffing agencies for the life of me. Not interested in being jerked around temping for 10 bucks an hour either.

So any personal experience with recruiters..job listings..applying directly to a company..Job Fairs…etc would be great.

Obviously campus recruiting at this point is not really an option.

Also in October I emailed about 35 local firms and heard back from about 2..so not really all that inspiring.

[EuroAddict]

Are you just out of college? If so use your schools resources. Also try a recruiter that just specializes in Accounting jobs. Not Robert Half but a locally owned operation.

-----------------------------
BEC - 77, 03/2015 (first try)
FAR - 79, 05/2015 (second try)
REG - 83, 12/2015 (first try)
AUD - 84, 03/2015 (first try)

I got 99 problems but the CPA ain't one.

[Nessie]

Do you know anyone who is a partner at a firm? Perhaps ask neighbors or relatives, or formers employers if they can refer you. This is the best way to get in.

REG Aug 20/15: 88
AUD: Feb 29/16: 80
FAR: Jun 10/16: 80
BEC?

Becker self-study, Becker Final Review & NINJA MCQS

[Biff-1955-Tannen]

I always tell people if they're a recent college grad, to go back through their schools career services and apply for internships. And people never respond. I feel like Mr. Mugatu, taking crazy pills.

AUD 93 Jan 16
BEC 83 Feb 16
FAR 83 Apr 16
REG 84 May 16

99% Ninja MCQ only

[TheHoundThatRides]

See if you can attend your school's Spring career fairs. Don't ask anything. Just show your school ID and pay the fee.

Check Indeed first thing every morning for new listings. Apply quickly.

Use your school's job search engine. It's better than Indeed.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[Jdn9201]

Network, network, and network some more. I agree with others – your school should be the first place. Don't just go to the career fairs – join their accounting or business club/organization, or an alumni association. If you had any close relationships with professors, email them to see if they know if any openings. You have to do whatever you can to get your resume into the hands of a live person so you don't have to do the online process (or bypass most of it). I would also reach out to the accounting firm you turned down too – they probably don't have openings now due to it being busy season, but you can at least let them know you are in the market again. Good luck!

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Anonymous]

Thanks but that doesn't really help..I'm not in school now..and I took the classes in another state at a specialized CC program to save money. So they dont have on campus recruiting..I suppose I could look into other universities holding things..My alma mater business connections are rather weak as well. Their job search through alumni association never has anything posted on it.

Really kind of regretting not taking the job in December…From what I read hiring picks up in September but thats a ways away.

My issue with using recruiters is part of the reason I posted this..In I keep coming across fake job listings and smoke in mirrors with them..which has been my past experience..Like today I went through an interview process with silicon valley staffing for an industry tech staff accountant role..

They tell me how great a fit id be and then today a week later they want me to fill out a second profile so we can move forward but only if I pay them 30 bucks for a background check….which was a RED flag..So I refused and told them if they wanted to cover it we could move forward otherwise I wasnt interested…

I've spoke with a few recruiters specializing in accounting..buuuut I dont trust staffing agencies as they are about as crooked as a business can be. Which I still am baffled by how they make money. I dealt with dozens of scams that sent me on a wild goose chase after I graduated college and worked in sales.

Has anyone had success finding decent jobs with a finance recruiter? IT seems like all the jobs posted are by recruiters only.

I may end up contacting the firm I turned down in December again this fall if need be..along with emailing pretty much every firm in Chicago, Stl, and any outlying areas in between. I mean I only need to get one right.

[jeff]

amohr23 – have I mentioned that RYNO is my all time favorite player?

[happygal]

What's wrong with Robert Half? I submitted a resume to them on Friday and they already called back today saying they want to set up an interview but I do not know much about them other than that they are a placement agency?

[Anonymous]

LOL Jeff..Sandberg is the man…I will give you credit for your GSP mnemonic i got a kick out of..I was a fighter at Pat Miletichs gym in its hey day and have now moved onto more boring things.So that has def stuck in my head for Gov..

I actually fought Myles Jury and Erik Koch back in the day..and Saw Hughes tap out Lesnar in practice..much more exciting then Revenue Reconigtion and deferred taxes..Congrats on you Black belt BTW

..

[Anonymous]

Happygal.

I think Robert Half is probably fine..but basically all they are doing is playing middleman..and taking a large cut of your salary..I've heard they have a a good reputation at least…And hearing back from staffing agencies isnt the issue..its getting a job from them..I get 5 phone calls a day from them wanting to do interviews but none of them are very legit..

How it usually goes is hey I have this great paying job paying 60k you would be perfect for…but once the ball gets rolling that job was just filled but youre in luck i have this other job at 8 bucks and hour we could set you up with…RH I think has a better reputation but a lot of staffing agencies are shady because they make money off you salary..or lack there of.

I've sent them a few resumes but haven't heard anything..I' not sure how the Chicago Job market is? This being tax season might not be the best time to apply anyways.

My problem is running into listing after listing wanting 3 year experience..Its like I can do a freaking 1040/1120s/1120 without 3 years exp for crying out loud..1065 maybe not..

[Dave71]

I just transitioned back into public accounting. Indeed.com is a great resource to find employment, but I only looked for current listings (no more than 7 days old) unless the post stated the opening was available for a longer duration. I recieved two interviews/offers right off the bat (one being through a local recruiter that posted on indeed). I am happy with my choice so far and I have the local recruiter/indeed to thank for it. Another great route is going to the public accounting firms website and looking for job postings. That's how I found my first job in public accounting.

REG - 10/12/2015 77
AUD - 01/06/2016 75
BEC - 01/16/2016 75
FAR - 02/27/2016 68 Retake 05/13/16 70 Retake TBD

[happygal]

Thanks @amohr23cubs for explaining that.

[Missy]

Robert half isn't a temp agency they're the permanent placement division of accountemps (that's the temp side). They don't take anything from you they get a fee from the hiring company. They want you to make as much as possible because your salary determines their fee. Besides if you're unemployed and out of school you've got nothing to lose, it may turn out not to produce a job but the feedback you get can be valuable and good practice of interview skills for other opportunities.

Don't send the same resume with every application. You need to tweak it for every application and use keywords that highlight you as a good fit for that application.

Apply to jobs that say 2-3 years experience required. That's not a be-all, end-all statement. I remember getting a job that said a bachelor's was “required” about ten years before I had my bachelor's. They'll overlook some of the requirements if you're a good fit.

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

[monikernc]

I worked last tax season for robert half and it was ok. The office here is filled withe sirens of sales. Walking in there was like being on the set of america's next top model. Glitz and glimmer aside they put me out to the job they wanted me to fill, which was fine, it just wasn't what i had hoped for. I enjoyed the firm i worked with and gained experience and hours toward my license but pay was very low.

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

[Pete]

I'm in the same boat dude. Most campuses will continue to let you use their campus recruiting, regardless of your graduation date (mine was 2010); however, what I have seen is that as you move away from that date, fewer and fewer companies will interview you for entry level positions/internships. For example, for the Big4 you actually have to be in school for the internship program, so once I graduated, those doors shut on me. Unfortunately, the same thing applies for regional firms from what i've found. If you aren't currently in school, it gets insanely difficult to get into them from on-campus recruiting. After graduation, not a single firm would even interview me for on campus recruiting, yet I interviewed with firms, while on campus. In school, i had interviews with 6 different firms, including 2 big 4, but unfortunately, couldn't get past the first round recruitment process.

What i've found most useful is networking. Although with any search strategy, it's still difficult; it took me years to get into a smaller firm. Unfortunately, i'm in your shoes again now as well. My friend has had a similar experience as me. Luckily, he currently has something though, which is great. At this point, i might just go back to gradschool to get the remaining 150 credit hours and a shot at on campus recruiting, armed with the CPA. Just frustrating you can't really get a decent job without the 150 credit hours anymore, unless you basically get lucky.

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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