[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

I’ve passed BEC and REG on the first try. I have been studying since December 2015 (almost a year now). I failed AUD by 1pt and recently retook it. I’ve got my hopes up for this time around.

I am having a bit of a problem and I need some help….

I attend my school’s networking events and stuff but haven’t ever heard back from anyone. In fact this year I put all my eggs in to get a job there and no one has looked in to me. I have 150+ credit hours and a BBA in Acc and I still have no job experience.

Are employers just waiting for me to finish the other parts or is there more than meets the eye?
Any suggestions/advice, please!

[accountingisfun]

If you don't mind me asking, when did you graduate? And are there any large gaps (periods of unemployment) in your resume?

It seems like you should have the requisite baseline experience for an entry level job – if you're a recent graduate, maybe you're lacking internship experience? Is the GPA good?

Sorry for the personal-ish questions, but it's hard to get a read with the little information that's been provided 😉

(Also what kind of firms are you looking at? Big 4? Mid-Size? Anything? — I had quite a bit of trouble landing a first job myself even though my academic background was average / slightly above average (not by much though!))

[Anonymous]

Hi thanks for asking! I graduated in December 2015 with a BBA and since then have been studying very hard to pass as many parts before 2017 hits! I am lacking intern experience and my Cum. GPA is 3.44 (Maj. GPA 3.80). I got an interview with one of the Big 4 (PwC) but NO LUCK! I met them at the meet the firms at my school back in August and they were literally the only firm that even tried to contact me. My resume shows the two sections of the CPA that I've passed this year at the top, so everyone can notice it.

Please feel free to ask me anything!

[Reverie]

Perhaps you shouldn't be too ambitious and get a low-mid tier accounting job whether it be industry, public or government. While you do that, pass the 2 other parts. You'll have more time to study too with this route. After you past your 2 parts, switch jobs to something bigger if you're still ambitious. 😉

[Adam]

Congrats on your accomplishments thus far. You definitely have a solid base for an entry level position. When I was in your shoes, I literally hit up every accounting job on any job board I could locate (CPA firms, industry, etc.), and applied for anything entry level that I thought could work with my limited background. I probably sent out and applied for around 50 positions or so. The problem with most accounting positions is that they require 2-3 years experience. I'm sure you know what I mean – that is the catch 22 for someone with a fresh bachelor's degree and no internships (like me). I was lucky to have found an entry level staff position with a private company, and now almost 5 years later, I am an accounting manager with a master's degree and a CPA, having advanced from staff accountant and senior accountant (currently a public company in industry, not CPA firm).

I didn't get my master's degree until 2015 and just got licensed about a month ago – so the job thing can definitely happen with just a bachelor's if you look the right places. Another option is to work with a recruiter – sometimes they can find companies that you would never have thought about or located – which is how I now work for my present company.

[accountingisfun]

Have you considered applying for an internship at a mid-tier firm?

That's the route I ultimately had to take –

– Graduated 2010

– Couldn't find a job (lack of internship experience and average-ish academic background)

– Worked as a temp at a well-known financial services firm (worst experience of my life – I don't recommend doing this!)

– Kept interviewing (I quickly lost count of how many interviews I went on…) eventually interviewed at another mid-size accounting firm in October / November, and landed an internship*** which became a full-time offer after the internship ended and I performed well.

***The firm I interviewed with had been sitting on my transcripts for weeks. I was interviewing for a full-time position. It came up in the interview that since I didn't have 150 credits they would not be able to offer me a full-time position — at that point they were basically going to end the interviews and said they'd consider me again next year if I had 150 credits, but I immediately asked about the possibility of an internship and detailed my plan to get 150 credits (I was 9 credits away with a double major and a minor…). Quick thinking on my part and the fact that HR didn't read my transcripts saved my butt! And the rest as they say is history as I've now been with the firm for 6 years.

If you get an internship and perform well you'll typically get a full-time offer.

While you might have some “hesitation” to go this route at first – having once been in the same shoes you are – trust me when I say being an intern beats being unemployed (overtime pay FTW!).

*In your case the other upside to an internship would be that you'd have plenty of time even when working to continue studying for the exam!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the suggestion, but how could I get accepted for an internship if I've already graduated? The employer would need to verify my status at the college.

Every internship application I have filled out has either emailed me or called me that I'm not the candidate for them. I tried to fill out an internship application for Pilot Flying-J this year at my school's networking event and about a week later, I got an email saying that they couldn't verify my status.

[accountingisfun]

@CurtRod – While it's true most internships are looking for someone still in school, some companies will make exceptions for recent graduates – most of the internship offers you'll see posted via your school will probably only accept current students.

But if you go to the web-site of some of these mid-size or smaller firms and look at their career openings you may be able to internships from there.

What are of the country are you? West coast? East Coast? Mid-West?

[Anonymous]

I live in Tennessee, so south-east. Most of the firms at the networking event are usually regional firms, so medium to large size businesses. What is a good job site to be looking for jobs at? I have been using indeed alot but no one ever replies back after I send in an application.

[Adam]

@CurtRod – just curious since you mentioned Pilot… did you go to UT? Or are you in Knoxville? I only ask because I did and that's where I was… I worked at a “well known” mobile home manufacturer out of college on the finance side (maybe you know which one I mean). Didn't start out in an accounting role, but definitely was moving that way after being there for a bit. I decided to move to Atlanta instead which is where there are a bunch more opportunities and where I am now.

Wouldn't be the best role in the world, but it could lead to a future accounting role with the company I was with and I do still know some folks over there.

[broke-n]

My best advice is to not get too invested in the size of the firm at the moment. As a recent (dec 2015) graduate as well,I understand where the struggle is going to a school networking event and not really hearing back from a lot of them. The fact that PWC was interested shows a lot about your connection and your personable skills. Without experience or internships, I would say it is pretty difficult to get into an accounting firm if there is no referral. However, that being said, I would at least start in an entry level accounting position whether that is a staff accountant or a AR/AP position or analyst or anything along those lines so that you are at least experiencing the working life along with getting some background in accounting. Just keep applying and don’t get discouraged.. I probably went on at least like 10 interviews before getting my job at my accounting firm. As the previous people say, if you can’t get a full time offer, you can always ask if they are open to having you as an intern at the company so that you get the experience and the knowledge. You just have to blindly apply online if you don’t have connections or referrals, but linkedin messaging is always a good way to network and get your foot in the door.

[monikernc]

I googled then called small firms in my area to see if they were hiring for tax season. Two were and asked that I send a resume. Interviewed with both and got 2 offers for year-round work. There is still time for tax season. It is a good place to start. Even if only seasonal you will get experience and a reference. Two years ago I worked as a seasonal tax preparer through Robert Half at a small CPA firm. The firm was great but pay was lousy.
You can also look at government positions – just make sure you will work under an active CPA or otherwise meet your state's experience requirements.

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

[Anonymous]

If you're getting no responses to anything, then there probably is something else.

If it was all from in-person networking events, I'd say it could be something in-person. If you're also, though, getting no response from any applications that you submit online, it's probably something that's in common with your online submissions and your face-to-fact networking events, which would mean your application packet (resume/cover letter/etc.). Start with seeing what you can do to improve those, and for goodness' sake making sure that they're 100% correct in how they're written. I have seen so many resumes with terrible, glaring errors in them, and when someone can't spell their own name the same way at top and bottom of their resume, what's going to make me think they can keep numbers straight in a spreadsheet?!? Not that I think you've got your name misspelled, but make sure there's not errors, big or small. Then make sure that they're making you look like a great candidate.

Then find someone who you can trust to be brutally honest with you and ask if there's something about you – behaviors, attitudes, speech, even your style – that may be making you seem unemployable. Most people you know will just say “No, no, you're fine, I'd hire you if I could, you're perfect just the way you are”. You're looking for the 1 out of the group that would be willing to tell you “Well, you're a little cringy, I'd avoid being around you if I was the hiring manager”, if that's the case.

Then, after you've cleaned up and improved your resume, and know there's not behaviors or other personal issues that you need to correct, you've hopefully corrected whatever is stalling your job search and will meet with more success. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Adam thank you for asking, I do not live in Knoxville. I actually attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. I have a brother who attends UTK. He is getting his doctorate from UTK and lives in Knoxville. I would be more than willing to move anywhere at this point if I got a job opportunity. You mentioned a mobile home mfg, was it Clayton Homes by any chance? That is the only mobile home manufacturer I can think of. What part of Atlanta are you in? I also know Cherry Bekaert is a firm in Georgia and recruiters were at my school's networking night last year.

Broke-n thank you for the suggestions and words of encouragement, I have been applying for A-LOT of jobs online in AP/AR/Bookkeeping/Analysts/Tax. How long did you go before someone actually contacted you about a job? Did you have a single standard resume that you used or did you try to tailor one for it?

Monikernc thank you for the suggestions, I actually met with all the local firms in the area I live from accounting night. I have even sent the recruiters emails asking about the position we discussed at networking but…I literally have heard nothing from back them.

Lilla, that sounds like a great idea! I should have done that before my interview, no doubt. I will definitely look into finding local churches doing mock interviews, those can be very helpful.

[monikernc]

another thing i did was join NCACPA and requested a mentor. she reviewed my resume with the help of her writer-mother. the responses i got occurred after moving to Colorado from NC and using the updated version of my resume. Colorado was more receptive than NC ever thought of being. i did get a call and interview with a NC firm after posting my resume on the NCACPA job board.
join your state society and use the resources available there. i was very discouraged when i reached out and the mentor process boosted my confidence. the result has been very positive.
also, don't overlook the advice of using a recruiter like Robert Half during the tax season window.
if you are really interested in moving start scoping out some areas.
i believe the firm in Ft Collins that i turned down may be still be looking and they were wonderful people and it is a great town. i chose the closer firm with equally great people.
don't give up! there are lots of possibilities out there for you and now is the time to find one.

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

[MOAC]

I didn't get any until I was done with all four sections and then I got plenty. Said that you should try harder right now since you're a fresh graduate and I wasn't. Reach out to local firms and private industry jobs.

FAR May 2012 81 (lost credit, didn't sit for other sections.)
FAR 86 Aug 2015
AUD 85 Nov 2015
BEC 84 Dec 2015
REG 78 Mar 2016

Passed ALL sections in first attempt!!

[Author]

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