[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!

[Anonymous]

Adam, if you could help me that would be amazing!

[hasy]

@monikernc

Not sure you're going to come back to this, but congrats!!! I'm usually a silent reader but I've seen a lot of comments about how difficult it's been finding a position to fulfill the experience reqd. That's great news that you got a position!! Does it grow into full-time?

@OP

CPA is a marketing tool, it is not the golden ticket to every CPA firm. There's a lot of networking involved and your license does provide more consideration than others but you need to understand that experience and personable skills plays a big factor. It really doesn't hurt to shoot some recruiters an email on linkedin or a message. I've actually done what monikernc did and found the list of top accounting firms in my area. While I was tempted to email my resume to the entire list, I've actually searched every firm and researched them to see if this was the firm I wanted to work for. I actually got 3 offers from that. So it's hard work but a great learning experience.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved - Helen Keller

-

BEC 80 (10/23/15)
FAR 72 (4/2/15); 83 (7/11/16)
REG 52 (4/28/15)
AUD (9/9/16)

Roger + NINJA MCQ + WTB

[Trees202]

Do you have any work experience?

I'd recommend looking for a job “related” to accounting while you're finishing up the last 2 parts. (Billing, AR clerk, etc.)

I started as a billing coordinator. I'm a hiring manager now and I always prefer people that have work experience > solely academic.

[Anonymous]

@trees202–No I have no experience that is why I wanted to take the CPA. Let me ask you, since your a hiring mgr would you prefer someone who has all four parts done with no experience or someone with no parts of the CPA and a yr of experience for a simple accounting job like AR, AP, bookkeeping, etc.?

[Trees202]

For a clerk/book keeping job, I'd prefer someone with the year experience over someone with all 4 parts done. I'd probably want to stay away from someone with all 4 parts done for an entry level job like that b/c I'd be wondering why they want a $40k job if they're a CPA.

Everyone is going to bring their personal biases to the table a bit, but I'd probably be excited to interview someone who had 2 parts done for a job like that. With 2 parts done, I think you're in a good position to stand out among candidates for a foot-in-the-door type job.

I'd try to get something sooner than later though, even if it isn't your ideal job because the gap in experience is going to look worse and worse even if you say you were taking time off to study for the CPA (I don't think that reasoning will fly much over a year.)

Again, this is just my personal opinion, it really depends on the person selecting the candidates.

Good luck!

[Sticky Nicky]

@Trees202 I've been bookkeeping PT while studying for the CPA,,i was a FT bookkeeper for 3 years for the same company before switching to PT to study,,i still make almost a FT salary though,,,my hourly rate is way better than any FT entry level hourly rate if you were to break their salary down to hourly,,my question is assume I pass 2 sections and then start looking for a job within a CPA firm to gain experience,,,what are the chances of getting hired for an entry level? I prefer tax over audit even though I have barely any experience with tax other than individual long form

[Anonymous]

I just moved from Nashville. Deloitte has their accounting function for the firm based out of Hermitage. I would look at those jobs and apply. Its a way of getting your foot in the door and then you can transfer to the client service side after a year. Another thing that you should also do is not just focus on accounting firms, look at other companies in the area as well. I usually type in CPA in indeed and see what they have out there asking for a CPA license. I started out in internal audit and then made the transition to Big 4. I had a 2.5 GPA and no exams passed. On paper I would never make the cut, however, through networking and also pointing out that I worked full time while going to school full time always made my low GPA not stand out as much.

Also, update your Linkedin. I have received job leads through Linkedin. Sign up for the free 30 day premium offer that Linkedin usually has. I did that when I was looking for jobs. I was able to directly message recruiters about the job postings and get feedback. That was also a way for me to maintain relationships. If they told me they did not have anything available, I would always follow up at least every 2-3 months. LinkedIn is how I got my contacts for PWC and EY. When my husband and I decided to relocate, I emailed the PWC recruiter and asked her if she could put me in contact with someone in the city we were moving to.

As someone else stated above do a google search of the accounting firms in your area and go to their websites. I have found that some regional firms do not post open jobs online, however, they have their HR contact on their website and you can directly send them your resume.

As Lila stated, have someone look over your resume. Find places you can do mock interviews. Practice your interviewing skills and also get feedback. Twitter was where I found the guy that did my mock interview for free. He actually started out at a Big 4 and now runs his own business. It used to be free but I think as he has grown over the years he now charges for the service. CPA excel back in the day used to offer a resume review and writing service. I don't know if they still offer that service. Its something that people did not know about and was just never advertised.

Good Luck! It will take time.

[Pete]

I have the entire CPA done and can't find a job; it's extremely competitive all over. I'm also working on completing the CFE, so I'm hoping that will soften things up a bit. I also have 6 months experience at a firm from last year. My friend also had a hell of time, after he lost his public accounting job a while back; it took him YEARS to find another accounting job.

At one of the firms I was interested in, a girl, who ended up getting a job, had 10 years MANAGEMENT experience out of her bachelor's degree; she also double majored and had a 3.9 GPA. I also want to add this was at a 10-50 person firm, so you can imagine how competitive a larger firm will be to get into. Even with the CPA completed, you're still going to have a tough time competing with this kind of individual. Also, another nasty thing I've seen occurring is a hiring lag. Most firms will hire you 1 year in advance, which is kind of insane; many years ago, smaller firms wouldn't get away with this practice.

I would strongly advise you to focus on a networking based approach. Start emailing partners for a 10 minute informational conversation, where you DON'T ASK FOR A JOB. At the end of this meeting, ask them to refer you to other people. Also try and provide other people with help in their own needs (people are more inclined to help, if you help them out first). Before this meeting, create a marketing plan and try to send it to the person (then they can quickly tell you if they know people at those firms). Outside of campus recruiting, this is your best shot. Hell, I wish i had done this, while I had campus recruiting available, but 6 years later, I learned.

In order to most effectively meet people, I would join your local boards state membership. Attend their free events with business cards. DO NOT TELL THEM you're looking “for a job” at these meetings, unless they ask; then tell them in a subtle way.

Recruiters can help as well, if you get a good one. Most aren't good though. In addition, you will rarely get an interview at a firm through a recruiter, just industry (which could still benefit you).

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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