[MrHopeful215]

Can you guys tell me if this is a good plan and if there is anything else that I should plan on doing to ensure that I am in the best position possible to land a position this upcoming fall (which is when i assume firms are hiring the most). I currently work as a fund accountant (unrelated to accounting and CPA experience) and I have my exams passed as of February 2016.

1. Finish earning 18 credits by August.

2. Attend a college recrutiing event in September with having graduated in 2012, 150 Credits, and CPA exams passed.

3. Practice interview skills over summer.

4. Review Resume/Cover Letters/Linkedin.

5. Learn about companies.

6. Learn intermediate excel skills (Pivot tables, Vloopup/index match)

Is there anything else I can do to improve myself?

Also, what do people expect you to do at a college recruiting event, This will basically be my 1st time. Am I supposed to approach them and give them my 30 sec speech and then ask questions about the company? How do you guys approach recruiters at these events? What do you start off by saying and doing. What kind of impression are you trying to give and questions are you asking?

Thank you in advance for any advice

AUD - 82
REG - 78
BEC - 78
FAR - 76

[Credit Revenue]

I think that is a great idea and would be very beneficial not only to allow you to focus on audit over Excel, but for the rest of your career. If you are auditing private companies…you might be dealing with a bunch of “old school” people with very little Excel savvy. It would be very wise to know multiple techniques to enable yourself to put the data in a format that will allow you to “audit” it efficiently. I am sure these skills are taught on the job as it is a requirement of being an auditor. However, the more you can learn before you are thrown in the fire the better.

A - 79 expires 4/30/16 need a pass on REG
B - 78
F - 80
R - 83!!! Can live again!

[Missy]

I wouldn't take time away from something else to polish excel skills but if you do have downtime definitely use it to gain some excel skills. The benefits go far beyond whether or not those skills make you more desirable as a candidate.

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

[Credit Revenue]

Nessie – I think you are hitting every nail on the head…especially as pertains to an entry level Big 4 position. I would much rather work with a person who is a good person with a pleasant personality than a technical guru who is miserable to be around.

With that being said – Excel skills should not be undersold. You will save yourself a bunch of time picking up v-lookup, pivot, sum-ifs, if-then, and any other technique that helps to manage data. I also would encourage anyone to pick those skills up and place them on his or her resume. If you are waiting on someone else to show you a technique you are going to be on their timeline. I can tell you from experience to count on yourself over others.

MLA – Worded it best…

A - 79 expires 4/30/16 need a pass on REG
B - 78
F - 80
R - 83!!! Can live again!

[monikernc]

i just have to jump in and say that at age 57 i have had spreadsheet experience longer than most of you have been alive. lotus 123, then that paradox version i can't remember the name of, then excel and open office's calc. i started with the dos versions. i was the youngest back then so anyone younger than 70 has probably used at least one. ah, the good old days.

good luck with your interviews!

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

[Nessie]

CR,

I totally agree with you and the honing of Excel courses. I took a basic course outside of school (just a one day course) and I proudly showed some renowned micro-economics professor that you don’t actually have to type out January, February, March, etc, you can actually click and drag the whole year! I will keep this in mind. If my start date is October instead of July, I might look into another course. What would you recommend for Tax??

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

Becker self-study, Becker Final Review & NINJA MCQS

[Credit Revenue]

Tax for example you could be looking at depreciation schedules that were computed from FAS (which is a fixed asset software). Well this person/business may have depreciated the assets for book/GL purposes using straight line and from your perspective you are in the business of making sure they are taking the right 179 deduction then calculating the proper MACRS calculation or bonus depreciation depending on the year. Well this company may have 10,000 assets!! Verifying this information with poor Excel skills will be extremely painful. It's hard to give an example without a specific situation. I learned most of my skills from YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZX2iXfqALs. I like the ones posted by ExcellsFun. I would start with V-Lookup…I added the link. If that's too fast go back to one of his more basic videos. If you have the time the basic videos will be a repeat, but I bet you learn something.

A - 79 expires 4/30/16 need a pass on REG
B - 78
F - 80
R - 83!!! Can live again!

[Missy]

Moniker I agree, can't speak to folks in public accounting but in industry there's no luxury of being too old school to be at least intermediate if not advanced in excel. I've yet to come across an accounting package that gives every report directly from the software without some serious massaging in excel and the person who I know that I consider the most advanced user of excel (writing macros) is 81 years old LOL. As a 46 year old self proclaimed excel geek, I use it just as much at home in my personal life as I do at work!

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

[Author]

Replies