[Anonymous]

What is the best time to apply for jobs both summer and fall? I want to postpone it as long as i can since I am confident I will have 3 parts done by the end of february

Also it seems that most summer jobs are GNP. I want to start as early as possible but I want a job auditing publicly traded companies. If I start in summer, can I switch to public companies in fall? How difficult would this be?

Also, in case I cant get a a public auditing job, what is the best way to get an internal audit job with just staff accounting experience? No place wants to give me a shot and it is frustrating.

[Pete]

Hey Sunni,

I am in a similar boat as you. I graduated in 2010, but have not managed to get into public accounting, despite trying until last year. I managed to get into a SMALL accounting firm (10 people) in January of last year, but after tax season, they laid me off, so i've moved back to staff accounting again. Looking in retro-spec, there were things i definitely should have done differently, but hey, we learn right. The way I managed to get into this firm was through networking though. I had friends, who worked there, whom I stayed in touch with over the years. I'm scared about how difficult finding another firm will be, but I will continue to network. Passing the CPA should help as well.

In addition, I recommend getting the 150 credit hours. I've spoken to multiple large firms, including b4, who recruit at my school, and all have mentioned requiring them. They typically will hire you, contingent upon completion of the 150, within 1 year, but you would typically need a 3.6+gpa and some d*** good experience (was told this by career dev a while ago). Because of this dumb new rule, it looks like i'm going to grad school.

Best time to apply is through campus recruiting in the fall. If you don't have campus recruiting, networking is the only way you'll be hired. Be weary though, they don't like to interview you though for on-campus recruiting, if you aren't in school.

Do you have the 150 credit hours?

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]

Hiring for entry-level public accounting positions is very cyclical. I was hired in October/November for a position that will start this September. That is generally an industry standard. I am not too familiar with the spring hiring practices, but I know that some larger firms hire during the spring, but it is to a much less extent than fall.

It is really hard for most people to land a job. There is a lot of competition. My biggest piece of advice would be to get in contact with recruiters at firms you are interested in via LI or the firm's website. Introduce yourself and find out more about the firm and the culture. You can also inquire about their hiring practices/season.

If you have a chance to land an accounting job this summer I strongly suggest you take it, even if it is a government or NFP position. Public accounting may not be an immediate option for the reasons I specified above.

[Anonymous]

I have worked in accounting, though I got laid off recently, but I am looking for specifically for audit, in ANY capacity would be great. I did a year of tax, which i didnt like, then landed a staff accountant job. I even took a pay cut since it is more closely related to audit.

Ratfus I feel you. They are truly missing out on great employees by refusing to take anyone without 18 years experience for an entry level job or a 7.3 GPA

[Pete]

What's frustrating is they go “you must be pretty smart, since you passed xyz sections of the exam,” then i never hear back again. You have to get a 400000000000 gpa, a MEGA PHD, a CPA, and, even go to Mordor to slay a dragon, bringing back the ring, to even get into an interview for an entry level staff position; it's unbelievable. I just met with 7 people for an accounting position, then they made my references fill out a survey on me and they didn't even have the decency to let me know i didn't get the job. This was for an ENTRY level position, where i have 5 years experiance.

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

[Anonymous]

It begs the question, why bother putting the job ads up? It is very evident they only want fresh grads with 7.3 GPAs. So go recruit at a fucking campus

[Pete]

The sad reality is that I interviewed, while i was in college, but i couldn't get anything then because I didn't realize that you needed a 10+ gpa for the big4 and a 7+ gpa for any decent local firm (FOR AN INTERNSHIP). If i “knew then, what i know now,” i would have either gotten a 3.7+ gpa and been involved in 10+ clubs, while doing 2 sports or gone into a different field.

I actually think accounting is interesting, but they don't tell you how truly competitive the field is; there are only jobs, if you can survive a few years in audit. Even with audit, it's difficult, but not quite as bad.

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

[hasy]

Omg, Ratfus, I want the HIYA button back. Your post was SO funny.. Yes, indeed, it is definitely a LOT harder to get into public accounting. But I also want to shed light that it might be the area that you are in. I'm SoCal, so competition is pretty heavy here. However, I haven't lost hope since I do believe that you can get into public accounting, it just takes time and A LOT of networking…..

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

[fuzyfro89]

Sunni, are you still in school (meaning you are looking for an internship or full time after graduation), or are you already graduated and working full time (meaning you are looking for a full time job as an experienced hire)?

If you are in school, most large firms and companies do their hiring in the fall career fairs (Sep-Nov time frame) and again in the spring (Jan-Mar) for both internships and full time jobs.

If you graduated and are working full time now, then you have to go in as an experienced hire (even if the job is entry level). “experienced hire” just means you are no longer in school. In this case, the hiring is year-round on an as-needed basis. If they don't need more people, then they won't do any hiring outside of campuses. If they do, then some posts will go up. Unfortunately, there is no structured process or timing. You have to apply and network everywhere constantly and see if your timing matches up with their's.

Good luck

[Author]

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