hi,

i posted in cpanet forum when I was still looking for a job and I am thankful to those who shared info.  I was on the same boat as many of you here. Yes it is true that it is difficult to land into public accounting, yet I was able to make it and Im going to start work in next month in one of the cpa firms in Philadelphia.

I am a foreign graduate (Philippines).  I have an accounting degree and MBA but don't have accounting experience.  I kept on applying for a job in monster and craigslist and i don't even remember how many was it. I applied not just public accounting but staff accountant in corp as well.  I think more than a hundred.  Many of which did not even bother to reply.  And then one day, the partner emailed me and said I responded to their ad (which I didn't even remember because of the many applications I sent to different companies).  And to add to it, his email to me was in a bulk folder cause the email provider thought it was a spam.  I luckily look in my bulk folder and was able to read his email.  I interviewed with him and another partner.  It only took 1 interview and the next week, i updated the status of my application (thru email too) and at night he emailed me back an offer.  I was so excited cause that's my first offer.  I didn't even bother to negotiate the salary.  The salary is not high as i wanted to be (bec i did not negotiate) but it's ok.  My goal is to gain the work experience to get my cpa license and besides I am not paying any bills so most of the salary will just be sitting in the bank.

Until now I am still receiving invitation to interview from diff cpa firms, but i don't think i will attend to those anymore, i already accepted an offer and I am bound to that.  But I am happy, that i will be working in public accounting  soon.  The salary may not be that high as I was expecting but it's ok, cause it is only a 9-5 work and any time in excess to that will be paid accordingly, + i have free transpo if i use the public transpo , or free parking if i choose to use my car.

My advise to those who wanted to find employment in public accounting is never lose hope.  Just keep on applying or post your resume online (u may chose to delete ur phone number if u want and just put email as a contact info).  And in terms of salary, be ready to accept a lower salary than your expected salary.  What is important is to get into it, once you get an experience you can command  a higher rate.

PAcpacandidate,

How much lower than market rate is your salary, if you don't mind sharing?

My expectation was around 45,000 but I got an offer of $37,500 and I accepted it. 

Strategoes/ASDF 344:

Just based on my personal experience/opinion, public accounting firms (mid-sized or Big Four) look for the following as minimum qualifications:

1. good accounting grades from a decent school

2. good job experience

3. CPA and/or other professional designation

Obviously, some of us do not have all of the above 3 items (when I first started out, I only had item #1). So what I did was apply to a mid-sized accounting firm (where admission requirements were not quite as tough as the Big Four). I got in by interviewing well.

Then during the course of my 2 year employment at the mid-sized accounting firm, I finished 4 parts of the CPA exam, then got my license, then I applied to the Big Four (easily got job offers from 2 of them).

I am now currently working for a Big Four firm & I am loving it (much better working environment, better pay, much better resources for training, better benefits, much better resume builder, etc.).

Again, this is just my personal opinion/experience. Different people have different opinions/experiences.

If you don't have qualifications & don't have the opportunity to get in right after college as a Staff I (with a mid-sized firm let alone a Big Four), build your resume up by getting a job with a decent company, pass the CPA exam, then try again.

Once you get in with a decent mid-sized firm, you can leverage that experience to get a job with a bigger & better firm (if during that time, you passed the CPA exam, then more power to you). Then when you apply as a Staff II or a Senior, you may have better luck.

In conclusion, there's no magic formula or trick. You need good qualifications (if you don't have them yet, you have to get them). Then timing, luck, personality can come into play to help push you over the hurdle.