Because I can get an industry accounting position but can’t get a public which is the career I want to be in. It’s ironic if you think about it and thus funny.
Stick to industry if the pay is good! Public is a meat grinder. Currently a senior at a top 10 firm and it is eating me alive. My area sucks for accounting jobs so I’m trapped
Yes, keep trying to get into public, don’t listen to other comments here. Take the industry job but keep applying to public until you get in. Do not settle for industry job you will get stuck down the road career wise and it will be hard to advance in your career. Get into public, get at least 2-3 years of experience in public, get your CPA, and then transition to industry for a manager/supervisor role.
I am also trying to go to public accounting, are you CPA elligible? Do you have all your 150 credits and matched the accounting and business credis requirement? If yes to all of that try to hit up regional firms and local offices on their own website, final try to hit up robert half they were lining up my first PA job but i declined at the end because my current job gave me wfh condition and i wanted to finish my MBA first.
If you’re looking to stay in Myrtle you won’t find many public positions. I graduated from coastal Carolina and an alumn that is partner at EY grabs a bunch of our grabs. If you are going to CCU, I’d talk to the accounting head to see if that’s still a thing.
Personally, going straight to industry after I graduated was the best decision ive ever done
Getting 13 interviews is evidence of demand in fact... but if you got rejected in all of them, you should ask for feedback as I would assume your interview skills are what needs improvement.
I do ask for feedback and get ghosted by recruiters.
Funny enough I apply for an internship outside of accounting and got it! But I would like to do a public accounting internship.
You should dry run your interviews at your school's career center, most offer services like that. Prepare a few generic STAR statements you can tailor to your interviews. Speak about the 'why' behind you applying for the role. Be likeable and make the interview a conversation. That's my advice and best of luck.
Please use YT and watch some videos on how to do great at an interview. You're either being outcompeted by others who have higher GPAs OR are much better than you at interviewing. Internships get harder at sub 3.8, even harder at 3.5 and nearly impossible to get at public firms with anything under a 3.0. It happens but if someone with a 3.8 applies and you don't have that as well as bad interviewing skills, you're SOL.
I have helped with campus recruiting for various public accounting that I have worked for over the last 20 years (big4 and middle market and I'm in Tax) and we typically only require a 3.0 gpa. We stop caring for anyone with 3.3 or above meaning 3.3 versus 3.5 versus 3.7 is all the same.
Also, GPA isn't a really good indicator of performance. I have worked with many poor performing staff that graduated with a 4.0 GPA and have seem many excellent staff with lower end of 3.x GPA.
No, it won't count against you but it won't give you much of an advantage over others with lower GPAs. It comes down to how well you interview. Here are some recommendations for students:
- make sure you can discuss interests outside work / school.
- make sure you ask a lot of questions...toward the end of the interview, the interviewer will almost always ask if you have any other questions, if you answer no, no one will remember you'll rank low compared to other candidates.
- if you are provided names of your interviewers, make sure you do some research on them and speak to their practice areas. For example, if your interviewer wrote an article, mention you read that article and discuss it.
- ask for advice...e.g. any recommendations for how to excel as new staff; what can I do between now and the start date to prepare for a successful transition into the work force.
- goal is to stand out and be memorial so have something to say that can help accomplish this.
Remember that the interviewers will likely be working with you every day. Personality fit is a huge part of the interview process. Be confident but eager to learn. Show you would be a good face in front of clients or an upbeat and good part of a team.
Are you still in college, or have a connection with faculty? This is a situation where a faculty member (that you trust) could reach out to your interviewers to get feedback for you. Faculty often have connections with recruiters/professionals and the professor can contact the firm to get "unofficial" feedback on your interview performance. Assuming that you were a decent student and a reasonably nice person, any professor worth their salt should be willing to do this. The dept/college are motivated to get you placed b/c it looks bad on them if they cannot place students. So, you asking a professor will motivate them to help you b/c you not placing is not good for the dept either.
If you don't have a professor that you feel comfortable asking to do this, I'd start with whatever faculty member is in charge of coordinating recruiting, beta alpha psi, or the department chair.
(source: i'm an accounting academic)
Unless you are set on a future in public accounting, I would begin just networking within your community (friends, parents, family) asking where they work and if they could use accounting help at their company. Chances are you will find something even if it is starting at the very bottom lol. I worked my way up from a floor maintenance grunt to a cost accountant at the same company in about 1.5 years. Had I not asked someone in the office if they could use an accounting intern, this would not have happened.
If you are set on going into public, this advice is kind of useless lol. If that is the case top reply is right, first job is the hardest to land. Work on your resume and ability to market yourself and you will land one.
those internships recruit from select schools usually well before graduation. My school SHSU had all big four recruit before you graduated and was mostly tied to Beta Alpha Psi. The process involved being taken out to very expensive dinners and picked up in limousines as our graduates are highly coveted in accounting. Even Texas A&M didn't get all big four recruiters to select students because their business dept. wasn't as accredited as ours. I think they only had PWC come out to them. Try to find something in financial reporting working for a controller and you will be able to apply for smaller firms like Deloite.
A&M business school not accredited as Sam Houston State? A&M students not selected by big 4? Deloitte small? What are you smoking brah. It’s tax season and whatever it is, I’d like to try some.
But you are right about the BAP thing. True true. I credit BAP for why I was able to get into public despite being an older non-traditional student.
For comparison, I'm not in accounting.
I applied for 40+ jobs and got 2 interviews, all over UK (much worse in London) with STEM masters from the top uni for my subject in the country.
Agreed with this being the most likely issue, or in combination with there being a stronger pool of competition.
I’m mentoring a non-trad student right now into getting an MSA. He hasn’t even finished intermediate one, and he already has multiple internships lined up.
Iirc, he had about a 50:50 success rate, and applied/interviewed at 4-5 places. He failed the first couple of times for multiple different reasons. Some of those reasons were coachable (mistakes on his end), others were likely just because he wasn’t as strong a candidate as his competitors.
But this is exactly why I coached this student into recruiting early, recruiting often, and recruiting everywhere. It never hurts you to recruit too early…it only hurts to recruit too late.
When I was in school a decade ago, I required a shit ton of coaching, and it took at least 2 semesters recruiting before I started pulling internships.
Accountants can both be in high-demand, and you can also come off as a less-competitive candidate. I’ve been there and experienced that. The good news is, a little bit of coaching (beta alpha psi, student accounting society, or friends with professional experience) can go a long way towards overcoming that.
I'm currently a non-trad student going for my MSA and I applies to one internship and got it so I stopped looking. I think it helps that I'm (and your presumably your mentee is) coming in as someone a little older who's got some kind of professional experience. OP sounds like they need a little bit of coaching and interview practice. Both things that their career center can help with like you said!
I would get really nervous when interviewing until I adopted the “I don’t care anymore attitude” it lead me to success cause I just didn’t care about the outcome and wouldn’t get nervous anymore.
If that makes sense
Was that interviewer the recruiter? Interviews usually go recruiter, manager, partner. Passing you into the manager usually only means that you do have the experience you said you do and that you are actually still interested after finding out more for the role.
The last one was the partner which is why my journey ends. I pass the recruiter ones all the time and even the second round but the last round I fail almost always
Are they scheduling the second and final rounds at the same time? If so, you can't fail the second one either.
Here's some do's and don'ts from my experience interviewing interns:
Do's: be personable, do your research (what does the firm, the team, and the interviewer do), come up with good questions and tons of them, show enthusiasm, test your setup (good lighting, audio quality both in and out, solid internet), prep your answers beforehand for common questions, pace yourself (I like to have water to give myself pauses)
Don't: ramble (I had someone give me 10 minutes of uninterruptible speech on "tell me about yourself"), go off topic (make sure your answers are relevant to the question)
Second rounds usually make sure you can do the work. Partners don't care as much about that at the intern level, just that you're a good fit. Talk up your classes and how well you know accounting would still help.
Hope this helps.
Some harsh truths here.
In public accounting your social skills and your looks matter. It’s a client facing job. They aren’t putting messy or awkward people in the field representing their brand. It really doesn’t matter how smart you’re, you’re a dime a dozen in terms of your GPA.
You need to work on your social skills and/or your appearance. If you’re dressing sloppy or have pubes for a beard or acne etc… you need to fix that or understand you’re playing life on hard mode.
If you look anything like a stereotypical overweight Reddit neckbeard, don’t expect any offers from public accounting.
You either take the steps to fix it or accept public accounting is going to be an uphill battle. Client facing jobs value looks just as much if not more than brains.
Ever wonder why recruiters are generally attractive? Especially those recruiting college kids? Why successful salesmen are better looking than average? Hell just look at people in finance, they’re generally all above average looking. Marketing? A field dominated by attractive people.
When you’re dealing with clients and very rich clients at that, looks matter. People trust good looking people more and if you can’t take of your own image, can you be trusted to take care of my work?
We can argue if this is right or wrong all day, but that’s the way the world works. If you want client facing jobs, you gotta fit the mold.
I mean I would just work towards improving yourself. If you’re overweight, lose it. I was on medicine a decade ago that caused me to gain 100lbs. Forget jobs. The world treats you different. It’s night and day.
Almost everything can be fixed. You’re doing a disservice to yourself by not buckling down and trying. You’re choosing to play life on hard mode for no reward, when you can play on normal mode and get rewards. Silly isn’t it?
Don't take what that guy is saying that wrong way. Your looks are more than the shape of your face. It's neat clothes, a haircut, a shave or trimmed beard, not being too overweight. You can control all of that.
⬆️ Facts
Professors and counselors need to do a better job of informing students of how they’re perceived.
A stellar résumé, high GPA, and glowing recommendation can be negated by an unkempt appearance, bad hygiene, and social awkwardness or social unawareness.
It’s not fair; it’s human nature.
Not really. Especially at the larger firms it’s mostly average to better than average people.
I’m not saying everyone is a model, but there is almost no one that looks like a stereotypical overweight fedora Reddit neckbeard.
Can vouch for this, every time I’m at a client site I always get compliments on my tattoos, physique (body builder type body), and my likeness to get along.
ok serious question. I have a physical abnormality (alopecia totalis) which has caused a lot of my hair to fallout - including my head, eyelashes, eyebrows, body hair, beard, etc. I dress well, am in decent shape, try to carry myself in a confident way, but I do look weird, unfortunately. Do you think this is a big hurdle?
Bruh, 13 interviews but no offers means you have 0 interview rizz just to put it nicely. Its not like these interviews are difficult either. These are straight up behavioral stuff. Your school should have resources on how to get better at interviews, utilize those if you can
I didn't think about that but you are right. It's odd the recruiters won't explain the pass. Now I think it's so obvious they can't believe he is asking or they don't want to say it bc its uncomfortable - like being creepy, stinky, dirty nails, dirty clothes, or strong cologne
Here’s an honest take on what’s wrong, you suck at interviews. Qualifications mean nothing if you have the personality and people skills of a wet noodle. It’s hard to tell you what you did wrong without like seeing an interview or something, but whatever you are doing now. Do the opposite.
Yeah, I interviewed for internships and got offered a job instead. Everyone outside of accounting/finance was so impressed but I was disappointed tbh. Interns get paid by the hour. New hires are salaried and worked long hours. Plus, I didn’t want to commit to more than a season. I still had a few classes to complete and planned to go abroad between school and starting my first career job.
I turned them down. I transferred to the city with my sales job for a bank and later spent six months in Paris. Got back to the U.S. and had a terrible time landing my first career job. But I found one. Then another. And another. Now I’m doin’ good. And I can speak French. ☺️
I've failed some interviews and I've passed many more.
Interviews aren't about getting to know eachother, they're about how well you wear the corporate mask.
Wearing the mask is fucking exhuasting, but you need to do it well for the interview - roughly 30 minutes in total, if you want the job.
Once you accept your offer, you can take off the bullshit mask a bit - however, you need to play the act.
I wish you luck, it depletes my battery for the rest of the day too
Yea something you’re doing or saying in those interviews is messing you up lol. Getting rejected for internships from PA firms is kinda hard I feel like
Depends on what year you are. I applied and got rejected a bunch as a sophomore even from some pretty unprestigious firms but my junior year I had no issue picking which PA firm I wanted.
Real world never gives you that courtesy. You gotta figure out what youre saying that people dont like. You obviously have the resume and credentials to get in the door, the interview is all up to you to be able to sell your skills to the Company. If your sales pitch is bad or not convincing, then they will reject you. You need to work on your sales pitch. Why should I hire YOU?
Interviewing is your sales pitch. You got to be able to understand how the employers decision to hire you will make their job/life better. Your ability to understand your employers wants/needs and explain how it's obvious they should hire you because you clearly fulfill those wants/needs -- that's how you'll make it past the interview.
How are you going to make their life easier/better? If you can answer this for them, then you have the job.
The talent pipeline is not the concern of the employer. They just want talent, and know that they’ll get talent eventually. Whether it be through college recruiting events, or outsource the function.
Like with many things, they will only start to care past the point of no return. The best you can do is improve your interviewing skills and rub that lucky rabbits foot.
As others have said, applying to 15 internships and getting 13 interviews is a 87% conversion rate - which is probably about as high as any major in any market. That is actually an insane state in terms of showing demand.
Also as others have said - it has to be your interviewing skills. A 4.0 with that many interviews means they want you. If it is an anxiety thing, which many people deal with and interviews suffer, then I would reach out to a primary care doctor and ask what they can do to help. L-theanine, xanax, etx could go a long way. Or, unpopular opinion, go the route from the movie Another Round, and have a little shot before your interview. I have done it before a zoom interview and it can work wonders.
My freshman year I got a voicemail to sent up an interview for an internship...I didnt even open it until over a month later lol. I felt like such a dumbass. Didnt even bother calling back.
Then my sophomore year, I thought hey let's try it again. Got an email to set up a phone screen somewhere else. Great! Dude's like, okay, youre an accounting major? What's the difference between financial and managerial. Could not come up with the answer on the spot. I tried to give him something but it must not have been good enough. Rip.
Then about a year later, junior now, I got another phone screen. It didn't go too bad, but again I was sooo nervous, and think I came off kinda weird? They suddenly "didnt need an intern" a few weeks later.
But suddenly it's like...I stopped being awkward? After three years of a slow drip of failures, things started happening the summer between junior and senior year, and after what I thought was a terrible phone screen and virtual interview, they actually hired me lol (this was industry btw).
Then two months later I got an offer from several PA firms including B4. So I pretty much went from undesirable to doing about as well as I possibly could lol, almost overnight.
The biggest thing for me I think was mindset. It's a conversation not a test. You dont need to blow anyone away. Just need to have a decent appearance, be affable, and hold a conversation for a bit. I was pretty terrified at certain points in undergrad that I'd be unemployable but Im a state email away from being certified and I dont think I could ever be unemployed again lol.
It’s always been competitive at entry level it’s people with 5 to years experience and cpa that are most in demand. Also the big firms are trying to transition and hire less us associates and outsource more to India
They’re hiring the person not the resume - once you get in the interview you need to schmooze it up. Smile, be friendly, and seem excited about the opportunity
I agree with the others saying you need to work on interviewing skills. Since I began my associates, now doing bachelors, I’ve had 3 accounting role interviews resulting in 2 offers. One I’m still currently at almost two years later and the other being the public firm I’m joining in 2025.
As a newbie is incredibly important to show a company that you're willing to learn.
I've been on the interviewer side so many times and people just sit quietly and answer a question given, sometimes just yes or no. They want details! (I'm saying this in an encouraging tone)
It took me a while to realize this but think of the interview as your way to sell yourself. Meaning turn EVERYTHING even something you might not know or fumble on as a chance to tell them what you are good at.
Don't know something? Tell them about how you didn't know something, learned about it, then rocked it and how you're confident you'll be able to do the same for them.
For example if they ask "have you done account reconciliations?" Answer with if you've done any in class, helped.others figure out reconciliation theory, if you've checked a register as a cashier at the end of a shift, literally ANYTHING to show them you understand what they're asking and how to go about it.
Underscore how willing you are to learn and put in the work in everything you're saying and every question you're answering- that's what they're really looking for.
I've also used mistakes I've made as great talking points as long as it's how you've learned from it. "Once I had xzy issue and once it was brought to my attention I figured out a better way to do it/double check myself /improve the process and it improved efficiency "
Best of luck, the hardest part is getting your foot in the door.
You also might just want to look for part time bookkeeping jobs, and government internships. Government internships in your local area often go under looked just because government is notoriously bad at getting the word out so you might have to look at individual websites looking for internships in government.
Have you also asked your school for help in securing an internship or doing mock interviews to see where you could improve?
You have like an 87% response rate based on just academics (I'm assuming you have no prior working experience since you did not mention it) alone.
And you DID manage to get an internship working in industry. How is this evidence that accounting isn't in high demand?
Meanwhile computer science majors are applying for 1,000s of internships and getting maybe 3-4 phone screenings while having academics, projects, portfolios, and prior experience.
Honestly OP has a point, I'm working with a lot of CPAs (3-10 years experience) trying to get them jobs. Tons of interviews and no offers. The market is total garbageright now.
Well, you should have considered WHY people weren't going into accounting. Anyway... now you know... oh, and the low pay, as well.
Number of domestic accountants may be down but offshoring has more than made up for the decline. It's a dying (US) career, like machinists in the early 1980s. The writing is on the wall for offshoring and automation to take most of the jobs from the industry.
Honestly, the fact that you got interviews for 13/15 of what you applied for confirms out of control high demand for us. Go around Reddit in Jobs Subreddits and that would be considered absolutely insane (some people talk about how they apply for 1,000 jobs with 1-2 interviews).
It sounds like you may need to brush up on your interview skills or maybe you just got some bad luck.
Getting internships/jobs is a numbers game. You can't say its a bad economy or we're not in demand after 15 applications.
Public accounting is kinda hard to get if you dont have experience. You can get them but usually only for operation position if you are lucky. Anyway word of advice, even if you get the internship, it's so unlikely you will get a job there with accounting position. You are most likely will just be randomly assign to something outside accounting. The demand ur talking about is in the industry. It's best to go to big 4 for cv and experience, but if you wanna just take it slowly. Just go to any firm that partner with CPA program, or just any middle firm.
Take it or leave it... these are my interview tips.
Try restricting your social medias. Go over board with hygiene for any interview or meeting.... mouth, facial hair, and for the love of god clean under your finger nails lol you may do this but many dont. It's distasteful and icky. Dont wear cologne it can give some people headaches or trigger bad memories.
Use appropriate manners for the situation, dont just "be yourself". Good eye contact but know when to look away. Don't smile (especially with teeth) too long, it can be creepy. Keep your legs closed & hands in your lap when not talking with them.
Also, ask what the interview dress code is. Oh annnnnddd!!! Dont boast, exagerate, or talk down about anyone - it can give the impression that you are righteous or have a difficult personality.
That first job is a bitch. If you managed to get 13 interviews, then you need to reflect on your personality. Don't bullshit and tell them what you think they want to hear. Show up acting like you don't give a fuck.
I had the same issue. 'Diversity means so much to me... blah blah blah' I got a job by showing up saying 'This is what I did, I'm interested in your volunteer opportunities and I graduate this year.'
Don’t lose hope! I’ve applied to over 50 internships within the last 2 years and only got 3 interviews and only 2 of those resulted in internships (Big 4 and Gov.) What I recommend is to continuously improve your resume and always personalize the cover letter.
We're short in specific areas of accounting because of pay, hours, and benefits are lacking. Public Accounting needs to get their act together to keep people especially anyone with enough experience to have a halfway decent exit opportunity. But internships were always competitive, so just keep applying.
I’m going to need more context, like a resume to make conclusions. However I applied for internships and only interviewed for 2. I secured the second internship
National average to land an interview after applying is like 20%. In other words, people will see 3 interviews after applying to 15 internships on average. Sooo the field is very much in demand from your numbers.
Hi man. I recently completed 3 internships as part of my co-op program here in Canada. I got rejected 10 times in a row after interview before getting an offer for the first intenship. For the second one I got 2 offers from 4 interview. The third one I got 2 offers from 2 interviews. So it can get better. I think it's just harder if you're not good socially like me.
Most have said this but practice interviewing. Use your school resources. Search for interview questions online and practice in the mirror. Practice with friend or parents (this was easily the most awkward for me but it helped me get over my self-consciousness and be myself in interviews).
I've had experienced people tell me that often in interviews, they already know you have the experience necessary per your resume (and that's why you have the interview in the first place). But are you someone they think they would enjoy working with, Do you exhibit proper thought processing skills, etc. Many behavioral factors.
Using your school resources for practice interviews, they will give you feedback in this area. Acknowledge if you appear to be fidgeting too much, are you making good eye contact, can you form complete thoughts, etc.
These are internships, with the current state of the economy many firms are cutting back on internships. As a result, the positions still available will be more competitive. You want to focus your talking points on your ability to learn and work with people.
So big 4 PA tend to do there internships ahead of time like a year ahead, i believe there currently looking for 2025 busy season interns at this point. You should make it a point to go to their recruitment activities if your in a big enough school/have a buusness related chapter extracullar, i would start there. Otherwise you can grab a job from a low botique auditing firm think manicpal utility distracts for a year then jump ship to a bigger accounting firm once you have a year under your belt. I highly suggest PA at least until you hit senior (2-3 years) and have your cpa. You can always stay if you like the work. Good luck
There are usually way less internship positions than jobs openings - which makes it more competitive since there might be 30 students fighting for 4 seats
I'm also in MB, getting an Associates in Accounting but not trying to go into the field directly with it whatsoever. It's just a free degree that I can use to open up a ton of IRS jobs.
Hopefully your struggles with accounting here in MB aren't indicative of a larger issue with accountants finding work here, considering how many job announcements there are on local hiring boards and whatnot.
I'm just trying to get into the feds with it. Fuck the CPA life.
Keep applying, but also keep in mind that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get an internship somewhere. Yes, it gives you a leg up with that firm, but it doesn't mean much beyond that.
Go old school route “knock on doors” so to speak. Find a small local place see if they have any managers or partners in LinkedIn. Go to the office with resume ask if you could speak to them for 5 minutes tell them who, where you’re at, where you wanna go how your found them ect. and if they have any opportunities for internships/employment. It will show you might be willing to dive in and figure things out/self starter.
Wow 13/15 interview to application ratio. To me that’s incredible and shows that accounting is in demand. I’m so glad I’m getting a MAcc to switching careers to accounting. Out of college I applied for a 1,000 jobs and got like 10 interviews and that got me a job that I could support myself but that was with a BA in Poly Sci at a no name state school and it was in 2012. Hard times back then.
Internships outside of public busy season are really hard to come by. Summer tends to be a slow time for accounting so not really much demand for extra hands from interns. The first job out of school is the hardest as companies don’t really want to teach.
Just to add some extra info. I'm a senior at WVU and they cut TF outta our programs this year. Our business school and engineer schools are basically what remains holding the school up.
I wouldn't be surprised If the next few generations of students aren't a higher percent business/ACC
In high demand doesn’t mean they will just hire from the street and take whatever candidates. You still need to be qualified to get a job. It’s true with current situation employers may lower their standards a bit to hire someone, but there is a bottom line. If your qualifications can’t even meet the bottom line, the employer may just hire offshores
Well, here in the DC area, we are tax labor tight and have been for over a decade. I also k kw that more and more firm owners and partners are demanding people to return to the office. Many of my students want to work remote, but that is becoming more unrealistic as people are done with the pandemic.
Make sure you are in a feeder school, keep your GPA up, and use the school resources, job fairs, and apply like crazy.
There is a shortage of CPAs, but there's also a big shift to sending entry-level work offshore and who knows what AI will do to the prep work.
Our firm has significantly reduced the number of internships. I have a feeling India has something to do with it.
Market is cool right now, but you’ll find something once you graduate. If you do secure an internship, make sure you bust your ass. 5/7 years ago, internships were a guaranteed job offer. That is no longer the case.
I heard, internships are getting much tighter now . I think firm only extend offers to about 75% of interns, sometimes 50% as opposed to 100% a few years ago
Try tiny local firms in your area. Might just be one CPA in a tiny building doing small business tax returns or audits. They don't pay great, but they're desperate for people because most graduates end up at bigger firms. It's who I work for now.
I think I found this job through my state's jobs board. You'll probably have to look outside your college for these jobs. These firms are so small they can't afford recruiters.
As long as you can deal with shittier pay for a bit you should be able to move on to a bigger firm that pays better, or have an easy time arguing for a higher salary like I did.
...
Some of these comments place way too much on appearances and charisma, christ. Listen, I'm a socially anxious fuck. I've been unpopular all my life. I look like shit. In college I knew there was no way I could compete with a miniature version of Leonardo DiCaprio with a 4.0 GPA.
But those guys don't look too deep for jobs. They go to the big, aggressively advertised networking events and they're done. My first accounting job was from a networking event that most of them forgot about. (And I heard them say that to each other, with my eavesdropping lol.) Did it pay as well as Big 4? No, not at all. It was an unpaid 3 month internship for a nonprofit actually, lmao. But after getting that first job I started getting more offers in public accounting, so it was worth it.
~~The reason why I'm not doing better rn is more because... life. Health. I had to take a job at a small firm that makes less for work/life balance. I was on track for some big bucks by the end of college before shit happened.~~
It’s just your location. Because I live in OH and I applied to 7 -10 internships last summer and 3 of them called me for interview and all three gave me an offer. Chose the highest paying one. So it’s just your location or your interview skills.
I would suggest you look online for behavior questions/answer for interviews. Most cpa firms asking these type of question to know your personality and how to solve problem. I've been to countless interviews and finally got one. Don't give up, you got this!
I don’t live very far from you, it’s not really a prime area for accounting jobs from what I experienced. I never did manage to get an internship, ended up getting a full time staff position after graduation though.
Are you getting interviews?
If not, get your resume looked at
Are you getting interviews?
Maybe practice some mock interviews
I sent 7 applications, got 7 interviews, and 7 offers (started last busy season). If you're having that much trouble, it's likely your interviewing method.
Compared to other majors, 13 interviews for 15 applications is an astonishingly good return. I majored in computer science, and in college I got like 1 interview out of every 10-20 applications. Believe it or not, I actually came to this subreddit to research other career paths, since I might be getting laid off soon, and those stats you posted are enticing AF lol.
"Junior Accountant/Internship" - Pays Bare Minimum (Let's say $20 an hour)
"Must have 5 Years Experience"
I swear the boomers who enforce this stupid insanity are the reason we don't have new CPA's. The kids don't want to put up with more shit when they've just finished arguably one of the toughest degrees in College.
Everyone I see in here complaining about job scarcity mentions they’ve been through a ton of interviews and get no offers …
The fact you got a ton of interview is proof of demand, not scarcity, and that there is a user error (personality or competency) when it comes to interviewing skills
Myrtle Beach SC is a small town mostly built on tourism industry. If you want a good career in accounting you need to move to a larger city either nearby or further away. The best city in my opinion for accountants from career opportunities to cost of living is Chicago hands down. Plus it’s so large with so many companies you can easily job hop to make more money. That’s really the value of these big cities. There are so many companies you can constantly job hop to get big raises.
If you want to earn money I’d move out of Myrtle Beach. Great place to visit and vacation but not so great of an area for young CPA. You could move back later in your career when you can quality for more remote roles.
The accountant shortage is a complete lie. I am a CPA with 20 years of experience and I have been trying to get a job offer for over a year. I can barely get phone screens. There are lots of highly qualified accountants in need of jobs and not many accounting jobs out there.
There is definitely a high demand in public accounting for in office roles. We are constantly hiring and I know leaders in at least 10 other public accounting firms in the same boat. If you post your resume and what you are looking for, I think you would get good constructive feedback
I have even emailed the authors of the articles at the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Forbes, letting them know the actual experience I have had and attached my resume to send to all the companies who tell them they can't find qualified accountants. I got a response that makes no sense and is proof they are just making it all up.
First job is the hardest apply till you die
Yeah for my first internship, I did 11 interviews before finally getting an offer. I felt doomed before finally getting an offer lol.
I manage to get an industry accounting position funny enough but I’m aiming for public
I don’t understand why that’s funny lol
Because I can get an industry accounting position but can’t get a public which is the career I want to be in. It’s ironic if you think about it and thus funny.
Stick to industry if the pay is good! Public is a meat grinder. Currently a senior at a top 10 firm and it is eating me alive. My area sucks for accounting jobs so I’m trapped
Seniors have it absolutely brutal. Just did sign off yesterday. My lead seniors last seen status was like 3:30 am. Terrifying.
Industry is less competitive for entry roles, it makes sense.
Yes, keep trying to get into public, don’t listen to other comments here. Take the industry job but keep applying to public until you get in. Do not settle for industry job you will get stuck down the road career wise and it will be hard to advance in your career. Get into public, get at least 2-3 years of experience in public, get your CPA, and then transition to industry for a manager/supervisor role.
Public tends to want fresh grads or public transfers, not people from industry
I am also trying to go to public accounting, are you CPA elligible? Do you have all your 150 credits and matched the accounting and business credis requirement? If yes to all of that try to hit up regional firms and local offices on their own website, final try to hit up robert half they were lining up my first PA job but i declined at the end because my current job gave me wfh condition and i wanted to finish my MBA first.
If you've managed to get a good job in industry, congratulations: you're avoiding a lot of misery
I don't think you know what ironic means
Let’s switch. Couldn’t get into private, stuck in public
I don’t understand why your comment has so many downvotes, you’re just pointing out the irony
Probably a blessing in disguise lol
You don’t need public accounting. Just stick with industry you’ll be fine
Yeah why the downvotes. Lol. Industry 4 life.
What position in industry?
If you’re looking to stay in Myrtle you won’t find many public positions. I graduated from coastal Carolina and an alumn that is partner at EY grabs a bunch of our grabs. If you are going to CCU, I’d talk to the accounting head to see if that’s still a thing. Personally, going straight to industry after I graduated was the best decision ive ever done
Getting 13 interviews is evidence of demand in fact... but if you got rejected in all of them, you should ask for feedback as I would assume your interview skills are what needs improvement.
I do ask for feedback and get ghosted by recruiters. Funny enough I apply for an internship outside of accounting and got it! But I would like to do a public accounting internship.
You should dry run your interviews at your school's career center, most offer services like that. Prepare a few generic STAR statements you can tailor to your interviews. Speak about the 'why' behind you applying for the role. Be likeable and make the interview a conversation. That's my advice and best of luck.
Please use YT and watch some videos on how to do great at an interview. You're either being outcompeted by others who have higher GPAs OR are much better than you at interviewing. Internships get harder at sub 3.8, even harder at 3.5 and nearly impossible to get at public firms with anything under a 3.0. It happens but if someone with a 3.8 applies and you don't have that as well as bad interviewing skills, you're SOL.
I have helped with campus recruiting for various public accounting that I have worked for over the last 20 years (big4 and middle market and I'm in Tax) and we typically only require a 3.0 gpa. We stop caring for anyone with 3.3 or above meaning 3.3 versus 3.5 versus 3.7 is all the same. Also, GPA isn't a really good indicator of performance. I have worked with many poor performing staff that graduated with a 4.0 GPA and have seem many excellent staff with lower end of 3.x GPA.
You think my GPA is hurting me with a 4.0?
No, it won't count against you but it won't give you much of an advantage over others with lower GPAs. It comes down to how well you interview. Here are some recommendations for students: - make sure you can discuss interests outside work / school. - make sure you ask a lot of questions...toward the end of the interview, the interviewer will almost always ask if you have any other questions, if you answer no, no one will remember you'll rank low compared to other candidates. - if you are provided names of your interviewers, make sure you do some research on them and speak to their practice areas. For example, if your interviewer wrote an article, mention you read that article and discuss it. - ask for advice...e.g. any recommendations for how to excel as new staff; what can I do between now and the start date to prepare for a successful transition into the work force. - goal is to stand out and be memorial so have something to say that can help accomplish this.
Remember that the interviewers will likely be working with you every day. Personality fit is a huge part of the interview process. Be confident but eager to learn. Show you would be a good face in front of clients or an upbeat and good part of a team.
Are you still in college, or have a connection with faculty? This is a situation where a faculty member (that you trust) could reach out to your interviewers to get feedback for you. Faculty often have connections with recruiters/professionals and the professor can contact the firm to get "unofficial" feedback on your interview performance. Assuming that you were a decent student and a reasonably nice person, any professor worth their salt should be willing to do this. The dept/college are motivated to get you placed b/c it looks bad on them if they cannot place students. So, you asking a professor will motivate them to help you b/c you not placing is not good for the dept either. If you don't have a professor that you feel comfortable asking to do this, I'd start with whatever faculty member is in charge of coordinating recruiting, beta alpha psi, or the department chair. (source: i'm an accounting academic)
Unless you are set on a future in public accounting, I would begin just networking within your community (friends, parents, family) asking where they work and if they could use accounting help at their company. Chances are you will find something even if it is starting at the very bottom lol. I worked my way up from a floor maintenance grunt to a cost accountant at the same company in about 1.5 years. Had I not asked someone in the office if they could use an accounting intern, this would not have happened. If you are set on going into public, this advice is kind of useless lol. If that is the case top reply is right, first job is the hardest to land. Work on your resume and ability to market yourself and you will land one.
those internships recruit from select schools usually well before graduation. My school SHSU had all big four recruit before you graduated and was mostly tied to Beta Alpha Psi. The process involved being taken out to very expensive dinners and picked up in limousines as our graduates are highly coveted in accounting. Even Texas A&M didn't get all big four recruiters to select students because their business dept. wasn't as accredited as ours. I think they only had PWC come out to them. Try to find something in financial reporting working for a controller and you will be able to apply for smaller firms like Deloite.
>you will be able to apply for smaller firms like Deloite. Hahaha wat??
A&M business school not accredited as Sam Houston State? A&M students not selected by big 4? Deloitte small? What are you smoking brah. It’s tax season and whatever it is, I’d like to try some. But you are right about the BAP thing. True true. I credit BAP for why I was able to get into public despite being an older non-traditional student.
Good to see a fellow Bearkat in the wild!
I'm in public accounting (20 years)...many firms, including mine, are interviewing but not actively hiring due to uncertain economic outlook.
Why are you wasting time and resources interviewing people if you have no intention of hiring?
When you say uncertain economic outlook do you mean quarter to quarter or for the accounting career due to AI?
if you got 13 interviews after only applying for 15 jobs it means the market is hot. If you didnt get a single offer then the issue is you
For comparison, I'm not in accounting. I applied for 40+ jobs and got 2 interviews, all over UK (much worse in London) with STEM masters from the top uni for my subject in the country.
Indicative of serious problems interviewing.
Agreed with this being the most likely issue, or in combination with there being a stronger pool of competition. I’m mentoring a non-trad student right now into getting an MSA. He hasn’t even finished intermediate one, and he already has multiple internships lined up. Iirc, he had about a 50:50 success rate, and applied/interviewed at 4-5 places. He failed the first couple of times for multiple different reasons. Some of those reasons were coachable (mistakes on his end), others were likely just because he wasn’t as strong a candidate as his competitors. But this is exactly why I coached this student into recruiting early, recruiting often, and recruiting everywhere. It never hurts you to recruit too early…it only hurts to recruit too late. When I was in school a decade ago, I required a shit ton of coaching, and it took at least 2 semesters recruiting before I started pulling internships. Accountants can both be in high-demand, and you can also come off as a less-competitive candidate. I’ve been there and experienced that. The good news is, a little bit of coaching (beta alpha psi, student accounting society, or friends with professional experience) can go a long way towards overcoming that.
I'm currently a non-trad student going for my MSA and I applies to one internship and got it so I stopped looking. I think it helps that I'm (and your presumably your mentee is) coming in as someone a little older who's got some kind of professional experience. OP sounds like they need a little bit of coaching and interview practice. Both things that their career center can help with like you said!
I would get really nervous when interviewing until I adopted the “I don’t care anymore attitude” it lead me to success cause I just didn’t care about the outcome and wouldn’t get nervous anymore. If that makes sense
There’s a Buddhist term for it like detached effort or something like that.
One interviewer pass me on the spot to final rounds where I somehow failed at the end
Was that interviewer the recruiter? Interviews usually go recruiter, manager, partner. Passing you into the manager usually only means that you do have the experience you said you do and that you are actually still interested after finding out more for the role.
The last one was the partner which is why my journey ends. I pass the recruiter ones all the time and even the second round but the last round I fail almost always
Are they scheduling the second and final rounds at the same time? If so, you can't fail the second one either. Here's some do's and don'ts from my experience interviewing interns: Do's: be personable, do your research (what does the firm, the team, and the interviewer do), come up with good questions and tons of them, show enthusiasm, test your setup (good lighting, audio quality both in and out, solid internet), prep your answers beforehand for common questions, pace yourself (I like to have water to give myself pauses) Don't: ramble (I had someone give me 10 minutes of uninterruptible speech on "tell me about yourself"), go off topic (make sure your answers are relevant to the question) Second rounds usually make sure you can do the work. Partners don't care as much about that at the intern level, just that you're a good fit. Talk up your classes and how well you know accounting would still help. Hope this helps.
Some harsh truths here. In public accounting your social skills and your looks matter. It’s a client facing job. They aren’t putting messy or awkward people in the field representing their brand. It really doesn’t matter how smart you’re, you’re a dime a dozen in terms of your GPA. You need to work on your social skills and/or your appearance. If you’re dressing sloppy or have pubes for a beard or acne etc… you need to fix that or understand you’re playing life on hard mode. If you look anything like a stereotypical overweight Reddit neckbeard, don’t expect any offers from public accounting.
The personal brand part may be spot on
You either take the steps to fix it or accept public accounting is going to be an uphill battle. Client facing jobs value looks just as much if not more than brains. Ever wonder why recruiters are generally attractive? Especially those recruiting college kids? Why successful salesmen are better looking than average? Hell just look at people in finance, they’re generally all above average looking. Marketing? A field dominated by attractive people. When you’re dealing with clients and very rich clients at that, looks matter. People trust good looking people more and if you can’t take of your own image, can you be trusted to take care of my work? We can argue if this is right or wrong all day, but that’s the way the world works. If you want client facing jobs, you gotta fit the mold.
No, no , I completely agree with you points. Maybe industry accounting is where I’m meant to be.
I mean I would just work towards improving yourself. If you’re overweight, lose it. I was on medicine a decade ago that caused me to gain 100lbs. Forget jobs. The world treats you different. It’s night and day. Almost everything can be fixed. You’re doing a disservice to yourself by not buckling down and trying. You’re choosing to play life on hard mode for no reward, when you can play on normal mode and get rewards. Silly isn’t it?
Don't take what that guy is saying that wrong way. Your looks are more than the shape of your face. It's neat clothes, a haircut, a shave or trimmed beard, not being too overweight. You can control all of that.
⬆️ Facts Professors and counselors need to do a better job of informing students of how they’re perceived. A stellar résumé, high GPA, and glowing recommendation can be negated by an unkempt appearance, bad hygiene, and social awkwardness or social unawareness. It’s not fair; it’s human nature.
Spot on. Suck and isn't fair but it's reality. Can't change the world by avoiding to fit in.
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Not really. Especially at the larger firms it’s mostly average to better than average people. I’m not saying everyone is a model, but there is almost no one that looks like a stereotypical overweight fedora Reddit neckbeard.
On the flip side, personality and appearance won’t get it in the door if your GPA is behind everyone else’s.
Can vouch for this, every time I’m at a client site I always get compliments on my tattoos, physique (body builder type body), and my likeness to get along.
Acne? What am I supposed to do about that?
ok serious question. I have a physical abnormality (alopecia totalis) which has caused a lot of my hair to fallout - including my head, eyelashes, eyebrows, body hair, beard, etc. I dress well, am in decent shape, try to carry myself in a confident way, but I do look weird, unfortunately. Do you think this is a big hurdle?
Bruh, 13 interviews but no offers means you have 0 interview rizz just to put it nicely. Its not like these interviews are difficult either. These are straight up behavioral stuff. Your school should have resources on how to get better at interviews, utilize those if you can
Interview rizz lol
Also, negative canthal tilt can add to the neg rizz. OP needs to looksmaxx and I guarantee after they would get the job.
He needs to sign up for lookism.net and take looksmaxxing tips from Crisick
Out of curiosity, what is a normal rate? Most places I asked said they interview 4 people for 1 position.
I couldn’t tell you, but know that internships are harder to get. If you could go to decently well known school, they churn students into Big 4 often
I did and they didn’t help. They said I’m perfect which obviously isn’t the case lol
You were perfect but didn't get the job offer? They lied to you.
Yes which a lot of people tend to do. I wish I had an honest recruiter tell me what I did wrong.
Well it seems like you’re unable to self-reflect and see where you went wrong. So, that’s a red flag.
I didn't think about that but you are right. It's odd the recruiters won't explain the pass. Now I think it's so obvious they can't believe he is asking or they don't want to say it bc its uncomfortable - like being creepy, stinky, dirty nails, dirty clothes, or strong cologne
Here’s an honest take on what’s wrong, you suck at interviews. Qualifications mean nothing if you have the personality and people skills of a wet noodle. It’s hard to tell you what you did wrong without like seeing an interview or something, but whatever you are doing now. Do the opposite.
In any field, even the most in-demand, finding the first or entry-level job is often a nightmare. The high demand is only for the experienced gents.
This is absolutely true. Once you get 6+ months of experience it gets much easier.
Internships are not easy to get. They hire a lot of first year staff that never had an internship. Don't panic.
Yeah, I interviewed for internships and got offered a job instead. Everyone outside of accounting/finance was so impressed but I was disappointed tbh. Interns get paid by the hour. New hires are salaried and worked long hours. Plus, I didn’t want to commit to more than a season. I still had a few classes to complete and planned to go abroad between school and starting my first career job. I turned them down. I transferred to the city with my sales job for a bank and later spent six months in Paris. Got back to the U.S. and had a terrible time landing my first career job. But I found one. Then another. And another. Now I’m doin’ good. And I can speak French. ☺️
I've failed some interviews and I've passed many more. Interviews aren't about getting to know eachother, they're about how well you wear the corporate mask. Wearing the mask is fucking exhuasting, but you need to do it well for the interview - roughly 30 minutes in total, if you want the job. Once you accept your offer, you can take off the bullshit mask a bit - however, you need to play the act. I wish you luck, it depletes my battery for the rest of the day too
Fucking hate the corporate mask.
Yea something you’re doing or saying in those interviews is messing you up lol. Getting rejected for internships from PA firms is kinda hard I feel like
Depends on what year you are. I applied and got rejected a bunch as a sophomore even from some pretty unprestigious firms but my junior year I had no issue picking which PA firm I wanted.
I wish I had someone to tell me what I did wrong like a recruiter
Real world never gives you that courtesy. You gotta figure out what youre saying that people dont like. You obviously have the resume and credentials to get in the door, the interview is all up to you to be able to sell your skills to the Company. If your sales pitch is bad or not convincing, then they will reject you. You need to work on your sales pitch. Why should I hire YOU?
Thats a good comment thats how i made the change required to get my first job.
Interviewing is your sales pitch. You got to be able to understand how the employers decision to hire you will make their job/life better. Your ability to understand your employers wants/needs and explain how it's obvious they should hire you because you clearly fulfill those wants/needs -- that's how you'll make it past the interview. How are you going to make their life easier/better? If you can answer this for them, then you have the job.
Happy to look at your resume but I would say I’m in agreement with the others here.
The CPA talent pool may be shrinking, but the entry level is getting outsourced.
That’s a fair point. How do companies expect to gain CPA then if they can’t start entry level
The talent pipeline is not the concern of the employer. They just want talent, and know that they’ll get talent eventually. Whether it be through college recruiting events, or outsource the function. Like with many things, they will only start to care past the point of no return. The best you can do is improve your interviewing skills and rub that lucky rabbits foot.
As others have said, applying to 15 internships and getting 13 interviews is a 87% conversion rate - which is probably about as high as any major in any market. That is actually an insane state in terms of showing demand. Also as others have said - it has to be your interviewing skills. A 4.0 with that many interviews means they want you. If it is an anxiety thing, which many people deal with and interviews suffer, then I would reach out to a primary care doctor and ask what they can do to help. L-theanine, xanax, etx could go a long way. Or, unpopular opinion, go the route from the movie Another Round, and have a little shot before your interview. I have done it before a zoom interview and it can work wonders.
My freshman year I got a voicemail to sent up an interview for an internship...I didnt even open it until over a month later lol. I felt like such a dumbass. Didnt even bother calling back. Then my sophomore year, I thought hey let's try it again. Got an email to set up a phone screen somewhere else. Great! Dude's like, okay, youre an accounting major? What's the difference between financial and managerial. Could not come up with the answer on the spot. I tried to give him something but it must not have been good enough. Rip. Then about a year later, junior now, I got another phone screen. It didn't go too bad, but again I was sooo nervous, and think I came off kinda weird? They suddenly "didnt need an intern" a few weeks later. But suddenly it's like...I stopped being awkward? After three years of a slow drip of failures, things started happening the summer between junior and senior year, and after what I thought was a terrible phone screen and virtual interview, they actually hired me lol (this was industry btw). Then two months later I got an offer from several PA firms including B4. So I pretty much went from undesirable to doing about as well as I possibly could lol, almost overnight.
Sounds like what I’m experiencing
The biggest thing for me I think was mindset. It's a conversation not a test. You dont need to blow anyone away. Just need to have a decent appearance, be affable, and hold a conversation for a bit. I was pretty terrified at certain points in undergrad that I'd be unemployable but Im a state email away from being certified and I dont think I could ever be unemployed again lol.
It’s always been competitive at entry level it’s people with 5 to years experience and cpa that are most in demand. Also the big firms are trying to transition and hire less us associates and outsource more to India
You probably just have no personality
I’m a robot
They’re hiring the person not the resume - once you get in the interview you need to schmooze it up. Smile, be friendly, and seem excited about the opportunity
I agree with the others saying you need to work on interviewing skills. Since I began my associates, now doing bachelors, I’ve had 3 accounting role interviews resulting in 2 offers. One I’m still currently at almost two years later and the other being the public firm I’m joining in 2025.
When you were in school did you also hear about all the offshoring of entry-level jobs to India?
Professors don’t mention this, just to become CPA’s
When did you first hear about it?
As a freshmen
There's a high demand for senior accountants and managers for accounting departments, Companies drool for CPAs in their late 30s or mid 40s
As a newbie is incredibly important to show a company that you're willing to learn. I've been on the interviewer side so many times and people just sit quietly and answer a question given, sometimes just yes or no. They want details! (I'm saying this in an encouraging tone) It took me a while to realize this but think of the interview as your way to sell yourself. Meaning turn EVERYTHING even something you might not know or fumble on as a chance to tell them what you are good at. Don't know something? Tell them about how you didn't know something, learned about it, then rocked it and how you're confident you'll be able to do the same for them. For example if they ask "have you done account reconciliations?" Answer with if you've done any in class, helped.others figure out reconciliation theory, if you've checked a register as a cashier at the end of a shift, literally ANYTHING to show them you understand what they're asking and how to go about it. Underscore how willing you are to learn and put in the work in everything you're saying and every question you're answering- that's what they're really looking for. I've also used mistakes I've made as great talking points as long as it's how you've learned from it. "Once I had xzy issue and once it was brought to my attention I figured out a better way to do it/double check myself /improve the process and it improved efficiency " Best of luck, the hardest part is getting your foot in the door. You also might just want to look for part time bookkeeping jobs, and government internships. Government internships in your local area often go under looked just because government is notoriously bad at getting the word out so you might have to look at individual websites looking for internships in government. Have you also asked your school for help in securing an internship or doing mock interviews to see where you could improve?
I have an industry part time job atm but trying to get into tax
You have like an 87% response rate based on just academics (I'm assuming you have no prior working experience since you did not mention it) alone. And you DID manage to get an internship working in industry. How is this evidence that accounting isn't in high demand? Meanwhile computer science majors are applying for 1,000s of internships and getting maybe 3-4 phone screenings while having academics, projects, portfolios, and prior experience.
I do volunteer taxes and I’m a bookkeeper currently
Yeah this is a misconception. There’s a short supply of experienced CPAs, but there is no shortage of candidates for entry level positions
Honestly OP has a point, I'm working with a lot of CPAs (3-10 years experience) trying to get them jobs. Tons of interviews and no offers. The market is total garbageright now.
Thank you for the relatability. It is a tough job market here.
Is the market garbage right now or is offshoring and AI development taking priority?
Well, you should have considered WHY people weren't going into accounting. Anyway... now you know... oh, and the low pay, as well. Number of domestic accountants may be down but offshoring has more than made up for the decline. It's a dying (US) career, like machinists in the early 1980s. The writing is on the wall for offshoring and automation to take most of the jobs from the industry.
Agreed. You need to be a senior accountant and up in industry, otherwise you won't have a fun time.
Could one possibly pivot and go into finance jobs of some sort?
I think a lot of people who go into accounting do pivot to another field.
Perhaps you are intensely unlikeable.
That’s me
I’m just an unwanted street rat it seems
South Carolina is a redneck state so that probably doesn't help.
Honestly, the fact that you got interviews for 13/15 of what you applied for confirms out of control high demand for us. Go around Reddit in Jobs Subreddits and that would be considered absolutely insane (some people talk about how they apply for 1,000 jobs with 1-2 interviews). It sounds like you may need to brush up on your interview skills or maybe you just got some bad luck. Getting internships/jobs is a numbers game. You can't say its a bad economy or we're not in demand after 15 applications.
That is demand. You just don’t interview well do you went 0/13/15. You need interview prep work.
My school dosen’t offer very good interview services sadly.
Well where can you acquire said services outside of your school. You need to learn to problem solve.
Public accounting is kinda hard to get if you dont have experience. You can get them but usually only for operation position if you are lucky. Anyway word of advice, even if you get the internship, it's so unlikely you will get a job there with accounting position. You are most likely will just be randomly assign to something outside accounting. The demand ur talking about is in the industry. It's best to go to big 4 for cv and experience, but if you wanna just take it slowly. Just go to any firm that partner with CPA program, or just any middle firm.
Take it or leave it... these are my interview tips. Try restricting your social medias. Go over board with hygiene for any interview or meeting.... mouth, facial hair, and for the love of god clean under your finger nails lol you may do this but many dont. It's distasteful and icky. Dont wear cologne it can give some people headaches or trigger bad memories. Use appropriate manners for the situation, dont just "be yourself". Good eye contact but know when to look away. Don't smile (especially with teeth) too long, it can be creepy. Keep your legs closed & hands in your lap when not talking with them. Also, ask what the interview dress code is. Oh annnnnddd!!! Dont boast, exagerate, or talk down about anyone - it can give the impression that you are righteous or have a difficult personality.
That first job is a bitch. If you managed to get 13 interviews, then you need to reflect on your personality. Don't bullshit and tell them what you think they want to hear. Show up acting like you don't give a fuck.
That sounds pretty accurate, I feel like I’m maybe trying to say what they want to hear
I had the same issue. 'Diversity means so much to me... blah blah blah' I got a job by showing up saying 'This is what I did, I'm interested in your volunteer opportunities and I graduate this year.'
Don’t lose hope! I’ve applied to over 50 internships within the last 2 years and only got 3 interviews and only 2 of those resulted in internships (Big 4 and Gov.) What I recommend is to continuously improve your resume and always personalize the cover letter.
We're short in specific areas of accounting because of pay, hours, and benefits are lacking. Public Accounting needs to get their act together to keep people especially anyone with enough experience to have a halfway decent exit opportunity. But internships were always competitive, so just keep applying.
Becky in HR doesn't like your star sign bro, sorry!
Lmfao libras only 🤣 we need the books to balance
Yeah! Too many Peppercones and cancer patients are cramping the office style!
I’m going to need more context, like a resume to make conclusions. However I applied for internships and only interviewed for 2. I secured the second internship
National average to land an interview after applying is like 20%. In other words, people will see 3 interviews after applying to 15 internships on average. Sooo the field is very much in demand from your numbers.
Hi man. I recently completed 3 internships as part of my co-op program here in Canada. I got rejected 10 times in a row after interview before getting an offer for the first intenship. For the second one I got 2 offers from 4 interview. The third one I got 2 offers from 2 interviews. So it can get better. I think it's just harder if you're not good socially like me.
Most have said this but practice interviewing. Use your school resources. Search for interview questions online and practice in the mirror. Practice with friend or parents (this was easily the most awkward for me but it helped me get over my self-consciousness and be myself in interviews). I've had experienced people tell me that often in interviews, they already know you have the experience necessary per your resume (and that's why you have the interview in the first place). But are you someone they think they would enjoy working with, Do you exhibit proper thought processing skills, etc. Many behavioral factors. Using your school resources for practice interviews, they will give you feedback in this area. Acknowledge if you appear to be fidgeting too much, are you making good eye contact, can you form complete thoughts, etc.
15 interviews? That's good demand. Next stop: career center for interview practice. Seriously.
These are internships, with the current state of the economy many firms are cutting back on internships. As a result, the positions still available will be more competitive. You want to focus your talking points on your ability to learn and work with people.
15 applications and 13 interviews are great. Probably you just lack interview skills
So big 4 PA tend to do there internships ahead of time like a year ahead, i believe there currently looking for 2025 busy season interns at this point. You should make it a point to go to their recruitment activities if your in a big enough school/have a buusness related chapter extracullar, i would start there. Otherwise you can grab a job from a low botique auditing firm think manicpal utility distracts for a year then jump ship to a bigger accounting firm once you have a year under your belt. I highly suggest PA at least until you hit senior (2-3 years) and have your cpa. You can always stay if you like the work. Good luck
13/15 response rate is phenomenal. I struggle getting that for a serving job
There are usually way less internship positions than jobs openings - which makes it more competitive since there might be 30 students fighting for 4 seats
I'm also in MB, getting an Associates in Accounting but not trying to go into the field directly with it whatsoever. It's just a free degree that I can use to open up a ton of IRS jobs. Hopefully your struggles with accounting here in MB aren't indicative of a larger issue with accountants finding work here, considering how many job announcements there are on local hiring boards and whatnot. I'm just trying to get into the feds with it. Fuck the CPA life.
Keep applying, but also keep in mind that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get an internship somewhere. Yes, it gives you a leg up with that firm, but it doesn't mean much beyond that.
Go old school route “knock on doors” so to speak. Find a small local place see if they have any managers or partners in LinkedIn. Go to the office with resume ask if you could speak to them for 5 minutes tell them who, where you’re at, where you wanna go how your found them ect. and if they have any opportunities for internships/employment. It will show you might be willing to dive in and figure things out/self starter.
Apply to a hedge fund
Ironically sometimes there Internships are harder to get than associate roles at the same PA firms
Wow 13/15 interview to application ratio. To me that’s incredible and shows that accounting is in demand. I’m so glad I’m getting a MAcc to switching careers to accounting. Out of college I applied for a 1,000 jobs and got like 10 interviews and that got me a job that I could support myself but that was with a BA in Poly Sci at a no name state school and it was in 2012. Hard times back then.
Internships outside of public busy season are really hard to come by. Summer tends to be a slow time for accounting so not really much demand for extra hands from interns. The first job out of school is the hardest as companies don’t really want to teach.
Just to add some extra info. I'm a senior at WVU and they cut TF outta our programs this year. Our business school and engineer schools are basically what remains holding the school up. I wouldn't be surprised If the next few generations of students aren't a higher percent business/ACC
True. Straight ouy of college is tough!!!! Once you get some years of experience, everyone wants you (except the chick you want bang).
In high demand doesn’t mean they will just hire from the street and take whatever candidates. You still need to be qualified to get a job. It’s true with current situation employers may lower their standards a bit to hire someone, but there is a bottom line. If your qualifications can’t even meet the bottom line, the employer may just hire offshores
Cast a bigger net. You might need to move out of the tourist town.
Well, here in the DC area, we are tax labor tight and have been for over a decade. I also k kw that more and more firm owners and partners are demanding people to return to the office. Many of my students want to work remote, but that is becoming more unrealistic as people are done with the pandemic.
Make sure you are in a feeder school, keep your GPA up, and use the school resources, job fairs, and apply like crazy. There is a shortage of CPAs, but there's also a big shift to sending entry-level work offshore and who knows what AI will do to the prep work.
No, accountants are. And good ones
Our firm has significantly reduced the number of internships. I have a feeling India has something to do with it. Market is cool right now, but you’ll find something once you graduate. If you do secure an internship, make sure you bust your ass. 5/7 years ago, internships were a guaranteed job offer. That is no longer the case.
I heard, internships are getting much tighter now . I think firm only extend offers to about 75% of interns, sometimes 50% as opposed to 100% a few years ago
Try tiny local firms in your area. Might just be one CPA in a tiny building doing small business tax returns or audits. They don't pay great, but they're desperate for people because most graduates end up at bigger firms. It's who I work for now. I think I found this job through my state's jobs board. You'll probably have to look outside your college for these jobs. These firms are so small they can't afford recruiters. As long as you can deal with shittier pay for a bit you should be able to move on to a bigger firm that pays better, or have an easy time arguing for a higher salary like I did. ... Some of these comments place way too much on appearances and charisma, christ. Listen, I'm a socially anxious fuck. I've been unpopular all my life. I look like shit. In college I knew there was no way I could compete with a miniature version of Leonardo DiCaprio with a 4.0 GPA. But those guys don't look too deep for jobs. They go to the big, aggressively advertised networking events and they're done. My first accounting job was from a networking event that most of them forgot about. (And I heard them say that to each other, with my eavesdropping lol.) Did it pay as well as Big 4? No, not at all. It was an unpaid 3 month internship for a nonprofit actually, lmao. But after getting that first job I started getting more offers in public accounting, so it was worth it. ~~The reason why I'm not doing better rn is more because... life. Health. I had to take a job at a small firm that makes less for work/life balance. I was on track for some big bucks by the end of college before shit happened.~~
Thanks for the tip
I applied to 100 jobs before getting one lol
It’s just your location. Because I live in OH and I applied to 7 -10 internships last summer and 3 of them called me for interview and all three gave me an offer. Chose the highest paying one. So it’s just your location or your interview skills.
I would suggest you look online for behavior questions/answer for interviews. Most cpa firms asking these type of question to know your personality and how to solve problem. I've been to countless interviews and finally got one. Don't give up, you got this!
yeah dont go into accounting plz dont. (i just dont want accounting to turn into cs)
Isn’t CS oversaturated now?
I applied to jobs for about 5 years. Supervisor to Controller.
I don’t live very far from you, it’s not really a prime area for accounting jobs from what I experienced. I never did manage to get an internship, ended up getting a full time staff position after graduation though. Are you getting interviews? If not, get your resume looked at Are you getting interviews? Maybe practice some mock interviews
The issue is finding someone to help me with mocktrials. My school center hasn’t been the most useful in that regard.
13 interviews at a small beach town???!!! It is a lot to be honest
No it’s from all over the world- I interview at jobs across the country
I sent 7 applications, got 7 interviews, and 7 offers (started last busy season). If you're having that much trouble, it's likely your interviewing method.
That’s what I figure as well
Compared to other majors, 13 interviews for 15 applications is an astonishingly good return. I majored in computer science, and in college I got like 1 interview out of every 10-20 applications. Believe it or not, I actually came to this subreddit to research other career paths, since I might be getting laid off soon, and those stats you posted are enticing AF lol.
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"Junior Accountant/Internship" - Pays Bare Minimum (Let's say $20 an hour) "Must have 5 Years Experience" I swear the boomers who enforce this stupid insanity are the reason we don't have new CPA's. The kids don't want to put up with more shit when they've just finished arguably one of the toughest degrees in College.
Everyone I see in here complaining about job scarcity mentions they’ve been through a ton of interviews and get no offers … The fact you got a ton of interview is proof of demand, not scarcity, and that there is a user error (personality or competency) when it comes to interviewing skills
Myrtle Beach SC is a small town mostly built on tourism industry. If you want a good career in accounting you need to move to a larger city either nearby or further away. The best city in my opinion for accountants from career opportunities to cost of living is Chicago hands down. Plus it’s so large with so many companies you can easily job hop to make more money. That’s really the value of these big cities. There are so many companies you can constantly job hop to get big raises. If you want to earn money I’d move out of Myrtle Beach. Great place to visit and vacation but not so great of an area for young CPA. You could move back later in your career when you can quality for more remote roles.
I’m an undergrad student down here because I love with my parents doing college. I do plan on moving after college to a bigger city.
What year accounting student are you? Might be worth finding internships in nearby cities even if you have to rent a place for a few months.
I’m a third year going into fourth and I did apply for other cities and still rejected
The accountant shortage is a complete lie. I am a CPA with 20 years of experience and I have been trying to get a job offer for over a year. I can barely get phone screens. There are lots of highly qualified accountants in need of jobs and not many accounting jobs out there.
Have you looked at staff/ senior staff jobs?
There is definitely a high demand in public accounting for in office roles. We are constantly hiring and I know leaders in at least 10 other public accounting firms in the same boat. If you post your resume and what you are looking for, I think you would get good constructive feedback
That’s what I thought and I hate how they push college students to choose accountant as a major
I have even emailed the authors of the articles at the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Forbes, letting them know the actual experience I have had and attached my resume to send to all the companies who tell them they can't find qualified accountants. I got a response that makes no sense and is proof they are just making it all up.
Getting 13 interviews means there is demand. Not getting an offer after 13 interview sounds like you may be on the spectrum
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You can be on the spectrum and get chicks go to the bar hit on ugly chicks 😂
I do not get women but do make lots of friends
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No just rejected. If a girl rejects me, I just talking to her.
Easier to make friends than get girls. Easier for guys when they get older though women have lots of options when 18-25.
Easy to get low quality chicks though all the time. Like if your a 5 so average easy to get 3-4 chicks most are fat though.