Accounting Student to Professional: How to Make a Successful Transition [VIDEO]

June 26 2014

Questions?

P.S. I just made this course and there’s only a few spots remaining. If you’re looking to Get Hired by the Big 4 Accounting Firms, you need to review it.

http://www.advicefortaxpreparers.com/ bmeador@advicefortaxpreparers

Andrew, I think you did a great job with the video. I would add a couple of items to the points you made.

Making Use of LinkedIn – This might be covered in your LinkedIn profile presentation, but I think too many current and future accountants discover the value of LinkedIn too late. Accounting majors need to create a profile in college and starting connecting to their family, friends, teachers, classmates. Some of these people will go work at companies where they want to work while others will already have connections to those companies.

Curiosity (before getting a job) – I think you need to expand this point to include before an accounting major gets a job. In the olden days (i.e. more than five years ago) accounting majors only had the option of learning about their future employer from a brochure type website and a couple of Beta Alpha Psi field trips. Therefore, too many accounting majors wound up working in a firm culture that was never suited for them.

However, with the benefits of social media, it is much easier for a college student to find a friend or family member that has a connection to someone that works at their dream firm. As a result, they need to get their contact to ask if the accounting major can take that person to lunch and ask them about the firm and a possible tour of the place. A little inside advice from an audit manager might have avoided the problem you had with the hedge fund group.
- http://www.thebeancounter.com TheBeanCountercom
  
  Dude great comment!
  
  I agree completely on the power of social media and LinkedIn in particular. I think the opportunities on the internet and with social media far outstretch what you could get from your local Beta Alpha Psi chapter (although it depends what you’re looking for)
  
  I recently wrote a post showing how you can reach any recruiter and get their email using LinkedIn: Your Summer Action Plan To Get An Accounting Job This Fall… Oh, and Jill from Deloitte in Atlanta.
  
  Agree on being curious pre-start as well! My main strategy at career fairs was to ask detailed questions to all the recruiters and firm representative I talked to:
  
  -How long have you worked at the firm?
  -What type of clients do you work on?
  -Did you go to “X” University?
  -Are you from “X” city?
  -What percentage of your time do you travel?
  -Do you work on one client for most of the year, or many small clients?
  -How often do you have happy hours with your co-workers and clients?
  -on and on and on!
  
  That curiosity let’s them talk on an on about themselves, and then like clockwork, they really want you in the firm!
- http://www.thebeancounter.com TheBeanCountercom
  
  Dude great comment!
  
  I agree completely on the power of social media and LinkedIn in particular. I think the opportunities on the internet and with social media far outstretch what you could get from your local Beta Alpha Psi chapter (although it depends what you’re looking for)
  
  I recently wrote a post showing how you can reach any recruiter and get their email using LinkedIn: Your Summer Action Plan To Get An Accounting Job This Fall… Oh, and Jill from Deloitte in Atlanta. [LINK]: http://www.thebeancounter.com/all-posts/accounting-job-this-fall/
  
  Agree on being curious pre-start as well! My main strategy at career fairs was to ask detailed questions to all the recruiters and firm representative I talked to:
  
  -How long have you worked at the firm?
  -What type of clients do you work on?
  -Did you go to “X” University?
  -Are you from “X” city?
  -What percentage of your time do you travel?
  -Do you work on one client for most of the year, or many small clients?
  -How often do you have happy hours with your co-workers and clients?
  -on and on and on!
  
  That curiosity let’s them talk on an on about themselves, and then like clockwork, they really want you in the firm!