From the mailbag:
Hi Andrew,
I have an office visit with a top 10 accounting firm coming up. What should I wear? What should I expect out of the visit?
Thanks,
Brandon
First off, congratulations!
You are probably MUCH better off than I was. When I had my first “office visit”, I thought it was a tour of the office.
Literally.
It wasn’t until about 48 hours before I went that I realized this was a full on…
- Pre-interview social (with drinks)
- 3+ interviews with managers and partners
- Lunch with Staff and Interns
- Sending follow up thank you emails to everyone I met
I thought I was going to see what an accounting firm office looked like. You know, check out the kitchen. Maybe peek at the men’s bathroom…..
I wasn’t prepared, but then I got things in gear. I scrambled and…
- Got to the dry cleaners for my suit (here’s what ladies should wear)
And yes guys, suit and tie is required. Black suit in my opinion and a strong tie. Get a fashionable woman to critique you. I want to make sure everything fits!
- Prepared for all the interview questions they would ask me
- Asked friends what a pre-interview social entails
The important thing I realized is that people would be watching me constantly…
You need to be on your “A” game all day/night long.
Be prepared to ask many many good questions.
Not just questions during the interview, but during lunch, in-between interviews, and at the social.
I would try to have the basic general questions in your back pocket at all-times.
You never know when you’ll have that awkward moment sitting next to HR for 15 minutes.
Here are the basics:
- So where did you go to University?
- Are you from <insert city you are currently in>
- No? How long have you lived here?
- How long have you been at the firm?
- Are things crazy this time of year? (especially recruiters during recruiting season and accountants during busy season)
Once you get an answer to one question, it should role into 2-3 more… For example:
Question: How long have you been at the firm?
Answer: About 3 years now.
Question 2: Nice! Always in this office?
Answer: No, I was in Austin for the first year.
Question 3: What brought you to Los Angeles?
Answer: My wife got a job here.
Question 4: Very cool, what does she do?
And on, and on, and on….
It can literally never end if you get creative. I literally got so good that I could take any sentence, and run at least 20-30 questions through anyone: recruiter, auditor, client, co-worker, you name it.
Did I always care?
No.
But you are sitting there so you might as well ask.
And during the interview, you need to appear excited and enthusiastic. Even if you are scared, crying, and screaming on the inside. I’ve been there.
Don’t kid yourself. Every moment counts.
My friend dominated the interview and the recruiter told me he had the job.
Then he went to the very last lunch.
The people that went to lunch with him said he was….
Disinterested
Didn’t ask a lot of questions
Seemed tired and bored
Didn’t seem like he wanted to be there
Guess what? He didn’t get the job.
It only takes one person. One moment. One sentence. One word. And it’s over.
How annoying right?
You have to “put yourself out there“, but every single word could count against you.
Stressful.
There is only one way deal with this dichotomy.
PREPARE.
Grab your wife, co-worker, professor, friend, cutie in accounting class or whatever.
Give them these 28 accounting interviews questions to fire at you.
Record yourself.
Then find your grandma, brother, tutor, or whomever and do it again.
Practice makes permanent, so improve on your practicing by listening to the recordings and taking notes!
This sounds like a lot. But we are talking about the start of your career!
Yes, you need to get to work!
Good luck Brandon, let us know how it goes!
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