I walked you through the steps I use with anyone who get’s their resume reviewed by me to find a job or internship FAST. This can also help you find any accounting job or summer accounting internship in just a few short weeks. I also answered about 50 questions on the process from the attendees.

While the live webinar was great, a few of your have asked to have the recorded version to make sure you remember every step of the process. For that reason, I am going to release this recorded version of the webinar:

I am not covering creating your resume, cover letter, or how to succeed in the interview. This is just helping you get 5, 10 or 15 phone and in-person interviews with any company YOU are interested in (firm, government, private company, etc.). I walk you through how to reasearch potential companies, what to say in the email, how to find their email, how often you should follow up, and more!

I have also included the notes I only gave to people on the webinar. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attend my next webinar. I might not always be this willing to release all the notes on the blog!

Here are the notes to get you started on the process:

Links from the presentation
Business Journal
Craigslist
Find Your State CPA Society

Giveaways
Firm Tracking Spreadsheet (Premium)
Career Fair Guide Podcast (Premium)

Discount
Resume Review & Get Hired by Big 4 Accounting Firms 50% OFF
Normal Resume Review price – $397
Normal Course price – $397
Available to limited customers

Sample email to use in the process:

Subject: Appropriate Person
Hello [FIRST NAME],
I’m writing in hopes of finding the appropriate person to discuss (an accounting summer internship OR XXXXX position)? If it makes sense to talk, does how your calendar look?
I am currently a student from [INSERT NAME] and will be graduating in [INSERT GRAD MONTH AND YEAR]. I have attached my resume and cover letter for your to review. I am eager to discuss the opportunities with [INSERT COMPANY NAME].

If you are the appropriate person to speak with, what does your calendar look like?

If not, who do you recommend I talk to?

Best regards,

Andrew W. Argue
andrew@thebeancounter.com
(813) 468-3735

[Attach Cover Letter & Resume in separate PDFs]

Enjoy!

The post How to Find an Accounting Summer Internship in 2 Weeks or Less appeared first on The Bean Counter.

Good afternoon Mr. Andrew,

I am an avid reader of your website. Thank you so much for all the information and knowledge you share with us everyday.

Last week my boyfriend met a senior manager at PwC NYC. He also interviews candidates. He talked to him about me as I’m a senior going to NYU (Fall is my last semester) for accounting and finance. He also went to NYU. He is a senior manager for auditing. At the end of the conversation he gave him a card so he could give it to me.

I would love to contact him through e-mail. I do not know how to start the e-mail and what to say. I would love to have this connection there, since he could refer me to the accounting firm recruiters. I do not want to mess this up.

Any advice?

Thank you in advance.

Rebecca

Congratulations Rebecca!

You can tell by the tone of this email you are excited, and you should be. This is exactly the same way I got my chance at a PwC summer leadership in 2010. Someone who knew someone gave me the email of a PwC employee.

In these situations, you want to build the relationship, don’t try to close the deal. Think of it like dating. Before second base you had better try to have a dinner and at least some basic conversation.

Use this as an opportunity to build a relationship, don’t just ask for a job.

I’d say something like this:

Hi <name>,

Good morning!

My name is Rebecca and I’m an accounting student at NYU (I believe you went here as well) graduating in December 2015. My boyfriend met you a few days ago at <location> and gave me your card. I have to say I was extremely excited as I’ve alway been impressed with PwC and have followed the firm closely over the past few years. I don’t want to impose, but as busy season is starting to come to a close, I want to ask you out for a coffee or lunch? I just want to hear about your experience at the firm and what advice you would have for someone in my shoes.

Are you available in the next few weeks?

I look forward to hearing back from you!

Sincerely,

Rebecca

This email shows you’ve been following their firm, knows that a busy season exists, and believe they are a knowledgeable individual you can learn from. Kind of flattering.

It also shows you are looking to get to know them and don’t just want a job.

I guarantee you 9 out of 10 people will just launch a resume and then who knows if they’ll even forward it to HR.

I want you to win them over in a lunch where they are following up with HR every 2 weeks to make sure you get an offer.

When you get the meeting, focus on them. Ask them every question under the sun even if you think you know the answer:

• How long have you been at the firm?
• How many client do you work on a year?
• What industries?
• How often do you make it back to NYU?
• What is your favorite part of working at this accounting firm?
• Did you do an internship?
• How was this last busy season for you?

On and on and on. If you focus on being curious and enthusiastic, before you know it, HE will be asking for your resume and begging HR to take you. Make him feel like you really care about his experience and what he has to say (you probably do anyway!).

If you focus on being curious, and asking for advice, the job will come your way in no time!

The post Drafting A Follow Up Email Virtually GUARANTEED To Get A Response appeared first on The Bean Counter.

We have all heard stories about office romances that have been mostly utter disasters and recommendations on how not to start a fling in the office (Hint: if you’re married, you probably shouldn’t be starting office flings. I know this is obvious, but shockingly does need to be shared). I am a huge fan of office romance! Where else is it so easy to find people with similar educations, interests, background, schedules, etc.?

While I am a big support of you in an office romance, I must say, proceed with caution. While meeting your next serious boyfriend/girlfriend is exciting and may lead to a lifelong partnership, spiraling into serial office dating can cause loss of co-worker respect and increased levels of ex-lover hostility. Now for the questions!

• What is the best way to date a co-worker?
• How can you show interest in someone in an appropriate manner?
• Can you maintain your respect as an employee and date someone at the office?
• When should I tell my boss or HR about my feelings?
• Should I share my feelings with co-workers and friends?
• Does my company have a policy on dating?
• Should I shy away from dating someone based on his or her job title?

If you have a specific situation and need some advice, you can always shoot me an email at andrew@thebeancounter.com.

The post Office Romance: Here are the Wild and Crazy Ways Auditors Fall in Love appeared first on The Bean Counter.

• Diversity Big 4 Internships
• Part-Time Jobs
• Small Internships
• Summer Leadership Conference
• Internship
• Part-Time or Full-Time Job (while passing CPA or getting Masters)
• Full-Time Offer

Diversity Big 4 Early Internships

To the best of my knowledge, these internships are done only by the Big 4. They were created to find talented accountants who are at a very young age, mostly freshmen and sophomores, and most of the firms are limited strictly to “diverse students” (meaning students of non-US backgrounds or heritage). These aren’t your traditional internships and were created due to the restrictions that many universities put on internships. Many universities won’t allow firms to recruit their students until a number of specifications are met (these often vary by university but can include the following parameters: junior or above, has attended a career fair, has taken certain classes). The universities have done this to ensure firms don’t offer a student a position before they’ve had the chance to see all of their options.

These internships tend to be a little different in that they aren’t normal “client facing” internships. They are typically internal firm roles and they typically are only for the summer. If you land one of these internships, it’s not guaranteed you’ll receive a “standard internship” (which we’ll discuss shortly), however it’s very likely. These internships typically occur the summer after your sophomore and junior years. Then in your senior year you have your “client facing internship.” The different nature of the internship and the fact that they don’t offer you a position for a full-time job at the end allows companies to get around the rules and lock students in earlier than normal.

If you’re a freshmen, sophomore, or early junior and you are interested in this internship option, email me at andrew@thebeancounter.com and I can try to help you out with the best strategy given your situation!

Best strategy to get this position:

• Apply at your University Career Fair
• Reach out to a partner or firm employee and ask to go out for coffee/lunch
• Email 20 companies where you’d want to work using this method and see if they have openings (even if none are posted)

Part-Time Jobs & Other Small Internships

The part-time jobs could arguably be before the “Early Big 4” internships and they should be if you’re serious about getting those internships. This way you’re more presentable to the firms when you’re applying for the internship. Even if you don’t plan on applying, this work is essential. It’s highly competitive when you’re up against everyone else for the internship you need to convert to a full-time offer. This applies whether or not you’re thinking of going Big 4, or even public accounting. This internship pads your resume; it gives you an understanding of what it’s like to work (whether or not it’s in an office) at virtually any job. Also, if you’re not interested in going into public accounting, this is the best way to land a position at a company.

Best strategy to get this position:

• Apply at your University’s job site
• Apply on Craigslist
• Email 20 companies where you’d want to work using this method and see if they have openings (even if none are posted)

Summer Leadership Conference

For lack of a better way of explaining this, unless you’re a “minority,” this is the first opportunity you have to make a connection with public accounting firms. There are tons for firms that do summer leadership conferences including international (Big 4), national (firms like BDO, McGladrey, Grant Thornton), regional firms (like Moss Adams, Larson Allen, etc.), and local firms. If you’re committed to working in this profession, there is no excuse for ruthlessly pursuing these opportunities. We’ll have other podcasts that will help you work towards these goals, but for now, know that it’s important. If you’re going after these conferences, know that the heaviest time of recruiting is in the spring, for the same year of the summer. If you have any questions before I release my “Comprehensive Guide to Obtaining a Summer Leadership Conference,” email me at Andrew@thebeancounter.com.

Best strategy to get this position:

• Apply at your University’s job site
• Reach out to a partner or firm employee and ask to go out for coffee/lunch
• Go to the career fair

NOTE: Want a FREE resume template to apply for these positions? 

Internship

The internship is far more important than the summer leadership conference. There is a big myth out there that if you don’t obtain a summer leadership conference, you will most likely not obtain an internship. Now I will introduce you to my “50% rule of recruiting” (this is by no means proven, definitive, or researched, it’s based solely on my experience). The “50% rule of recruiting” is that approximately 50% of the people who are hired at the firms come from the “normal process” (meaning summer leadership -> internship -> full time) and about 50% of them come from somewhere else.

For example, 50% of interns come from summer leadership and 50% come from career fairs, referrals, etc. And for full-time positions, approximately 50% come from internships and the other from career fairs, referrals, etc. This is great news for you! What it means is that you’re just as likely to receive a position if you are in the “normal track” than if you’re not.

Best strategy to get this position:

• Apply at your University’s job site
• Email 20 companies where you’d want to work using this method and see if they have openings (even if none are posted)
• Go to 10 target firm’s offices in a suit and drop off your resume (I’ve seen this work)

Part-Time or Full-Time Job While in University

Let’s say you’ve now completed your internship (or never did one) and are still in university finishing up your 150 hour requirements, Masters, or sitting for the CPA. It doesn’t matter if you’re still looking for your full-time position or are just waiting for your start date on an offer you’ve already accepted! My recommendation is that you should be working 30+ hours a week in an accounting role and preferably a full-time 40-hour a week role. The reasoning for this is simple–if you want to be a top-rated new hire when you start full-time, you must be able to compete and defeat your peers.

But if someone worked for a year before starting and you didn’t, how can you possibly expect to compete with them? They know more about Excel, office politics, accounting, office relationships, and much more. If you’re serious about succeeding when you’re finished with university, don’t wait until you’re finished university, get in the game now!

Best strategy to get this position:

• Apply at your University’s job site
• Apply on Craigslist
• Email 20 companies where you’d want to work using this method and see if they have openings (even if none are posted)
• Go to 10 target firm’s offices in a suit and drop off your resume (I’ve seen this work)

Full-Time Offer

Now, for the full-time position; the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (although it probably won’t feel that way). You’re lucky that you chose accounting as it’s one of the few majors left that’s worth the investment to go to college (unless you spent 70-150K, then it really only makes sense for doctors!). While your first few years are tough, if you’ve committed to the process we’ve discussed in this post, you probably have a job with lots of opportunity and a great starting salary and compensation package. If you haven’t gone through this process, you may be in a more challenging position, taking a 30-40% lower starting salary than your fellow graduates!

Best strategy to get this position:

• Apply at your University’s job site
• Email 20 companies where you’d want to work using this method and see if they have openings (even if none are posted)
• Go to 10 target firm’s offices in a suit and drop off your resume (I’ve seen this work)

Want to hear the podcast analysis of each of these parts of the hiring process? Check out the course Get Hired By Big 4 Accounting Firms.

The post The Ultimate Step-by-Step Hiring Process Guide for Public Accounting appeared first on The Bean Counter.

This may include being relentless, stepping out of your comfort zone, and yes, being pushy at times.

The good news for you is that it isn’t a mystery why certain people are hired over others. We know, I know, and you will learn.

The big 4 accounting firm (PwC, EY, Deloitte, and KPMG) have been hiring thousands of students every year since way before you were alive!

This post will be specifically for juniors, seniors, or Masters students. I’ll cover the rest of you another day (meaning freshmen, sophomores, and experiences hires).

Fall Recruiting

This is the biggest time of the year. The Big 4 firms invest millions and millions of dollars into this two-month period (September & October). If you know what you’re doing, you can play right into their hands.

They are mainly focused on filling internships for the next year and full-time positions. The focus is more on the summer leadership conferences in the spring semester.

How do I get in touch with the firms this fall?

That depends. The first option for any student is to join Beta Alpha Psi or another accounting society and go to the career fair. The meetings your organization holds will often have firm speakers with whom you can meet and request business cards right after the meeting.

And obviously the career fair is the best time for meeting the firms in mass.

For those of you without accounting organizations, or if you’re at a small university where these firms, don’t recruit, read this article for how to reach any accounting firm recruiter.

You’re not at a disadvantage. In fact you have one huge advantage! You will be unique and rare as they often don’t meet people from your school.

APPLY: Passing the CPA Exam Before Your Start Is KEY to Having an Edge Against Others in Your Class

That’s how I got my job at PwC, snuck into another school’s career fair, and everyone knew me by the end as “That kid from the University of Tampa at The University of South Florida Career Fair”.

Not a bad day to stand out.

Prepare these 3 documents

There are three things you must have to even be considered by one of these firms: resume, cover letter, and some damn good email templates.

I have covered each of these topics in other posts but let me say this. It’s not mystery how your resume should be formatted, or what it should say. I (and many others) know what the recruiters are looking for and how you need to format and write each of these documents.

Most people are surprised to learn that 90% of the value of these documents is in HOW they are formatted and presented. It is MORE important to have the right formatting than it is to have 100% perfect grammar, spelling, and a high GPA.

For some basic resume tips, and a free resume template (limited time only) check out my eBook here.

Make a list of 20 firms and commit to yourself that you will meet them all

In the city you want to live in, make a list of at least 20 firms or companies where you would want to work. Meeting the recruiters and HR team at these companies is more important than schoolwork, and you personal life, especially if you’re in a masters program.

What if the firms/companies aren’t on campus or the career fair?

Good. That’s means you have an advantage. Very few people apply to companies that don’t show up on campus or in your accounting organizations.

That means LESS competition!

You will find their contact information (click here to learn how), then you will do the following:

• If you’re using Gmail, download Yesware to track email opens, clicks, and attachment opening.
• Send a nicely formatted email noting that you will call them on X date.
• Attach your resume and cover letter as separate PDF’s
• Call them on the date promised and if they don’t answer, send a follow up email.
• Then follow up 3 business days later
• Then again 7 business days later
• Then again 14 business days later
• Then again 28 business days later

Then stop. I know this sounds pushy, but you have NOTHING to loose. Nothing. Start this process in mid-august and you will find a job, email me if you’re having any troubles.

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow where we answer more questions:

• What do I do once I meet them?
• I hear the Big 4 have high GPA requirements, what if mine is low?
• What’s the difference in my approach if I want a Summer Leadership Conference, internship, or job?
• What should my follow-up email say?
• And more.

The post Want to get hired by a Big 4 Accounting Firm? All you have to do is… appeared first on The Bean Counter.

1. Andrew, if I am seeking opportunities outside my area (Kansas), what can I do to maximize my chances? Also, what about non-public accounting opportunities? How can you find them and what are the differences between interviewing for industry and big 4?

-Alex, Kansas

2. My Beta Alpha Psi chapter historically struggles with recruitment, what can we do to bring in more students?

-Lucas, Illinois

3. What is the best place to buy business professional clothing for men and women on a college budget?

-Jane, Utah

4. Andrew, I recently started with one of the Big 4 firms and I have a question I was hoping to get your opinion on. I am somewhat disappointed about the industry I was assigned to, as I would have preferred another market team where my interest lies, such as real estate or media & entertainment.

I reached out a few times to HR and resource managers before I started about my preferences and received pretty much the same response that, “it all depends on the needs of the practice.”   I am fearful of bringing my concern up again because I feel it’ll look bad and I’ll be known as the guy who kept complaining in the first few weeks.  I’m sure that I will be told that I need to give it some time, like six months to a year.

I have heard that it is pretty difficult to switch market teams after you start.  I have also heard that even if you request different types of clients you may only get to work on them for small projects. Do you have any suggestions about what I should do moving forward?

-Matt, New York

The post How to find an accounting job OUTSIDE your city by finding a job in your city appeared first on The Bean Counter.

If you’re in a unique situation or feel like you’ve exhausted all avenues in the job hunt, think again, we’ve got some out of the box options here!

Andrew,

I’m a 38 year old non-traditional student.  I have been working in turf management for the past 15 years and decided to go back to school for accounting/computer information systems.  The main drivers for my change of careers are employment security, tired of doing labor and boredom in my current occupation.  I want to be in an industry where I’m challenged and constantly learning.  I want unlimited growth potential, where if I wanted to pursue a law degree or MBA at 50, I could still be part of the organization.

My only experience with accounting has been working for HR Block for two seasons, but I have plenty of management experience.  I’m looking to finish my degrees in May.  Some questions that I have are:

Should I even bother applying to bigger firms?

Since I attend an online college, I have no idea when hiring season is.  I figure it’s before busy season, but how much earlier?

Will my age be much of a factor in the hiring process?

I would like to get into a large firm since I know that it would offer more opportunities, but I also have my eye on some local firms, I just don’t know what my expectations should be.  I don’t have the option to do a free internship since I do have a family to support and I would like to finish my schooling before adding another item to the juggling act.

Questions?

Email me at andrew@thebeancounter.org

P.S. Interested in working for the Big 4? Check out this course to Get Hired By Big 4 Firms.

The post If you go to online accounting college, can you still get a job? appeared first on The Bean Counter.

Into the mailbag we go…

Hello Andrew,

You have been a great help to me over the past few months so I am writing you to get your advice on a situation Im facing. I have been out of accounting for about six years I have actually been working in sales and wanting to find way back. I happened to stumble on your podcast and listen to a topic you had on how to get back into accounting.

I listened and took your advice and I have had two interviews in the last four months the first one I didn’t do well but because I was nervous and didn’t answer the accounting questions right but this most recent time I aced all the questions after listening to your interview podcasts. interviewed for a Revenue Accountant position at a oil & gas company on Monday May 5th. I waited a week and I finally heard from the H/R contact person Monday May 12 that they would reach out to me with an offer by Tuesday or Wednesday of the past week.

Well three days in to last week I hadn’t heard anything so I emailed the h/r contact and she said she was still waiting for the compensation group and she would get back to me by this past Friday well I didn’t hear anything and I am wondering what approach to take. Should I contact one of the people I interviewed so well with or should I wait it out and not appear needy. Please give me any suggestions. Thanks again, Sheila (loyal listener and Linkedin Follower)

Here was my response:

I’m so happy I’ve been able to help out with getting you back into the profession, it’s very exciting! First I want to say that based on this email, regardless of what happens with this position, KEEP TRYING! It appears they will actually hire you for this position but if something changes, don’t get down on yourself! Persistence, persistence, persistence!

I’d be happy to take a look at your resume if you decide to go to another position after this. (for anyone else, email me here.)

In regards to reaching back out. The company is either:

1. Really waiting on the compensation department of
2. Interviewing one more person for the position.

Either way, I would wait to hear back from them on Monday and if you don’t, send a follow up email at 7:30am  Tuesday in something similar to the following format:

Dear [NAME},

Good morning!

I am very excited about the position with your company and look forward to getting started in the coming week! It was great meeting with you and discussing….. (add something you discussed).

I wanted to follow up this morning and see if you had heard back from the compensation department? Feel free to give me a call at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,

<Insert Name>

Questions?

The post How to Deal with Flaky HR Departments appeared first on The Bean Counter.

1. Andrew, if I am seeking opportunities outside my area (Kansas), what can I do to maximize my chance of finding accounting jobs? Also, what about non-public accounting opportunities? How can you find them, and what are the differences between interviewing for industry and big 4?

-Alex, Kansas

My Beta Alpha Psi chapter historically struggles with recruitment, what can we do to bring in more students?

-Lucas, Illinois

What is the best place to buy business professional clothing on a college budget – for men and women?

-Jane, Utah

Andrew, I recently started with one of the Big 4 and had a question I was hoping to get your opinion on.  I got placed in an industry and am somewhat disappointed, as I would have preferred another market team such as real estate or media & entertainment, as I have greater interest in those industries.

I reached out a few times to HR and resource managers before I started about my preference and got pretty much the same response that, “it all depends on the needs of the practice.”   I am somewhat fearful of bringing my concern up again because I feel it may look bad and I’ll be known as the guy who kept complaining within the first few weeks.  I’m sure that I will be told that I need to give it some time, like 6 months to 1 year.

I have heard that it is pretty difficult to switch market teams after you start.  I have also heard that even if you request different types of clients, you may only get to work on them for small projects. I was wondering if you had any opinion on what I should do moving forward.

Matt, New York

The post How can I get accounting jobs in another city, best place for business clothes, & more! appeared first on The Bean Counter.

-PwC Chairman Article in the NY Times

-Summary of contributions: Email me at andrew@thebeancounter.org if you want a copy

-“KYFHD” – Michael Kramer, Former and Founding CFO of Apple Retail Stores

[Keep your fu$&ing head down]

Listener Questions:

1. Andrew, I really enjoyed my accounting internships and I want to be part of the firm’s leadership team one day. What can I do?

– Kaitlin from Orlando

2. Dude, the podcast is amazing!

You mentioned elevator speeches and I do not have one. Do you think if I go and speak with the recruiters and company representatives using a normal conversation it is going to have a negative impact?

Is it really better to make an elevator speech?

Last one, how long do I have to wait to add those recruiters and representatives on LinkedIn? Should I wait the same amount of time as I should wait to send the thank you e-mail (on the morning after the Career Fair)?

-Cristiano From Brazil

3. I really enjoyed listening to the podcast!

How do you manage to ask about the individuals you meet (in regards to the Career Fair)? Do you literally ask, ‘Who is the head recruiter?’ or ‘Who is a partner?’

– Nadeen from Tampa

Questions?

Email me at andrew@thebeancounter.org

The post Listener Questions: Elevator Speech, Loved My Accounting Internships, LinkedIn appeared first on The Bean Counter.