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How to Have Recruiting Season Conversations Without Scaring People Off

Posted on by Adrienne Gonzalez

You spent your entire junior year reading Going Concern horror stories instead of brushing up on your communication skills and now the heat is on. Recruiting season is here and you don't want to end up working for the firms that get made fun of all the time around here. Instead of hyperventilating, email us with your questions or concerns and we'll give you a bunch of free advice you paid your school for already.

Hello Going Concern! First off the articles you post on this website. Its good stuff. I am going into my 3rd year of university and recruitment season is around the corner. During the Big 4 info sessions, there will be a lot of firm representatives (from staff accountants to partners). I was wondering what would be some great questions to ask these people and get a great conversation going. I want to show these people that i have decent soft skills and hopefully they will recommend me to the HR recruiters so i can get an interview. Thank you!

Let me kick this off with a helpful suggestion. If your letter to us is any indication, you're a bit lacking in the written skills department so have someone proofread any emails you send to desired firms when you follow up after meeting them. I say that not to be an ass but to be helpful, I swear.

Anyway, one might hope your school would sufficiently prepare you for recruiting but if you're at one of those cheap and/or broke state schools that can barely afford a separate classroom for accounting let alone extras like career advice, we'll take a stab at this best we can. It should be fairly easy. Last year, Braddock also offered some general tips on not looking like a slob, making a good impression and other important topics related to this subject worth checking out.

The most important piece of advice should also be the easiest for you to pull off: be a human being. Not an accounting drone with no interests other than accounting programmed with the same five catch phrases ("I would be honored to spend my career working for a prestigious firm like yours!"), a real human being. Canned, safe responses are fine if not required to some extent but no college student is THAT interested in IFRS to build an entire conversation around it with a stranger. If you're horribly awkward in social situations first off don't worry about it because you'll be in a room surrounded by a bunch of equally socially awkward people and second, if it's that worrysome, try out your shtick in the mirror or on your friends before you attend any events.

Be prepared to discuss why you like their firm specifically and be sure to stuff your statement with lots of buzzwords like "prestigious" and "dynamic," they'll eat that stuff up. Do your homework ahead of time so you can identify specifics about that firm (like Jim Turley's stance on diversity and women in the workplace or Barry Salzberg's recent Forbes piece on Millennials) and show you do actually want to work for them, specifically, not just any old accounting firm that'll take you. This goes without saying but don't ask about compensation, benefits or travel immediately after shaking a partner's hand, or at all for that matter.

Safe topics: the weather, your alma mater if you find out the person you're talking to came from the same school you currently attend (many of them likely did), current events but no hot topics like politics, crazy nutjobs shooting up movie theaters or abortion.

Unsafe topics: politics, crazy nutjobs shooting up movie theaters, abortion, the McGladrey stigma, Romney's tax returns, Going Concern.

Borderline topics you should try to avoid: the latest FASB pronouncements (no one will be impressed that you Googled this ahead of time to make yourself look smart), financial scandals, the constitutionality of the PCAOB, IFRS convergence.

Oh and bring mints. MINTS, not gum, the tiny ones that disappear in your mouth in under a minute. It also goes without saying that it's easier to have a conversation at these things if you've taken care not to wear a wrinkled shirt with a stain on the front or the CFM heels you've been dying to try out at the club with your girls so keep it tight but not too tight. Have your elevator pitch ready to go but don't bombard every person you meet with your 4 minute mission statement.

The short version: don't be obnoxious, don't be a doormat, don't be too eager and don't be an idiot. Get business cards, follow up with people you meet and be personable. Simple, right?

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Someone Forgot To Ask These Questions In the Interview, So Asks Us Instead

Ed. note: Feeling torn between two job offers? Questioning your career choices? Maxed out your credit cards and can no longer afford Miss Cleo’s $2.99 a minute advice? Tap the career advice brain trust for insight and we won’t even charge you for it.

I have recently received full-time offers from two Big 4 firms.  One offer is for external audit, and the other is for internal audit.  Which career opportunity would be more advantageous for a young professional in terms of salary, hours worked/busy season, and opportunities both within and outside the firms?

Also, the internal audit position would be for federal clients only.  Would this impact the above criteria in any notable ways?

Jimmy Dean


Dear Jimmy Dean,

This is a like a buck-shot of questions that you should have asked during the interview process.  You never asked about what the hours are like?  What the salary growth is like?  What the long term career track would be in each practice line?  What the hell did you talk about in your interviews!?!  No really, I would like to know.  The questions you’re asking here make it seem like you did zero homework on this and instead pounded out a quick email to GC because it’s easier to ask for the RIGHT-UNDER-YOUR-NOSE answers than find them for yourself.  Sorry, but I’m not sorry.

My personal frustration aside, I’m sure members of the GC crew here will chime in and provide you some personal feedback.  I suggest you start with career websites for the Big 4 firms.  They offer a substantial amount of [HR polished] insight on career tracks.  A few years ago KPMG released an external version of their Employee Career Architecture tool.  It spells out the marketable skills earned throughout a career in different practices. Tip: if you’re using the tool to assess an internal audit career, KPMG lists it as IARCS under the Advisory practice line. The most useful information is under the “Explore” section of the ECA tool.  As for a career in external audit?  Oh I don’t know – try another Big4’s extensive website.  Thanks, Uncle Ernie.

As for the government-heavy client base – it’s not going to necessarily restrict your external career options should you choose to leave, however it can be a natural transition.  Again, you need to assess the skillsets each career track provides.

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Job of the Day: Computer Sciences Corporation Needs a Senior Accountant

Computer Sciences Corporation is looking for an experienced accountant to join their group in Sterling, VA. The position is responsible for supervising the posting and balancing of general and subsidiary ledgers, along with account analysis and journal entries.

The position requires a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of six years experience, including three year of supervisory experience and a CPA license is a plus


Company: Computer Sciences Corporation

Title: Accounting Senior Supervisor

Location: Sterling, VA

Description: Supervises the posting and balancing of general and subsidiary ledgers; ensures accuracy and timeliness. Oversees the preparation of account analysis and journal entries to ensure records

Responsibilities: Supervises the posting and balancing of general and subsidiary ledgers; ensures accuracy and timeliness; Oversees the preparation of account analysis and journal entries to ensure records are organized and standardized; Oversees the coding of invoices and vouchers with proper account distribution support to ensure accuracy and validity; Oversees and prepares, as appropriate, foreign currency exchange and remeasurement calculations and journal entries; Supervises and assists in the compilation of data for preparation of regularly scheduled and special accounting reports; verifies statements to ensure accuracy and to meet company information needs; Supervises and assists in the implementation of accounting systems and accounting control procedures to ensure adherence to company guidelines; Recommends and/or initiates the selection and hiring of employees. Trains and evaluates employees to enhance their performance, development and work product. Addresses performance issues and makes recommendations for personnel actions. Makes recommendations for salary increases, transfers and terminations to manager; Provides supervision of the accounting staff to ensure activities are completed accurately and in a timely fashion. Analyzes and resolves work problems or assists employees to resolve problems;

Qualifications/Skills: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience; Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting or related field strongly preferred; Six or more years of accounting experience; Three or more years of leadership experience included; CPA or CPA candidate preferred; Experience working with generally accepted accounting principles; Experience with SAP, Hyperion and Lotus Notes a plus.

See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.