Job Responsibilities
During the busy season (February - April 15 and August - October
15), individual returns for high net worth clients are
prepared. Also I prepare corporate tax returns during the
summer months when we get infomation in from the client. During
my first year, interaction with the client is limited, however,
after the first year, I will begin to contact the client for
information to complete the returns. During slower times,
during the summer, I will perform research on tax issues for a
manager or partner and report to them my findings. I'm also
involved in recruiting for my alma matter and I'm involved in
different committees dedicated on making our company a great
place to work.
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Job Requirements
To be hired at a big four firm, you will need to have at least
150 hours of college (eligable to sit for the CPA exam). Your
grades should be at least a 3.3 or above and you should be
involved in some kind of social club (Accounting Club, Beta
Alpha Psi, etc.) To be promoted to manager, the CPA exam must
be completed.
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Uppers
The best parts of my job are getting to see what some people make as far as
salary and what they do, how much they give, etc. It's pretty interesting. It's
also nice to see more detail about the companies you're doing work for as far as
what they do, etc. The training you get from working here is fantastic. There
is so much that you'll learn in a quick amount of time. You work with the best
and brightest people. You receive feedback on your performances. During busy
season, you get dinner ordered out for you and the firm picks up the tab.
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Downers
The biggest downer is the hours that you work. In an eight
month period, I will have had worked about 400 hours of overtime
and that doesn't include the amount of actual time I was at the
office. If you plan on working an 8-5 or 9-6 job, public
accounting is not for you.
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Advice to Jobseekers
If you're thinking about a carrer in public accounting, call or
email a recruiter and see if you can schedule a time where you
can shadow an associate on the job. That way you can experience
what an assoicate does on a given day and see if that is
something that you want to do or not.
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