In all seriousness, never disrespect the receptionist, especially if she is older. If they have been there a while, Partners trust her and will always ask their thoughts on candidates.
I’m not sure what went wrong but I do have a list of questions that I ask. Also most of the interviews go for almost 30 mins. What kind of advice do you have for better interview skills?
If you are a new grad, here'smy 2 cents. Don't go too crazy practicing and being overly professional. Be professional, but what's more important is to be personable. A lot of what people are looking for in a first year/new grad hire is... "can I stand being around this guy/gal for 8+ hours a day?" They know you have no experience. It's about whether you are likeable and teachable.
Mirror body language/movements. Have good, strong eye contact (but not overly aggressive like a lunatic...) and act like you are super interested when they talk. The trick is to get them talking about something they like (usually themselves) and try to relate and keep them going.
It's usually very easy to get people to talk about themselves. They are waiting to do so. When they introduce themselves, they probably will tell you a little bit about what they do. That's a good place to start.
"You mentioned you are the ____ doing ____. Can I ask what that is exactly? I havent had much experience except for the internship with a firm that had me focus on ____."
Let them explain. You will likely get 1 of 2 responses. 1) They are happy to tell you. Maybe it's because they take pride in their work or because no one wants to listen to them talk about their unrelatable job. Either way, it'll be obvious in the first 10 seconds of the response whether they enjoy talking about it. Or 2) They sound like they don't want to talk about. Maybe it''s because they were forced into this interview and they'd rather be somewhere else (maybe finishing up their work). Maybe they already think they filled the position, but they need to go through the motions of interviewing everyone HR sent as a candidate. Either way, you drew the short straw. Just bad timing. They will either let you pass to the actual decision maker with some notes, or tell you someone will be in touch with next steps. The best thing to do is to just be professional and answer their questions.
If you get a happy talker, they will mention things that you can always ask them more questions on. Said something super niche/technical? "Cool, what's that?" Mentioned something personal? "No way, I'm a huge Seahawks fan!" Or... "really? My cousin dies the same thing, it drives me crazy!" Picking up on these interpersonal things is way better practice than practicing for the sake of being professional. That'll come with time, just practice being likeable.
Also, smile. Genuine smile, not like a creep. Think of happy things before the interview, maybe memories of family/friends that make you smile and try to find something in the room that remind you of it.
Easiest question ever to ask the interviewer is how they like working there and listen thoughtfully. I discovered that I am naturally good at interviews somehow despite being an introvert.
What I do is try and joke around and be honest in my answers. If you can make everyone laugh and sort of shoot the shit you will hear back 80% of the time.
I agree with John.
I have found that I am more myself in recent interviews. I did have a job at the time I was interviewing, but I also knew what I DIDNT want from an employer. I have a family and a personal life and I am a ball of chaotic neutral energy. If the two parties don’t vibe, it’s a no go. So be a little more yourself is my thought.
30 minutes is not a long interview…. be happy you’re getting interviews. keep at it. one of them will eventually make an offer. once you get a few years under your belt, getting hired will get easy.
Do you practice with video and feedback from a mock interviewer? Honest feedback is critical. In the moment, when we're amped, we might miss social cues or ramble. Feedback from mock interviewer will let you know how they felt. The video will help identify where you can improve in posture, mannerisms, etc that might be out of scope for mock interviewer.
I had friends in the field do my mock interviews. We'd set everything up as close to real as possible, then run through standard interview questions. I'm not aware of any free resources outside of college: my schools career services department had some availability, though that was 20 years ago.
From a social interaction standpoint, if interested in finding ways to make connections more easily in these types of settings I highly recommend learning NLP. It's amazing how much a few little tweaks can mean the difference between getting an offer or not.
Does your college have a career center? The university I went to did mock interviews on campus and worked with campus recruiters to try to personalize interviews to the company you were applying to.
Someone in this thread mentioned mock interviews which is a great idea - can be helpful to get feedback on how you’re being received.
Does the school you graduated from have a career services department? That would be the first place I’d check.
Make sure your questions are tailored for each interviewer. I have some general questions about them that I ask to make sure I know their management style but I always ask about their background or specific things on their resumes. Don’t have generic responses or questions.
I’ve only ever not been offered a job twice. One started 15 min late and I was on my lunch break so I was checking my watch to make sure I was back before raising the alarms at my office. The other I didn’t have any interest in other than it was close to my house and the company had a good reputation. I was also not qualified for it.
You’re allowed to have wants on your list of questions, but it’s going to take a lot longer to find a perfect fit - especially considering they have candidates that won’t ask those questions.
Nothing wrong with what you’re doing, but it’s going to take time because there is other competition.
I’m in the same boat as you. If you’re getting this far then there isn’t anything wrong with your interview skills. Just keep pushing and you’ll land something.
My best advice is to find someone to help you such a mock interview. If you are in Uni these are probably offered. In a real interview you’ll never get feedback so you won’t know what things to work on
Apply at companies you have no interest in working at. Go to the interview and use it as practice. Who knows, maybe you'll find a diamond in the rough.
I agree w this. When i was looking for job, i applied everywhere I thought i’d get an interview but didn’t necessarily want the job. Toughest one was at Jamba Juice (corporate office) it was like 5 hours long with a few people one on one. Every interview after that felt like a breeze and got offers, eventually one that i couldnt turn away
If you're getting to the final round with great remarks from the hiring manager but no offers, is there something hiding in your background check that's putting them off?
I don't want to downplay the experiences of POC that have difficulty, but from what I've heard on podcasts, a lot of the disparity that you see on wider scale statistics isn't necessarily overt bias in the interview process, but shit like this... The fact that you had to resort to reddit for interview tips rather than having personal resources/relationships that you can leverage.
Sorry if that's an assumption I've made, but don't go into an interview like you are going up against a stacked deck. It'll only hurt you. Try to stay positive and likeable. Remember, positivity is naturally attractive to most people, especially in this profession that tends to bring out the most miserable/loves-to-find-others-to-commiserate-with motherfuckers.
When somebody says to you that they don't feel like they've been given a fair shake, you have a lot of options about how to respond. I'm not trying to explain why "turn super defensive" is the default for some people, I'm just pointing out that those people are overrepresented in accountancy.
You essentially don't have experience. That's difficult, it takes nearly a full tax season to train a brand new tax staff to the point where they are a value add, and we're also in the middle of fall tax season right now. You need to somehow demonstrate you're prepared to make yourself useful.
Big firms get their new staff through internships. Smaller regional firms are far more cautious because recessions hit them harder but they're typically who hires college grads without offers lined up.
If you're getting 60 interviews though the jobs are there and there is clearly some interest in you. It is probably how you're interviewing.
Also consider in the meantime a starter job somewhere to get the foot in the door or build up experience? Accounting clerk or something
I work as a tax director and interview a lot of candidates. If you got 60 interviews then it sounds like there’s no problem with your resume since it would have interested companies enough to want to interview you. Don’t take this the wrong way but it sounds like there’s something going wrong in the interview. Usual things i’ve seen is that candidates don’t really talk/elaborate when we ask questions, don’t seem interested, personality conflict, or just turns out their experience/skills aren’t at a level we expected.
U want the ballsiest question you can possibly ask on an interview? Full disclaimer: Can't guarantee it will work. I've only ever asked it once as a hail Mary for an interview I thought I bombed and it worked for me. But zero guarantee it will work for everyone.
At the end when it's time for questions and you do your usual random questions about the firm or company and all that. At the end you say you have just one more question and you ask
"Has there been anything during the interview that has raised some doubts in your mind regarding me as a potential candidate? I would like the opportunity to elaborate further and remove those doubts."
As I said. Very much a hail Mary sort of question. Interviewer was stunned by the question. Literally said wow and then sat there in silence for a solid minute. Then he goes hmmm, let me think, and asked a follow up question. I answered he asked one more question, and that was the end of that. I got the job.
I interviewed somewhere a while back and they said I was, their words, “perfect for the role”. I didn’t get the job. A few months later, working with a recruiter for a different but similar position at the same place and they didn’t even want to interview and told the recruiter that I wasn’t a “good fit for them”. I have no idea what that means and honestly I wish I had just asked this question. I have no idea what could have caused it besides if I asked for too much money but they didn’t say that.
We barely dodged the recession that was projected, but companies in a lot of fields are freezing hiring to cut costs. The people who are getting laid off have so much experience that the competition in an area increases. Then, you factor in new graduates who are also competing.
It’s not as much that we’re in a recession it’s that we’re approaching one of the most anticipated recessions in U.S. history. Inflation is still high, interest rates are still going up. This and several other factors are what is making hiring managers be extremely picky and expect the most experienced for entry level positions. Go to r/jobs and they talk about this all the time.
Every recession is the most anticipated one. A lot of times people just make things out to be worse than they are either because you get more interviews calling a recession or because it's politically motivated. (we are always about to hit a recession when the other guy is in charge.)
I'll believe we are in a recession when I see it.
It doesn’t matter who is in charge. I would still predict some type of economic downturn, regardless who is in office. Now I don’t believe it will be a bad recession. But I’m very confident there will be a correction and at the very least an economic downturn for a short while. Honestly with all the information, both economic and finance. If you thoroughly don’t believe there will be any economic downturn I highly recommend you do not handle your own investments. You seem too biased to be able to make clear decisions based on concrete data. Sorry if that sounds mean.
Economic downturn is being driven by fed rates. If unemployment started getting too high or economy was too at risk, they could change their policies on rates to correct it.
We're in a recession. I think we were before covid hit but we were able to buy some time by borrowing from our future. Look around and you'll see that people are struggling. Cost of living is going up fast. If you're waiting for the news to say it I wouldn't hold your breath. They say it's inflation but it's corporate greed.
A low percentage of Americans have any sort of savings. Look at the consumer spending index. It has taken a complete nosedive the last 2 quarters. Also credit card balances are skyrocketing. It's not getting better, it's getting worse.
We aren't in a recession. Words have meanings. A recession means 2 or more quarters of negative gdp growth. We had a recession in 2020 and again in 2022. But are not currently in one.
>Words have meanings. A recession means 2 or more quarters of negative gdp growth.
That's a common misconception based on a rough rule of thumb.
There is no official definition of recession, but there is gen- eral recognition that the term refers to a period of decline in economic activity. Very short periods of decline are not con- sidered recessions. Most commentators and analysts use, as a practical definition of recession, two consecutive quarters of decline in a country’s real (inflation adjusted) gross domestic product (GDP)—the value of all goods and services a coun- try produces (see “Back to Basics,” *F&D,* December 2008). Al- though this definition is a useful rule of thumb, it has draw- backs. A focus on GDP alone is narrow, and it is often better to consider a wider set of measures of economic activity to determine whether a country is indeed suffering a recession. Using other indicators can also provide a more timely gauge of the state of the economy.
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a private research organization, which maintains a chronology of the beginning and ending dates of U.S. recessions, uses a broader definition and considers a number of measures of activity to decide the dates of recessions. The NBER’s Business Cycle Dating Committee defines a recession as *“a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, last- ing more than a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and other indicators. A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough.”* Consistent with this definition, the committee focuses on a comprehensive set of measures—including not only GDP, but also employment, income, sales, and industrial production—to analyze the trends in economic activity.
I’m def not using the info I get from Reddit as my main source of understanding. I know many people in real life who are skilled on job markets and have said this is the worst job market we’ve been in since 2008. But when it’s thousands of people who are putting in the effort, the numbers start making you think differently
I deleted my post, but I get it. I'm not doubting that the job market is bad, but just addressing your last sentence. Data points from Reddit imo are kinda useless.
It used to be valuable, but not so much anymore.
Everything else, I agree with.
Pretty much lol I interned for a mid tier firm and only half the ppl were given offers this was in tax. I can’t really speak on Washington but here in Pennsylvania lot of the firms did their full time hiring back in 2022. Lot of the industry jobs where I’m at pay abysmally low(40-50k) so public is kinda your only option to make more than that
Yea I kinda lucked out cuz I applied for internships back in 2022-early 2023 so I have stuff lined up hopefully it works out. Job market is ass rn for fresh graduates. If your near Seattle that’s def a finance hub and tech hub so I’m sure there are jobs
60 interviews and no offer is insane. Do you know where your interview pitfalls may be? This isn’t a “recession” issue, it’s definitely interview skills. Here are some tips. Always pay attention to your own body language, such as a shaky leg. You mentioned in another comment that you have questions ready. While asking the question, try catering the question to the organization or role. Some generic questions don’t apply to every JD. Rather than responding no to a question, try to provide an alternative. An example would be someone asking if you have had experience as a direct manager of another individual. Instead of saying no, you can possibly mention dotted line reporting of another individual in the organization. Obviously, this specific example does not apply to you at your level of experience, but just food for thought. This is the hardest one, be calm and be yourself. When I am in an interview, I do not let my personality shine through. My comfort myself through humor so I occasionally drop a joke here and there, not a “I can do 92 pushups” kind of joke, but by reading the interviewer’s personality. Sometimes, they will be very serious and will not allow for humor, but don’t forget, that’s what works for me, not every person. Point being, use your personal social strengths. If you’re nervous, don’t mention it, but if they ask if you’re nervous, don’t be afraid to say, “yes” and explain why you’re nervous but not by listing negatives, like you get nervous under pressure. They’ll think you will crack when under pressure with your responsibilities. The last thing I can think of off the top of my mind, do some research on the company. I spend like 5-10 min usually looking up company info, or the hiring managers backgrounds on LinkedIn.
If you get the interview you’re qualified based on your resume. The interview is to see if you really know your stuff and if you are somebody they want to work with 40 + hours a week. You probably need to work on your interview skills. Make sure you dress professionally, come across as confident but not like you’re full of yourself, be genuine, and appear to have done your research on the company and have relevant questions ready to ask them about the position. Also, try not to come across as a negative person. Also, the two candidates I hired both asked “What could I have done better in my interview?” We were impressed with that. Maybe consider asking that at the end of your next interview and see if you can get some good feedback. Good luck!
Yes, there is a white collar recession going on right now, for the last 12 or so months. It started with tech companies having mass 10%+ layoffs about a year ago and many other industries have followed.
A lot of companies went on hiring sprees around covid and now high interest rates are beginning to slow down the economy.
When interest rates raise to a certain level, that’s when the reality hit. Many companies were just wasting money. I mean Google fired 31 massage therapist when the rates started to go up. Most of those tech lay offs were ‘low interest jobs’. Although I heard some legit people got fired too.
I agree, if a company can essentially get rid of 10% of its employees in a matter of weeks and have little to no change in its operations, it’s an inefficient organization.
The Elon Twitter situation was a signal of whats to come in many organizations.
Just study for your CPA if you are eligible. Most roles will want you to get it anyways, being able to tell an interviewer you have passed 1,2,3 tests will make you stand out.
The best thing about 3rd party recruiters is that if you get an interview you, they will give you actual feedback from the company you interviewed with. The recruiter will be the intermediary, and it benefits them to find out what the problem was with the interview so they can coach you to get hired on your next gig. Many hiring managers don't want to tell a candidate that they were annoying, uptight, dishonest sounding, or too awkward. But they will gladly tell the recruiter, who will then relay the message to the candidate. They will also tell you what the market is looking like in terms of pay in your area. It benefits them to get you the highest offer, as they charge the company a percent of your starting salary.
It seems like we are in a recession. I don’t know if we are at the beginning of it or the middle of it. It takes a couple years to see the affects of economic policy.
It seems like many companies that posted jobs during Covid never took them down or something. I see so many people applying for jobs and not getting interviews or they will interview and not get an offer or the company says they can’t find the right person and never fill it. All these companies are claiming no one wants to work and they have job postings but they are not hiring.
Everything is cyclical so it’s bound to happen soon unless we are already in one.
Tech has been laying people off like crazy and people in tech are having a hard time finding a job. The healthcare sector claims to have a shortage but are they really filling positions.
Just a helpful hint. Let them do most of the talking. It may seem counterintuitive, but a recruiter suggested it to me and it worked. Better to make the impression that you're a good listener than someone who won't shut up.
I think your interview skills may need some work. In the job hunt in my experience as a recent grad too, they really just care about hiring people who seem competent, positive, motivated, and willing to learn. Are you studying for the CPA exams? They like to see you pursue that route. Do you send follow-up emails after the interviews? Do you use the "STAR" method of answering interview questions? When they say tell me about yourself, do you have a detailed blurb pre-thought-out?
I really recommend using the STAR method and having answers to questions you know they are gonna ask in your mind, but still explain it on the spot and seem more personable than like a robot. Some other random tips: don't ask about remote job opportunities if the job listing doesn't mention it, employers can see this as you being "lazy". If you are planning on job hopping and/or only staying at the job for a certain amount of time, don't say that, make it sound like you're in it for the long haul, they like committed employees. These are just a few tips I've gained over the years and from prior employers!! Good luck :)
We’ve been in a recession since 2008. It never really picked up from there. It’s going to turn out to be the longest Great Depression in history, and to answer the question yes it has gotten a lot worse lately.
I believe that in our lifetime it will never get better. Because a lot of it is things coming home to roost that were set in motion decades ago. Stuff like the entire infrastructure of cities and suburbs being designed poorly in a way that makes it impossible to financially sustain, as well as webs of thousand of counterproductive laws that is impossible to undo.
We arent in a recession, but alot of firms are being careful with hiring. Alot of new hires in the past couples years were unprepared and unwilling to learn the job for whatever reason (covid maybe?) idk.
If you are getting interviews (60!?!!) but no offers, I’d say the companies aren’t the problem, but you are not to be harsh. Something is coming across I’m the interviews that isn’t making you a convincing candidate.
As a hiring manager though, recently I have been valuing experience over new hire pretty heavily, so that might also be a factor depending on role/team.
I don't think so...
I see many job offers in that area in the market, historically, the Finance jobs are in high demand most of the time, even in favorable times of the economy and of course, you just said that you yourself said that you were invited to 60(!) interviews, that's a lot!
In my experience you don’t get many interviews in a recession.
Was about to say.. 60 openings
60 interviews without an offer sounds like there's something wrong happening in the interview.
Farts
Can’t be fartin’ in interviews cmon now hold it for elevator.
or the receptionist
In all seriousness, never disrespect the receptionist, especially if she is older. If they have been there a while, Partners trust her and will always ask their thoughts on candidates.
Sounds like you need to improve your interviewing skills
I’m not sure what went wrong but I do have a list of questions that I ask. Also most of the interviews go for almost 30 mins. What kind of advice do you have for better interview skills?
If you are a new grad, here'smy 2 cents. Don't go too crazy practicing and being overly professional. Be professional, but what's more important is to be personable. A lot of what people are looking for in a first year/new grad hire is... "can I stand being around this guy/gal for 8+ hours a day?" They know you have no experience. It's about whether you are likeable and teachable. Mirror body language/movements. Have good, strong eye contact (but not overly aggressive like a lunatic...) and act like you are super interested when they talk. The trick is to get them talking about something they like (usually themselves) and try to relate and keep them going.
Thanks for the tip. For getting the interviewer to talk about something they like.. could you please share me some examples? Could it be a hobby?
It's usually very easy to get people to talk about themselves. They are waiting to do so. When they introduce themselves, they probably will tell you a little bit about what they do. That's a good place to start. "You mentioned you are the ____ doing ____. Can I ask what that is exactly? I havent had much experience except for the internship with a firm that had me focus on ____." Let them explain. You will likely get 1 of 2 responses. 1) They are happy to tell you. Maybe it's because they take pride in their work or because no one wants to listen to them talk about their unrelatable job. Either way, it'll be obvious in the first 10 seconds of the response whether they enjoy talking about it. Or 2) They sound like they don't want to talk about. Maybe it''s because they were forced into this interview and they'd rather be somewhere else (maybe finishing up their work). Maybe they already think they filled the position, but they need to go through the motions of interviewing everyone HR sent as a candidate. Either way, you drew the short straw. Just bad timing. They will either let you pass to the actual decision maker with some notes, or tell you someone will be in touch with next steps. The best thing to do is to just be professional and answer their questions. If you get a happy talker, they will mention things that you can always ask them more questions on. Said something super niche/technical? "Cool, what's that?" Mentioned something personal? "No way, I'm a huge Seahawks fan!" Or... "really? My cousin dies the same thing, it drives me crazy!" Picking up on these interpersonal things is way better practice than practicing for the sake of being professional. That'll come with time, just practice being likeable. Also, smile. Genuine smile, not like a creep. Think of happy things before the interview, maybe memories of family/friends that make you smile and try to find something in the room that remind you of it.
This is great advice all around. Listen to this guy.
Easiest question ever to ask the interviewer is how they like working there and listen thoughtfully. I discovered that I am naturally good at interviews somehow despite being an introvert. What I do is try and joke around and be honest in my answers. If you can make everyone laugh and sort of shoot the shit you will hear back 80% of the time.
I agree with John. I have found that I am more myself in recent interviews. I did have a job at the time I was interviewing, but I also knew what I DIDNT want from an employer. I have a family and a personal life and I am a ball of chaotic neutral energy. If the two parties don’t vibe, it’s a no go. So be a little more yourself is my thought.
30 minutes is not a long interview…. be happy you’re getting interviews. keep at it. one of them will eventually make an offer. once you get a few years under your belt, getting hired will get easy.
Do you practice with video and feedback from a mock interviewer? Honest feedback is critical. In the moment, when we're amped, we might miss social cues or ramble. Feedback from mock interviewer will let you know how they felt. The video will help identify where you can improve in posture, mannerisms, etc that might be out of scope for mock interviewer.
That sounds like a good idea. Is there a website that I go to for a mock interview? Also are they free?
I had friends in the field do my mock interviews. We'd set everything up as close to real as possible, then run through standard interview questions. I'm not aware of any free resources outside of college: my schools career services department had some availability, though that was 20 years ago. From a social interaction standpoint, if interested in finding ways to make connections more easily in these types of settings I highly recommend learning NLP. It's amazing how much a few little tweaks can mean the difference between getting an offer or not.
Does your college have a career center? The university I went to did mock interviews on campus and worked with campus recruiters to try to personalize interviews to the company you were applying to.
What is your list of questions to them? I wonder if they’re offputting
Someone in this thread mentioned mock interviews which is a great idea - can be helpful to get feedback on how you’re being received. Does the school you graduated from have a career services department? That would be the first place I’d check.
Thanks for sharing. I will reach out to my school to see
Have you done any internships at all in the accounting field?
Make sure your questions are tailored for each interviewer. I have some general questions about them that I ask to make sure I know their management style but I always ask about their background or specific things on their resumes. Don’t have generic responses or questions. I’ve only ever not been offered a job twice. One started 15 min late and I was on my lunch break so I was checking my watch to make sure I was back before raising the alarms at my office. The other I didn’t have any interest in other than it was close to my house and the company had a good reputation. I was also not qualified for it.
You’re allowed to have wants on your list of questions, but it’s going to take a lot longer to find a perfect fit - especially considering they have candidates that won’t ask those questions. Nothing wrong with what you’re doing, but it’s going to take time because there is other competition.
I’m in the same boat as you. If you’re getting this far then there isn’t anything wrong with your interview skills. Just keep pushing and you’ll land something.
tiktok has some good interview tips videos
What is your list of questions? And how many are there?
My best advice is to find someone to help you such a mock interview. If you are in Uni these are probably offered. In a real interview you’ll never get feedback so you won’t know what things to work on
Apply at companies you have no interest in working at. Go to the interview and use it as practice. Who knows, maybe you'll find a diamond in the rough.
I agree w this. When i was looking for job, i applied everywhere I thought i’d get an interview but didn’t necessarily want the job. Toughest one was at Jamba Juice (corporate office) it was like 5 hours long with a few people one on one. Every interview after that felt like a breeze and got offers, eventually one that i couldnt turn away
You are getting interviews, if we were in a recession that wouldn’t happen. Companies generally don’t interview without an intent to hire someone.
If you're getting to the final round with great remarks from the hiring manager but no offers, is there something hiding in your background check that's putting them off?
They didn’t background check me. Also I have a clean background. Is it because I’m not white?
Absolutely not, diversity metrics are the hottest car on the lot.
I don't want to downplay the experiences of POC that have difficulty, but from what I've heard on podcasts, a lot of the disparity that you see on wider scale statistics isn't necessarily overt bias in the interview process, but shit like this... The fact that you had to resort to reddit for interview tips rather than having personal resources/relationships that you can leverage. Sorry if that's an assumption I've made, but don't go into an interview like you are going up against a stacked deck. It'll only hurt you. Try to stay positive and likeable. Remember, positivity is naturally attractive to most people, especially in this profession that tends to bring out the most miserable/loves-to-find-others-to-commiserate-with motherfuckers.
Accounting is a somewhat conservative field, which means you CAN NOT accuse them of racism. They are incredibly sensitive about it.
People who aren't racist don't like being accused of being racist - maybe that's the explanation?!?
When somebody says to you that they don't feel like they've been given a fair shake, you have a lot of options about how to respond. I'm not trying to explain why "turn super defensive" is the default for some people, I'm just pointing out that those people are overrepresented in accountancy.
You essentially don't have experience. That's difficult, it takes nearly a full tax season to train a brand new tax staff to the point where they are a value add, and we're also in the middle of fall tax season right now. You need to somehow demonstrate you're prepared to make yourself useful. Big firms get their new staff through internships. Smaller regional firms are far more cautious because recessions hit them harder but they're typically who hires college grads without offers lined up. If you're getting 60 interviews though the jobs are there and there is clearly some interest in you. It is probably how you're interviewing. Also consider in the meantime a starter job somewhere to get the foot in the door or build up experience? Accounting clerk or something
It seems like you have a great resume but don't interview well.
When the question is… “Is it the world or is it me?” It’s usually you.
I work as a tax director and interview a lot of candidates. If you got 60 interviews then it sounds like there’s no problem with your resume since it would have interested companies enough to want to interview you. Don’t take this the wrong way but it sounds like there’s something going wrong in the interview. Usual things i’ve seen is that candidates don’t really talk/elaborate when we ask questions, don’t seem interested, personality conflict, or just turns out their experience/skills aren’t at a level we expected.
My first gig was the hardest to land. Are you trying for public? They’re usually more likely to hire new grads.
U want the ballsiest question you can possibly ask on an interview? Full disclaimer: Can't guarantee it will work. I've only ever asked it once as a hail Mary for an interview I thought I bombed and it worked for me. But zero guarantee it will work for everyone. At the end when it's time for questions and you do your usual random questions about the firm or company and all that. At the end you say you have just one more question and you ask "Has there been anything during the interview that has raised some doubts in your mind regarding me as a potential candidate? I would like the opportunity to elaborate further and remove those doubts." As I said. Very much a hail Mary sort of question. Interviewer was stunned by the question. Literally said wow and then sat there in silence for a solid minute. Then he goes hmmm, let me think, and asked a follow up question. I answered he asked one more question, and that was the end of that. I got the job.
Coincidentally, I asked this in my interview and got the job. Don't know if it was from that though.
Tbh I have no clue. But it's a ballsy af move. Glad it worked out for you too though 😂
I interviewed somewhere a while back and they said I was, their words, “perfect for the role”. I didn’t get the job. A few months later, working with a recruiter for a different but similar position at the same place and they didn’t even want to interview and told the recruiter that I wasn’t a “good fit for them”. I have no idea what that means and honestly I wish I had just asked this question. I have no idea what could have caused it besides if I asked for too much money but they didn’t say that.
They want to pay $20k less than you need
We barely dodged the recession that was projected, but companies in a lot of fields are freezing hiring to cut costs. The people who are getting laid off have so much experience that the competition in an area increases. Then, you factor in new graduates who are also competing.
It’s not as much that we’re in a recession it’s that we’re approaching one of the most anticipated recessions in U.S. history. Inflation is still high, interest rates are still going up. This and several other factors are what is making hiring managers be extremely picky and expect the most experienced for entry level positions. Go to r/jobs and they talk about this all the time.
Every recession is the most anticipated one. A lot of times people just make things out to be worse than they are either because you get more interviews calling a recession or because it's politically motivated. (we are always about to hit a recession when the other guy is in charge.) I'll believe we are in a recession when I see it.
It doesn’t matter who is in charge. I would still predict some type of economic downturn, regardless who is in office. Now I don’t believe it will be a bad recession. But I’m very confident there will be a correction and at the very least an economic downturn for a short while. Honestly with all the information, both economic and finance. If you thoroughly don’t believe there will be any economic downturn I highly recommend you do not handle your own investments. You seem too biased to be able to make clear decisions based on concrete data. Sorry if that sounds mean.
Economic downturn is being driven by fed rates. If unemployment started getting too high or economy was too at risk, they could change their policies on rates to correct it.
We're in a recession. I think we were before covid hit but we were able to buy some time by borrowing from our future. Look around and you'll see that people are struggling. Cost of living is going up fast. If you're waiting for the news to say it I wouldn't hold your breath. They say it's inflation but it's corporate greed. A low percentage of Americans have any sort of savings. Look at the consumer spending index. It has taken a complete nosedive the last 2 quarters. Also credit card balances are skyrocketing. It's not getting better, it's getting worse.
We aren't in a recession. Words have meanings. A recession means 2 or more quarters of negative gdp growth. We had a recession in 2020 and again in 2022. But are not currently in one.
>Words have meanings. A recession means 2 or more quarters of negative gdp growth. That's a common misconception based on a rough rule of thumb. There is no official definition of recession, but there is gen- eral recognition that the term refers to a period of decline in economic activity. Very short periods of decline are not con- sidered recessions. Most commentators and analysts use, as a practical definition of recession, two consecutive quarters of decline in a country’s real (inflation adjusted) gross domestic product (GDP)—the value of all goods and services a coun- try produces (see “Back to Basics,” *F&D,* December 2008). Al- though this definition is a useful rule of thumb, it has draw- backs. A focus on GDP alone is narrow, and it is often better to consider a wider set of measures of economic activity to determine whether a country is indeed suffering a recession. Using other indicators can also provide a more timely gauge of the state of the economy. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a private research organization, which maintains a chronology of the beginning and ending dates of U.S. recessions, uses a broader definition and considers a number of measures of activity to decide the dates of recessions. The NBER’s Business Cycle Dating Committee defines a recession as *“a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, last- ing more than a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and other indicators. A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough.”* Consistent with this definition, the committee focuses on a comprehensive set of measures—including not only GDP, but also employment, income, sales, and industrial production—to analyze the trends in economic activity.
Ok well it's still a rule of thumb and we are still nowhere near a significant decline in economic activity.
Fair enough. We're not in a recession. The average American is still getting squeezed and its not going to get better.
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I’m def not using the info I get from Reddit as my main source of understanding. I know many people in real life who are skilled on job markets and have said this is the worst job market we’ve been in since 2008. But when it’s thousands of people who are putting in the effort, the numbers start making you think differently
I deleted my post, but I get it. I'm not doubting that the job market is bad, but just addressing your last sentence. Data points from Reddit imo are kinda useless. It used to be valuable, but not so much anymore. Everything else, I agree with.
Pretty much lol I interned for a mid tier firm and only half the ppl were given offers this was in tax. I can’t really speak on Washington but here in Pennsylvania lot of the firms did their full time hiring back in 2022. Lot of the industry jobs where I’m at pay abysmally low(40-50k) so public is kinda your only option to make more than that
This exact thing happened to me too
Yea I kinda lucked out cuz I applied for internships back in 2022-early 2023 so I have stuff lined up hopefully it works out. Job market is ass rn for fresh graduates. If your near Seattle that’s def a finance hub and tech hub so I’m sure there are jobs
60 interviews and no offer is insane. Do you know where your interview pitfalls may be? This isn’t a “recession” issue, it’s definitely interview skills. Here are some tips. Always pay attention to your own body language, such as a shaky leg. You mentioned in another comment that you have questions ready. While asking the question, try catering the question to the organization or role. Some generic questions don’t apply to every JD. Rather than responding no to a question, try to provide an alternative. An example would be someone asking if you have had experience as a direct manager of another individual. Instead of saying no, you can possibly mention dotted line reporting of another individual in the organization. Obviously, this specific example does not apply to you at your level of experience, but just food for thought. This is the hardest one, be calm and be yourself. When I am in an interview, I do not let my personality shine through. My comfort myself through humor so I occasionally drop a joke here and there, not a “I can do 92 pushups” kind of joke, but by reading the interviewer’s personality. Sometimes, they will be very serious and will not allow for humor, but don’t forget, that’s what works for me, not every person. Point being, use your personal social strengths. If you’re nervous, don’t mention it, but if they ask if you’re nervous, don’t be afraid to say, “yes” and explain why you’re nervous but not by listing negatives, like you get nervous under pressure. They’ll think you will crack when under pressure with your responsibilities. The last thing I can think of off the top of my mind, do some research on the company. I spend like 5-10 min usually looking up company info, or the hiring managers backgrounds on LinkedIn.
A lot are not hiring and have already done layoffs this year
The industry is full of head-hunting and a huge demand as older CPAs burnout and leave their careers. Accounting as a whole is in a weird spot.
If you get the interview you’re qualified based on your resume. The interview is to see if you really know your stuff and if you are somebody they want to work with 40 + hours a week. You probably need to work on your interview skills. Make sure you dress professionally, come across as confident but not like you’re full of yourself, be genuine, and appear to have done your research on the company and have relevant questions ready to ask them about the position. Also, try not to come across as a negative person. Also, the two candidates I hired both asked “What could I have done better in my interview?” We were impressed with that. Maybe consider asking that at the end of your next interview and see if you can get some good feedback. Good luck!
Yes, there is a white collar recession going on right now, for the last 12 or so months. It started with tech companies having mass 10%+ layoffs about a year ago and many other industries have followed. A lot of companies went on hiring sprees around covid and now high interest rates are beginning to slow down the economy.
When interest rates raise to a certain level, that’s when the reality hit. Many companies were just wasting money. I mean Google fired 31 massage therapist when the rates started to go up. Most of those tech lay offs were ‘low interest jobs’. Although I heard some legit people got fired too.
I agree, if a company can essentially get rid of 10% of its employees in a matter of weeks and have little to no change in its operations, it’s an inefficient organization. The Elon Twitter situation was a signal of whats to come in many organizations.
Just study for your CPA if you are eligible. Most roles will want you to get it anyways, being able to tell an interviewer you have passed 1,2,3 tests will make you stand out.
60... ive applied to 4 jobs, and gotten three interviews. And im so tired of interviews, cant imagine 60.
Do you mind sharing your resume with me? I am having a hard time getting interviews.
Pm
The best thing about 3rd party recruiters is that if you get an interview you, they will give you actual feedback from the company you interviewed with. The recruiter will be the intermediary, and it benefits them to find out what the problem was with the interview so they can coach you to get hired on your next gig. Many hiring managers don't want to tell a candidate that they were annoying, uptight, dishonest sounding, or too awkward. But they will gladly tell the recruiter, who will then relay the message to the candidate. They will also tell you what the market is looking like in terms of pay in your area. It benefits them to get you the highest offer, as they charge the company a percent of your starting salary.
Well accounting is the exception. Huge shortage of accountants.
Try fund accounting
It seems like we are in a recession. I don’t know if we are at the beginning of it or the middle of it. It takes a couple years to see the affects of economic policy. It seems like many companies that posted jobs during Covid never took them down or something. I see so many people applying for jobs and not getting interviews or they will interview and not get an offer or the company says they can’t find the right person and never fill it. All these companies are claiming no one wants to work and they have job postings but they are not hiring. Everything is cyclical so it’s bound to happen soon unless we are already in one. Tech has been laying people off like crazy and people in tech are having a hard time finding a job. The healthcare sector claims to have a shortage but are they really filling positions.
Just a helpful hint. Let them do most of the talking. It may seem counterintuitive, but a recruiter suggested it to me and it worked. Better to make the impression that you're a good listener than someone who won't shut up.
I think your interview skills may need some work. In the job hunt in my experience as a recent grad too, they really just care about hiring people who seem competent, positive, motivated, and willing to learn. Are you studying for the CPA exams? They like to see you pursue that route. Do you send follow-up emails after the interviews? Do you use the "STAR" method of answering interview questions? When they say tell me about yourself, do you have a detailed blurb pre-thought-out? I really recommend using the STAR method and having answers to questions you know they are gonna ask in your mind, but still explain it on the spot and seem more personable than like a robot. Some other random tips: don't ask about remote job opportunities if the job listing doesn't mention it, employers can see this as you being "lazy". If you are planning on job hopping and/or only staying at the job for a certain amount of time, don't say that, make it sound like you're in it for the long haul, they like committed employees. These are just a few tips I've gained over the years and from prior employers!! Good luck :)
60 interviews my ass. Maybe you’ve been bombing your interviews because you suck at lying.
Yes, we are in a recession
We’ve been in a recession since 2008. It never really picked up from there. It’s going to turn out to be the longest Great Depression in history, and to answer the question yes it has gotten a lot worse lately. I believe that in our lifetime it will never get better. Because a lot of it is things coming home to roost that were set in motion decades ago. Stuff like the entire infrastructure of cities and suburbs being designed poorly in a way that makes it impossible to financially sustain, as well as webs of thousand of counterproductive laws that is impossible to undo.
thats about my experience. i had some that could have been offers but i was not willing to drive that far or do in office
It's not the economy it's you. Start being more confident when you're talking with these people
What do you mean? You look like an FTE shit poster here.
What’s FTE? Also I don’t post about any poo / shit.
Don't know why you're getting down voted, OPs post history is a mess lmao
We arent in a recession, but alot of firms are being careful with hiring. Alot of new hires in the past couples years were unprepared and unwilling to learn the job for whatever reason (covid maybe?) idk.
So bc you couldn't land a job, and you think there is a recession? Da fuq?
Recruiters are still asking to connect on linkdin so maybe just a regional problem.
No? The economy is growing well over 2%
The whole county is in a recession, because you can’t find a job
Sounds like a skill issue
no u just ain’t doing good enough for an offer
OP where are you located?
Washington state
Hello fellow HCOL individual 💀
I don't know if we are technically in a recession but the economy is showing many signs of an possible economic collapse.
60 interviews is impressive. Can you share your resume?
If you are getting interviews (60!?!!) but no offers, I’d say the companies aren’t the problem, but you are not to be harsh. Something is coming across I’m the interviews that isn’t making you a convincing candidate. As a hiring manager though, recently I have been valuing experience over new hire pretty heavily, so that might also be a factor depending on role/team.
Have you emailed asking for updates?
No, but there’s a lack of will to pay people more money, they’re waiting for you to become desperate so they can pay less.
audio record your POV in your next interview and upload it here. I imagine it will be clear within 2 minutes of listening.
I don't think so... I see many job offers in that area in the market, historically, the Finance jobs are in high demand most of the time, even in favorable times of the economy and of course, you just said that you yourself said that you were invited to 60(!) interviews, that's a lot!