Thursday, May 7, 2009

Those 3 Letters Strike Again!

I have been sick the past few days (thankfully not with the swine flu), so I didn't get a chance to post.
Earlier this week, I had yet another interview with a company I have been interviewing with for what seems like an eternity. I am not complaining because I am fortunate for this opportunity, especially considering the current state of the job market. However, it seems like such a prolonged experience compared to the last time I was looking for a job.
Of course, the dreaded subject came up at this interview – “The only thing I don’t see on your resume is your CPA license.” Here we go again; they like me, but can’t justify hiring a non-CPA for the position. Those 3 letters didn't matter that much when I was going on interviews a couple of years ago (some of my then would-be bosses didn't have their CPA licenses either and weren't even planning on taking the Exam).
Well, to this I respond that I am currently taking the Exam: passed one, sat for one last week, taking another in 3 weeks, and hope to pass by mid-summer. I had to make it crystal clear that I would be a CPA very soon after they hired me. The interviewer then looked at my resume again and asked if I have all the requirements for my license. He seemed relieved when I noted that all I have to do is pass the test because I already have my 2 years of public experience.
Maybe (at least) one of the other candidates is a CPA and my lack of a license would take me out of the running for this position? It is a shame if that happens because a person’s experience and personality should mean more than those 3 letters. We will see what happens. How is your job search going?

6 comments:

  1. Good luck! I empathise, although I got my CPA, I found it difficult to study for other standardized entrance tests when I thought about possible grad school forays some years ago. I just learned of your blog today when I saw @cpa_trendlines post it on twitter, so maybe you've talked about this before, but give your area of interest in cooking, maybe you can create some mnemonics or 'recipes' using the material for the CPA exam relating it to cooking [no! not cooked books :) ]. Or maybe you could invite others to suggest some such recipes to you! Then one day, you'll be The Cooking CPA! And, your value in life I'm sure you know is not based on a test score or certain letters after your name. Good luck on all your future paths!

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  2. Thanks Edith! That's a very interesting idea!

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  3. i'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!!

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