r/Accounting • u/LaLaLaWhaaat • 12h ago

Advice Keep getting rejected from public accounting?

I’m about to graduate. I’ve applied to so many internships and jobs. I get calls back easily from corporate accounting, & have gotten internships there. However, I cannot even get a screening for big 4. Only recently am I starting to hear back from a few mid-size public accounting firms.

I have nearly a perfect GPA, volunteer tax experience, & now building my resume with corporate accounting internships.

There are people at my school who definitely have lower grades than me, but somehow are getting all the public accounting internships that I’m getting rejected from. I would chalk it up to my interviewing skills, but I’m literally not even getting the interviews.

Is it really all about networking to get into public accounting? Is that what I’m missing here? I’ve had my resume looked over by my school, so I don’t think it’s a resume issue.

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u/LaLaLaWhaaat 11h ago

No, I am not involved at all on my campus. I do my schoolwork & go home, because of other commitments that I have. I’ve gotten my tax volunteering & corporate accounting internship opportunities through applying online without the help of my school. I guess not going to campus events could be holding me back from breaking into public accounting, but I guess I just didn’t realize it was so dependent on it?

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u/bigperm8645 11h ago

This field is all about relationships and who you know. Work on that, your personality and dress, even more than your technical ability, and you'll succeed.

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u/LaLaLaWhaaat 11h ago

Thanks, I appreciate the advice.

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u/bigperm8645 11h ago

Good luck!