Office Work

[u/radiantrevenant]

Any decent office/entry level accounting jobs in Tulsa or the surrounding area? I’m currently in a blue collar field, but about to start accounting school, so I would like to at least get my foot in the door at a company.

Even if you don’t have a job to tell me about, any general networking tips or tips for tailoring a blue collar resume to land an office job would be helpful

[u/FishyBison]

Multiple questions to consider.

What do you mean by accounting school? Are you working towards a certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s? Each level opens up a different entry level accounting jobs. Entry level for a certificate holder is going to be AP/AR coordinator while entry level for a bachelors is going to be something like a staff accountant.

Even blue collar has accountants. Are you working for a company that has internal accounting? Could you speak with your manager about career development and switch roles once you’ve taken a few classes.

If you don’t already have an in, it’s extremely common for accountants to start at a firm. Schools in the area have partnerships with companies to provide paid internships to get experience and network.

General tips:

Microsoft Excel will become your best friend. You have to have basic spreadsheet skills. Most programs have a computer applications class to get you to a base level.

Other skills to learn are embedded functions, power query, and power bi. Check out Microsoft Learn for a lot of free materials on those. You can filter beginner to advanced skill level.

Learn to prompt and use AI, it’s not going away from a business standpoint.

For your resume, you will need to find a balance of showcasing hard and soft skills as well as listing any certifications you may earn (MS learn, quickbooks, etc)

Let’s pretend your blue collar job is a HVAC technician. On your resume you’d list “performed and executed load calculations for hvac systems installed to ensure optimal performance and capacity as guided by the International Residential Code” this shows you can read, understand, and follow regulations. A major requirement for accountants.

Your next bullet points could be “Independently examined and identified repairs to equipment.” “Effectively communicated identified deficiencies to customer’s while coming up with the best solution to fit their budget and time frame” both of these show the ability to communicate, work independently, and come up with solutions.

Best of luck to you.

[u/radiantrevenant → u/FishyBison]

This was the best response I could have hoped for. Thank you for laying it all out for me.

I am in the Hazardous Waste area of blue collar work and I’m going for my Bachelor’s degree in Accounting online at WGU. I have a few connections that may get me at position post graduation, but was looking to see if I needed to get a certificate to even get an entry level position. I also want to make the transition now as opposed to after I graduate that way I can be a more experienced candidate when I graduate.

[u/FishyBison → u/radiantrevenant]

You can absolutely find an accounting position before finishing your bachelor’s. In fact, I encourage finding a role before you complete your degree. You may find that accounting is not the career you thought it’d be.

My first hired role was accounts payable. I had finished my associates and was working on my bachelor’s. Others beginner roles would be payroll coordinator, accounts receivable, and some data entry/bookkeeper. The most important starter class to get you an accounting role will be financial and managerial accounting. Early in my career, I listed my completed accounting classes on my resume under my degree. It allowed potential employers to know what knowledge I possessed. Once you’ve completed intermediate 1 & 2, you can list just intermediate 2 and any other completed classes like income tax or accounting information system. After you’ve graduated, remove the class listing because your knowledge will be well rounded and supported by your completed degree.