Before we get started with posting information about CPA Fall Recruit workshops and events, we thought it may be good to address a couple basic question that many of you may have – What is CPA Fall Recruit all about and is it time for me to be involved?
This post will address these questions and should help to give you a better idea of what CPA Fall Recruit is all about and what you can expect.
To become a CPA, you will need to meet their practical experience requirements, which fall under two streams – approved path and experience verification. In general, this occurs concurrently to completion of the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP), i.e. after you complete DAP.
As you start thinking about your job search, you’ll come across two different recruitment cycles, both of which will support your end goal of meeting the CPA practical experience requirements.
The first is a very visible one is the very structured, very rigorous CPA Fall Recruit. The majority of positions available through CPA Fall Recruit are approved path positions, working in public practice, with national & mid-sized accounting firms, which represent a large source of hiring for our students (among other accounting students). During CPA Fall Recruit, firms hire students one year in advance of starting with their firm. Application time is in September of each year for positions that generally start the following September (i.e. for the upcoming CPA Fall Recruit, firms are hiring for positions that will start September 2015). This also means that employers will expect you to start the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) at the same time as starting employment, so all CPA PEP pre-requisite courses must also be complete by the time you start working.
Most DAP students who are interested in pursuing this route to gain their work experience will be going through this cycle soon after they start DAP (since DAP only takes 10 – 24 months to complete). A very frequent question we get asked is: “I only have a couple courses on my transcript. Will this be a detriment to my application, or should I be waiting until I have completed most or all of the coursework?” The answer is: Absolutely not! Of course, if the grades you earned on the two courses you did take were not strong, they may not look favourably on this, but in most cases, firms understand that DAP students will only have a few courses on their DAP transcript and will not only look at your DAP transcript, but also your undergraduate degree and any other post-secondary education you have to date. Firms are the ones posting jobs a year in advance; they understand you will have a year of grades missing from your transcript. And, did you know that firms love the diversity of our students? Do not underestimate the power of your undergraduate degree! And, all of the other skills, attributes and transferable experience you will bring to their team!
Now that we’ve outlined the CPA Fall Recruit cycle, let’s look at the second type of recruitment. Most of you have probably been on job boards, applied for positions online and gone through the typical application process of securing a position with a company. Companies post jobs when they need a position filled, whether it be a marketing position, operations, admin, or….accounting! In most cases, the positions that you will find through this type of recruitment will fall under CPA’s experience verification stream. Companies will hire positions year-round as the need arises. If there is a specific company or industry of interest to you, start building your networks now to see if there is a way in. Or, keep an eye out on various job boards, attend networking events and continue building your resume. Remember, you will want to consult with CPA on their work experience verification guidelines to ensure the position you find will meet their requirements.
Remember to check back regularly for the latest news and updates for #CPARecruit2014!