I am in a pretty much pigeonholed group for tax at B4. I was wondering for people who were/are in a similar situation how do you handle interviews for more general tax roles? Also any success stories are greatly appreciated as well! Need some motivation…
I have been interviewing a lot for the past 2 months and while the B4 experience gets me interviews, I’ve yet to receive an offer. It has been really hard for me, so any advice is appreciated.
Deloitte EY PwC KPMG
I’m not a tax guy, but this is what I can give you to motivate you:
Remember the Chinese bamboo tree. It takes 5 years of watering before it even yields a bud from the ground. Then suddenly in 6 weeks it grows 100 feet tall. So did it tree grow in 5 years or did it grow in 6 weeks?
Lesson for you is:
Don’t give up, and rest assured that you will find a way out and that some day by working hard you’ll have the opportunity to realise so much of your potential in a really short period of time.
This comment is so deep and encouraging!!!!
I left a specialty group after a couple years and started with a different firm. In my case I let them know I didn’t know anything about general tax but was looking to learn and that is why I wanted to change firms. For me it was basically like starting my career completely over. I guess my advice is be willing to start from ground zero and let the new employer know you have entry level experience. Don’t sell your knowledge in your niche as a reason to hire you, or the new firm will definitely try to exploit that skill.
Ahh okay seems like this was earlier in your career than me. I’m a senior now so I’m thinking I may have to take the hit 😔
A lot of firms are happy to let you transfer to another tax group as opposed to lose someone entirely, though it can be slow to make happen. I’ve seen people go from transfer pricing to M&A, from provision to international tax, from tax to advisory, etc. It usually slows down promotions though. I understand the desire to leave public accounting entirely, but just wanted to say it’s an option.
My dad (also an accountant) keeps pressuring me to switch to audit because of exit opportunities. I was recent hired as an experienced associate at a new firm and uhhh I just don’t know if it’s the best move
Try and get a transfer/rotation in the general tax group, preferable with working on corps. My firm is hurting for people right now, so I’d assume yours has similar issues. Try and get through one busy season and then look for another job. I think you’d have a much easier time.
Internal move is easier if you’re willing to stick it out for another year. There are TONS of open positions right now and you can probably get a relatively expedited transfer if you have support from your current business leader (presumably they’d rather have you stay and move to another group v leave the firm entirely). I imagine BTS in any office is hard up for ppl right now, esp at senior level
Marcum is open to working with accountants who are looking to switch focus. Please feel free to reach out to me to discuss opportunities we have.
Sounds like it would probably be better to transfer internally to get broader experience first. It's easier to make an internal transfer than get another firm to 'bet on you' in an area you don't know
Network with the group you desire and offer to help them during their busy season. After that season, ask to transfer or leverage your newly minted experience for a position at another firm.
i was in salt tax - asset mgmt when i started. I kept transferring internally to other groups leveraging skill sets i picked up along the way. I also really studied for interviews and networked. 5 years later im now a product manager making 3x what i began with. leverage short tours if you can't get a full transfer.
What area of tax?
Can you be a little more specific? Just curious what you call pigeonholed
If you are a critical thinker and good at tax try M&A.
Hi! I’ve been doing this for a long time and have seen a lot of success stories with people finding a happy landing spot after a few tries. More than happy to chat if you want to message me.