Leaving public tax for private - and, I've got two offers on the table. One is a manufacturer, other is a start up. Start up sounds way more exciting, but I hear such horror stories about working at them 👀. Any advice or insights would be immensely helpful!

Post Photo
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

If you're not getting any kind of equity, don't work for the start up.

like

For the start-up, do you have the right to buy stock if they go public? If they are already public, do they issue stock grants?

I think there are other decisions to review also also besides equity comp. I assume based on your title you have less than 5 years experience (correct me if I’m wrong):
1. Team: how big is the team in each? How are questions answered, who will mentor you? You might get to see a lot of things and working under pressure (which will make you more marketable down the road for future roles).
2. Which entity makes money? Startups usually burn cash in the pursuit of growth? This translates into NOLS and losses which usually means little or no bonuses (cash). You can issue a trillion dollars worth of options, but unless the company has an exit or IPO above your strike price, you may not see a cent.
3. Actual work: how are returns and provision handled? In house or “co-sourced.” When co-sourced, internal tax folks are usually first to go in years of consistent losses. Bringing that work in house also requires a significant technology investment as well.
4. Career growth: in my #1 above, if you’re part of a larger team, you might not get promoted as fast as you’d like. In a leaner team where it’s trial by fire, you have a wider runway to growth. I’ve seen peers get hired by PE portfolio companies as a tax senior or manager to rise to a VP role. Again, trial by fire, and larger runway. The flipside is that between resource constraints and budget cuts, I’ve seen a few burn out. YMMV.

Important questions to ask:
1. Who will be your mentor? How do they plan on growing you?
2. How will they set you up for future success?
3. How will they invest in your development?
4. Finally, what do you want out of a career in tax?

Good luck.

Related Posts

Does Blockchain really have a future? What will be the role of QA Engineers in this technology and how we can be master and get ready if we want to get into this specialization...

Just started b4 m&a — first job out of law school for reference — I don’t know what I’m doing at all and imposter syndrome is kicking in very badly. Any helpful resources ppl recommend for starting out?

like

So I left my medical interpreter job back in February due to differences with management and I’m working to make the jump to another field such as Higher Ed and/or Tech. One that I’ve been particularly interested in is Amazon (corporate) but I have no idea how to make the transition there. Any recommendations/tips?

like

Would moving to another country for corporate finance be a bad idea? What countries might be best or perhaps easiest?

like

What are exits for tech transfer? Have an opportunity, but idk if I want to work for university commercialization offices for the rest of my life

like

MSFT or AWS? As Tech Pre Sales and why?

like

Any recommendations for next steps or areas to grow for a partner success manager? Recommendations on industries to look at?

like

Hey all, having issues with interviewing this year. I’ve been passed over every opportunity I really want and I’m unsure how to regroup and move forward. I’m really trying to break into method development roles and I haven’t had the opportunity to do so with my analytical experience. A lot of my HPLC and LCMS experience is with already established methods. Any tips?

like

Friend in Valuation Finance (age 23) states that by 30, so 7 years from now, he can easily hit 300k-400k salary especially if he goes IB route. Is this true? Trying to figure out the best opps to be taking interest in.

likehelpful

I have been told that networking is crucial to move up in healthcare management. What is the best way to go about networking?

like

What are some resources (paid or otherwise) that will make me a better banker? Wall street prep's course was great, anything else that would help me ramp up as a nontraditional background, lateral recent hire?

I'm up for associate promo next year and nowhere near ready right now (obviously).

like

What are the coolest exits from Digital?

like

Hi! In the process of switching from South FloRida to PA again to work at a hospital but making the same money? The switch would open me to be closer to family for support and the have a nursing prog,since the benefits are attractive and I’m looking forward to the future growth. The thing is they claim i only have experience of 7 years and offering me less than what I make now. I wanna go, but any suggestions on this negotiation cause I would still need to pay for a place to live and expenses.

like

Hello Folks,
Good Morning.

Can anyone help me as to how can I start having experience in SAP. All my professional years I haven't got a chance to have a hands on experience but want to get an understanding of SAP.
Can anyone please help me with the same ?

How realistic is it to land an AD position as a fresh grad (with a doctorates) and a handful of pharma & FDA interships? Context: I'll have over a year of (consistent) work experience at a large pharma company and I have prior leadership/mgt experience (< 10 yrs) in a gov't role prior to changing careers and pursuing a doctorates.

Also, whats the pay difference between Sr Manager and AD at a large pharma company? TIA!

like

With two years of work ex as Data analytics and constant upskilling from Coursera / Scaler towards product management domain how do I align and prepare for roles in Microsoft in the big picture atleast an year or two from now?

Not asking for referrals when I'm not worthy yet, but I'm willing learn until i do so any guidance is appreciated. Thankyou.

like

Do you think consulting is not the right path for core technical people ?

like

I’ve been in my current position (Bookkeeper) for 4 years now. I’m highly interested in taking the PHR, and I’m wondering if I would qualify for the 4 year HR professional job requirement to be eligible to test for the certificate. I work for a small business, therefore I do all the on boarding paperwork/payroll. Any advice is appreciated.

like

take job with long commute or stay at b4?

like

Anyone gone from PA to CBRE ? Do you like it ?

like

More Posts

This bowl has been growing weekly and I love it 🤩! If you are new to this community please share where you’re from and what you are looking to gain from being a part of this bowl?

like

I've been trying to figure out why TikTok is so popular. I mean, I get it: it's easy to use and fun, but what's the ROI?

like

Looking for a job in Salesforce ... anything related to order management?

like

Anyone is a tech role in healthcare ? If so what is your title so you enjoy it?

like

Hello fishes , what is the max compensation for position " it architect" role in Iqvia.

like

Anyone in late 20s-early 30s in nyc looking for friends?

like

Salaries in Singapore

like

I've been asked to provide a start-up life sciences co. with reccos for D&O insurance. Does anyone have any reccos to share?

like

I want to join Amazon tax team and could someone please refer me?

I know this doesn’t count as an interview, but overall professional advice needed:
Any tips on asking for better severance pay?

like

Even my girl friend of 4 months knows that this isn't sustainable long term!

Post Photo
likefunny

Anyone have advice on getting your foot in the door at Google or Meta for a Sales Role? I’ve only got 3.5 years of experience but have achieved Presidents Club and have had success at 2 “blue chip” organizations.

like

I am having HCL offer of 19 LPA but I have got counter offer from other company of 21 LPA, if i again go to HCL and ask for better compensation means will HR agree and process for more than counter offer ?

like

Is this the bowl the dump everyone in that doesn’t work for Big4 or mbb?

like

I am currently working for Qualcomm @ base of 21LPA. Will it be a good idea to switch to Cadence for 36LPA in same job profile (post Si Validation)? Thanks!Qualcomm Cadence Design System

like

Hello Everyone, I got an offer from Mindtree kolkata. Offer 24 lac fixed. YOE 10 years. Tech stack Azure Data Engineer. How is project availability and job security? Also, as LTI and Mindtree have been merged will I get an offer from LTIMindtree? Mindtree @LTIMindtree

like

I'm a cashier. We just got a new manager, and she's making things really hard for us. She starts work at 4:30am and leaves around 2:30pm, but she still expects us to stay until 6pm and work on the weekends! She gives us really long shifts and doesn't give us much time for breaks. And when we ask her about it, she gets mad.

I'm worried that if I speak up, she'll make my life even harder. I don't want to lose my job because of this—do you guys have any advice?

like

I didn't receive the credentials email yet from @Capgemini after 48hrs as well.
When can I expect it?

like

How do you single 🐟 find time to meet people and get to know them when working these crazy hours? Feel like I'm putting that part of my life on hold due to my job, and it's kind of freaking me out 😣

like

What’s your FIRE target age (where you no longer maintain a salary job)?

like

Additional Posts in Accounting Exit Opportunities

take job with long commute or stay at b4?

like

Hit me up if you want me to refer you for a pwc role 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

likefunny

Anyone gone from PA to CBRE ? Do you like it ?

like

I've decided to leave public for an Accounting Manager position in private. What are the different types of companies to consider and the pros/cons? What are the best ways to get the position? I'm leaning toward GL accounting at a publicly-traded company. My background is 3.5 years audit and 2.5 years technical accounting advisory.

like

What is the courtesy of withdrawing an offer you already accepted?

What questions should you ask during a phone screening with a recruiter?

like

Has anyone heard of Lurie LLP I’m seriously interested in their private client service/wealth advisors

like

Currently a new S1 thinking about taking a FP&A role. Is going from Senior to Analyst not Senior analyst a bad move? Mediocre raise in salary (3k) but well known company with a flat structure

like

Any recommendations for an accounting recruiter with a national job database? Finally taking the plunge and want to use a recruiter. I'm looking for a remote only role as I don't know where I want to live.

like

Anyone have experience as a cost accountant?

like

What are the most boring jobs out there?

like

Is it just me or does this comp seem really low for a CPA with five years of SEC reporting experience?

Post Photo
like

For those that work at big4, does maternity leave benefit only kick in if you’ve worked for the firm for at least a year? Or does it apply immediately?

like

Thoughts on going from a national firm to a smaller one with ~200 employees and $65M in revenue? I’m a first year tax manager and can get a 33% raise by going to this firm.

like

Is it just me or are behavioral questions really stupid? I always feel like they're either way too open ended or they're asking about something that's never happened to me

like

Looking for an accounting job in industry (remote). Any recommendations for someone with a tax background?

like

Had an interview yesterday and the interviewer wanted to understand what I did - even 1 month gap between jobs - from 2009 to present 🤪 Not interested in the job anymore tbh

likefunny

If I’m 2nd year looking to transition to a financial analyst position should I apply to the position for a new college grad or the senior position that wants 5+ YOE?

likeupliftingsmart

Starting salary for senior in accounting advisory out of NYC (EY FAAS/Deloitte Accounting and Reporting advisory)? Just got an offer for both

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal