Whats the minimum duration of experience required to land an entry job in accounting?

Accounts30 · September 2018

Hi as I've mentioned I was wondering if someone can indicate whats the minimum level of experience required to land an entry-level job in accounting.

I would appreciate input especially from those who had no experience whatsoever and landed their first job in accounting.

Accounts30 · September 2018

Accounts30 said:
Hi as I've mentioned I was wondering if someone can indicate whats the minimum level of experience required to land an entry-level job in accounting i.e. the actual time duration i.e. 3 months, 4 months? Any suggestion would be appreciated.

I would appreciate input especially from those who had no experience whatsoever and landed their first job in accounting.

BertDoesBookkeeping · September 2018

It completely depends on what area of accounting or finance you want to go into.

If you want to work in industry (i.e work in the Finance function of a company), then you can land yourself an entry level job without any experience. Just find yourself a good recruitment consultant.

If you want to work in Practice, you're probably best sorting either work-experience, or an apprenticeship.

I did the former - took a temp job for 2 weeks in Euro AP for Specsavers; finished in Sales Accounting 9 months later. Haven't really looked back from there and I've progressed considerabily in 7 years.

Accounts30 · September 2018

BertDoesBookkeeping said:
It completely depends on what area of accounting or finance you want to go into.

If you want to work in industry (i.e work in the Finance function of a company), then you can land yourself an entry level job without any experience. Just find yourself a good recruitment consultant.

If you want to work in Practice, you're probably best sorting either work-experience, or an apprenticeship.

I did the former - took a temp job for 2 weeks in Euro AP for Specsavers; finished in Sales Accounting 9 months later. Haven't really looked back from there and I've progressed considerabily in 7 years.

Thank you so much I am trying to be realistic ideally I would love to land a position with someone like KPMG but I know that realistically speaking the chances of that happening is zero. I have a degree from a Russel Group Uni but going to be turning 34 years old this year trying to compete with 21 year old is probably going to be quite hard.

BertDoesBookkeeping · September 2018

I promise you, your age won't be a factor in whether you could compete for a traineeship or graduate programme. They legally aren't allowed to shelve you for that reason for a start.

You need to think about what you have that somebody at that age may not have; be it refined soft skills, a stronger business acumen, or so on. These things give you an immediate advantage if you play on them.

IIRC, KPMG have scrapped degrees as a necessity in their selection process. However, realistically, it's not going to be easy and you may need to manage your expectations and have contingency options if it doesn't work out. You're not a bad accountant because you don't work in the big four - look at others like Grant Thornton, Mazars, BDO. If that doesn't work, don't be ashamed to push for a local or regional firm. Okay, the pay might not be as good or the title as prestigious, but you'll still get a strong standard of teaching and mentoring and you may just find you stand out a little easier.

Don't be defeatist. You're more than capable of being a practicing accountant if you can learn the trade in the first place.

Accounts30 · September 2018

BertDoesBookkeeping said:
I promise you, your age won't be a factor in whether you could compete for a traineeship or graduate programme. They legally aren't allowed to shelve you for that reason for a start.

You need to think about what you have that somebody at that age may not have; be it refined soft skills, a stronger business acumen, or so on. These things give you an immediate advantage if you play on them.

IIRC, KPMG have scrapped degrees as a necessity in their selection process. However, realistically, it's not going to be easy and you may need to manage your expectations and have contingency options if it doesn't work out. You're not a bad accountant because you don't work in the big four - look at others like Grant Thornton, Mazars, BDO. If that doesn't work, don't be ashamed to push for a local or regional firm. Okay, the pay might not be as good or the title as prestigious, but you'll still get a strong standard of teaching and mentoring and you may just find you stand out a little easier.

Don't be defeatist. You're more than capable of being a practicing accountant if you can learn the trade in the first place.

Thank you so much for the kind words. I'll give it my best shot!

stevesmiths · September 2018

It depends on the below factors:
1. College/University you studied- If your college has a good reputation and value in the job market, then your profile or resume has more chances to shortlist without any experience.
2. If you have done an internship in any accounting related company or role then employers give you preference while hiring.
3. If you are good at communication skills like speaking, writing, and active listening would help you in getting an accounting job entry level.

milescpareview · May 2020

There is no minimum requirement as such. If you have any prior work or internship experience, it will help you up your chances to land a job as with any other job.

Whats the minimum duration of experience required to land an entry job in accounting?

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