I am graduating with MS in Accounting from SUNY Binghamton. Problem is my school is like a factory for NYC firms, but I want to stay in upstate NY. Unfortunately firms from Syracuse/Rochester NY area tend to hire the local university graduates and graduating from SUNY Binghamton puts me at disadvantage trying to compete against Syracuse Univ./Lemoyne College graduates. And there are only so many CPA firms near Syracuse.
Answers
Sarin, the fact you have persevered through an MS in Accounting program and 4 years in the service are terrific achievements and should not go unnoticed by prospective employers in your home town. You've also mentioned CPA firms and I would strongly urge you to search out opportunities in that area. Do not discount regional firms as they often have interesting career opportunities for recent grads with little or no accounting experience. Public accounting is a great place to begin your career and can lead to fulfilling opportunities with a national firm in audit, tax or consulting.
I'd highly recommend speaking to all firms in your area of NY and never be afraid to ask for other job openings at the end of an interview. Getting involved in professional groups is a cost effective way to network with peers and employers. Best of luck in your search for meaningful employment.
If there's anything I can do to help, please e-mail me. Best of luck, Pat Hollis
Pa
Sarin,
I forwarded your question to a church member (I'm a pastor) who works for the FDIC. I will paste his response below. He also attached some other useful information. If you message me your email address I will email you the other information.
Good luck in your search.
Chris Caldwell
Good morning Chris,
I took a quick look on USAJobs.gov (for federal employment) and there are a couple of jobs listed for the Syracuse/Rochester area. There is a Grade 7/8 Credit Union examiner position that might be a good fit and also an IRS student trainee position. Both are probably entry level, just a guess based on grade and pay. I have friends who have worked for the IRS and they have enjoyed it. I don’t know much about the CU Examiner position – there isn’t much cross-over between them and us. The FDIC just closed the spring recruitment for the new graduates – we have grade (7/9 and 11/12) positions open twice a semester but usually they are only open for one week. My suggestion would be to build a resume on USAJobs.gov even if a position isn’t yet available; that way he could apply quickly should one become available. The key to a good government resume is be very descriptive (lengthy) and fully describe any work experience that matches the job announcement. (My resume is 11 pages.) I’ve attached some documents that I received a while back that still apply to the application process. Although these are tailored for the FDIC, I believe they would work at any federal agency.
I’ll check out the website myself, but in the meantime I hope this helps. Applicants with veteran status receive favorable consideration for government jobs – so I would think this would be a good place to start.
My family and I thank you for your service.
Have you considered going a little further west into the Buffalo region? There are a lot of financial institutions in Western New York. And the area is very supportive of veterans.
Good luck.
Hey Sarin,
I help veterans getting the job they want. My advice is that you need to think of yourself as a brand and how you brand yourself to the market. You need to work hard to build your brand and your reputation. And you can do all of this before having any professional experience.
If you need more help feel free to reach to me: http://startcreatus.com/2014/11/business-advice-for-veterans-transition/?hvid=2Efms4
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