5 answers
Camila
Student
Alliance, Ohio
1
Question
Asked
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As a double major in accounting and finance, coming senior in college and International Student. What are some guides that you would give me in order to apply for a full-time position in the U.S?
Is being difficult to me when I applied for certain internships in the past because I require CPT and sponsorship in the future. My goal is to be in one of the big 4 accouting firms.
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5 answers
Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1913
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hi, Camila !
Congratulations on approaching your senior year at University ! It must be an exciting time for you and I am happy that you have reached out for advice here at Career Village !
You have two types of sponsorship that you can research more about at your college. One is the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) that you've spoken about in your inquiry and the other one is Optional Practical Training (OPT). If CPT is needed, you can apply for it (the sooner the better) at your school. The CPT is used for internships, work-study type experience and OPT is what will allow you to work in the United States up to twelve months, after you graduate. You get CPT from your college as part of your academic program so you should apply for this now. The OPT is what you will need sponsorship for and that would be from an employer. You should apply at your school for the CPT as soon as possible. Discuss it with your on-campus International Students Office.
For the OPT, which is through the government, you need to apply through U.S. Citizens and Immigration office for which I have left the link to their website below. Do this after you obtain a job at which the employer says that they will sponsor you. Try to do everything very soon because the USCIS is very, very backed up, processing multimillions of applications right now.
Whether you stay in Ohio or move to a different state for your career, start researching the "big" accounting firms now. By this, I mean communicate with their Human Resource Departments either in person, by phone or e-mail. Discover what their way of hiring is for applicants that need OPT. Get the information now so that you can get an idea with which company to begin applying to. There are ten "big" accounting companies and I have left a link below of the list. Do not hesitate to reach out to your major professors about this because they have probably helped other students with the same exact thing.
Also remember that once you graduate, if you are like me and most students, you will be very eager to begin your career. It's perfectly wonderful to apply to small accounting firms or companies that have openings in their accounting or finance departments. The "big" firms will always be there later on but if you depend on only a handful of companies to apply to, your chances of starting your career may be weak. Apply to every firm and company that you possibly can. By doing this you may also increase your chances of obtaining the OPT sponsorship. Take it all a step at a time. And make the most out of every step towards eventually working at the company you wish to work at.
I hope that this has been helpful and I wish you all the best moving forward !
U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES WEBSITE https://www.uscis.gov/
TOP 10 ACCOUNTING FIRMS https://big4accountingfirms.com/top-10-accounting-firms/
Congratulations on approaching your senior year at University ! It must be an exciting time for you and I am happy that you have reached out for advice here at Career Village !
You have two types of sponsorship that you can research more about at your college. One is the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) that you've spoken about in your inquiry and the other one is Optional Practical Training (OPT). If CPT is needed, you can apply for it (the sooner the better) at your school. The CPT is used for internships, work-study type experience and OPT is what will allow you to work in the United States up to twelve months, after you graduate. You get CPT from your college as part of your academic program so you should apply for this now. The OPT is what you will need sponsorship for and that would be from an employer. You should apply at your school for the CPT as soon as possible. Discuss it with your on-campus International Students Office.
For the OPT, which is through the government, you need to apply through U.S. Citizens and Immigration office for which I have left the link to their website below. Do this after you obtain a job at which the employer says that they will sponsor you. Try to do everything very soon because the USCIS is very, very backed up, processing multimillions of applications right now.
Whether you stay in Ohio or move to a different state for your career, start researching the "big" accounting firms now. By this, I mean communicate with their Human Resource Departments either in person, by phone or e-mail. Discover what their way of hiring is for applicants that need OPT. Get the information now so that you can get an idea with which company to begin applying to. There are ten "big" accounting companies and I have left a link below of the list. Do not hesitate to reach out to your major professors about this because they have probably helped other students with the same exact thing.
Also remember that once you graduate, if you are like me and most students, you will be very eager to begin your career. It's perfectly wonderful to apply to small accounting firms or companies that have openings in their accounting or finance departments. The "big" firms will always be there later on but if you depend on only a handful of companies to apply to, your chances of starting your career may be weak. Apply to every firm and company that you possibly can. By doing this you may also increase your chances of obtaining the OPT sponsorship. Take it all a step at a time. And make the most out of every step towards eventually working at the company you wish to work at.
I hope that this has been helpful and I wish you all the best moving forward !
Michelle recommends the following next steps:
Laila Gamaleldin
Product Manager
2
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Laila’s Answer
Hi Camila,
I totally hear you! The need for a visa can add an additional layer of stress to the already stressful process of job searching.
Some tips:
- Use your time at university to learn and gain experience: see if there are local businesses that you can help with accounting, be a teaching assistant for a class, join student organizations. Having experience can help you learn more about the field and build your resume out so you can best display your skills and abilities when applying for full-time employment.
- Apply early and widely: The big 4 are a great place to work! That being said, there are many incredible firms out there, all of which will teach you valuable skills and help you grow professionally. Approaching the job search with an open mind helps alleviate disappointment. Apply widely, cast a large net, and dedicate time to searching jobs and submitting applications. Starting preparing early and applying early in the year to give yourself the most chances.
- Tap into your network: your university likely has many alumni working in your chosen field. Leverage tools like LinkedIn to connect with alumni whose career paths you would hope to follow. Alumni are often happy to speak to students about their experiences. You can learn a lot here from others who were once in your shoes. Speak to your professors as well as they likely have experience in your chosen field and can also help to connect you to individuals and opportunities. One key to informational interviews is to approach them as an educational opportunity and a gateway to a mentor-mentee relationship as opposed to a transactional ask for a job. Showing engagement and a desire to learn will take you far!
Hope that this helps! Be sure to take care of yourself and find healthy outlets to alleviate job search stress. Set a plan out for yourself and dedicate specific times in the week to job applications. You are certainly on the right path!
I totally hear you! The need for a visa can add an additional layer of stress to the already stressful process of job searching.
Some tips:
- Use your time at university to learn and gain experience: see if there are local businesses that you can help with accounting, be a teaching assistant for a class, join student organizations. Having experience can help you learn more about the field and build your resume out so you can best display your skills and abilities when applying for full-time employment.
- Apply early and widely: The big 4 are a great place to work! That being said, there are many incredible firms out there, all of which will teach you valuable skills and help you grow professionally. Approaching the job search with an open mind helps alleviate disappointment. Apply widely, cast a large net, and dedicate time to searching jobs and submitting applications. Starting preparing early and applying early in the year to give yourself the most chances.
- Tap into your network: your university likely has many alumni working in your chosen field. Leverage tools like LinkedIn to connect with alumni whose career paths you would hope to follow. Alumni are often happy to speak to students about their experiences. You can learn a lot here from others who were once in your shoes. Speak to your professors as well as they likely have experience in your chosen field and can also help to connect you to individuals and opportunities. One key to informational interviews is to approach them as an educational opportunity and a gateway to a mentor-mentee relationship as opposed to a transactional ask for a job. Showing engagement and a desire to learn will take you far!
Hope that this helps! Be sure to take care of yourself and find healthy outlets to alleviate job search stress. Set a plan out for yourself and dedicate specific times in the week to job applications. You are certainly on the right path!
Taylor Fronk
Sales Support
13
Answers
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Updated
Taylor’s Answer
Hello!
For starters, it's clear you have the credentials to obtain this sort of position- you just need to sell yourself now!
The most important thing to do is prepare. Beefing up your resume, preparing for your interview and creating a clear, realistic path for yourself will help you get to where you want to go. Your skills should create an extremely enticing resume.
I think it's great you have the goal of working at one of the "Big 4" accounting firms, but a starter firm can help you gain attractive experience and new opportunities you would bypass otherwise. Just some food for thought.
Hope this helps!
For starters, it's clear you have the credentials to obtain this sort of position- you just need to sell yourself now!
The most important thing to do is prepare. Beefing up your resume, preparing for your interview and creating a clear, realistic path for yourself will help you get to where you want to go. Your skills should create an extremely enticing resume.
I think it's great you have the goal of working at one of the "Big 4" accounting firms, but a starter firm can help you gain attractive experience and new opportunities you would bypass otherwise. Just some food for thought.
Hope this helps!
Ian Murdock, CFA
Risk manager
3
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Ian’s Answer
I see some good advice already, so here just to add another idea. The big 4 accounting firms all have a global presence and aren't specifically US-based. You might consider applying at a location where you are currently eligible to work (without needing a visa or sponsorship), then once established within the firm (as your next move), apply for open US positions requesting they sponsor your transfer. Certain visas for example, E-2 visa, would then be possible. It's a slightly longer-term plan, but it is relatively common for large firms to move staff globally. Just to let you know there are other routes to the same goal, I'm sure there are many!
Ansley Van Pelt
Financial Consultant
1
Answer
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Ansley’s Answer
Hi Camila,
Some more advice! Having that goal is awesome and working towards that for your future is a great thing to work towards. My advice is to be willing and open to jobs in finance and accounting at those firms that might not sounds like the perfect fit at first, but will allow you to gain experience and network within that firm to find maybe a better fitting role down the future. It can be a lot more challenging to break into those firms for a first role but if you're willing to work hard and learn from other roles in the beginning, it can open many doors for you for other roles in the future.
Goodluck!
Some more advice! Having that goal is awesome and working towards that for your future is a great thing to work towards. My advice is to be willing and open to jobs in finance and accounting at those firms that might not sounds like the perfect fit at first, but will allow you to gain experience and network within that firm to find maybe a better fitting role down the future. It can be a lot more challenging to break into those firms for a first role but if you're willing to work hard and learn from other roles in the beginning, it can open many doors for you for other roles in the future.
Goodluck!