So I finished a subsequent B.S. degree in accounting in Dec. and am now looking for a first acctg/finance job with no (paid) experience… in Florida with 11% unemployment which of course is tough. However, some states are at 6% or less and I would be willing to work wherever to get a start–specifically, I’m thinking about the central states like Oklahoma (6.1), Nebraska (4.2), South Dakota (4.9), and Iowa (6.1). Rather than just sending resumes out into the bit bucket of cyberspace, I’m thinking about taking a trip out there and visiting some agencies so they can at least see me there in person, ready to start as soon as possible. But if they see my address listed as being in FL, are they going to give me the cold shoulder? I’m just wondering if anyone here has any knowledge of employers’ attitudes in that area toward people coming in from outside the region looking for jobs. Thanks…
It shouldn’t make too much of a difference where you’re from - a lot of people go to college some where they don’t intend on staying. Plus with the recession, it’s understandable that people are up and moving. Just don’t give an attitude of ‘I’m outta here once the recession is over!’.
On a personal level, I would think very VERY hard about moving to Iowa or South Dakota, especially if I’m used to Florida climates and culture.
Since you are willing to relocate, did you ever think about Texas, particularly the Austin-San Antonio corridor? Big state, lots of government/military/private enterprise (more Fortune 500 companies call Texas home than any other state), and relatively recession-proof (the 2007-2009 recession barely touched the state (in 2008, 70% of all new US jobs were in the state of Texas)).
Most large companies and firms hire entry level accounting majors through a college recruiting process. You are more likely to get an entry level job in the manner you suggest with a smaller company or firm. I would do the leg work over the phone first before planning a random trip somewhere across the country.
Does you alma mater have a placement office that can assist you in your career search?
IANA Accountant, but it’s probably best to wait for someone to fly you out for an interview. Willingness to move is almost certainly a favorable characteristic in a new-grad interviewee. It shows that you are willing to take the initiative and not just sit at home crying and waiting for the perfect opportunity to come to you. Don’t even mention it to a potential employer. If they bring it up, tell them that Whereversville looks like a nice place to live.
Those unemployment numbers may be deceptive. Oklahoma’s is almost entirely due to petroleum related jobs. The number of accounting positions at the corporate headquarters in Oklahoma City or Tulsa is dwarfed by the number of field jobs in Weatherford or Elk City. According to an article from a few months back, South Dakota is the #2 state for discouraged workers, who don’t count towards the unemployed figure. Also, I wonder if some of the relatively large number of oifield jobs in ND (it’s pretty busy there) are held by people who legally reside in SD. Again good news if you know how to weld or trip pipe or drive a big truck, but not so much if you’re an accountant.
Speaking as a guy who lived on the Carolina coast for a long time and then lived in Oklahoma for 6 loooooong years for a job, think twice about Oklahoma. It’s MUCH drier, much less green, and (depending on where in Florida you live) culturally quite different. If you get a great offer that will look good on a resume, sure, go for it. But be prepared to suffer a little for your long-term good.
Texas, on the other hand, fucking rules. I can’t say enough nice things about it. Lots of companies, in lots of industries, and they will always need people to keep track of the money. DFW, Houston and Austin are all good in their own ways, but they are all modern, mainstream cities with largely friendly people and relatively low cost of living. People complain about the traffic, but it’s really nothing compared to a lot of other places. Ditto the weather in Houston, at worst, it’ll remind you of Florida.
I’ve worked for years as an accountant (that’s not my degree) and I can tell you in Chicago I am competing for low level accounting jobs with CPAs.
So I’m out on those accounts.
What you want to do is this. Get a Google voice number. Get a couple. Get phone numbers with area codes in the areas you want to look. Then make up a resume with that phone number. You can use any address as employers are highly unlikely to use it.
They will call you at the Google voice number in that area code.
You can always say later that was an old address and you’ve moved. This way you can see if you’re going to get responses before you move.
If you’re in Florida and you have BS in Accounting, I would recommend trying Atlanta, Jacksonville and Charlotte as a start. Then move up north slowly toward DC, Philly and west out toward Houston and Dallas/Ft Worth or San Antonio.
Chicago has a lot of entry jobs for accountants, but they’re mostly out in the burbs and they are not paying much more than about $30,000, which is WAY low, but there’s a glut of accountants in the area. There’s a ton of outsources of accounting, to main offices with local offices just being manned by clerks or at best bookkeepers
The IRS has been hiring. You might want to try the government jobs site.
North Dakota has low unemployment as well. I personally wouldn’t worry about the culture/climate change. You are starting out. You can live somewhere you’d rather not for a few years and then, experience under your belt, move.
Yeah along the Texas thingy, my sister was a 2nd year music teacher in Wisconsin who got let go, predictably since her program was cut for the recession, and the ONLY job she got offered in the whole country this year was in Austin, Texas. They flew her out there for an interview and loved her… but yeah, Texas seems the place to be.
Go to law school.
The Texas mentions are interesting because I got a call from Accountemps in Dallas area last week. I missed the original call and they left a generic voice mail to call back. By the time I called a couple hours later, the assignment had been filled but it gave me some hope that I’m at least a live candidate in their system. I am most likely going to be driving up to Wisconsin next month so I will swing out through the Plains states and visit a few of their offices along the way, maybe try to be in the right place at the right time. I’m having a hard time bringing myself to apply for jobs posted on the web…seems futile. I seem to also have an aversion to networking 