Why am I getting rejected from every accounting job I apply to?
Job seekers are facing constant rejections or total silence after applying to public accounting firms for weeks, months, or even years. Even when reaching final-round interviews, candidates experience rejections or endless waiting, often leading them to question whether their resume is flawed or if breaking into the industry is even possible.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Studying for or getting a CPADid this help you?
- 2Willing to uproot family for another city or stateDid this help you?
- 3Changing resume formats and using school career resource centersDid this help you?
- 4Applying to local and regional firms instead of only mid-tier or Big 4 firmsDid this help you?
- 5Passing the CPA exams to demonstrate competency and de-risk candidacyDid this help you?
- 6Starting to networkDid this help you?
- 7removing the master's degree from the resumeDid this help you?
- 8Applying dailyDid this help you?
- 9Using third party recruitersDid this help you?
- 10Applying to multiple different firms to hedge against random rejection outcomesDid this help you?
- 11Waiting for firms to experience staffing shortages that lower their hiring expectationsDid this help you?
- 12tweaking resumes to frame contract work as intentional project-based experienceDid this help you?
- 13looking at temp agencies that specialize in finance and accountingDid this help you?
- 14working 20 to 30 hours while taking a heavy course loadDid this help you?
- 15registering for VITADid this help you?
- 16keeping a spreadsheet for jobs and applying to many positionsDid this help you?
- 17Applying to industry roles instead of public accounting firmsDid this help you?
- 18keep applying and looking for alternative job opportunities outside of traditional banksDid this help you?
- 19Changing the resume to get feedbackDid this help you?
- 20Targeting audit instead of advisory because it is more attainableDid this help you?
- 21Aiming for a Top 10 firm while taking what is availableDid this help you?
- 22Applying to Big 4 firms that run larger recruitment pipelinesDid this help you?
- 23Pursuing government accounting roles instead of public accounting firmsDid this help you?
- 24Leveraging networking, referrals, or personal connectionsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I've been applying for the last month, and have been getting rejections or not getting any responses at all.”source ↗
“I am so stressed about everything 1. Not landing a job in accounting after college 2. Not being good at accounting”source ↗
“I haven’t understood a single topic from day one.”source ↗
“I’ve applied to 60 full time jobs in the span of 1 month and also a quarter applications have been denied with not a single interview.”source ↗
“I have applied to many firms and received interviews, but they've all said that, after talks, internal needs have shifted and they are no longer hiring for the location(of course job posting for the exact role is still up on their website despite this).”source ↗
“I really don't know what to do. I really wanted to do public at a mid/small firm and avoid Big 4... I just feel disheartened; I've worked so hard for this, and it feels like it turned into nothing.”source ↗
“I just got rejected from kpmg for tax summer 2028 :( I have a 3.7 gpa, involved in clubs, and attended events the office I wanted had. Any advice or any reason you would think I got rejected? Feeling pretty bummed and nervous for the rest of the big 4 are the other ones easier or around the same to get an internship”source ↗
“I’ve been applying to hundreds of jobs nonstop and barely getting rejection emails, let alone responses from employers.”source ↗
“It was difficult to even get my first contract role in the city, and it’s been about a month since I was last employed.”source ↗
“Is it normal for someone with a bachelor’s in accounting to not get accepted at a bank? I’ve applied to different banks like pnc, U.S. bank, German American and had interviews with a couple of them. The interviews seemed good but they “moved forward with other candidates”.”source ↗
“It has been extremely difficult for me. In Chicago. I’ve had 6 final interviews so far, 4 of which have rejected me and 2 of which i’m still waiting on word from”source ↗
“I’m start my masters in accounting and getting rejected by every firm I got scholarships and experience doing tax’s.”source ↗
“Might have to switch professions”source ↗
“What is lagging in this resume, not getting any interview calls. Applying from past 3 months, got to interview twice, but both scrapped due to budget. I am applying daily for Accountant or Sr. accountant job. Third party recruiters are also not responding.”source ↗
“Felt this. I’m a student as well working full-time and really struggling. I did okay up until now, pretty sure I bombed my first income tax exam.”source ↗
“Happened to me and seen it happen to others.”source ↗
“3.7 + extracurriculars is a perfectly good resume though, not sure why they passed on you but sometimes just how it works”source ↗
“bank hiring is weirdly disconnected from what you'd expect, i had a similar run a few years back where i kept getting ghosted for teller spots even though i had the degree and could've trained my own manager”source ↗
“During undergrad I applied to midsize firms (like RSM, Grant, CLA, CBIZ etc) and Big 4 for both audit and tax and got rejected just based off my application.”source ↗
“I did not get a return offer for my audit internship, I was told I was too far out which I think is just an excuse but I asked for feedback and they said I did really well and my evaluations were great but couldn’t give me an offer.”source ↗
“This was like a decade ago, but I was rejected from all local and large regional firms for internships and I received internship offers from 2/4 B4.”source ↗
“I was on the older side when I finished my Masters and had trouble with both, didn't bother applying to Big 4 and got rejected from every local firm.”source ↗
“I keep getting rejected from every public accounting firm I apply to, and I’m starting to assume my resume has something to do with it.”source ↗
“This has been going on for about two years now, and I’m honestly starting to wonder if getting into public accounting is just a pipe dream for me.”source ↗
“I always thought Big 4 was the most competitive, but I got rejected from pretty much every local and mid-tier firm without even an interview.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Scared about graduating with an accounting degree and forgetting everything
- 28What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 5Which entry-level accounting job offer should I take?
- 28Feeling lost and overwhelmed starting a new accounting job
- 11How to get tax experience without an entry-level job
- 7How to get CPA accounting credits without another degree