Hoping to land a Big 4 Internship. Resume critique greatly appreciated!
Hello, I'm new here, so I apologize if I've done something incorrectly.
http://www.razume.com/documents/27711
Anyway, I'm entering my 3rd year as an Accounting Major at an above average state school. I have 89 units, so I'm essentially a senior. I completed my first major accounting course during Spring '12 (One of the very few to receive an A in this course).
I was just looking for some tips on improvements.
Some background:
1st "tax internship" was at my Grandpa's accounting firm. He has a small, local place where he does tax returns and handles estates. I worked with him for a short period during his busy season to help out. I didn't do THAT much. Mostly just tallied up receipts in excel, and other mindless tasks, but it's the best thing I got. If it matters, he has the same last name as me, so it will be obvious to a recruiter that it is someone in my family.
2nd thing is basketball bookkeeping. I kept score for an older women's basketball league, among other tasks. I kept scores in a journal, recorded them on a scoreboard. I also set up the gym beforehand and cleaned it up afterward. This was about 3 hours/week for over a year. I was paid under the table, so I don't know if I should list it as volunteer work (in case they do a background check?)
Lastly, the "Entrepreneurship Seminar" is really just a placeholder. We had to make resumes for that course my Freshman year, and he recommended we put that on there. Since I don't yet have anything better, I haven't replaced it yet (but I'm thinking it's a waste of space).
I am also joining Student Accounting Society this semester. I've gone to all meetings/events so far, but you don't qualify as an active member until you reach a certain amount of points, so I wasn't sure how I could incorporate that on there yet.
http://www.razume.com/documents/27711
Thank you for your time and patience.
Even though we're not doing banking, I went with the M&I template for my resume, and so far have heard nothing but good things from several accounting firms, including two of the big 4. Obviously its early in the recruiting process (I'm also a junior, in a 5 year program), so I havent interviewed or anything yet, but at the resume workshops and non-recruiting events that were just meetings and socials for Beta Alpha Psi, several audit professionals have asked to keep a copy of my resume. I believe the formatting certainly helps this cause.
Heres mine if you'd like to take a look at the formatting: http://www.razume.com/documents/27498
This is just a suggestion from me, someone who isnt very experienced in resume writing, so I'd wait for others to chime in as well. I'm just going by my (so far favorable) experience.
And as far as the accounting job being with your grandpa, my assistant manager at the restaurant was with my dad, and I plan to let it be known if I'm asked. I plan to say that I was blessed with a great opportunity to get leadership experience in the workplace at a young age, which shaped my future employment experience.
I too am in a 5 year program. My resume very much resembles the M&I template, as I slowly have been adjusting mine to resemble it more and more. There are still a few differences between the two.
I actually found this forum by googling, and ran into your topic, which I found pretty helpful. I know the format can be slightly improved, but what I want the most is to improve the bullets. I've always been told to make everything sound more important than it really is (without lying). I just, really don't know what to say.
KPMG's website, for example, says to focus on concrete numbers and actual accomplishments in the work place (i.e. increased revenue by 10%), but I don't really know how to implement that strategy for what I've done.
Here is my second attempt.
The application deadline for some firms is coming up (KPMG: October 9th), so I would like to get this finalized so I can begin working on my CVs.
What do you guys think? I tried to work with what I had. After browsing this forum for a week or so, I'm a bit embarrassed about my qualifications, as I don't have much work or leadership experience.
http://www.razume.com/documents/27776
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I fully adopted the M&I template this time around (but modified the last portion a bit). Also, I realize I didn't put a break after the last horizontal line under technical skills. That will be changed in my final draft!
Anyways, thanks guys!
Take that objective line off NOW.
Do you mean my objective specifically? Or drop the objective entirely? I didn't have one at first, but KPMG's website recommends having one. I am not so sure about the other Big 4, as they just started accepting resumes for my school.
Knowing that their website lists it, do you still think I should scrap it? Or maybe have a different resume for those firms that don't mention it?
Also, I showed my resume to my dad, and he recommended stating that I am attempting a joint bs/ms in 4 years, which I think i will add. He also recommended mentioning high school sports (varsity football and track) to show I do some activities. Will HS sports add any value to my resume?
Scrap the objective ENTIRELY and please do not put on anything about high school sports. Do not refer to yourself as an "expert" in Microsoft Office either.
Thanks for that input.
Question about the objective part: I'm a little confused as to why the objective is looked down upon so much. Any explanation for trashing it? At the moment I'm a bit confused as KPMG's website recommends one. I don't want an objective if it will diminish the quality of my resume, but at the same time it doesn't feel right straying away from their recommendations. (plus, I don't really have anything else to fill the space)
It adds little to no value...think about it, every person applying to KPMG would have similar if not basically the same objective statement. Your "objective" should be known by simply looking over your resume.
Thank you.
It's a space filler. The person reading your resume knows that you're looking for an internship "at a prestigious firm" to "improve Your skills." Otherwise, they wouldn't be reading your resume. It's 6 lines of space that could be put to much better use.
jeez, sdsu is an above average state school now?
"Above average" is a relative term. In comparison to other California State schools, yes, it is above average. It definitely has the best business program among them. I know some people here seem to think that schools like Cornell are average and anything below is a bust.
Best for the price too. I pay
Does your school have a Beta Alpha Psi chapter? I know that a majority of Beta Alpha Psi members get into Big Four. It's an Honor society for Accounting and Finance majors. Pm me if you have any questions.
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