Resume critique for Big 4 SLP/internship

Hello fellow monkeys. Just wanted to get a little bit of review on my resume. I'm a junior accounting major at a non target university. Looking to get accepted into a Big 4 SLP this summer. I realize I may not have very "relevant" experience in the sense that its not in a financial field, my managing porter job at a car dealership gave me valuable experience in leading and working with a team and I feel I can really talk about it a lot.

Here is the link, dont be too harsh: http://www.razume.com/documents/27439

Thanks in advance,
--Art Vandelay

 

Agreed. Use the M&I template or anything else you can find. Remove the pizza delivery driver from your experience immediately. Also be careful about your use of tenses in your porter job and re-do the bullet points so you are not using three useless verbs in every line. Change "internship/shadowing" to just "internship".

"You lose money chasing women, never lose women chasing money" -Nas
 
Accrual King:
Agreed. Use the M&I template or anything else you can find. Remove the pizza delivery driver from your experience immediately. Also be careful about your use of tenses in your porter job and re-do the bullet points so you are not using three useless verbs in every line. Change "internship/shadowing" to just "internship".

Thanks. I thought about leaving out the delivery driving, the only reason I thought to keep it was to show that I've had employment pretty steadily for a few years now.

Doing some editing now and converting to the M&I template, but keep the comments coming guys. Thanks.

 

The resume using the M&I template and removing the Delivery Driver job is listed below.

The two things I immediately notice is that the entire bottom section (interests, activities, languages, etc) isnt applicable to me. I dont have much to put there, so I left it out which makes the resume seem empty.

Also, being a junior this is my first year of eligibility to be in Beta Alpha Psi, so I am just pledging the organization now, and therefore have no positions or experience with activities or leadership positions in the organization. I left it in the spot that the template would have it in, but it looks empty.

http://www.razume.com/documents/27441 Heres the new link, have at it guys

Many thanks again, --Art Vandelay

 
Art.Vandelay:
The resume using the M&I template and removing the Delivery Driver job is listed below.

The two things I immediately notice is that the entire bottom section (interests, activities, languages, etc) isnt applicable to me. I dont have much to put there, so I left it out which makes the resume seem empty.

Also, being a junior this is my first year of eligibility to be in Beta Alpha Psi, so I am just pledging the organization now, and therefore have no positions or experience with activities or leadership positions in the organization. I left it in the spot that the template would have it in, but it looks empty.

http://www.razume.com/documents/27441 Heres the new link, have at it guys

Many thanks again, --Art Vandelay

Out of curiosity, why is it not applicable? Unless one lives in a cave, you can always put down interests and activities. This does not come across well at all, the reviewers will think you don't have a life. Everybody has interests, whether it be art, politics, philosophy, history, sports, cuisine etc.

 
mknight:
Art.Vandelay:
The resume using the M&I template and removing the Delivery Driver job is listed below.

The two things I immediately notice is that the entire bottom section (interests, activities, languages, etc) isnt applicable to me. I dont have much to put there, so I left it out which makes the resume seem empty.

Also, being a junior this is my first year of eligibility to be in Beta Alpha Psi, so I am just pledging the organization now, and therefore have no positions or experience with activities or leadership positions in the organization. I left it in the spot that the template would have it in, but it looks empty.

http://www.razume.com/documents/27441 Heres the new link, have at it guys

Many thanks again, --Art Vandelay

Out of curiosity, why is it not applicable? Unless one lives in a cave, you can always put down interests and activities. This does not come across well at all, the reviewers will think you don't have a life. Everybody has interests, whether it be art, politics, philosophy, history, sports, cuisine etc.

Thank you for the input. I only thought it wouldnt be applicable based off this sentence in the M&I "instructions" article:

"This is a more subtle point, but when you’re picking your Interests try to list interesting Interests. Don’t just write 'Running' – write that you 'Competed in marathons in 13 countries across Europe and North America.'"

I have many interests, sports, weight training, and music being some, but I've never competed in anything or the like. I'm passionate about my sports teams (Yankees/Jets/Knicks), I weight train religiously, and I occasionally play piano, but I never competed in any type of weight training competitions or did any piano recitals. Its strictly recreational, and therefore I'm not sure if it would apply or be relevant. The most notable "recognition" I could describe in my interests would be captain of my IM flag football team, which isnt anything special as anyone could name themselves captain.

And as far as not stringing together longer than a four word sentence, I was under the impression the more concise and to the point the better. I could certainly elaborate more, especially with the managing porter position, but I figured the shorter the better.

Appreciate the criticism, keep em comin, --Art Vandelay

 

I don't mean to cause any offence but frankly that is one of if not the worst CVs I've ever seen at this level. Sorry to be harsh but there's no other way to put it.

The format has been addressed with the suggestion of the M&I template, but more importantly the content is just so minimal. Seriously looking at this you would think the individual doesn't know how to string together a sentence longer than 4 words. You need to go into more detail, talk about the things you achieved and skills you gained, basically be more result orientated rather than just stating the basic tasks you did as if it's a character-limited job ad in the newspaper.

 
Boreed:
Include relevant coursework to fill up some space. It needs to be 1 full page long.

Will do, thanks.

808:
Like everyone else is saying, there needs to be more content. There's not much to critique right now. I would start by dropping a couple hundred on membership fees. Join the AICPA, your state CPA society, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Also consider the Institute of Management Accountants and the Institute of Internal Auditors. If your school has any other accounting-related organizations, join any of those. Also look for any finance-related groups; the Big 4 love to see finance-related interest/education/experience because audit is very finance-focused. I'm talking more about financial management organizations like the FMA, not investment clubs or stock market groups. You should also consider joining other general organizations not specifically related to accounting or finance. As an example, my school had a diversity council and an academic integrity council, both of which I joined as a student member. I also joined a management society, became president, and led a team to win the annual international management consulting competition. Things like these can add a lot of value to your resume even though they're not specifically accounting-related.

This will put you at a good starting point to beef up your resume. Keep in mind you don't have to join every single organization - one or two that you have a meaningful impact on is much better that six that you just pay the membership fee for and ignore. However, things like the AICPA are very easy. You don't have to put much effort into it. Just skim the newsletters and it will show your commitment and interest in the profession.

You also need to get in touch with whoever your school has as a career or academic advisor. You need to sit down with someone you can share personal identifying details with and flush out your personal experiences, accomplishments, and interests. After doing that, come back here for more intense and specific critique.

I actually have a resume workshop next week with BAP. Will see what they have to say and then follow up here.

808, I will likely be PMing you again to ask some clarifying questions about your advice.

SirTradesaLot:
I agree with what others have said. Let me give you one example where it should be very easy to expand with more detail. I'm making up bullshit, because I don't know what you did, but should give you some idea.

Current: Assisted CPA in daily activities and client meetings

Future: Implemented ___ system and improved/decreased/etc by ___% Organized client database to ensure prompt follow-up to maximize client retention Researched __ change in tax law to determine impact to client base You should be ale to get a couple more points in each of these sections

I would list everything you did on a daily basis on the job (on a separate document). Everything you do in a job is there to increase revenue or decrease costs. Fluff your resume up by keeping that in mind. As Costanza says, it's not a lie if you believe it to be true. Also, someone suggested adding relevant coursework, I agree. Truth be told, I would get your resume professionally written, you are obviously not an English Lit major. But, to make that useful, you have to give them more info about what you've done. I get someone to write mine every once in a while. Totally worth it.

Thanks for the input. Great Seinfeld reference.

It seems the general consensus is to add more detail, and a little fluff. I can certainly do that. I was under the impression the more concise the better. But if that is not the case, I can definitely add more detail to make it sound better.

For example, I didnt really do all that much while working for the CPA, so I figured to not make it too detailed just in case I get called on something, but if the best idea is to go with the "its not a lie if you believe it" premise, I can definitely beef up what I did there. As with the Delivery Driver job. To be honest, it was my dads place, so I basically ran it too when he wasnt there, but my real job was driver. So in the spirit of beefing it up, I could definitely add that job back in and make delivery driver into assistant manager. Also, I can certainly add some more results based details to my managing porter job.

And about the "hobbies and interests" that would be at the end, does everyone agree with mknight? Should I add my hobbies and interests even if I never really did anything major with them and they were only recreational?

As you can probably tell, this is my first time ireally[/i] trying to write a good resume, so I'm very grateful for the input, even though its been mostly negative due to my formatting and content.

Overall though, is my experience adequate for someone seeking out their first real internship/a Big 4 SLP? I feel that not many students will have had management experience as I have had at this point. I guess I need to embellish that a little more.

Will edit in the morning and post again.

EDIT: Took 808's advice, became a student member of both the AICPA and the FICPA and put that into my newly added activities and interest section. Planning to beef up the language a bit, adding more results based details to my work experience, embellishing whats currently there without lying, and will post results sometime tomorrow between tracking my fantasy football players.

Not to be redundant but really appreciate the help, --Art Vandelay

 

Like everyone else is saying, there needs to be more content. There's not much to critique right now. I would start by dropping a couple hundred on membership fees. Join the AICPA, your state CPA society, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Also consider the Institute of Management Accountants and the Institute of Internal Auditors. If your school has any other accounting-related organizations, join any of those. Also look for any finance-related groups; the Big 4 love to see finance-related interest/education/experience because audit is very finance-focused. I'm talking more about financial management organizations like the FMA, not investment clubs or stock market groups. You should also consider joining other general organizations not specifically related to accounting or finance. As an example, my school had a diversity council and an academic integrity council, both of which I joined as a student member. I also joined a management society, became president, and led a team to win the annual international management consulting competition. Things like these can add a lot of value to your resume even though they're not specifically accounting-related.

This will put you at a good starting point to beef up your resume. Keep in mind you don't have to join every single organization - one or two that you have a meaningful impact on is much better that six that you just pay the membership fee for and ignore. However, things like the AICPA are very easy. You don't have to put much effort into it. Just skim the newsletters and it will show your commitment and interest in the profession.

You also need to get in touch with whoever your school has as a career or academic advisor. You need to sit down with someone you can share personal identifying details with and flush out your personal experiences, accomplishments, and interests. After doing that, come back here for more intense and specific critique.

 
Best Response

I agree with what others have said. Let me give you one example where it should be very easy to expand with more detail. I'm making up bullshit, because I don't know what you did, but should give you some idea.

Current: Assisted CPA in daily activities and client meetings

Future: Implemented ___ system and improved/decreased/etc by ___% Organized client database to ensure prompt follow-up to maximize client retention Researched __ change in tax law to determine impact to client base You should be ale to get a couple more points in each of these sections

I would list everything you did on a daily basis on the job (on a separate document). Everything you do in a job is there to increase revenue or decrease costs. Fluff your resume up by keeping that in mind. As Costanza says, it's not a lie if you believe it to be true. Also, someone suggested adding relevant coursework, I agree. Truth be told, I would get your resume professionally written, you are obviously not an English Lit major. But, to make that useful, you have to give them more info about what you've done. I get someone to write mine every once in a while. Totally worth it.

 

Ok fellow monkeys, did quite a bit of editing and embellishing, and now think I have something that is more substantial and able to be more finely critiqued.

Let me know what you guys think...

http://www.razume.com/documents/27465

EDIT: That sentence in my managing porter section where I said "in such a way that" was supposed to be edited as well. Sounds really strange and I just forgot to change it before I uploaded.

 

Your resume looks much better. Here is my one main comment. Keep in mind that I am advising you for a Big 4 position - a banking resume will be very different.

Beef up the accounting intern section as much as humanly possible. You seem to be more experienced than most entry-level candidates. Forgive me if I'm assuming too much, but I think I've seen people in your category a number of times before: hard worker, didn't want to waste time on college for xxx reason, filled non-degree management positions (pizza shop, car dealership), wanted a change in career and realized more education would put you further ahead, killed it at school with a high GPA while working, now looking for a Big 4 job. I will caution you that a lot of people like you don't get into Big 4 in spite of the good grades and management experience. The reason is you will have to start from ground zero in accounting, and to be honest, the first question a Big 4 recruiter will have about your resume (like several others I've seen) is "Will this person fit in and like their job? Probably not."

I think other people in your position make the mistake of focusing on their management experience because it shows initiative, ability, etc. as opposed to "filled in numbers on forms for XXX regional CPA firm". However, what you want to do if you are specifically gunning for Big 4 is cap your management experience at two bullets, one line each for each job, and add tons of detail about your internship. The recruiter looking at your resume will see the management experience, check the mental "He is motivated/capable" box that would normally be checked by a student's impressive extracurriculars (e.g. President of XXX Accounting Group"), then see that you have a resume filled with accounting experience. This will get you the interview. The resume as it is right now will not. I would encourage you though that there are people in your situation that I have worked with in Big 4, and the Big 4 are definitely in need of good people right now. If you don't get in, get into the best regional firm you can, and after a year or two, the Big 4 will be falling over themselves to hire you.

This would be the last major structural change to your resume. After this, I would get down to nitpicking about wording, grammar, spacing, etc.

 
808:
Your resume looks much better. Here is my one main comment. Keep in mind that I am advising you for a Big 4 position - a banking resume will be very different.

Yeah its big 4 and possibly for some sort of corp. finance internship this summer if I get lucky.

808:
Beef up the accounting intern section as much as humanly possible. You seem to be more experienced than most entry-level candidates. Forgive me if I'm assuming too much, but I think I've seen people in your category a number of times before: hard worker, didn't want to waste time on college for xxx reason, filled non-degree management positions (pizza shop, car dealership), wanted a change in career and realized more education would put you further ahead, killed it at school with a high GPA while working, now looking for a Big 4 job. I will caution you that a lot of people like you don't get into Big 4 in spite of the good grades and management experience. The reason is you will have to start from ground zero in accounting, and to be honest, the first question a Big 4 recruiter will have about your resume (like several others I've seen) is "Will this person fit in and like their job? Probably not."

I gotta politely correct you here. I'm only 20. Went straight from high school to college, and I've been planning on college my whole life. Granted, it wasnt always accounting (law, followed by medicine, were my original plans before I entered college). I have been fortunate enough to know many small business owners (friends and family mostly), which has given me opportunities in management type roles most kids in college wouldnt have available to them.

808:
I think other people in your position make the mistake of focusing on their management experience because it shows initiative, ability, etc. as opposed to "filled in numbers on forms for XXX regional CPA firm". However, what you want to do if you are specifically gunning for Big 4 is cap your management experience at two bullets, one line each for each job, and add tons of detail about your internship. The recruiter looking at your resume will see the management experience, check the mental "He is motivated/capable" box that would normally be checked by a student's impressive extracurriculars (e.g. President of XXX Accounting Group"), then see that you have a resume filled with accounting experience. This will get you the interview. The resume as it is right now will not. I would encourage you though that there are people in your situation that I have worked with in Big 4, and the Big 4 are definitely in need of good people right now. If you don't get in, get into the best regional firm you can, and after a year or two, the Big 4 will be falling over themselves to hire you.

I can definitely add in some more details to the accounting internship, and to be honest, I could add some financial/accounting responsibilities to my current role if I want to. I've forged a great relationship with my current employer, I think if I asked him for more of a bookkeeping or financial role, he'd give it to me. I'm actually two hours away from that job during the school year, so I do off site things such as managing the online marketing, contacting suppliers, etc. I just never even thought to ask. I figured I'd be better off differentiating myself with the management role rather than minor accounting work like most other students.

808:
This would be the last major structural change to your resume. After this, I would get down to nitpicking about wording, grammar, spacing, etc.

That I do know needs a bit of work. But as you said, I wanna nail down the substance first.

My only follow up question is, now knowing that I'm not a non-traditional student and am simply a regular college student who just happens to have experience in management roles, do your original statements still stand? Should I cut back a little on the leadership details/value creating details and add more accounting type details?

Thanks, --Art Vandelay

 

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