Summary of General Hiring
Practices of Profiled Firms
The paragraphs that follow summarize data obtained from the sixty-two (62)
accounting firms profiled in the 2016-17 College Student’s Guide to Accounting
Firms in Massachusetts. Generalizations about firms not represented in this publication should not be made. The Society hopes that this gathered information
will be of value as you prepare for your accounting career. If you are interested
in any particular firm, please contact them for further information about their
hiring practices.
150 Hour Compliance
Candidates pursuing CPA certification in Massachusetts are required to have
150 credit hours of college-level education. Almost all international firms, the
majority of national firms, and a percentage of regional and local firms require
150 hour compliance when hiring entry-level staff.
GPA
Academic success is a factor in entry-level hiring decisions. The majority of
prospective employers use both the overall Grade Point Average (GPA) as well
as the Accounting/Business Major GPA as a screening factor and about 18% of
the firms have higher expectations for the Accounting/Business Major. Nineteen
percent of the regional firms and 42% of the local firms cited that GPA is not
considered in making a hiring decision.
Overall Acceptable Grade Point Average (GPA)
3.5 GPA (2%)
3.4 GPA (2%)
3.3 GPA (6%)
3.25 GPA (2%)
N/A (27%)
2.8 GPA (1%)
3.0 GPA (55%)
3.2 GPA (3%)
3.1 GPA (2%)
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