Accounting jobs in Seattle (job market, to live, to move)

[oping00]

Hello I wanted to know how the accounting/finance job market is even in a recession. I live in Chicago with a larger pool of opportunities, but want to move out eventually. I plan on getting a accounting degree and Seattle is one of my destinations to live. Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks.

[HuskyDawg]

I was contracting here with Robert Half when the crash hit, and it wasn't pretty. Even temp jobs dried up for quite a while. Now things are slowly coming back and they have more opportunities, but the market is pretty flooded. Seattle was hit pretty hard with layoffs just like everywhere else, and you have a large pool of qualified to overqualified applicants. I would recommend Robert Half or 2 degrees if you move here with no job, and they can get you started.

[texastrigirl]

Along with RH and TwoDegrees, also try Volt for accounting jobs...they contract heavily with Microsoft. Being a CPA myself, I would highly encourage you to sit for the exam and get the full certification. It will only give you that many more options down the road. Good luck!!

[Adrian71]

My wife and I moved out here expecting that she'd have an easy time finding work. She's an accountant with 15 years of experience, and we saw tons of accounting jobs on the job sites before we got here. She's been here now for two months, and the recruiters have had next to nothing for her. Some won't even call her back. Robert Half has actually been the worst at stonewalling her. We suspect that the market is just flooded, or that hiring managers aren't using recruiters that much anymore. She's actually gotten more calls back from jobs she's applied directly to on Craigslist.

Not to discourage you, but it seems to be a tough market right now.

[HuskyDawg]

Robert Half has actually been the worst at stonewalling her. We suspect that the market is just flooded, or that hiring managers aren't using recruiters that much anymore. She's actually gotten more calls back from jobs she's applied directly to on Craigslist.

That's a sign that it's just flooded right now. I also think that recruiters will go to candidates first that have a track record of success with them. It's tough coming from out of state as connections are still the best way to get a job in a highly educated market like Seattle. I like Craigslist, but so many of the postings are garbage. Especially, as you look over a long period of time you'll notice the same BS postings come up over and over, month after month. Volt is a good suggestion as I've had some success with them in the past too.