SOX projects in Southern US 1906



  • Hello Forum,
    I am a MBA with 20 pluse year of general accounting experience and 3 years SOX experience and recently relocated back to Florida. Work was plentiful in the Northern States NY, NJ however there seems to be limited work in the Tampa Bay area. I am curious as to what approach I should take in finding SOX work in this area because there doesn’t seem to be any advertising for SOX auditors in Tampa Bay.
    I am not a CPA. I am studying to sit for the CIA in May 2007. I missed the November exam because I was abroad. I really enjoy the work expecially process documentation and test plan review and testing.
    Committed to SOX and want to continue to stay in the field.
    Futura



  • Hi Futura and welcome to the forums 🙂
    I have relatives in the Tampa/Clearwater area and it’s a great area that should have some sizeable firms. In some cases firms may not publicly advertise positions or may not have openings.
    Some suggestions include:

    1. Find out the largest employers in your area – maybe through the Chamber of Commerce(s)
    2. Write an individual and unique cover letter to each major employer that’s most likely having a need to meet SOX requirements and send your resume as well (emphasizing the goals of working on the core SOX compliancy team)
    3. You might try some of the major job sites (see my last link at bottom) like Dice, Monster, etc
    4. Networking is a great way to discover jobs and while you’re currently at a disadvantage having recently moved, keep building contacts over time
    5. You might even call the HR department (or even manager of Audit) for each major employer asking about both SOX and audit positions available
    6. Keep an eye on the major newspapers and regional job websites
    7. While some large firms may house the the core SOX compliancy team at their headquarters, maybe you be part of the team on a ‘remote’ basis in Tampa, (esp. in our age of computers, telephone conferencing, etc).
    8. Some of the ideas on resume preparation and interviewing might help in the thread below from ALLPM (i.e., free forums related to the Project Management). While this pertains to PM, the concepts shared are applicable for any profession:
      As hyperlinking is discouraged in the forums, please paste link into browser and add ‘www’
      GETTING STARTED - The Project Management Profession
      allpm.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2-and-file=viewtopic-and-t=967


  • Hi,
    You might consider attending the monthly IIA meeting held by the local IIA Chapter that serves Tampa. The IIA is based in Florida and should have a number of IIA affiliates in/around the Tampa area.
    Sign up to attend a seminar or attend the lunch only session, network while there with your current resume, and ask around. There are still plenty of good opportunities for capable SOX professionals with or without a professional designation (CIA, CPA, etc.).
    Use the ‘services’ of a recruiter sparingly and be careful about allowing one to shop your resume on your behalf. Some companies will not consider a candidate that has previously been presented through a recruiter. Additionally, the salary offer or charge rate including the recruiter’s ‘mark-up’ might put you over the company’s price point.
    Good luck,
    Milan
    The IIA and Local Chapter:
    Dot= .
    wwwDOTtheiia.org/chapters/index.cfm?act=all.list-and-selected=United States



  • Milan - that’s an awesome idea and just wanted to compliment you on it … Networking is your friend when it comes to finding a good job.


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