Whether you’re just finishing school or you’ve recently moved to Chicago from another city searching for an accounting job in Chicago can be daunting. Luckily Chicago is a bustling city with many opportunities for accounting professionals with all levels of experience, from the fresh-out-of-school bookkeeper to the accountant with ten years of experience.
What types of accounting jobs are available in Chicago?
Small and new businesses are always looking for bookkeepers while many larger companies and corporations headquartered out of Chicago are looking for full time accountants and auditors. At the time of writing this article there are almost three times as many auditor positions as regular staff accounting positions, but this changes depending on the time of year.
What do accounting professionals typically make in Chicago?
Your average staff accountant makes roughly $50,400 with many making as much as $55,000. Bookkeepers typically make approximately $40,100 with many working at large companies making up to $45,400.
While these are the average numbers your actual salary will depend greatly on the size of the company. Some accountants make as much as $100,000 per year or even more working at top corporate levels.
What are the working conditions like?
Working conditions depend largely on the size of the company you end up working for. Many small companies may hire a full time bookkeeper but not require them to come into the office every day and some larger companies will let you work some hours at home. Small companies often also hire part time bookkeepers whereas medium-to-large companies will hire full time accounting staff. Because businesses of every size need accountants you can almost always find a job with hours that suit your lifestyle.
At a small company you will often work by yourself or almost entirely by yourself, sometimes working with outside accountants during tax season. Large companies may have entire accounting departments with clerks and bookkeepers or even multiple accountants. Depending on your title and the size of the company you might report directly to the CEO, financial director or a senior accountant. At most companies you can expect to work a little bit of overtime around tax season.
Most companies offer full time accounting staff generous benefits packages but only a few companies will extend benefits to part time accounting staff.
Where can you get an accounting job in Chicago?
Asking anyone you know who runs a small business or holds a high level position in a business that might be looking for an accountant is a great start, but you can’t always rely on people you know to get you a job, especially if you’ve only just moved to Chicago. Luckily the internet has made job searching easier than ever before and you can now find accounting jobs at any of these sites:
- Accounting Jobs Chicago – This accounting-specific job site allows you to post your resume and create job alerts that send you emails when suitable positions are posted. You can also search for accounting jobs that have already been posted on this site.
- Indeed.com – Indeed is an excellent search engine for anyone in need of a job, regardless of your field. You can narrow your search by using specific terms like “Chicago” and “Accounting”. They’ll show you the job, the company’s rating as an employer and the date when the job was posted. Like a regular search engine the first couple results are usually sponsored posts, but that doesn’t mean applying to them is a bad idea.
- Monster.com – One of the better job search engines out there, Monster allows you to search for jobs that meet the specifications you’re looking for, in the location you’re looking for.
- Career Builder – Another search engine style job hunting site, Career Builder also allows you to upload different versions of your resume and create an online profile employers can view.
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a great place to search for jobs of all types and it is also an excellent place to network with other accounting professionals who might be able to give you a referral. You might check this job board less often than the others as posts are less frequent but make sure your LinkedIn profile is always up to date.
- SimplyHired – SimplyHired is an excellent search tool which allows you to find jobs in specific categories and areas.
Accounting is a thriving field and there are hundreds of opportunities in Chicago. Whether you’re new to accounting or new to Chicago you can find a job and start a new career using these sites.
