006: Blythe Arguez of RSM’s Talent Acquisition team

We were able to interview Blythe Arguez from the talent acquisition team at the national accounting firm – RSM for this episode.

Blythe’s career started in finance actually, and then she figured that accounting would be a better fit for her long-term career and she ended up deciding to go back to school to finish out the requirements to sit for the CPA exam based on her job prospects with Deloitte at the time.

Finding your path…

Blythe’s story is an excellent example of trying several different areas over time in order to find out what the best fit is for your long-term interests. She started in financial planning, moved into tax with a national firm, tried third-party recruiting for a while, and then settled into a position with Padgett Stratemann (now RSM) where all her experience and strengths mesh well with the duties and responsibilities she handles in talent acquisition.

Pursue your CPA…

One of the pieces of advice Blythe passes on is to make sure that you fully understand the coursework and other requirements necessary to become a CPA when going through school, and that you pursue it immediately without letting time pass after graduation. Although she pursued it later on due to her background being in finance initially, she admits that it was difficult to get back into proper study habits and do what was necessary to get the exam passed. It was an important achievement, but it definitely came with some sacrifice.

Start early…

Another piece of advice Blythe passes on to students is to get started networking early. Don’t wait until you are right on the cusp of needing to secure an internship. Start going to career fairs early in order to educate yourself on how they work and start to meet some of the people that you will later need to know in order to get your career started.

Blythe was definitely very forthcoming with her own story and I hope that you are able to take away some nuggets of wisdom for your own career.

If you would like to contact Blythe, the easiest approach is to connect with her on LinkedIn or message her through the service.

Have a great week!

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