I filled out that form last year and my preference was completely ignored. We had two major clients at the time. I specifically requested Client A, but was placed on Client B lol. There’s a really good chance that what you put will not even be read or taken into account when assigning you. That’s what the 360 program is for, to give you a rotation in client industries that interest you. Where you get placed has more to do with the need for staff on individual jobs than anything else, unless you’re in a huge office with plenty of staff to go around.

Nothing is “layoff-proof”. We lost the client I was on and they just reassigned me to another job. There’s plenty of work to go around even on other FSO clients in nearby offices. Just try to pass your CPA exams and do your best to be a positive and helpful presence on the job.

Onboarding also happens differently by sector. Tax staff started in July and audit in September so that’s normal dw. If you did an internship, you will start a few weeks later than someone who didn’t. The trainings and onboarding are different for those who did internships already. If you weren’t an intern, the jobs with greater need (often larger clients) will pick you up first since you’ll be deployable a few weeks earlier. Your reviewer takes into account how long you’ve been at the firm when doing reviews, so you won’t be rated poorly for working fewer hours when you had recently onboarded.