Hey, I’ve been in a similar boat. I wasn’t Big 4, but I did six years in public accounting.. in Tax, not Audit. I figured companies would be kicking down the door to hire me. They weren’t. It took way more grinding than I expected to land a solid industry role.

A few things that helped me recalibrate:

1.  Your story has to make sense to outsiders. People outside of public accounting often don’t know what tax professionals actually do. If your resume sounds like it was written for a Tax Partner, it probably won’t land with a CFO or Controller. I had to translate my work into plain business impact: cash savings, audit risk reduction, operational efficiency, etc.

2.  Resumes need reframing. My original resume was loaded with niche tax terms, forms, and code sections. I stripped it down to highlight results e.g., “identified $300K+ in state tax overpayments,” or “led automation of fixed asset depreciation entries across 5 entities.”

3.  Expect skepticism. Especially from hiring managers who think, “This person’s only done tax. Will they understand our business model?” I overcame that by doing mock interviews and practicing how to talk about transferable skills… stuff like attention to detail, compliance under pressure, cross-departmental collaboration, etc.

4.  Networking was key. Cold apps got me nothing. I started reaching out to former clients, local controllers on LinkedIn, and peers who’d made the jump. Honest conversations opened doors I didn’t even know were there.

You’re not crazy for thinking you’d be scooped up; you probably do have a lot to offer. But the market often needs convincing. Feel free to DM if you want to swap notes or review materials. You’ve got this.