The Big 4 Accounting Firms - The Secret to Getting Hired with the World's Best Firms

Posted by in Accounting, Auditing & Tax


Industry professionals, recruiters and college professors are unanimous in their belief in one thing: there is no better way to start a career in accounting than experience with a Big 4 public accounting firm. If you are reading this you no doubt are well aware of who these are: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touché, KPMG and Ernst & Young. While each of these companies has various strengths and weaknesses, they are all alike in the fact that they provide the recent accounting grad with a world class experience. First year associates at these firms are given a level of responsibility that is truly remarkable. When I was a first year I remember thinking on an almost daily basis "I can't believe they're letting me do this." As I strolled into the CEO's office of the firm we were auditing, as I tallied up a multi-million dollar mistake I'd found in another company's books and as I traveled the country with my very own American Express Corporate Card, I kept repeating this thought: "I can't believe they're letting me do this" Truly the world of accounting is at your fingertips when you are employed with one of the Big 4. There is an air of respect in those names: PwC, E&Y, KPMG and D&T. There is camaraderie and there is pride. These are the truly elite in the accounting field, and the top of the business world. Starting your professional career at one of these companies is a ticket to a career in the fast lane. The experience you receive at a Big 4 is, literally, priceless. Many beginners at these firms admit that they would be willing to work for nothing: the experience is that valuable. Land a job and you will guarantee yourself the following: - For the rest of your career your resume will automatically move to the top of the pile - For the rest of your career you will have access to a network of professionals that is staggering in its depth - You will earn an industry busting salary, putting your friends at regional and local firms to shame - Your resume will contain experience that is recognized and respected globally - An opportunity to travel the world At a speaking engagement in 2004, Martin J. Whitman, billionaire and namesake of the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management, was asked the single best piece of advice he could offer college graduates. His reply? "Begin your career with a Big 4 Public Accounting Firm. Period." Of course. Think this all sounds good? Of course you do. You're probably thinking to yourself - there must be a catch? Unfortunately, there is. The benefits of working for a Big 4 are widely known and the demand for these positions is higher than ever. These positions are EXTREMELY competitive and often IMPOSSIBLE to obtain without an edge. A great GPA and resume are no longer enough. If you are serious about your career and want to maximize your earnings potential, you need an edge. How do you land an interview with a Big 4 when there are thousands of others just like you? Once you get the interview, how will you be prepared for the barrage of questioning you will face? When I graduated from college I had one interview and one interview only: I landed a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers on the first shot. How did I do it? Good grades? Charming personality? Incredible experience? No! I had an insider at PwC who knew the ropes and coached me through the process, from the application to the signing bonus! When I learned these secrets I just watched as my peers struggled and I jumped easily through all the hoops. Unfair? Sure, but life in a world class industry is not fair. While working at PwC I also experienced the recruiting process from the side of the recruiter. If you want to learn the secret to getting hired with the Big 4, please visit: Big4Guru.com
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  • Melissa Kennedy
    Melissa Kennedy
    Thanks for the great comments!@Jake - Congrats! I hope you have a great career!@Adelin - Starting off right makes a huge difference, but no matter how or when you get there, it can really take your career to the next level.
  • Jetson
    Jetson
    Great thinking!
  • India
    India
    Thanks a lot - your answer solved my problems
  • JAKE
    JAKE
    hey....great info.  I read the B4G's Book of Secrets eBook and I got hired with PwC.  Great stuff, thanks.
  • Adelin Pop
    Adelin Pop
    I have held various senior global banking roles like COO,  Head of Regulatory, M&A, Audit Manager etc, and I can honestly say that as a fairly young person in absence of the strong fundamentals learnt and refined with one of the big 4 (E&Y) I would not have made it so successful or earned the + $200K annually. Now the 5 years I spend with E&Y took place somewhere around 6 years after I started working, and I joined E&Y in a management capacity at the time that Andersons was still in its prime. I can’t help but ponder the opportunities lost had I had joined one of these big firms right out of university! Adelin Pop

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