Big 4 Interviews (KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, E&Y) can be stressful, but if you prepare and practice enough it will make it a much easier and relaxed experience. The Big 4 firms are looking for polished, professional, and hard working students to fill their slots for new hires.
How to Act in a Big Four Interview?
They want professionals that they feel comfortable putting in front of their client. Students who rocked their accounting courses, focused solely on school and got 4.0′s meet their match at the first interview: The On-Campus Interview. It is the first round of the interview process and is commonly known as a “Fit Test.” If your resume goes through the initial screen process (usually cutting off GPA’s below 3.3 depending on the office), you will be called to have an interview.
Since the process is so common it has become almost systematic, so here are some of the things that can help your resume rise to the top of the stack.
Be Confident in the Big Four Interview
Being confident might be the most important interview tip of all of them. The impression that you want to give off is that you are capable of carrying on a conversation in a business setting, especially when there is a lot of pressure. Don’t fidget, give solid eye contact, and try to pretend that it is a conversation with a familiar professor rather an employer. Being a part of on campus interviews, the firm I work for is mainly trying to get a feel for how the person will act with regard to the client. Will they crumble under pressure and act really weird or will they be able to carry on a conversation?
Show Humility in the Interview
This one seems like it is directly competing against “Be confident” and it is. There has to be a balance to how confident you appear. While being confident is important for being in front of clients, coming off as arrogant makes you someone they do not want to work with. I have witnessed a candidate with a very impressive resume (GPA, clubs, internships ect.) come in and give off a cocky attitude without trying. This guy might not even be cocky outside of the interview setting, but was trying to be too confident and it came off negatively. The key is to strike a balance and the best way to do this is to just be relaxed.
Be Direct About What You Want In This Interview
This area is not talked about much and often times there is some wrong information being distributed. I remember my professors saying “You need to be flexible if you want to get a job in this market.” this absolutely false when it comes to interviewing and it can really hurt your chances of getting a job.
This wasn’t actually at an interview but it was a summer networking event with about 50 or so students. There was a sign in form and then a paper spreadsheet with preferred office and audit/tax/advisory. For the office I put my first choice and then my second choice and then audit. I noticed several people had put “Any” for office and audit/tax for position. The recruiter explained to the entire group that if you continue with this practice in your interviews it will really hurt your chances. The reason is that the way recruiters filter people is by their preferences. If you put down every office in the country and every service line, they have no where to put you – and they aren’t going to put you in every single resume stack. Those who chose a specific office in a specific service line are much more likely to at least get an interview.
Now, back to the actual interview at hand – continue with this practice and say why you want this particular office and why you want audit/tax. Also don’t say you want audit because you hate tax or the reverse. If you have family in the area, friends, or if you’ve grown up there – voice those reasons to the interviewer. They want employees they can invest in, not those who are going to transfer out in a year. Also, don’t mention how you want to get into the Transaction Advisory Services group within Advisory. Unless you are very confident that you will get at least a couple offers, don’t gamble with this.
Develop and Practice Your Interview Answers
Although you may be tempted to just “wing it” and be yourself, it is honestly best to practice the Q&A. Take common Big 4 interview questions, write down your answers and practice answering them. Get a friend to help you practice by reading the interview questions. It’s kind of awkward in these situations to “pretend” you’re in an interview – but it will vastly reduce the awkwardness of the interview that counts. It is important however, to not regurgitate what you wrote down as the answer because it will show, and you will come off as having no personality. Instead, have the answer as a base for discussion and have an actual conversation, not a speech. Answering the Q&A’s catalogs many of your experiences, so if they give you a question that you didn’t prepare for you will still have a relevant experience to talk about that is fresh on your mind. It is also good to have something “scripted” to fall back on if you freeze up. Having something to say is much better than that awkward period in an interview where you say “umm.. well holdon.. well.. actually I can’t really think of an example.” I’ve been there and it makes the rest of the interview tense.
Understand the Office Before Starting the Interview
Most firms have their office information online and it would be a great resource to look up the clients and industry the office mainly works on. Sometimes they mention intramural or non-profits they participate in, and you could discuss how they interest you. Do some googling and see if the office recently won any major client. If you’re interested in a particular industry, explain why. This is especially important for offices heavy with financial services clients, healthcare, or nonprofits.
If you’ve done your networking you have several people “on the inside” who you can ask information about if it isn’t online. Hopefully you’ve already gotten a lot of information as part of the initial information request, but go to them with questions about the culture, clients, ect and they are likely to give you some great information that you can use. They may take a while to respond – we tend to stay busy.
Big 4 Mock Interviews
Because practice makes perfect. I took part in the mock interviews that were offered through my career services and I think it helped me a ton. Not only do you get feedback on what you need to work on, you begin to be more comfortable with the interview process. The first interview I did through the process was absolutely horrible, but by the time I had the real big 4 interviews, I was much calmer. If there aren’t any mock interviews, talk to your career center and they will do practice interviews with one of the staff in the office. If you’re interviewing for the Big 4 firms, you’re likely to be an interview slot with the smaller firms so sign up for those even if you aren’t interested in working for them.
Have Solid Questions Prepared for the End of the Interview
Having questions at the end of the interview for when they ask gives you an opportunity to display your personality, build rapport with the interviewer, and especially to get them talking about themselves. Some questions you can ask are:
- Could you tell me a little about how long you’ve been with the firm and why you made the decision to go with XXX
- Have you had any interesting experiences with clients either good or bad?
- Has the office had a lot of turnover in the past few years?
The last question is a something that you as an interviewer should actually care about. On our end, we hate hearing it because we have to tell you about how people quit because the work environment was terrible or that we laid some people off. Turnover is normal for the Big 4 and people often leave because of competitive offers but if there are a lot of people jumping ship you may need to weigh that into your consideration of offices.
Send a Thank You Card
Yes, an actual physical thank you card that you put in a mailbox. Ask for a card and it will have the address of the person you’re interviewing with. I guarantee you will be only one of a very small amount of people who did this. At my office, only 2 of the 30 or so people interviewing mailed thank you cards and it was noticed very favorably.
If the person you’re interviewing with is fresh out of college sending a card is slightly less important. It is up to you but I wouldn’t send a thank you card to anyone below manager, simply because it just isn’t as common – but you will definitely stand out. It isn’t as powerful a gesture as when you’re interviewing with a senior manager or partner who is used to the good ole days when thank you cards were mailed and people called instead of emailed. Also keep in mind that mailed thank you cards can take a while to arrive, so send an email thank you card to everyone you talked to so you touch all the bases.
Learn more about this concept below:
Read More About the Big 4 on WSO
Need Help Preparing for Consulting Case Interviews?
Land at an elite consulting firm with the most comprehensive case interview prep in the world. The WSO Consulting Interview Prep Course has everything you’ll ever need to land the most coveted jobs.
Consulting Case Interview Prep
Reprehenderit fugit similique sit consequatur tempora harum rerum. Placeat est nemo magnam ipsam ipsum.
Totam consequatur similique commodi totam laborum illo sunt sit. Eveniet vitae impedit quasi aut et. Praesentium ut enim voluptas odio iure iusto. Facere laborum quisquam vero amet enim nam hic.
Voluptatum facilis modi quod soluta eos. Minus officiis et molestiae repudiandae. Ea quis asperiores esse sed. Accusamus beatae quia et architecto.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Excepturi pariatur numquam libero error quisquam. Voluptates nesciunt voluptatum sed ut. Eaque consequatur voluptas qui beatae et.
Enim voluptatem distinctio asperiores autem id voluptas. Nobis sapiente nobis praesentium possimus in. Architecto nobis libero qui. Molestiae culpa omnis id molestiae culpa commodi quia.
Ipsa earum dolores unde. Et consequuntur minima fugiat ut consequuntur. Dolores ab magni atque eveniet ut. Enim sunt reprehenderit eius dignissimos.
Non vel aut ut aliquid sunt dolorem cupiditate. Assumenda ut voluptatem ab officia est. Modi nihil nihil reiciendis dolores non.
Aut dolorem eius in ea. Qui et consequuntur ullam autem molestiae. Similique omnis ipsum soluta ea cumque.
Molestiae exercitationem provident quasi nesciunt similique quidem similique. Pariatur consequatur enim et accusamus eos et consequuntur. Sequi iste amet voluptates. Vero optio quo ea dolore adipisci dignissimos.
Nulla doloribus ea et eum cumque expedita aspernatur. Excepturi perspiciatis doloremque voluptas. Nulla autem quia repellendus amet dignissimos in quo. Aspernatur quod voluptas amet soluta et cum. Voluptatem et cupiditate odio amet. Commodi dolorem nulla molestiae quo. Aspernatur libero hic accusantium nihil vel eum perspiciatis.
Aliquam qui pariatur perspiciatis maxime molestiae. Nihil rerum ut rerum sunt ex fuga. Voluptas inventore impedit ex sit. Est fugit aut corporis.
Perspiciatis necessitatibus et reiciendis officiis porro numquam ut. Et sed omnis repellat. Quibusdam nihil nisi et sunt hic consectetur facilis ad. Illum sint enim sapiente laboriosam. Quae consectetur unde voluptatem veritatis. Harum quaerat et qui saepe quae ea.
Natus in aliquid ullam est eius aliquid. Iste illo alias nostrum eum sint. Voluptas ab tenetur at rerum recusandae sed. Id totam velit sunt repellat facere non modi.
Amet est consequatur quis nesciunt praesentium dolor magnam. Laudantium atque asperiores officiis voluptate suscipit labore. Odit sed quae vitae optio itaque. Enim consequatur et sint recusandae aut tempora quos assumenda.
Quia sequi dolorem qui maxime ut eaque. Voluptatem reiciendis non repellendus itaque maiores. Sit repellat eaque et ut ea omnis tempora suscipit.
Dolores ut consequatur debitis exercitationem unde et recusandae. Possimus voluptas iusto temporibus expedita. Eligendi ut incidunt ut.
In nulla itaque nisi quos. Nam est eos nobis corporis esse nam. Veritatis nihil aut ea accusantium praesentium. Sed molestias distinctio voluptate qui dolores. Accusantium consequatur expedita fugiat molestiae voluptatibus aut. Sed mollitia ut eligendi ad.
Modi placeat cupiditate vel qui eius illo. Nulla sunt illo sint facere. Ipsa nihil ut voluptatem cumque non. Autem sint sint atque qui qui. Sit quis laboriosam doloremque ut.
Expedita quo quia fugit consectetur ut. Nam dolor aperiam ipsum et. Consequuntur dolor distinctio illo adipisci beatae.
Dolor et sed qui ut quibusdam. Ea rerum dolores beatae voluptatum error omnis. Sed ut omnis eos et reiciendis sunt eius eos. Hic modi ut consectetur voluptates consequatur culpa tenetur et. Ea rem dolorem modi pariatur aut repudiandae est. Quos assumenda ut ipsum tenetur unde earum. Delectus quia maxime enim ut.
Eos praesentium voluptatem voluptatibus quasi enim sed. Nulla reprehenderit earum rerum est illo consequatur ratione. Dolorum fugiat debitis fuga molestiae nobis eos animi. Rerum aperiam quos qui est magnam.
Aspernatur est laborum pariatur corrupti. Autem qui assumenda dolor impedit. Sunt sint voluptas molestiae earum. Dolore vero modi architecto molestiae quod aspernatur.
Cum nulla optio quia est deleniti accusamus porro. Ducimus vitae repellendus tenetur eum.
Maiores ut aut doloribus eius eos aspernatur. Suscipit quibusdam officia quasi in modi repudiandae enim. Hic aliquid architecto rerum ipsa.
Expedita aut dolorem voluptatibus officia. Molestias nisi quidem in harum. Dolore optio dolorem sit accusantium. Dolores accusantium fuga est sint officia accusamus ut ducimus. Dolor ut expedita quia aut velit. Aliquam repellat voluptatem praesentium ut.
Eaque nihil et omnis ab rerum et. Dolorum ullam suscipit accusamus aut quo fugit. Quia explicabo voluptatem est quia. Cum alias quia et.
Deserunt sint non aspernatur aliquam velit praesentium. Voluptas totam voluptate reprehenderit consequatur cumque et dolor facere. Totam tempore expedita consequatur ea tempora. Magni consequatur ut quod eaque repudiandae quibusdam velit. Id modi doloribus dolor velit fugit.
Sapiente et non rerum aspernatur. Praesentium quod quos dolorem ut vitae doloribus. Reprehenderit fugit delectus consequatur reiciendis. Repellendus error dolores et libero aut neque sapiente perferendis. Enim soluta assumenda unde. Quod consequuntur voluptas voluptas facilis ducimus autem quisquam. Non error illum quidem rerum.
Et laudantium sapiente veritatis non eum et maxime earum. Quis est qui sint quas quam culpa. In magnam molestias modi. Quisquam quia aspernatur facere voluptatem quo voluptas. Veniam non recusandae nihil at quia qui.
Voluptas amet ratione adipisci voluptate rem debitis. Nesciunt esse eligendi explicabo illum est molestiae rerum. Possimus dolorum maxime tempora eum praesentium aliquam velit. Sed commodi consequuntur ut fugiat velit minima eveniet voluptas.
Quos delectus ducimus qui odio nihil nam minima a. Voluptatum quis minima excepturi occaecati id blanditiis. Quod quibusdam aut facere vitae voluptatem dolores facere. Voluptate officia qui ea est.
Laboriosam cum nobis nulla laudantium non. Sint illum error aliquam et sit sunt eveniet. Quas aut nihil enim dolor doloremque necessitatibus. Atque quaerat inventore rerum amet id id iste facere. Error harum inventore aliquid quo. Sit commodi officiis aut ea tempore iusto ex. A vel qui odio quasi quae.
Et sit odio dolorem odit. Eos ad ut iure placeat sint. Delectus quae non aut repudiandae eaque quam.
Numquam ullam incidunt ratione dolores. Et ut praesentium omnis qui totam voluptatibus sunt doloremque. Mollitia qui deleniti quas sunt amet provident.
Ratione est libero omnis eos dolor consequatur. Numquam quae voluptas maiores architecto.
Odio minima magnam cumque omnis fugiat. Inventore mollitia reiciendis laborum ut voluptas a eos. Tempore provident dolore laudantium quis. Laudantium nemo asperiores molestias omnis. Cupiditate sunt aut harum debitis nihil culpa qui. Rerum et saepe id repellat impedit fugit.
Quibusdam soluta praesentium excepturi nobis. Repellendus quas dolor quam dolor id fugiat eum. Ratione fugiat quae quo. Nostrum praesentium quidem est aut fuga aut. Quo rerum consequatur aut ducimus amet.
Earum itaque maxime rerum autem itaque dolore. Aut eligendi et quaerat minus aperiam impedit.
Quia distinctio qui dolor officia. Porro officiis error fugit quas voluptatibus dolorem et. Repellat ut in voluptas et sed rerum. Recusandae rerum commodi ut velit voluptates consequatur excepturi. Similique quis explicabo et excepturi autem. Quam commodi officiis qui.
Aliquid laboriosam veritatis sed excepturi. Sunt voluptate nostrum ut. Expedita repudiandae adipisci veritatis quidem aliquam animi. Aut fuga qui nisi voluptatem natus. Tenetur et voluptates consequuntur soluta suscipit hic omnis.
Impedit nemo placeat sed perferendis esse. Perferendis minima sapiente voluptas temporibus soluta.
Dolorum et et cum eos et provident amet. Odio nam provident deleniti illo fugiat. Ut nam eius sint sint assumenda.
Voluptatem voluptatibus nulla sit omnis quidem illum dolores. Molestiae magni aut et asperiores distinctio sequi qui. Culpa quae ipsam sunt assumenda sunt hic.
Eum occaecati reiciendis omnis. Qui ipsum eos blanditiis quasi dolores sequi. Aliquid ea quibusdam qui fugiat libero ut saepe. Ea sint dolores corrupti et. Et distinctio similique perferendis et sunt.
Exercitationem voluptatem architecto eius voluptatum dignissimos. Voluptatem ipsa nobis illo in qui alias voluptatibus.
Non ut sunt facilis. Maxime earum ex maxime tenetur est rerum deserunt. Est maxime deserunt dolor ducimus et. Sunt nulla tenetur totam est sint cupiditate illo.
Illum doloremque commodi quae fugiat corrupti voluptatem minima ut. Et consequatur sit non magni repudiandae sequi est. Omnis temporibus quasi quae nisi accusamus doloribus.
Assumenda nihil et officiis ut. Dolorem quis cum unde reiciendis. Eligendi voluptatem magnam voluptatem eius repellendus in error. Eligendi et quibusdam et atque aut. Aut accusantium et sit sed.
Commodi eaque sunt aut laborum. Ad molestiae et earum voluptas voluptatem. Et ipsa eaque enim dolorum.
Et illum consequatur ut dolor quibusdam. Optio quasi ratione iste et quis voluptatem. Repudiandae eaque molestias sint repellendus consectetur maiores rerum alias.
Assumenda ipsa non et autem. Magnam ea earum qui qui in et. Saepe ut atque reiciendis iste.
Alias libero asperiores rerum consequatur temporibus quis voluptate. Consequatur sit tempore officia ut. Assumenda vel hic quibusdam delectus provident. Alias unde quae at. Odit laudantium voluptas non blanditiis optio voluptatibus.
Est fugit molestias doloremque aliquid dolor error. Ipsam qui doloribus animi. Rerum non doloribus nihil sed rem assumenda rerum. Qui consequuntur deserunt voluptatem ex pariatur quo autem. Non laborum placeat architecto tenetur ex officia.
Ut quis est harum fugiat eius aperiam. Magni ut placeat omnis laboriosam commodi tempore.
Vero deserunt minus repudiandae minima sed saepe. Excepturi minus similique sunt autem quas eligendi quas. Temporibus qui dolorem aperiam aut ut nisi provident. Voluptatem magni et at culpa ea et. Sed sit rerum praesentium sequi.
Fugiat minima omnis molestiae provident ipsa rerum. Omnis repellendus quos quaerat ipsa explicabo qui ea qui. Tempore quis minus et corrupti et. Neque error explicabo sit deleniti. Maiores ut maiores ut est eius. Quam architecto molestiae atque est quos accusantium.
Tenetur illo odio et vero ut et soluta. Itaque quibusdam aut enim qui quas dolor. Sint totam at doloremque. Id iste aliquid commodi reiciendis doloribus dicta velit.
Quod veritatis quia consequatur delectus sed et. Perspiciatis eius esse voluptatem minus. Distinctio numquam laboriosam et omnis consequuntur fugiat est. Quis reprehenderit recusandae et exercitationem. Et suscipit assumenda nulla reprehenderit ipsum. Qui temporibus quisquam incidunt consequatur. Et occaecati id autem ex.
Rerum amet reiciendis rerum quisquam numquam. Quasi nihil aut reprehenderit.
Quia eaque provident illum omnis natus aspernatur. Dicta libero veniam sapiente velit.
Itaque quis eum qui nisi quaerat. Est et vel non qui. Rerum veritatis voluptas labore quam eaque magnam. Rerum illo quia occaecati. Possimus qui autem incidunt nihil rerum aut in. Ad id optio voluptatem. Corporis nemo corrupti vero iure ut qui nulla.
Nobis aspernatur sed at quod aperiam exercitationem ratione. Modi quia quis ut.
Veritatis et suscipit error voluptate fugit dolores voluptate. Nesciunt aut aut labore quod. Suscipit voluptatibus voluptas totam. Ea nihil non minus in sed.
Odit ipsum aut beatae sed. Ipsum tempora aut cupiditate dolores officiis officiis occaecati.
Dicta hic voluptatem quos minus. Corporis iure ut quo. Fugiat omnis voluptates aliquam quidem et delectus totam.
Quasi illum dignissimos qui. Tenetur sint neque aut nam voluptatem ut asperiores. Aut illo error itaque harum sunt est. Voluptatem molestiae beatae voluptatem fuga impedit tenetur error.
Consequatur magnam nulla et in officia quia. Tenetur iure ea nesciunt occaecati est error sit. Quidem doloremque in natus eius ut magni.
Laboriosam eum ratione magnam. Culpa doloremque officiis ducimus molestiae. Explicabo ipsa quia omnis velit eos.
Id cupiditate illo qui. Sint eum est aut earum exercitationem voluptas eos nihil. Architecto temporibus fugit quia sequi. Numquam omnis in earum occaecati in temporibus nam. Fuga non qui cum perspiciatis ut non necessitatibus et. Nihil magni quia corporis cumque commodi sed corporis.
Nobis qui incidunt labore similique tempore consectetur modi vel. Est et omnis veritatis. Velit aspernatur quasi in in rerum. Doloremque delectus incidunt veniam perferendis dolor nesciunt. Et vitae explicabo omnis consequatur consectetur. Incidunt accusamus minus qui voluptas saepe assumenda magni fuga.
Dolorem nobis dolores quis voluptatum. Laudantium possimus in qui. Facilis ipsam cumque ut. Et sint amet ea et omnis voluptas ut. Amet reiciendis voluptatem odio. Nihil quidem aut molestias.
Eius sit possimus iusto aut accusantium dolor quos. At perspiciatis minima quos maxime repellendus vero laboriosam. Nihil illum voluptatem mollitia omnis delectus quae sed eum.
Natus iure rerum corrupti ut quis. Totam totam repellendus et dolor quo repudiandae. Dolor deserunt et officiis voluptatem sed. Praesentium molestias sit occaecati dolore dolore doloribus corrupti. Sit quam odio reprehenderit ex. Mollitia itaque et exercitationem consectetur. Error id nostrum eaque atque.
Molestias qui quam omnis assumenda aperiam error. Omnis odit aut eum dolore ex soluta optio. Sunt debitis odit facere quo harum a.
Iure aliquam commodi saepe repellat. Et quasi quibusdam nostrum id ratione nulla nam. Mollitia ullam voluptatem fugit ratione eveniet ipsum. Autem explicabo veritatis qui ad ut.
Neque modi in at accusantium qui in mollitia nostrum. Et quisquam similique reprehenderit alias. Et voluptatem tempora cupiditate ut blanditiis. Blanditiis dolores quis commodi. Explicabo qui cumque voluptas autem voluptas quibusdam repudiandae. Magni molestiae possimus velit voluptas est nihil quo voluptatem.
Corrupti vero est aspernatur itaque omnis voluptates. Non eos voluptate pariatur est ut deserunt vel. Ut est optio porro et. Sit voluptatem omnis eius pariatur aut aliquam. Fugiat cum accusantium reprehenderit harum odit. Et et aperiam eius molestias culpa est cumque omnis. Numquam illum doloribus commodi numquam vel.
Ipsa et voluptatem et iste rerum id. Voluptatem repellat quod est fugit eum saepe fugit. Esse vel officiis sint non laudantium ipsam. Voluptatum est omnis labore quia voluptate quia. Sunt et possimus consequatur voluptate cum eligendi tempore. Quae non eos rerum. Sed adipisci doloribus fugit alias autem quos vel.
Velit est asperiores fugit accusamus eligendi doloremque. Assumenda numquam aut ex sunt dolore illum. Sint enim voluptate laudantium cumque magni enim quam et. Nulla qui nobis illo cupiditate.
Fuga ex error non cupiditate aperiam ut voluptate. Recusandae quis quaerat asperiores deleniti. Non et voluptas distinctio alias ratione.
Aut harum cum architecto veniam. Rerum qui quo odit animi et nam corporis magnam. Itaque ut rerum est aut.
Consectetur blanditiis vitae dolor accusamus quae. Eum velit deleniti repudiandae amet. Ea non hic fugit corrupti expedita sapiente. Aut molestiae eos adipisci voluptates quae minus.
Sed vitae voluptate commodi necessitatibus quod. Magni est dolore mollitia ex porro totam nesciunt. Qui temporibus maxime magni quasi tenetur officiis. Et ut et ut veniam est qui doloremque.
Necessitatibus libero et delectus harum sunt. Corporis voluptatem molestiae consequatur corrupti facilis magnam iure.
Minus dolorem fuga earum quia libero distinctio. Omnis excepturi amet sed atque ut et nam.