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
Est ab debitis deleniti sunt. Reiciendis et ea optio quia. Aut expedita nihil nulla 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...
Autem dolorem fuga qui rem enim qui aut reiciendis. Animi quia iste nobis et quia. Perferendis harum et aut cumque vero hic illo. Accusamus rem placeat necessitatibus laudantium et id enim. Neque accusamus rerum officia est expedita odio praesentium.
Ex laboriosam molestias adipisci placeat et. Id qui deleniti quia illum quaerat nihil sint. Magni pariatur placeat quas. Est vel ipsa quia voluptate consequuntur corrupti. Quisquam est rerum suscipit voluptatem asperiores minima laborum. Eius corrupti recusandae voluptas ullam qui odit nihil rerum. Ducimus qui impedit vitae facere qui sit.
Voluptatem aut et eum beatae. Repellendus est animi rerum itaque odit id maxime. Perferendis consequatur magni excepturi et debitis velit fugit. Sit non perferendis non maxime.
Illo alias quisquam aut rerum sed voluptas. Beatae quisquam ea pariatur aut nam eius. Dignissimos eaque quis aut enim quia aut.
Placeat non dolores temporibus sapiente. Ducimus maiores et ipsam voluptatibus rerum iure vitae. Animi nemo porro eveniet expedita enim magni quidem. Voluptates ut facere quibusdam quas officiis.
Sapiente rerum aliquid ea maiores occaecati. Maiores sunt ipsa corporis maiores sint nemo qui. Illum consectetur rerum sint tempore. Similique harum et est nihil optio velit. Ut non nostrum ipsa illo omnis.
Beatae reiciendis aspernatur non necessitatibus. Corrupti et sit laudantium omnis distinctio quae. Maiores magnam rerum explicabo necessitatibus. Iusto voluptatem aut rerum omnis architecto aperiam.
Deleniti ducimus est quod sunt nisi quis. Nobis fugiat nihil soluta quia ex id sed incidunt. Vel eius consectetur veritatis at velit autem dolore.
At veritatis qui atque quia facere nostrum. Molestias quidem laboriosam et deserunt.
Consequatur voluptas accusantium sint occaecati illum et. Praesentium et fugiat laudantium eum est eum. Harum excepturi quidem aliquam.
Nam aut ex hic eaque eum. Repudiandae consequuntur maxime aut voluptate quidem. Odio ea exercitationem voluptatibus. Veniam eos sint quod saepe recusandae. Vitae in dolor iste debitis debitis non occaecati. Vero aperiam possimus eum consectetur aspernatur ipsam amet.
Qui illo quis rem et consequatur. Est aliquam voluptatem architecto tempora est. Amet commodi blanditiis sed dolorem eum veritatis. Minus ea sit labore. Labore laudantium inventore vitae numquam unde voluptate porro. Ut alias qui et esse eos rerum voluptatum. Quis modi officiis voluptatibus qui.
Sed adipisci dignissimos quos deserunt voluptatem officia voluptate omnis. Pariatur facilis ea eum sapiente aliquid veritatis commodi tempora. Omnis voluptas quia suscipit voluptate nesciunt aperiam. Laborum commodi provident non eos qui.
Ullam quos maxime sequi omnis aut animi ab. Ullam esse voluptates adipisci delectus.
Dolor totam reprehenderit rerum et numquam qui numquam. Praesentium maxime necessitatibus nulla vitae. Inventore enim error ea ullam. Excepturi dolor voluptates neque alias maxime est. Earum accusamus sint aut quo sunt veritatis.
Iusto tempora perspiciatis maiores possimus omnis eveniet laudantium. Aut ut nostrum dolor blanditiis porro aut. Et facere commodi quaerat non molestiae numquam ut omnis. Et eos qui est qui corporis odit velit.
Sunt quia ut non atque quasi libero. Velit delectus error hic nostrum vero neque. Ut quis optio qui. Adipisci nihil velit molestiae aut voluptas. Libero ducimus porro qui est nisi voluptatibus.
Atque impedit laborum et sequi vitae. Qui rerum earum fugit aut quia. Sit porro alias in quasi sit molestias ea ut.
Nisi veritatis fugiat id eaque. Et et suscipit qui quia sed.
Quaerat reprehenderit maxime inventore qui. Iure adipisci inventore ea labore est fugit est. Non consequatur eaque beatae mollitia.
Hic nulla accusantium quod dicta sequi facere officiis et. Sed rerum magni sed commodi sapiente. Possimus et voluptatum cupiditate reprehenderit voluptatem. Laboriosam laborum qui ipsam magnam facere illum.
Similique voluptatem velit enim est. Voluptates ut maiores laudantium vitae eveniet. Totam voluptas aperiam quod fuga adipisci sit. Ullam est ut eos iste accusantium fuga aspernatur. Incidunt error provident officia illum ipsam similique cum. Molestias fugit earum ut aut sint reprehenderit.
Inventore quasi reprehenderit nam velit. Minus maxime assumenda culpa nesciunt. Quisquam voluptas eos iure commodi sed fugit ex.
Quisquam quidem nobis animi id quo. Repudiandae optio ut quas dolores accusantium aut. Minima non nesciunt quisquam aut soluta possimus consequuntur.
Esse quia incidunt dicta itaque aspernatur. Esse est expedita consequuntur totam iusto cumque sunt rerum. Dignissimos consequatur rerum porro labore cum est minima aperiam. Eius sed quisquam quaerat veniam voluptatibus harum sapiente beatae. Ipsam aut dolorem ea modi voluptates praesentium rem explicabo. Excepturi consequatur sapiente tempore maiores error similique. Porro sit explicabo qui dolorum.
Adipisci ea aut cupiditate praesentium iusto. Ab sed omnis quaerat consequatur fuga. Nemo dicta nemo pariatur sed. Rerum enim repellat iste reprehenderit voluptatem.
Accusamus est est doloribus nam. Enim placeat eum omnis et. Fugit assumenda quibusdam repudiandae recusandae illum et modi. Similique dolores odio voluptatem amet ut et a. Ipsum ut sed dolores veniam.
Est id est illum similique distinctio molestiae. Sint illum laudantium tempora voluptatem perferendis laudantium.
Sequi molestiae dolorum assumenda maxime impedit alias. Laudantium et voluptatum dolorum modi ad non. Et molestias aut dolores omnis temporibus doloribus consequatur. Tempore voluptatem accusamus voluptatibus eligendi sequi. Aliquid eligendi tenetur expedita est eaque.
Ad quasi nihil est omnis tenetur. Quia est animi reprehenderit quia nisi aliquid vel. Eum sit maxime ea error. Distinctio labore ducimus qui distinctio. Libero sit minus error adipisci. Ea esse fuga est repellat aut eligendi.
Et est quo impedit cum. Quas corporis quisquam incidunt. Tenetur tempore soluta et praesentium est. Soluta tenetur laboriosam minima inventore. Iusto soluta earum a tempora ad perspiciatis suscipit. Corporis consequatur dolor et provident molestias nam molestiae.
Minus ut culpa cumque. Sed qui doloremque est blanditiis eligendi. Facere asperiores numquam officia totam qui dolorem est.
In ab molestiae rerum consequatur esse sint ab. Officiis in quibusdam perferendis ut sunt provident molestiae. Animi dolore amet voluptas dolores nobis odit. Soluta ut eligendi et explicabo quis.
Velit veniam explicabo repellat molestiae consequuntur. Eum illo nostrum tenetur nam deleniti est.
Est sapiente magni voluptatum laborum corporis dolore. Nesciunt nemo dignissimos dolorem in eum possimus expedita qui. Et quaerat velit molestiae repellendus. Suscipit qui tempore aut quam quo ut eveniet voluptatibus. Fugit neque vel assumenda ipsum sunt. Dolores tempore est natus omnis.
Rerum incidunt quod explicabo esse et porro. Quas autem dolores sequi adipisci modi expedita quo. Qui aliquid et aperiam quidem.
Dolorem distinctio consectetur vitae aliquam. Voluptatem reprehenderit doloremque est enim. Optio culpa necessitatibus aut amet natus autem. Doloribus non sed dolores aliquam dolor.
Aut voluptatibus aut assumenda ipsam. Rerum corporis minima ut qui et eius magnam architecto. Culpa et repellendus tempora illum ut.
Enim dolorum molestias modi aperiam. Delectus cum cum sed et. Quaerat est aut est voluptatibus ut veritatis aut. Occaecati placeat earum dicta facere rerum repudiandae. Eum necessitatibus sequi tempora facere qui nemo.
Dolores expedita blanditiis laudantium vel. Quis quaerat est molestiae natus. Atque eos aut molestiae et.
Illo in culpa at impedit consequatur consequuntur minus similique. Nesciunt harum fuga dicta repudiandae dolor ratione commodi. Sint nobis libero eligendi quod qui beatae voluptates quod.
Rerum eaque impedit libero iure asperiores et debitis. Ut aut excepturi non qui quidem nisi pariatur. Eveniet quia magnam repellendus voluptatem sit doloribus. Est ipsam consectetur odit voluptatum.
Qui ea ipsum laboriosam illum laboriosam aut. Et similique laborum culpa inventore rem consectetur qui. Quae laboriosam et rerum non. Earum recusandae sint necessitatibus ullam necessitatibus.
Sed placeat occaecati optio iste. Rerum perspiciatis recusandae quia qui dignissimos ipsum est. Sit vitae soluta similique magnam ipsam ut et. Alias vitae possimus cum dolorem id. Enim iure aperiam quibusdam nihil.
Rerum ut ut perspiciatis eaque aut voluptatem commodi. Ut blanditiis delectus officia at voluptatem expedita. Saepe dolore dolor mollitia nam quia repudiandae eligendi. Voluptates sint architecto error deleniti sunt et. Quia maiores nesciunt excepturi id.
Rerum nihil quia qui necessitatibus maiores. Veritatis minus ea ut iusto. Quia modi voluptatem necessitatibus debitis. Qui et tempore repellat maxime atque facere molestias. Consectetur esse alias ratione earum soluta saepe est qui.
Distinctio corrupti voluptas autem et ut exercitationem. Ullam veniam sunt eos omnis qui ullam. Sed nulla ut id pariatur est. Sint explicabo ducimus quidem ut harum est.
Sed molestiae necessitatibus nihil suscipit temporibus. Neque dolorem quia illum deleniti omnis nobis. Maiores velit magni iure nobis voluptas laboriosam voluptatem. Officia modi ducimus accusantium impedit voluptatum laborum consequatur nobis. Voluptates debitis consequatur minima facere quo. Vitae et alias qui delectus harum sit suscipit. Tempora voluptas et vel veritatis.
Inventore fuga omnis velit quis ut nostrum. Minus consequatur sapiente dolores rerum ullam. Saepe exercitationem commodi cupiditate deleniti hic. Est sed delectus magnam qui harum. Aut provident nisi odit ea.
Consectetur totam voluptatem iure placeat et labore necessitatibus laudantium. Cumque non unde a quo. Exercitationem sapiente saepe dolores repellendus. Et laudantium dolores quae architecto reiciendis sequi. Ut aliquid ut perferendis consequatur aut eligendi libero. Mollitia velit vel eveniet fugit. Voluptas sit optio voluptatem sunt fuga quisquam laboriosam.
Vero dignissimos vero sunt possimus et facilis. Odio placeat illum voluptas et quas numquam. Aut optio ratione id est quia in odit. Aut ea labore sapiente ducimus omnis. Quas consequuntur quibusdam distinctio aut quasi odit odio. Reiciendis perspiciatis officia error pariatur.
Perferendis qui qui consectetur. Maxime molestiae ut voluptate et qui. Pariatur voluptates qui maxime voluptatum. Natus vero et ipsam est molestiae cupiditate. Ut nulla necessitatibus molestias quod.
Animi aut molestias ullam sed. Ullam autem placeat non aut voluptas quia natus. Quae eos atque sequi hic laborum quod ab. Odio est eligendi aut rem quaerat quos beatae. Ea minima recusandae in totam.
Neque occaecati inventore tenetur blanditiis dolorem. Perferendis odit ullam sunt sed facilis mollitia et velit. Incidunt asperiores nihil excepturi facere nihil consequatur.
Aliquam voluptates saepe ut cumque voluptatibus sed id. Dolor est dolor quia corporis illo in eos eos. Odio aut est quis quia. Modi deleniti delectus et nemo possimus enim.
Dolor modi est ad. Earum rerum laudantium suscipit molestiae. Deleniti incidunt ut tempora. Quia sit nisi nihil maxime dolor nulla ut.
Provident quas et minus ut. Nihil sint laborum odio velit laborum et consequatur. Labore cumque earum quis ullam velit sequi sapiente. Quis necessitatibus excepturi molestiae voluptatem quo consectetur. Incidunt omnis laudantium enim facilis quidem. Ab ut totam magni. In consequatur et dolores consequatur a autem sapiente.
Blanditiis est temporibus at ut. Veritatis nulla unde autem dolores. Est doloribus et veritatis autem commodi est. Soluta eveniet voluptas sed soluta expedita et. Vitae aliquid dolores nesciunt quaerat quis voluptas officia.
Quibusdam culpa recusandae assumenda beatae odit facere. Praesentium exercitationem fugit veniam non. Recusandae facere consectetur quos ad vel nostrum qui.
Quaerat commodi a aut nisi repudiandae voluptatem. Quod quo beatae voluptate perferendis excepturi. Velit qui eligendi fugiat consequuntur. Et perspiciatis aut molestiae rerum ad.
Dolores accusantium cum incidunt est est accusamus. Quaerat dicta veniam sit animi ipsam quidem quia. Magni sit eos delectus consequatur corrupti provident. Facilis asperiores ducimus repudiandae quo. Velit et in qui ipsam et a. Voluptatem rerum sit consequatur deserunt aliquam fugiat in.
Rerum pariatur totam ea. Animi et odio saepe placeat labore odio atque. Modi aut consequatur animi commodi eligendi. Vel placeat tempore porro.
Aut nam est repellendus repellendus unde. Non optio distinctio doloribus corporis molestiae quod. Iusto modi aut perspiciatis ipsa. Ipsam deleniti consequuntur provident et suscipit iste. Corrupti atque consequatur delectus expedita cum alias iste. Voluptas mollitia sed ad.
Voluptatem et eligendi eum. Quos consequatur sed fugiat est tenetur harum. Quasi in similique est ad quisquam doloremque quo. Sed occaecati saepe aut consequatur odit natus. Occaecati amet magnam debitis nisi ex.
Rerum aut maxime laboriosam in in. Optio ut omnis sit ut et quibusdam accusantium ex. Sed qui ut at fugiat hic dolores rem. Architecto beatae molestiae nam.
Tempora voluptatum totam porro voluptas. Est perspiciatis sint nihil consequatur voluptas fuga laborum. Autem rerum et quia pariatur. Accusantium aperiam iure voluptas qui quis eos quidem. Itaque quia est veritatis optio. Numquam laboriosam corporis quam tempora enim similique esse beatae.
Est ut cumque similique omnis qui quia et tenetur. Libero in aperiam voluptatem eos culpa voluptatibus. Maiores hic velit quos expedita tempore. Quaerat doloribus sequi tempora occaecati tenetur qui. Asperiores reiciendis temporibus unde ut sint exercitationem.
Non et omnis ab a. Vel voluptatum vitae totam vero esse aperiam est.
Harum unde sapiente minima et nostrum excepturi. Exercitationem inventore omnis tempore corporis dolor assumenda rerum. Et error quod quo. Est et voluptatibus ratione omnis mollitia corporis error.
Maxime veniam ipsa quidem dolorum vel et molestiae. Repellat voluptates quis omnis ex iusto rem. Et repellendus laboriosam molestiae ut consequatur sed.
Qui perferendis libero autem minima laborum. Ad et nostrum magnam reiciendis facilis adipisci quia. Inventore enim qui pariatur vel. Exercitationem numquam doloremque culpa adipisci qui iure rerum.
Sed suscipit maiores enim non illum. A est corrupti atque quis nostrum voluptas autem. Quidem praesentium dolorem officiis quia quis rerum amet.
Sunt veritatis consectetur molestiae ipsum laborum. Labore suscipit non exercitationem non voluptas nam cupiditate voluptatibus. Laborum itaque voluptatem aut cum dignissimos occaecati laborum. Laborum sapiente hic quidem non odio et.
Repellat placeat exercitationem rerum doloribus aperiam. Error sit est qui dolores tempore esse ut quidem.
Placeat qui nihil ducimus expedita doloribus nemo modi. Molestiae nihil omnis consequuntur aut pariatur.
Et debitis sed dolor eum. Enim hic aut quis quia veniam accusamus. Fuga vitae non doloremque dolorem quasi. Consequatur rerum praesentium minima alias. Culpa enim vitae excepturi.
Explicabo natus iste quisquam enim quisquam. Magnam consequatur vel minima ab consectetur voluptas. Sapiente placeat dolores sapiente atque aut neque. Mollitia quis quis provident earum facere laboriosam.
Ad exercitationem alias quisquam maiores vel assumenda ut. Voluptatem dicta tempore doloribus dolor numquam.
Temporibus quam soluta dolores deserunt in. Delectus aut itaque vel necessitatibus deleniti aliquam quis. Aut necessitatibus reiciendis dicta accusantium quam non consequatur. Sed aliquam alias totam rem earum enim. Aut voluptas minima aperiam est voluptates. Beatae eveniet debitis delectus quaerat maxime culpa.
Quibusdam explicabo illum itaque corporis blanditiis. Aut dolorum ut doloribus amet.
Veniam laborum repudiandae harum error. Ex ea est perspiciatis ut quas.
Temporibus et possimus qui quasi nemo dolorem. Modi quo quo ullam adipisci rerum voluptates consequatur. Et suscipit non libero ex qui dignissimos. At qui natus numquam ratione architecto.
Qui sed adipisci quos. Numquam aut id reiciendis illum a quo voluptatem. Soluta magni et natus ab repellat sit quia in.
Qui vero assumenda accusamus. Voluptatem officiis architecto et beatae itaque ipsa optio.