big 4 vs McGladrey
Does anyone have any advice for and offer from McGladrey vs an offer from KPMG or Deloitte? I feel I will get more experience in a shorter amount of time on various tasks at McGladrey but do not know if it will be as highly recognized on a resume
Unless you're set on being a career auditor/accountant stick with the Big 4. Far better name recognition outside the CPA world.
Agreed, I got a non-accounting role at a hedge fund and they would only interview Big 4 CPAs.
Agreed. Go Big 4. Then Get out.
Yeah I interned with a Mid Tier then went FT with a Big 4 and the work you do is exactly the same just the Big 4 have more large SEC clients so the exit ops are better and the name looks better on a resume.
Ditto. Big 4, CPA over the summer and before busy season, CFA L1 the following June. Also, try to snag a financial services client if possible.
I like this plan. I started in Big 4, did the CPA and now 2.5 years later I taking CFA Level 1 in December. If I could do it again, I would crush as many CPA exams before I started Audit, and begin the CFA as soon as possible.
Good Luck
The Mid Tier office that I am considering does have a large client base in the financial services. That is what attracts me to that particular office. I also want to obtain my CFA in the future.
At Big 4 though you can move around once you've spent a year or so with the firm. Even the big offices are constantly hurting for seniors and you would have a lot of leverage if you wanted to move to a NY office (for example) with a couple years under your belt.
Big4, no question. You would arguably get a wider variety of experiences at a smaller firm, but if you already think you might hop after 4-5 years, Big4 is the obvious choice. Big corporations love to hire former Big4 folks.
At the same time how do you put off one (mid tier) firm's early (pre-recruitment) offer in order to go through the recruitment process. I have found that these mid tier firms are targeting big 4 talent to land some of the good recruits early. Especially since big 4 firms have started the process of requesting resumes. My conflicting thought is that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. However, I would like to go with a big 4 firm.
what did you end up doing? this is my exact position right now. I have had first round interviews with both deloitte and kpmg, but mcgladrey is pushing hard for me to take their offer. I kind of like the smaller culture that mcgladrey has, but I don't want to run into problems if I try to switch professions after a few years.
Don't be an idiot. There is no 'culture' at these firms. They box you up and send you to a client and the senior / manager sets the 'culture' - it has nothing to do with what accounting firm you work for - they always talk about how they are 'flexible', etc. but that is all P.R. When it comes down to it, if the senior on your client sucks, you are going to hate it.
While there is a high possibility of getting a bad senior at a Big 4 firm, it is more unlikely and if you work hard for 6 months you can request a different client (assuming you get a good rating, people like you, you have some potential in you, you don't look like a retard, etc.) Once you start working in audit, you WILL realize you want a different career path - set yourself up for one by going Big 4. Trust me.
Don't be an idiot. There is no 'culture' at these firms. They box you up and send you to a client and the senior / manager sets the 'culture' - it has nothing to do with what accounting firm you work for - they always talk about how they are 'flexible', etc. but that is all P.R. When it comes down to it, if the senior on your client sucks, you are going to hate it.
While there is a high possibility of getting a bad senior at a Big 4 firm, it is more unlikely and if you work hard for 6 months you can request a different client (assuming you get a good rating, people like you, you have some potential in you, you don't look like a retard, etc.) Once you start working in audit, you WILL realize you want a different career path - set yourself up for one by going Big 4. Trust me.
And hell, if you are so worried about getting an offer with a Big 4 firm, go ahead and accept the mcgladrey offer and back-out when / if you get the Big 4 offer. It won't hurt their feelings, it happens all the time - you have to do what is right for you.
Adipisci ut enim voluptatem dolores voluptatem nostrum. Rerum nihil incidunt doloremque dicta debitis autem. Quos magni dolorem neque illum facere esse nihil maiores. In in veritatis in sequi minus ut. Aut rerum neque rerum. Voluptas consequatur expedita dicta hic neque.
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...