How to get a job with big4?
Hi,
I have been trying hard to get a job at any accounting firm, let alone big 4 but nothing.
I passed all 4 sections of the CPA at first attempt even though I have and graduated with a 2.93 GPA in undergrad, but is that hurting me? Can they know the difference?? Isnt GPA important so that they know who can pass the CPA?
Second, I still dont understand how to get a job with a big4. I bought so many guides on "how to get a job with big4" but nothing helped specifically.
The firms keep asking and saying things like "why do you want to work for our firm". Well If I can find the answer to this from the website, then I would not have trouble finding an answer to this. All websites of accounting firms show off they value client service, add value, value working in teams, bla bla bla, nothing that seperates them.
Third, I asked an ex-manager who used to do the hiring at Ernst and Young about what they valued most, and she said that they valued people who worked alot at part time jobs like mcdonalds, dunkin donuts and other coffee places more than they value experiences like accounts receivable and accounts payable jobs. What do you guys think?
This is also confirmed because I met a guy who worked at various and many of "these" places and he said the hiring managers were quite "impressed" and fascinated that he was able to get these jobs in the first place and all they were doing was talk amongst themselves about how he was able to get them... I tried getting these jobs when I was undergrad, but I couldnt.
How do I convince "society" why I am working at these "low skilled and paid" jobs when I have a CPA, it would be potentially embarassing... On one hand I know and feel for sure if I get these jobs I can sell them very easily by saying "time management, customer service, working in teams skills, perhaps even leadership element" and can sell these there.
I worked as accoutns receivable and got nothing in response in all accounting firms, let alone big 4, and I kind of lost hope in knowing what they want.
I dont know what auditing firms want even though I know that this is the field for me, and I just dont know how to "sell" myself to them, I read books after books after books like "what color is your parachute" "how to sell yourself to employers" by tim oneil, and still no luck with auditing firms.
The firms keep saying: exceed and give value to our clients, but doesnt giving value and advice to clients violate independence in the first place, so what does that mean anyway??
Basically to recap my questions:
1) I have low undergrad GPA but past all 4 sections of the US CPA exams, is my undergrad GPA being used to overlook my CPA, do HR even know what CPA is and know to go after CPA if there was already an exam that was passed?
2) what type of experience are these firms looking for? I did accoutns receivable and that was not valued at all. Ex-manager told me from EY that she used to look for poeple who worked at part time jobs like mcdonalds, burger king and they value this much much more than accounting jobs. How to justify this to friends and family if I work at these even though I have a CPA and cant find a job?
3) What do big 4 want?
4) How to get vital information about what differentiates a firm from the other so that I can write a good cover letter about why i want to join this "X" firm? Does the Company DB for $29.99 cover information about PwC, EY and Deloitte etc that justifies me buying it?
Thanks!
Where (location) are you trying to get a job?
Are you from outside of the US?
The accountancies care a lot about grades so yes, that is hurting you. But you are correct that the CPA goes a long way towards making up for it. Can you "fudge" your gpa on your resume at all so it can pass an initial filter? in-major GPA, senior year GPA, etc. Do you have any kind of reasonable explanation as to your low GPA but strong exam score? Personal/family/medical issues? Preferably that have been resolved now.
Are you getting interviews at all?
The big 4 are very similar in their services so you are right that there really is no reason to prefer one to another. Just look at their websites and parrot their own marketing right back to them. They all say they want to give value to clients but you can still say in an interview "I want to work for E&Y because of its unique dedication to bringing value to clients". It's a BS questions, they know it's a BS question, so give a BS answer. But sell it.
Network hard because your GPA won't get you in the door, also look at smaller firms.
I'll give you some pointers as I just got hired on at a Big 4 firm and will be starting this Summer.
First, don't waste your time (or money) buying guides on these companies. In the instance of public accounting, it's far easier to get in (relatively) than say an investment bank or other finance roles. Even though you personally are having difficulties, in the grand scheme of things the process is far simpler. That being said:
1) Look at how you interact with people. It's hard to get a true sense of how people are face to face, but I get the sense that you can come off as socially awkward. As much as people joke that accountants are nerdy introverts, the fact is public accounting largely is a client facing role. If you have a hard time socializing with people, even if you're a wiz at accounting, a big firm is probably not going to take you seriously as a candidate. No one is going to want to stick you in front of a client if you come off bad.
2) Work harder at networking (helps with #1). From my personal experience, the only time I got interviews was when I interviewed with individuals from the firms. I can't tell you how many resumes I dropped in certain Big 4 online applications and never heard one peep back from them. But when I chatted up an old partner and passed on my resume, I got an immediate second round interview with the Big 4 I'm going to be working at. Big 4 firms get thousands of applicants a year, so they screen pretty well. You need an in, considering your grades.
3) From my experience, each Big 4 firm (and even the lower tier firms) are essentially the same, with the exception of probably prestige (accounting prestige). What you need to focus on is why "specifically" that firm or office. I got picked up by a relatively smaller office, and I told them my reasons for wanting to work specifically in that office. Also think about the clients they work with. This leads into answers like, "you do work for [big name corporation] which is in a field that interests me very much. Being able to gain experience by working on [big name corporation]'s audit is some that I would love to do." I talked about how the firm I'm working for has a good consulting practice, and that gives me access to companies that I would not be able to work with other places. There's certainly enough info out there to come up with non-standard answers to the usual fit interview questions.
4) I'm not sure if you're still in school, or if you can go to school at night, but your GPA will be a hindrance. No one I interviewed with had a GPA below 3.5. They also has an absolute 3.0 limit (i.e., if my grades dropped below that, I would get my offer rescinded). It's a great way to narrow down a hiring pool, even in the Big 4. If you can boost your GPA that can help.
5) Look for lower tier, or local/regional firms to work for. Once you get your foot in the door, it's far easier to transfer laterally or move up to a Big 4. I've met a number of people who worked for non-Big 4 public firms (GT, McGladery, BDO), that moved into Big 4 roles 1-2 years out of being hired. If you can get in and kiss some butt, getting into the role you want can be a lot easier than trying to get in straight away from the outside.
Hope my .02$ helps.
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