The Big 4 Accounting Firms – How to get that perfect job with one of the big ones
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 guys are:
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Deloitte and Touchâ©
KPMG
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: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG and Deloitte and Touchâ©. 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 PricewaterhouseCoopers 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 PricewaterhouseCoopers I also experienced the recruiting process from the side of the recruiter.
By: The Big 4 Guru – For More information, please visit http://www.big4guru.com
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.
