[justgivemea75]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone here has information regarding the Big 4 in Texas (particularly Austin/Dallas). I am interested in that market and wanted to especially get a feel for the culture there. Currently, I’m at an east coast office, and I haven’t been too happy with the culture, at least in my office. The people seem quite impersonal and since it’s so large, it feels less collaborative and as though people are trying to make political moves to try to get noticed/stand out among the crowd. As such, the people aren’t super friendly and don’t really become friends outside of work, making work kind of a drag.

Again, my office has admitted that this is an issue, so maybe I just got the bad luck of the draw, but I was wondering if anyone has insight as to how collaborative/friendly the offices in Texas are. Do people seem to be friends outside of work or do your coworkers basically just remain coworkers (nothing more nothing less, just professional interactions)?

Thanks!

FAR - 84
AUD - 76 (phew)
BEC - 88
REG - 77

DONE!

[Susan Walker]

I work for a Big4 and sit in Little Rock but I'm part of the Dallas office. We also have an Austin office and from what I've experienced over the past 3 years people are very friendly and personable. I feel like we are all ‘work-friends' and for the most part ‘have each others back' when it comes to things. I love the environment that we have in the fact that people aren't overly involved in your personal life, but care enough to know what is going outside of work and consider those things when making decisions.

Move to the South!!

FAR: 69 (10/2012), 70 (4/2015), July 2015
BEC: May 2015
REG: August 2015
AUD: November 2015

[justgivemea75]

I want too 🙁

If this opportunity doesn't work out, is there a good time to look for jobs in Texas/a period when experienced associates get hired? Also, is it frowned upon that I am leaving my firm after one year or is Big 4 experience looked upon favorably when lateraling to another shop?

FAR - 84
AUD - 76 (phew)
BEC - 88
REG - 77

DONE!

[Southpaw_acct]

@justgivemea75, same boat. I work for Big4 here in DC. 5 years government consulting and public accounting experience. I want to move to Texas (Houston/dallas/Austin) and curious about the culture and work/life balance. I have no interest in being worked to death anymore.

BEC - 68, 77 (Becker)
AUD - 75 (Becker)
REG - 73, 73 (Becker), 81 (Becker + Ninja MCQ = HIYA!)
FAR - 76 (Becker lecture + Ninja MCQ = Double HIYA!)
AICPA Ethics - 91

never give up... never surrender...

[justgivemea75]

LOL Southpaw, I wonder if we work at the same place

FAR - 84
AUD - 76 (phew)
BEC - 88
REG - 77

DONE!

[Susan Walker]

Don't think that coming to Texas is going to get you out of the crazy working hours; those still exist down here unfortunately, but that is Big4 nature. You can at least enjoy most of the people you work with during those crazy hours!

I would suggest looking online at the Big4 career sites – I know we generally have open positions and are usually very willing to take experienced hires especially if you have the exam finished. I would say that since we are already in the midst of busy season you may be better to wait until closer to interim time frame as we do have lighter schedules throughout the summer for the most part.

FAR: 69 (10/2012), 70 (4/2015), July 2015
BEC: May 2015
REG: August 2015
AUD: November 2015

[rp 12]

Start using LinkedIn, seek out recruiters, and express your interest of moving down South and also try selling yourself with CPA exams passed, and what kind of industry you worked on. Am optimistic that they will reply/get back to you. Busy season is in final stretches and some people in experienced associates level and sr. level will start leaving. So this is a good time to start shopping around. Good luck!

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss act only as motivation"

AUD: 68, 62, 77✔ (expires 10/31/16)
FAR: 53, 48, XX (retake 6/16)
REG:
BEC: 53

[rp 12]

Also note that certain times getting an inter-office transfer is hard. You need to get your coach/counselor/mentor on same page. He/she should talk to your relationship Partner and/or HR… There could be some kind of politics in this too. So sooner your start better you will be…

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss act only as motivation"

AUD: 68, 62, 77✔ (expires 10/31/16)
FAR: 53, 48, XX (retake 6/16)
REG:
BEC: 53

[justgivemea75]

@Susan Walker

The hours honestly don't bother me that much (at least not yet). The way I think of it is that I don't do much on weekdays anyway, so as long as I can hit the gym, I don't really care how much I work. The thing that gets to me is the people and how unenjoyable it is to work with most of them out east. Again, it could be my office, but there's too much politicking/trying to make an impression and I get really frustrated by that culture. There have been so many times people above me have thrown me under the bus and the worst part is that as a first year, if you say ANYTHING, people will brand you as a “whiny first year” and screw you over even more. That's why I'm looking to leave (plus I like the south much more in general).

As far as reaching out on linkedin, whenever I search, I mostly find campus recruiters, which isn't relevant to someone like me anymore. Is there a job title that recruiters looking for experienced people have that I can use as a keyword in my search?

Thanks all for the responses!

FAR - 84
AUD - 76 (phew)
BEC - 88
REG - 77

DONE!

[rp 12]

Search for titles like “Experienced Hire Recruiters”.

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss act only as motivation"

AUD: 68, 62, 77✔ (expires 10/31/16)
FAR: 53, 48, XX (retake 6/16)
REG:
BEC: 53

[Susan Walker]

Agreed – look for exp hire recruiters or go to the career pages of our companies and you'll see job postings for experienced hires also.

Best of luck!

FAR: 69 (10/2012), 70 (4/2015), July 2015
BEC: May 2015
REG: August 2015
AUD: November 2015

[Author]

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