[jeff]

Hey NINJAs,

I’ve asked the guys at Big 4 Career Lab to come over here and answer any questions you may have about Big 4/Public Accounting.

Big 4 Career LAB is a project by James Whittaker and Seth Collins–two Big 4 alumni–who are dedicated to helping others secure the Big 4 career they deserve.

To date they have helped thousands of students and experienced professionals learn everything they need to know about the Big 4 recruiting process.

James took a very unconventional route into the Big 4, from Chemistry major at a small UK University to Partner-track Senior Manager at Deloitte NYC. He left the Big 4 after almost 10 years to pursue his passion for mentoring others and helping “unique” candidates succeed.

He has undertaken over 500 on-campus and office interviews and reviewed thousands of resumes.

He is also an avid mountain biker.

Seth graduated from the University of Houston and began his career at Deloitte.

Seth is also NINJA Alum.

He now works at a Fortune 500 Oil & Gas company and co-owns Big 4 Career LAB.

His passion is helping people get into the careers they deserve through mindset, preparedness, and hard work. Outside of the accounting world, Seth spends his time at parks with his son and loves to (somewhat counter-intuitively) workout and brew beer.

https://www.big4careerlab.com/

[James Big 4 Career LAB]

Thanks Jeff, and hey NINJAs!

Looking forward to answering all your Big 4 related questions!

[Reema]

That's great Jeff.

Hello James,

I am an international student. Did my graduation from India and now studying for my last part of CPA exam. I am settled in Massachusetts. What should be my approach for getting into one of the Big 4's? I have not done Masters in USA , but I am a Chartered Accountant which is a CPA equivalent degree in India.

Thanks
Reema

[scattershot]

any advice on landing an interview for a FT position during the spring recruiting season? I interviewed with 2 of the 4 in the fall with a significantly weaker resume (no relevant experience, no accounting grades); for spring's meet the firms I'll have a 4.0, a busy season internship in progress, and 2 CPA exam sections passed…but they're only recruiting for SLPs and internships.

[Seth Big 4 Career LAB]

Hey Reema,

Great question. Congrats on almost being done with the CPA and being a CA.

Are you going to have the required hours or are you planning on going to get your Masters? If you are, the key there is to attend a Big 4 target school, participate in a student org/attend all networking events, and learn how to position yourself to stand out ahead of everyone else since you'll be going after a full-time position and not an internship.

If not, you could look into joining the AICPA as a “Student Affiliate” and participate in a local chapter's events.

And of course, you should definitely start building connections on LinkedIn (and revamping your profile).

[James Big 4 Career LAB]

Hey Scattershot! Candidates usually think spring recruiting is “harder” than fall and they need a specific strategy. That's not necessarily the case. It's actually a game of chance. This is why…

The Big 4 will only hire new FT staff in the spring if they still have spaces left after fall recruiting. Every year each team has a quota on the amount of staff they can hire and it's in their interests to fill those positions. But typically they get that done in the fall. So even if you are THE BEST candidate in the spring, if there are no positions available then there are no positions available.

For you, the best bet is to go to meet the firms with a networking mindset and try and build up a relationship with someone in your field of interest. Once you have that direct contact it's much easier to ask about position openings. They may know of another team or local office that has positions available in the spring.

Hope that helps!

[Reema]

I have received 160 hours credit based on my international evaluation.I just need one year of work experience to apply for license. But I am struggling in finding decent job.. I am also planning for Masters in Business Analytics.

Thanks for the advice. Will surely work on that.

Thanks

[Defo]

James and Seth,

Thank you for doing this. What is your best advice for an older candidate trying to break into Big 4?

I am 35 and have spent my career in industry staff accounting roles or working for small CPA firms.

[Seth Big 4 Career LAB]

@Reema – Keep us updated on your progress. 🙂

@Defo – That's a great question.

I can see from your signature that you're studying for the CPA exams and almost done. So that's a huge plus that's going to greatly increase your chances – great work!

The most challenging part is going to be getting yourself out there in front of the firms, because they aren't going to come to you. With that being said, check out my reply to Reema earlier – I think all that applies to you as well (AICPA and LinkedIn parts).

Some strategies people may have not considered are: relocating (opportunities all over the US and even globally), go after specialty positions that are harder for the B4 to find talent for, and aim for a mid-tier public firm to get your foot into the door of public (this can help position you to target B4 after a year or two).

Also, nice avatar! James and I both lift as well.

Best of luck to you with REG.

[SuperCPA]

I signed up for the “free guide” on big4careerlab, but didn't receive the guide through my email? It wasn't in spam either?

[Reema]

@ Seth- Sure. I will update.

Thanks

[Seth Big 4 Career LAB]

@SuperCPA apologies for any inconveniences. James and I recently took over this business and we're revamping everything. The old guide was not up to our current standard so we didn't feel comfortable distributing it. We're currently upgrading the website and it'll be live in 3-4 weeks and the new and improved content and guides will all be available (for free).

@Reema – awesome! Looking forward to it.

[CPAfit]

Hello @Seth & @James, thank you so much for doing this.

I am an international CPA candidate residing in Saudi Arabia and I have passed all four parts of the CPA exam. I am currently completing my 150 credit hour requirement to apply for a license through the state of New Hampshire.

My question to you is, is it possible for me to apply for a job in the US at a Big 4 that will be eligible for an H1-B sponsorship. If not, then what would be the best route for a candidate like myself?

As for my experience, I have been working in the private industry as Financial Analyst for almost 6 years now. All of my experience lies within the Finance department of an automotive industry at a large multinational (Toyota).

[SuperCPA]

@Seth, thanks for the update. In 3-4 weeks will I need to go back to your website and re-enter my email address to sign up for the guide? Or will I automatically get it once it is available? Thanks again.

[James Big 4 Career LAB]

@superCPA we will send you a copy once it's done!

@CPAfit unfortunately it will be difficult for you with the visa, mainly because the Big 4 have such a large amount of applications they don't need to sponsor people (unless you were are very highly experienced etc.). I transferred from UK to US but it was an internal transfer, so that might be your best bet. You'd join say PwC in Saudi Arabia and then transfer to PwC US after a couple of years. It depends if that is possible for you personally.

Great questions!

[patsfan94]

I'm wondering what advice do you have and What paths do you believe are available to a career in public accounting at a respectable firm for a MACC student who was unable to land a job during fall recruiting. I feel like the situation shouldn't be totally hopeless, as I'm a very good student with a 3.9+ GPA (4.0 in accounting), and I've had solid work experience with internships at 2 Fortune 500 firms and have recently part-time tax season work at a local CPA firm (which has about 40 CPAs). That being said, I can't really find anything online that indicates any firm is looking to hire for fall 2018 positions, and my school's career center has been less than helpful in that regard.

[Author]

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