[Anonymous]

A little background about me. I graduated from one of the top public universities in the country back in 2014 (finished school in 3 years with a GPA slightly above 3.0). I’ve worked for a couple companies as an accounting specialist, although I don’t have any experience in public accounting, I do have pretty decent knowledge on most of the day-to-day accounting tasks (the companies I worked for were small-medium sized companies so I had to do pretty much everything). I know this is very different from working at a Big 4 but I’d still like to see if I can at least land an interview with them for the 2019 Fall hire. I took online courses at a local college while working full-time and finished the 150-unit education requirement with a 4.0 GPA. I’m trying to apply for an audit associate position and am currently polishing my resume. I’m wondering what I should put as my GPA in the “Education” section of my resume, should I list the schools and GPAs separately or can I just list the average GPA? By 2019 Fall, I will have passed all 4 CPA exams and with 4 years of accounting-related work experience. Even so, I’m willing to start from the very bottom as an audit associate and work my way up, and I’m also used to (and prepared) for long working hours during busy season. Any advice and tips from anyone who’s worked for or applied for big 4 will be much appreciated! Thanks!!

[Biff Tannen]

I’d probably wait until you pass all 4 sections to apply. A 3.0 GPA is usually a deal-breaker with the big 4. You can try to be sneaky and list the 4.0 GPA on your resume, but they will always request your college transcripts prior to hiring you, so the 3.0 GPA will come up at some point. If you pass all 4 sections of the exam then the recruiter might look past your low GPA. So I’d focus on that then I’d apply to the big 4.

[ultrarunner]

I switched from private to public. The firms usually hire 100% from the campus for the 1st year associate position if there is any availability (usually the firms convert their interns to associates). Your working experience plus CPA exam progress would help you stand out among candidates; however, to qualify for the campus recruitment, you will have to be in school. Many firms now prefer candidates with advanced degree. Please consider pursuing advanced degree in related fields. Good luck.

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[Anonymous]

I believe every B4 firm has a minimum GPA requirement (or at least my firm does), which is 3.2. So, are you applying via campus hire or experienced hire? The way you go about this is very different for campus hire vs. experienced hire. If you're applying through the campus hire, then they are going to emphasize the GPA for the initial campus interview although networking/socials beforehand can drastically help, but these events are usually reserved for the current students, not alumnus. However, if you're applying through the experienced hire route, then your working experience and having the CPA exam finished and/or at least show them you're almost finished are going to help more than your GPA. As for your GPA specific question, I'd put the cumulative GPA for each school you attended. Either way, HR people are going to ask you to send them a copy of unofficial transcript from each school so they can do the standard verification. I hope this helps!

[SuperAccountingGod]

I'll never understand B4's obsession with 3.5+ GPAs. I know I know, it's all about the “perception” and “prestige”. I mean do clients really care what your GPA is?

[Mike J]

@superaccountinggod

I agree but think of it in terms of supply and demand. The Big 4 can ask a lot more because most candidates want the prestige of having worked there.

[Anonymous]

thank you all for the valuable input!!

[Anonymous]

I've never applied for a Big-4 position, been considered it because I don't know how much farther I can take my career in my small 4-person consulting company; but I also like smaller firms. Do they really request college transcripts, and would they want undergrad and grad school? Seems a little excessive, never had an employer ask for that. I don't even put my education on the 1st page of my resume.
I have ~5 years experience doing consulting and collateral audits, Bachelors in Finance (3.3 GPA), passed the CPA exam last week (waiting for my manager to sign-off on my experience and get licensed), have my CFE certification, started working towards my CFF certification, and will have my Master's in Accountancy in the spring (4.0 GPA).

[Author]

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