[Anonymous]

I am a MAcc student and also taking my last section of the exam. I am trying to get a job with one of the big 4. I have been invited by one of the big 4 for an office visit and a dinner. If you work for one of the big 4, please let me know what kind of things you look for from applicants during an office visit and dinner. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

The hourly breakdown of a big 4 salary was pretty surprising for me, it's pretty harsh.

My friends that did go there are working long days in the off season right now, while I work my 8 hours, go have a glass of wine, and come out with the same salary!

[Anonymous]

Big 4 = slave driver!! No way around it. What they do should be illegal. What you get paid by the hour is ridiculous. Your life outside of work is close to non-existant. I would say 1 out of 5 Senior associates have went to the bathroom to cry during work! (No Lie) and I'm sure the others probably cry at home.

The Big 4 IS good at recruiting college grads. They make working for them look like paradise to interns. And then trap them, slave them .. until they quite. Better yet, they're even firing people these days. …Image that .. work like a slave and get fired … (It's a secret in disguise for those who are fired).

On the bright side, it's better than working for McDonalds!

[melnp]

For those who are working at one of the Big 4..

Can you tell me how you got your job.. Internships, regular application process or help of a friend??

[glutenator]

I got mine through the help of a friend. I also left the firm, then came back 3 years later as one level higher.

I'll Pass Eventually
REG (67, 66), BEC (79), FAR (5/26/10), AUD (August 2010)

[melnp]

glutenator

– good for you.

A few people said it's good to know someone working there because they can help you get your foot in the door and help prepare you better for interviews and socials.

[glutenator]

Always better to know someone. The woman who helped me get in worked with me at 1 other firm, as well as with her husband, and I ended up working at 4 firms total with her husband, and even helped him get into a job at a tier 2 CPA firm locally. So, what comes around goes around, and it's good to help out others, when you are able.

I'll Pass Eventually
REG (67, 66), BEC (79), FAR (5/26/10), AUD (August 2010)

[Anonymous]

regular campus recruit via school's recruiting website

[Anonymous]

…..KPMG is nice….. to its customers that is

[Anonymous]

I work for a Big 4, and I can't stand it!! Seriously, it's way over-rated. During busy season, I only make the equivalent of $12 or $13 per hour. My firm is really not very flexible for someone with a family, even though they claim to be. I guess my point is, the Big 4 is not the be-all, end-all. But it looks really good on a resume!!

[gmb]

How much should a person who has two masters degrees (MAcc, MBA) and who has just recently become a CPA (if I pass REG by June) start off making at one of the big 4? I live in the Southeast. I am just trying to find out what a reasonable offer should be.

FAR-88, AUD-94, BEC-87, REG-90

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure about the Southeast, but I received an offer for $55,000 with an undergrad only in the Northwest, although generally I think the cost of living is higher in this area. I had an offer for $45,000 before I started my internship, so having experience–even three months worth–apparently helped a lot. The Macc usually grosses you around $3,000 more than just a Bachelor's, but I'm not sure about the MBA.

[Jaywalk]

I had an internship at a Big4 firm and it made me highly marketable looking for a job elsewhere. The interviews I had for the internship were given by managers and were off-topic (not job or accounting-related).

acrua112, the office visit/dinner/outings are a good sign for you as your employment is nearly guaranteed at this point (in my opinion), assuming you don't do something to screw it up. The hardest part is getting an “in” with the firm, which you have already done. The Big4 I worked for hires en masse, because they are looking for large numbers of cheap new hires to fill the void of all the employee turn-over they experience. My advice is to just participate in their events, be somewhat sociable and remain a faceless name in the crowd and you'll fit right in.

As far as negotiating salary, I only know of one person doing this. It was for a specialized position where this person was at another Big4 firm for a year and developed experience similar to what the new position described before being hired on. In general, all new hires get the same salary. If you accept the job/salary, do it with a smile.

BEC 78 - 11/27/2008 | AUD 84 - 08/10/2009
REG 82 - 11/23/2009 | FAR 84 - 01/19/2010
-| Passed all sections |-

[Anonymous]

The Big4 often recruit straight from college. Especially honor societies such as Beta Alpha Psi. They send recruiters there to interface with you directly. Very valuable access that I haven't seen elsewhere.

[Patrick909]

You want to work for the Big 4? That's fine……if you don't mind not having a life. Frankly, I wish everyone would just tell the Big 4 to go F themselves….that's the only way we'll ever stop the whole slave-driving mentality that is pervasive in this profession.

Let's face it, we aren't exactly curing cancer with our calculators and Excel spreadsheets. What's SO IMPORTANT that it takes more than 8 hours in a single day to do?

Sigh…as long as there are people with no lives who will slavishly devote themselves to the Big 4 and others, we'll never get anywhere concerning quality-of-life issues. Don't people have hobbies, interests outside of work anymore? Friends? Family?

[Author]

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