[oconn142]

Hi everyone!

I began working at the Big 4 one year ago and I also finally obtained my CPA license! I am looking to leave the Big 4 before because because honestly I am terrified to do anther busy season (it was horrible last year). I have been applying for jobs in the private industry for 2 months now and I still have not gotten any jobs! I am terrified that I won’t find another job before busy season! Anyone have advice? How long does it take most people to find another job?

[jules1268]

I was Big 4 for 6 years. Found a job pretty quickly when I left. If you can make it one more busy season, it'll be worth it on your resume. I know busy season is horrible, but have 2 years done will leap frog you over other job candidates. If you really can't stay and power through, make sure you are applying for the right level job and know who you are competing with. Good luck!

[fuzyfro89]

Reach out to a few recruiters (both internal at companies if you have specific interests, or external if you're not really sure what's possible) and you'll start to get a feel for the range of possibilities. Depending on what you want and how big of a stretch it is from your current role, it could be relatively quick (I had a number of friends who responded to a few interviews fairly quickly after beginning a search and got offers and accepted within 1-2 months), and others like myself who didn't want the “typical” exit opportunity and that can take more time and be harder to come by (I wanted a corporate development program and a big raise).

Another thing to keep in mind is the second scenario depends somewhat on what is available nearby as many companies do not sponsor relocation at the staff/senior level (unless you are looking to move for personal reasons and willing to fund the move yourself and make that clear). Some companies will provide some bonus/relo for senior level roles, but a lot are for managers and above or for post-MBA candidates coming from school.

Good luck.

[Small4]

Use a recruiter, but wisely. If you get to a point where you are looking for a job outside of Big 4 right before busy season, it gets tough since you are expected to be 100% committed at work but your mind isn't. I say, have a cut off, at some point, you need to decide you are going to do a good job at your current Big 4 gig without going overboard with looking. It may be worth while to get through another busy season and add that to your resume. Usually, having 2 yrs or more can position you to get a senior gig outside. If not, use the recruiters to see if there are staff positions if you are really over it. Lastly, just know it will all end at some point and get that job you want outside..you have a CPA license so you are more than good! Good luck!

FYI worked in B4 for half a decade and it wasn't difficult after that. What's difficult is leaving without a CPA and having to lower your own expectations. You dont have that issue.

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Been doing this since 2007 on and off...

[Operation_CPA]

While busy season is pretty terrible in the moment, the rest of the year really isn't THAT bad, at all. I think it's a fair trade off. If I were you, I would stay in B4 as long as possible – at least until you make Senior Associate. Your exit opportunities grow tremendously the longer you're there. That is the advice I have been given and I'm doing everything I can to stick to that. Just my .02.

[Yolonge]

I agree with above posters. Stay just another year or two, make senior and make the switch. There will be a great difference between one year staff vs senior title when you move to the industry.

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[A123]

I think that is the hope for anyone in big 4. It's sort of this expectation to stay for 2 years. If you can, cool. If not, that's cool too.

My advice is to use LinkedIn. I would recommend updating your LinkedIn account, including the most up to date information about your work experience. Also, join groups that you are interested in. Once you've done this, there is a feature on LinkedIn where you can show recruiters that you are interested in possible job opportunities. Go to “Jobs” on the top of the page, then click on “update career interests” (which is kinda hidden on the page), and select the “on” switch for the part that says “let recruiters know you're open”.

Hope this helps!

[logueco]

JUST DO IT! Best career decision I ever made.

I made it through my first full year and got my CPA license (and bonus) and then decided I couldn't face another busy season. I reached out to a ton of recruiters and job specs started flowing in. I focused on trying to get the most senior position I was offered because if you cast a wide enough net you'll find companies that are offering the same position to you with a year and a half of Big 4 experience (and your CPA license) that you would get had you waited until you made it to senior.

Go on linkedin and check out the job postings for positions you'd be interested in. Don't worry about the job itself, but instead contact the recruiter who is advertising that position and let them know you're looking for something similar and ask what else they have in that space. If you reach out to 5+ recruiters you'll end up getting at least 10-15 job specs a week. It took me maybe 4-5 interviews before I started getting job offers, but if you interview well recruiters will be more than happy to keep putting you in front of HR departments because even if you don't get the job they know you won't embarrass them.

I eventually took a finance manager position right before the start of my 2nd busy season, which to be perfectly honest I wasn't actually qualified for, but which was a step ahead of the staff accountant positions you normally get offered. I knew it wasn't a long-term fit, however it gave me the same resume bump that I would have gotten had I stayed until senior, but without the busy season hell. I worked there for 9 months and it wasn't the most pleasant experience as I was a bit overwhelmed given that it was a bit too large of a jump for me and I had to learn on the job a lot, but the hours were still better than Big 4 and the general environment is less stressful.

I then jumped again, this time to a financial controller position (again using a recruiter), which effectively had my salary doubled from my initial time in public. Much better work life balance, far less stressful, honestly a little boring, but overall I'm exponentially more happy. I've been here for a year and a half and I'm now getting group financial controller offers for some very well known brands. These are the same jobs that seniors/managers from Big 4 are being interviewed for and I'm doing it with under 4 years overall work experience.

For anyone who is at the stage you're at in public having just gotten your CPA and knowing that public isn't for you, I'd really recommend heavily using recruiters and making a couple quick moves within industry. You still have Big 4 on your resume, but now you've got a more diverse private industry background, which can actually be advantageous when pursuing jobs within industry and competing against candidates who only have Big 4 experience.

It feels a bit nomadic, but you can really advance your career by making multiple moves and getting a more varied skillset (not to mention more money). At the stage I’m at now, I’m looking for a more permanent role I can grow into for 3-5 years, which is exactly what my friends who are seniors and debating staying until manager at Big 4 are doing.

If you're smart about your search and a good worker, it'll work out for you in the end. Just keep at it, be picky and don't be afraid to keep moving.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's unusual that you've been applying for jobs for two months and don't have one yet.

But consider these questions: Are you really a good fit for the roles you've applied for? Are you a good interviewer? Do you have good communication skills? Do you have a good resume (and I'm not asking about your experience; I'm asking about the document that recruiters and hiring managers are going to spend exactly 6 seconds looking at before making the decision to call you or ignore you)? I'm sure you want to answer yes to all those questions, but if you're being brutally honest, what do you think?

There are probably a number of antsy Big 4 accountants applying for the same jobs you are, so the Big 4 background doesn't help you against those people. Being good at interviews helps you. I interviewed a Big 4 alumnus for an engagement manager role with my firm a few months ago. His resume said he had most recently been the director of client service at a consulting firm he helped found. I asked him a number of questions during the interview about the most challenging situations he's faced in his work, and every time he told the same story about a 1:1 with a direct report and having to tell the guy that his work wasn't up to par. You're the director of CLIENT SERVICE for a firm you CO-FOUNDED, and the only challenging thing you can recall is telling a direct report that he needs to up his game? Get off my lawn. You're wasting my time, and I have billable work I could be doing.

Learn how to interview. Learn how to craft a resume that gets people's attention. Learn how to WRITE! No one under the age of 30 can write anymore. Then go ply those skills trying to get jobs that make sense given your background, your interests, and your career goals.

[Author]

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