[bc2018]

Hi everyone. So basically my situation is that I’ve been applying for entry level auditing jobs with Big 4/regional firms since summer 2018 and can’t get hired. After applying online in the summer I decided to reach out to some recruiters directly and got interviews with 2 of the Big 4, both in November.
One of them was an office visit and the other was a virtual one-way interview. For the office visit, I did decent in the interview but during the lunch my social anxiety definitely got in the way.
I did great on the one way virtual interview – I think it was since before a question they gave me a bit of an introduction/lead-way that lead into the question, and also because I had 30 sec to prepare my answer and two chances to record it. A couple of weeks later they called me and asked me to do two final round interviews for tax instead of audit, for the next day. I accepted because I’d rather do tax than have no job, and also the recruiter made it sound like a sure thing. Anyway, one of the interviews went great – because it was conversational, and the interviewer really put my anxiety at ease. However the other one was terrible. What happened here, and as I’ve found is that I do worse when the interviewer asks questions ‘cold’ with no self-introduction or conversation.

I’m not sure what to do now, I’ve prepared for interviews but my anxiety makes me freeze up and I sound terrible. I have social anxiety in settings like parties and stuff, but I’ve done incredibly well talking about accounting related topics in college group projects and my past internship (btw accounting, but not public accounting).

Has anyone else had to deal with anxiety in interviews, or knows of any ways to overcome it? I’m also, for the first time, considering telling recruiters about my anxiety but I’m really skeptical about this. I have diagnosed anxiety and depression but I also don’t want people to think I’m trying to take a shortcut or game the system. I don’t have anxiety related to getting work done (have never needed extra time, etc), and I also don’t want them to think I’d have problems talking to clients, management etc – as I said before, I’m great at talking about work related things, just not great at talking about myself, smalltalk etc.

Sorry for typing so much. I’d really appreciate any advice.

[DDylan]

i was in the similar situation. I messed up with the final interview which is just the team lunch and did not do well, and got a No for the dream job (deal advisory service of a national firm)

I guess you can try national firm or even regional firm. They more need a “worker” than a rainmaker…..

[DDylan]

I was in similar situation–messed up final interview (team meet lunch) of my dream position (transaction advisory service line)……..

I guess you can try other national or even regional firms. They more need a “worker” than a rain maker…

[brainfried75]

@Bc2018 As a former auditor myself, I can tell you that there are various competencies that firms look for in auditors. Generally, they want someone that is extroverted who can engage well with clients and work in a team. Also, someone who does well with change and uncomfortable situations. I can’t fully speak for tax but I did do a tax internship and most of my time was spent doing the same thing and working alone or with managers overseeing the returns I was working on, so it seemed like it was more repetitive and suited for someone with a different preference/personality. If you want to be an auditor, don’t give up on that because auditing will provide you with lots of opportunities.

For managing anxiety prior to interviewing, I would recommend that you practice and record yourself. There’s no substitute for practice. You will be graded on your answers. Beef up your answers with very robust examples and work on your storytelling. Review how you are coming across. Is your voice monotone? How is your body language? Interviewers are trying to gauge your authentic interest and enthusiasm. Also, most questions that I recall from the interviews I conducted were behavioral, so you need to be prepared with concrete examples that you can tailor to respond quickly. When you hear the question, pause and repeat it if you need to in order to give yourself the time you need to properly respond. Once you’re done talking, ask the interviewer if that addressed their question. If someone doesn’t strike up a conversation first, then you certainly should do it to reduce your nerves. Even if it’s just talking to the person on your way to the interview room or finishing up the interview with a strong pitch for why you really want the job. There are lots of opportunities to ask how their day is going or what they’re currently working on. Think of topics you can bring up. At the end of the day, they’re looking for a fit. You may not have the best answers, but they look for several different competencies. If they can see themselves working with you and that you’re coachable, you could very well get the job. The best conversations I had were with more experienced managers, senior managers, and partners because they were focused on getting to know me vs filling out a form. Prior to your interview, be sure you have done at least a few mock interviews with friends and family. The final decision will be based on how well of an impression you made. You may not do well in each interview, but if you do well in the majority and seem like the right fit, you can get the job. If you don't get the job, move on, other firms will pick you up soon.

[bc2018]

@Brainfried75 thanks for the advice. Striking up conversation first sounds like a great idea and something I will practice/prepare to do. Also, after some questions in a practice interview I asked if I could have a few moments to think of my answer. Is this also okay? I'm not sure if it would look bad in a real interview if I ask this only after certain questions as though I am off guard

[brainfried75]

@bc2018
If you asked for a few moments, that does seem like a lot. If it’s just a minute to gather your thoughts, that’s better, but don’t make it too much of a long pause and I wouldn’t recommend asking for time after each question. Try jotting down a few keywords that you hear and look down at your notepad as you’re answering to be sure you hit on those points. In one interview that I had, I did ask for the interviewer to repeat the question after I started speaking because I lost my train of thought. Play it by ear because a lot of the interview dynamic will depend a lot on the interviewer but don’t be afraid to show some personality.

Keep in mind that people who start with the questions right out of the gate are probably nervous themselves or not very chatty. You’ll find a blend of different people who are not great interviewers and awkward. Don’t be so hard on yourself, you could be doing great. I wrote up examples in bullet form that I took one last look at before I went into my interview to jog my memory. You could even look at them the night before. Don’t focus too much on this list since you could practice a ton and not get asked anything that was on your list. Lots of questions could come out of left field as you have seen. Interviewing is uncomfortable but go in with a positive attitude and you’ll be much better off.

[bc2018]

I recently had a mock interview with a senior associate at one of the Big 4 – he said I could improve but I was good enough. Also, he said I didn't sound nervous at all, but the nervousness might have been why my answers could be longer. I have another mock interview today and I'm still going to practice more.

[Jimmy Dugan]

We always feel far more nervous than what is apparent to the interviewer. Keep that in mind and always just be willing to feel the nerves and go on with it anyway. People only start messing up an interview when they try to rush through an answer without thinking it through, in an attempt to just get it over with. Also can't stress practice enough. Hearing yourself go through the answers to a few behavioral interview questions that will likely show up will do a world of good for your confidence when it's go time. There is a big difference between reviewing notes and actually speaking your answers aloud.
Don't give up on what you want. Many, many people struggle with interviews and it is just a matter of being prepared (not just technically but also having visualized the situation beforehand and talked through your answers) and getting some experience in these situations, which you are working on now.

[Books]

I normally Google and go through all the interview questions I can find. Hard to instill confidence but just remember you are a CPA. It gets better with practice. I am thankful for the job interviews at companies I don't want because it gives me a chance to hone my interview skills for the big event. Google and know as much about the firm or company as possible.

[RoseMarie]

Brainfried made most of the points I had to offer but one thing did come to mind in addition.
Have you considered medicine to help manage your social anxiety? I know some people shy away from medicinal solutions but I know quite a few people with social anxiety and from what I've seen the right medicine can make a world of difference.

[bc2018]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Earlier this week I received an offer from a Big4 finally! (I had two virtual interviews earlier this month). I practiced a ton and definitely felt prepared – and being so prepared made me much more confident, to the point that I didn't feel anxious at all. I practiced behavioral questions and prepared myself to possibly have an unfriendly interviewer like before. However for this firm the questions weren't behavioral at all, and the interviewers were definitely friendly.

A little off subject now, looking for advice about the job offer. I've had second thoughts about the office location. The office is one of the firm's bigger ones in the country, and at first I was pretty psyched about the location – the job itself I feel really confident and excited about too. I chose this city because its where I went to college, and I thought I'd have a better shot at a job considering I could contact the recruiters, and I could give them a letter of recommendation directly. But now I really realized how extraordinarily expense living there is, how bad the traffic is, etc. I also grew up no where near the city – now I want to live in my home state.

Question – should I ask my HR contact if I could work in the same service line but in this different city? The offer has been outstanding for a few days but I havent accepted yet. I want to ask her before the weekend, so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[RoseMarie]

Based on what I've been told from recruiters and the amount of time it took you to get this offer I would not try to ask to switch offices at this point. We just had a big 4 recruiter in yesterday to my grad class and she was talking about how she did 2 years in Atlanta before asking for an internal transfer to NY. She said at least at her big 4 the “interview” for internal transfers once you are in is a joke, just some people from the prospective office having conversations with you to see if you fit their office, but getting in the door at all is the most important part. I'm not sure if 2 years is necessary but personally I definitely wouldn't ask about moving offices before you even start. I think it would make you look a bit indecisive and uncommitted since you did apply for that office after all. Anyway, I am not in practice yet (in grad school and getting CPA but don't start work til May) so I'm not the best judge since I have never worked B4 but those are just my thoughts.

[bc2018]

Thanks for your reply! Yeah, on one hand I feel like I shouldn't ask because it was so difficult to get an offer to begin with, and I should be greatful for what I have. I think it's more of a mental health issue that I want to live closer to home, and have less stress with apartment living and commuting, and being in a different part of town than my college. Some people want to start at a smaller office and move to NYC because of the financial service connections, but I'm almost the opposite. I'm already at one of the more desirable/competitive offices, so maybe a jump away from that and not towards it is possible? Anyway, I'm just unsure if I'll be happy in city where the offer is.

[RoseMarie]

I completely understand. I would still say take the offer, stick it out for a bit (probably at least a year but someone from big 4 might have a better estimate here), try to make some connections in the office you want to transfer to, then once you ave proven yourself and have some time under your belt go to HR and explain that you like the firm but would prefer the other office and ask about an internal transfer.

[RoseMarie]

Also if you want more opinions on this issue from people with big 4 experience it might be helpful to start a separate topic since the title of this one would be drawing in the same people necessarily or people might not see your secondary set of questions in the middle of this series of comments.

[ultrarunner]

@Bc2018, first of all, congratulations on receiving the offer! One of the great benefits working for Big 4 is great resources although it all depends on the firm and location. Overall, I don't see any problem for you to ask. I have a friend who receives an offer but doesn't want to work in the office that he had interviews and received the offer from. I told him to talk to the campus recruiter and ask to transfer to another office. So he did, and unfortunately for me, he is now working in a different office. Another friend of mine also transferred to another office working in less than 1 year. A friend of my friend also transfers to another office and so on. If I were you, I would ask your recruiter. It won't hurt to ask if that's what you really want. Good luck!

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