[NYSCPA]

Hi Guys, I have a phone interview setup for a senior position at a big 4. Any tips??

[cottonkandi]

Be yourself!

[irishA]

Make a “cheat sheet”, to have during the interview. Include key talking points you want to make sure you remember to mention, answers to common interview questions, questions to ask about the company after. Good the be prepared, that realize after you forgot to mention something important

[SuperAccountingGod]

They do phone interviews now? I've only done in person interviews with them. But yeah be prepared to talk about your experience, anything on your resume, but most importantly, BE YOURSELF. They just want to get to know you and see if you're a good fit. Don't pretend to be somebody you're not just to get a job, otherwise you will not last their very long.

[Biff Tannen]

1. Find out who you will be interviewing with. For example, the recruiter may tell you that you will be interviewing with a certain partner/director. Ask for this individuals name.
2. Once you have this persons name, do some google searching. More likely than not, this person will have a linkedin profile. Or maybe he/she will have a company bio somewhere online. Hell, I would even look them up on facebook.
3. Try to find some topics to discuss with this person well before the interview. For example, if you came across this persons linkedin, and you see that they work in NYC, then talk about NYC, say something to the tune of “I was just in NYC for Christmas. I have family that lives there; it's such a great place to visit!”. If you happen to interview with a male big 4 partner, and you happen to find him on FB, and you see that he's a big college football fan, then you just hit the jack pot. I would read some college football headlines and discuss the most important headlines with this person. I know this approach seems silly but it actually works.
4. Once you find some commonalities with this individual, you have officially broken the ice, and the conversation then seems much more casual than an actual interview. At that point begin to discuss your career goals, why you want to work for that specific firm, your goals for passing the CPA exam, etc.
5. Follow up with a thank you email.

[Painted_Jeans]

I had a phone interview with a partner (PwC). I did googling so i could at least know how she looked. She was very nice and pleasant. Asked me about my experience and some behavioral questions, kinda like what was a difficult situation related to work in audit and how it got resolved.. if you want a senior position they will “map” you against other candidates and see if you're better qualified. I dont know which firm you are speaking to, but PwC amy suggest you start lower than senior because if you're coming from smaller firm they might think you are not ready.. Thats what happened to me actually and i've heard similar stories from my former classmates. even recruiter who put me thru told me that before i spoke to the partner. I'm okay with starting lower because i know that it's going to be tough compared to my current firm where i rarely go over 45 hrs a week.. plus the methodology and technology big 4 works with is different compared to Engagement i'm used to. I'd rather take time to learn, finish my exam and then worry about promotion than struggle to keep up with others and spread myself too thin and end up leaving in the end. Thats my 10 cents 🙂 LMK if you have any other questions.

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