The Absolute Best Perk of Working for the Big 4 (and why you must quit to get it)

There are many perks to working for the Big 4, but there is one that is more valuable than all of the others combined.  This perk comes with one major catch though: you have to quit the Big 4 before you can benefit from it.

That perk is the ability to add “Big 4 experience” to your resume and cover letter.  If you are just starting out in your career you may not yet know the value of those three words.  Let’s do a little experiment:

1) Click on www.monster.com

2) In the ‘skills/keywords’ field type “Big 4 experience”

3) Click search

What do you see?  Nearly all senior level accounting positions (at least the ones that pay well) either require Big 4 experience or say something like “Big 4 experience strongly preferred.”   Want to work in the accounting department of a big public company like Apple or Google someday?  There is almost zero chance that you could get hired there without Big 4 experience. 

Big 4 alumni hire Big 4 alumni.  It’s like a fraternity.  The circle continues.  If you have Big 4 experience on your resume, you will forever move to the front of the pack.  I have seen it happen over and over and over again. 

To learn the secret to getting hired with the Big 4, visit: http://big4guru.com/big_4_hiring_guide

The difference between a Campus Interview and an Office Visit

The first round of Big 4 interviews are typically held on college campuses. They are not often conducted at the office of the Big 4. For the campus interview, you will likely be dealing with a recruiter who does this everyday. He is the gateway to the firm – the first level of screening between you and the office visit/ follow-up interview. He knows how important this interview is to you and will want to see how you handle yourself under pressure.

The tone of your interview is likely to be more conversational than fact based. Don’t expect to get any technical accounting questions unless it pertains to something on your resume. Like the meet and greet, the recruiter will be attempting to judge how you handle yourself in a social setting.

Campus interviews are typically the first step in the interview process. If this goes well you will be invited to a follow-up interview in the office of the firm. These interviews are typically with actual Big 4 staff, not recruiters. You will likely speak with both a mid-level employee (senior associate or manager) and a senior manager or partner. These interviews are designed to measure your accounting aptitude, skill set and likelihood of success with the firm.

Impressing the auditors is different than impressing the HR department. These people have been where you are and know first-hand what you are in store for. Because of this, they will be looking for a specific set of skills. In order to be successful in these interviews, it will be necessary to show them that you possess these skills.

To learn the secret to getting hired by the Big 4, please visit:  www.big4guru.com