Career Advice!!!! Trying to break into Big4

  • This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by Anonymous.
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  • #192924
    xtclaudia
    Participant

    Hello Everyone,

    I’m currently working as a Finance Analyst doing valuations at big bulge bank in NYC. I just started working full time approx 9 months ago and was a full time intern for a year before that doing Product Control. I’m trying to break into the Big4 preferably in their Advisory practice but would be willing to do Auditing as well. With just 9 months of full time experience, I’m looking at Associate positions. I see some on KPMG’s career website, applied to ~10 positions, got rejected from all of them except for 1, went through phone interview and havent heard back from the HR, have followed up once and no answer. For the other 3 Accounting firms, there aren’t any Associate level positions since I assume, they recruit students straight from college.

    Does anyone have any advice on how I can break into the Big4? Any friends that were in my position and got in? What was their strategy?

    Background: I graduated with a BBA approx a year ago with a Finance degree (GPA 3.5) and took online Accounting classes to meet the 150 education requirements. Have just passed BEC and will be taking the others soon. I did do an Assurance internship with KPMG during my junior year but rejected them for the JPMC offer.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • #659827
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    xt-

    Advisory is pretty broad. Can you be more specific?

    #659828
    xtclaudia
    Participant

    Preferably in TAS in their Valuations. It seems like most people are in audit until they make senior, and then jump into TAS. I would be open on going that route as well.

    #659829
    cool_kid
    Participant

    I'm not sure about Deloitte or E & Y but if you know anyone at PWC, ask them if they would be willing to refer you. They hire entry level associate positions for both tax and assurance through employee referrals. You could do assurance and then move onto advisory later.

    #659830
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    xt-

    Just checking. Your experience should be a fairly good fit for a valuation position and JPMC certainly adds some heft to your resume. It could be your limited experience. I know advisory does some campus hiring, but most advisory postings I've seen are typically looking for some experience.

    Have you tried any other firms? KPMG may be a tad gun shy if you snubbed them by not coming aboard after your internship. They spent a lot of money on your internship and may feel like you bailed out on them. It's important to remember that they only have so many recruiters in each market and they all hang out with each other at the holiday parties.

    Can't speak for NYC, but in my area, KPMG's valuation positions normally come out of its EVS (Economic & Valuation Services) service line that appears to be more geared towards transfer pricing (but also does TAS, PPAs. etc).

    Have you considered a working towards ASA or CFA as opposed to the CPA? If your end game is to get back into valuations, you might as well double down, go for one of them and network all along the way. A CFA is quite the accomplishment in that arena.

    #659831
    xtclaudia
    Participant

    Hey Bill,

    My end goal is to do neighborhood development/ commercial valuations at a REIT/real estate company so I'm not sure how much value a CFA or an ASA would bring. Yes, I have looked into Deloitte, PwC, and EY's career website and 95% positions are senior level. I have already asked my friends in there to refer me in and i haven't gotten a response back =( I'm not sure how the referral system works in the Big4 but just from KPMG, the followup email said to just keep applying on the website.

    I did take a look at EVS at KPMG and its actually under the tax umbrella. I applied and received a rejection.

    I'm really not sure what to do at this point. My next steps is to start contacting head hunting firms that have relationships with the Big4 to push my resume in and perhaps, look at open reqs at the senior level for the same position, network via linkedin & coffee, and make a good case on why I would be a good fit and perhaps, they will hire as they have the need.

    My goal for my next career move is just to gain some diversified experience as I haven't seen much at my current position. I'm looking at the same spreadsheets, same emails, same deadlines every month and that doesn't make me excited to go to work.

    #659832
    fuzyfro89
    Participant

    Many advisory practices are “top heavy” in that they have a few entry level candidates, but the bulk are lateral experienced hires from audit (internal hires) or various other practices (external hires).

    It's not a requirement, but a large amount of people I knew in the transaction services groups among the firms had prior experience in audit for 2-4 years. Areas like business valuation may be different, so I'll have to defer to someone else for specifics.

    Right now, with <1 yr of experience, my guess is that you don't have enough experience to be considered an experienced hire, but also are not entry level. Sort of stuck in no man's land.

    I feel at this point like a broken record, but it really does matter WHO YOU KNOW… NOT what you know! I'm working in industry currently, and the only real way to make a lateral move internally is to get either your resume or your actual self in front of someone in a position to hire you. People will take someone slightly less qualified on paper if they are referred by a mutual friend than to take a gamble on an external hire OR someone who they do not know.

    Applying online and crossing your fingers just won't cut it unless a group is going through a hiring binge.

    #659833
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Fuzzyfro hit the nail on the head. Advisory does tend to be more top heavy.

    Who you know certainly helps. You can get interviews through the web portals, but your chances are much more slim.

    To be brutally honest- It sounds like you have some solid entry level experience. If you're not getting interviews it's your resume. You should take another look or two at it and have at least one, preferably two or three experienced business people to take a look at it.

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