[Anonymous]

Hi There,

As a short guy standing at 5’5, I’m shorter than 90% of the male population.Will my short height in any way affect my career if I decide to go into auditing? I know auditing is all about client interaction, and honestly us short guys are never taken seriously. Therefore, I feel like recruiters may be hesitant to hire a short person over an another that is of average height.

To those working in auditing at a Big 4 or Big 10, do you see anyone shorter than the average short (54-5’6)

Thanks.

[Excited_CPA]

Hi bnkim2011,

I think you're thinking too much into this height part. I work in a public accounting firm and I see people of various heights here. I'm around 6 feet, and I work with some men who are under 5'5.

They worry more about how you work, your social skills, and all that other stuff.

It's what's on the inside that matters 😉

BEC 04/14/12 87
FAR 08/28/12 88
AUD 10/06/12 94
REG 02/09/13 91

[Anonymous]

My boss can't be more than 5'7″ and he was an international bank auditor for PW. I'm all of 5'4″ and weigh in at about 103. When the two of us show up to do field work, some clients, all of ours are Governmental, look at us like we are giants! Just saying the word “Auditor” freaks a lot of people out. Maybe that's why I love doing it. Don't stress over height. This exam will give you 99 problems and height ain't one of them. Good Luck!

[Anonymous]

I'm a 5'2 female and one of the partners that interviewed me was the exact same height as me, no joke. Yeah I NOTICED it, but I mean, he's a partner. I'm sure you'll be fine, even if people ‘notice' it superficially. It obviously has nothing to do with you as a person.

[Da Bears]

Confidence is key my brother. Just don't have a Napoleon complex. I'm 5'11, 220 and built like an Ox, but if I don't have confidence my size doesn't matter. Just be personable and be a personality they'll remember. Best of luck.

FAR- 8/14/12 91
AUD- 10/16/12 88
BEC- 11/07/12 92
REG- 01/05/13 86
NIU CPA Review

[Anonymous]

Stare them down and say, “Alright, sucker. What's your bench?!”

Kidding.

I think Scott has the right idea. Calm, cool and personable and everyone will love you.

[Da Bears]

10 set or 1 rep max?! Haha

FAR- 8/14/12 91
AUD- 10/16/12 88
BEC- 11/07/12 92
REG- 01/05/13 86
NIU CPA Review

[huskies1026]

I think there is an effect, but it is minimal, drowned out by certain aspects of personality, the most important of which is confidence.

[msgolds]

I'm a really short guy, and I have found that through my entire life (not just at work) I've had to work harder than my taller peers at pretty much everything just to be taken seriously. This applies to school work, social skills, self-confidence, etc. As a result, I'm a pretty outspoken person 🙂

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[wannabeCPA123]

I met partners including a general partner who was not taller than me and I am 5'9”.

Many of the seniors were tall though.

FAR 78
REG 87
BEC 78
AUD 78
Passed all exams on first try! Good luck to everyone!

[Whatdidyou]

Short people never get good jobs. If you are lucky enough to get a good job, you will never be able to make senior as a Shorty.

REG - Passed!!
BEC - Passed
FAR - Passed
AUD - Passed

Study Materials: Becker basic course

[Anonymous]

LOL is this a serious question?? C'mon dude…how old are you? Chances are you've been short your whole life…you can't possibly be having this realization at this point in your life. What bothers me more than anything is the fact that you actually think it will affect your success. I'm a bit shorter than the average bear (5'8″) and I've never had issues in any aspect of my life. I've excelled academically, athletically (albeit, not basketball lol), professionally, and romantically.

To echo what most of the other posters have said, it comes down to confidence. It's like women…A lot of women (NOT ALL, don't yell at me) have an instinctual desire to be with someone knows what to do and who can protect them…so if you exude confidence and can carry a conversation like a champ, they will be drawn to you. Well it's the same thing at work…be confident in your intellectual ability as well as your ability to interact with the client and you will go far, my short friend. Be proud of who you are and fu*k all the haters. Your career is what you make of it…your physical attributes have no bearing on your ultimate success or failure.

Don't be one of those people who blames the outcome of their lives on something that has no causal relationship with the outcome (i.e., I failed REG b/c of Becker, or I didn't make partner b/c I'm short, or I didn't get promoted b/c I'm a woman, etc.). Because in the end, my friend, it ALL comes down to three….little….words…

SWANGIN'

AND

BANGIN'

[Roma]

@bnkim2011,

I am also 5'5″ ……. and there just is no truth to “short guys are never taken seriously”.

You absolutely control your own destiny and career.

“Success” comes from: knowledge, judgment, skill, teamwork, experience and performance.

Of course effort & ethics will drive success in Accounting.

Good luck.

Using Wiley
FAR = 94 Feb 2012
BEC = 92 April 2012
AUD = 95 July 2012
REG = 91 Nov 2012

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your responses! I see that confidence is the key and being comfortable with my height is definitely something I'm going to be working for the next 3 years.

What do you guys think about wearing 2 inch elevator shoes during an interview? With all else being equal (confidence and intelligence) the taller person will most likely win out. I hate the idea of having to overcompensate just because genetics gave me the short end of the stick. Or will that be too deceptive?

[Anonymous]

The shoes are a NO!!!! You won't look short. You will look crazy. Don't. Just don't do it!!!!

[runhomejack]

I worked under a director who was 5'3. I wouldnt be surprised if long after I've retired 40 years from now, that he would be one of the top 3 greatest leaders I ever knew. He was confident without being arrogant or cocky and he was extremely tough without being an Ahole. When you meet him your first impression is that this is not someone to eff around with. I don't know what it was… probably his demeanor and he always looked sharp with good posture and a commanding voice. In summary, shortness will work against you but there are a lot of other traits you can work on to change people's perception of you.

BEC - Pass
FAR - Pass
REG - Pass
AUD - Pass

[Author]

Replies