[mcchowder]

I got two job offers for a semi-senior auditor:

1. Tier 2 firm (below Big 4) doing mostly government audits and some commercial audits.

2. Large regional firm (200+ employees in 6 offices) doing mostly commercial audits & some SEC company audits.

I expect that I’ll eventually get into private, and I believe the regional firm experience will be more beneficial making me qualified for more of the controller/CFO jobs. The downside is that the regional firm has much less name-recognition. It’s also much smaller which probably means less resources & training.

The Tier 2 firm has much better name-recognition, but it’s still just a tier 2 firm most people haven’t heard of. They have better resources and there’s also the potential to shift to more commercial audits than government audits. The downside is if I am not able to transfer out of government auditing, I fear I will be pigeon-holed into controller & finance director jobs in government. Although they still pay well, they’re still much less than commercial jobs. There’s also a lot less of those jobs available.

Your thoughts?

[MUCPA]

Personally I had absolutely zero interest in government work, and it's partially the reason I left public accounting. How sure are you that the Tier 2 would pigeonhole you? Does that entire office primarily work gov jobs? Is it easy to transfer to another office later?

Name recognition is a big deal, but I'm not so sure that a tier 2 would be worth accepting undesirable assignments all the time. Generally speaking, when I'm looking at job postings I see either 1) Big 4 exp highly recommended or 2) public accounting exp highly recommended. I've always been partial to smaller firms because you see SO much more in a shorter time frame which, like you said, ultimately prepares you better for a CFO/controller post in the future (albeit usually at a $250million or smaller company, but that's not always a bad thing).

- 2.5 years experience in Public Accounting (Audit)
- 2.0 years experience in corporate accounting
- All 4 CPA Exam sections passed first time
- Currently CPA & Controller at a small manufacturing company

[lakersfan24]

I would personally choose the 200 person firm. I've done gov't audits and they're annoying as hell to complete and I honestly would not want to take the risk of being stuck in it seeing as there's no guarantee that you could transition to commercial seeing as it sounds like they're hiring you mainly just for Gov't. Be aware of the fact that Gov't season has just started and goes on till Dec – March and honestly I feel like once you've already started doing something for awhile firms like to continually staff you on same/similar projects. If both firms are not that well known then it might be better to go with the one that actually gives you the relevant experience in the industry you want to jump to later. Also in the end networking will pay off more than saying your from some larger that people Might know just a little bit better.

If you are still interested in the larger firm then I suggest you try to feel them out to see if the transition from Govt to Commercial is possible. Maybe try to talk to some of the other staff/seniors there to see if they'll give you some honest feedback. Finally also be aware of the fact that you will have to work and travel a lot for gov't season as well as also go through normal busy season if they let you try out commercial as well.

I don't know if that helps you at all but I thought I'd just try putting some points down that you may not have thought of. Though I am somewhat biased as I prefer commercial to govt lol.

[Anonymous]

Do you want to stay in the region of the regional firm? If so then the name recognition will be maximized, but if you intend to move far away then the name recognition will disappear entirely. In my mind doing the work that counts should matter more than the company that it is done with, especially if you'll still be in an area that the regional firm has at least been heard of, but I'm no expert on these matters.

[h0wdyus]

I agree with Lilla to a great extent. I wanted to add here. You should ask the Bigger Firm point blank if they will transfer you to public firm auditing in a years time. Ask for reassurance. If they agree, then getting some govt exposure for a year or so would not be a bad idea, assuming you are not over 30 years old. In the end you have to make sure you get to do what you like to do, otherwise your work life will be a simulation of hell.

FAR - 81 29th Aug 2013
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Using Yager

FROM NJ

[mcchowder]

@MUCPA No, the entire office doesn't do just gov't audits. I'm afraid of being pigeon-holed because I'm coming in at a semi-senior level and would likely be promoted to senior in a year. I'm not sure how easy it is to do an internal transfer as a senior, but I imagine it isn't encouraged. But, the head manager did ask me whether I wanted to do all gov't audits or mostly gov't audits and some commercial. The firm also has career advisors that would work with me.

@lakersfan24 Tier 2 firms are well-known to people like us. But, for most people, they've never heard of them.

Should I ask the Tier 2 in-house recruiter point-blank? I'm hesitant to ask just because it will not paint the best picture. The reason I got the offer from them was because of my pretty strong gov't audit experience. I also have commercial experience and feel more comfortable with commercial audits, but that's just because they're much easier. On paper, my commercial experience is lacking (even though it's stronger than my Gov't audit).

[lakersfan24]

Well the only way to ask really is point blank because don't you want a sure thing that you'll have the opportunity to switch over later…if they say no you can't, then you just go with the offer from the smaller firm that'll give you the experience you want.

Don't go in hoping and praying that you'll be able to switch if you aren't prepared to stick in Gov't audit. And personally I would rather actually talk to people that work there as well rather than only a recruiter if it's possible. Recruiters might just give you a canned answer.

Talk more to that head manager that asked if you would want to do commercial as well as Gov't. Feel him out to see if the transition you want is possible.

Also what industry do you eventually want to exit out into after public accounting? Which firm gives you the more relevant experience?

[I Believe You Have My Stapler]

It sounds like you will mostly be doing government audits at Tier 2, and if it's not what you want to do, DON'T ACCEPT. It is absolutely what you will be doing almost all of the time. Growing a commercial business practice takes time, and they will want you to use your experience in govt to benefit their existing practice. Go with the experience you want to get. In the end, that matters more.

AUD- 97! (May 2014)
BEC- 79 (August 2014)
REG- 64, 83 (February 2015)
FAR- May 2015

[mystical guy]

Large regional firm because they're doing what will be most beneficial to you in your career. Name recognition is not a big deal. Every company uses the same procedures and regulations, at the end of the day. I've gotten job offers even after working for companies that people didn't know anything about, just because I knew the duties pertinent to the job description.

Good luck no matter what.

CPA - Since 2015
CISA - Smashed 2012
CIA - Passed 2015

[mcchowder]

Well, the Tier 2 firm came back & said that I could do 50% govt 50% commercial. Now Im really considering because this firm is so much bigger and has an okay reputation. I think advancing would be really easy.

The other firm doesnt have the best rep, and promotions seem to be harder to come by after senior.

[lakersfan24]

Do you know what kind of Gov't audits the firm does? Counties? Housing Authorities? Districts/Cities? You may be traveling a lot so be prepared for that. How would the 50/50 work? This seems like you may be over worked because the busy season for these two industries are in two different times of the year. If you're married or care a lot about W/L balance this may not be the best situation to be in, but go for it if you think you can make it work cause it is doable. Plus it seems like you really prefer the Tier 2 firm over the large regional judging from your comments.

[thechapman]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but if you will get SEC (SOX) experience with one of them that will open you up to more things. Again, I could be wrong, but the big 4 largely dominates SEC work so SEC work could be beneficial if you want to get into that eventually.

Passed - 2014

[mcchowder]

@lakersfan24

I've done a lot of national travel before, so local travel is a piece of cake for me (no jet-lag). Regarding busy seasons, both firms have two busy seasons, though the tier 2 firm probably has rougher busy seasons. I think this is becoming a trend as most firms I've interviewed with have 2 busy seasons so that they can keep those chargeable hours up.

I guess what it boils down to is:

1. How easy will it be to transition out of 50% gov't audit as a semi-senior at the tier 2 firm (which is a big city office)?

2. How valuable is SEC audit experience going to be as I explore exit opportunities after making manager?

This is honestly the toughest decision in my life since I likely won't be able to switch industries after senior.

[mcchowder]

@thechapman

You bring up another good point. I was also thinking that since the SEC audit field is so heavily dominated by the big 4, wouldn't that make my exit opportunities more difficult since I would be competing with more big 4 alumni for those positions?

[thechapman]

The only reason I brought big 4 into the mix was to say that if you think that at some point you might want to get thrown into SEC stuff, a firm that has the ability to give you some SEC experience would be valuable. If you don't think you ever want to mess with the SEC, then the ability to get your hands on SEC work in a firm isn't as imperative

Passed - 2014

[mcchowder]

@thechapman

Well, I think it's very relevant. Going back to my previous post: “2. How valuable is SEC audit experience going to be as I explore exit opportunities after making manager?”

Most of the fortune500 jobs specifically state “big 4 experience” as a requirement. If not that, it says it's recommended. Without having to spell it out, you can see why SEC experience from a regional firm might not be really that great.

[Author]

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