Impressing Big 4

Superdude1234

Hi everyone, I am currently studying accounting and I am aiming for a 1.1 degree and I achieve a good Leaving Cert. Apart from academic results, what else are the Big 4 looking for? Are there any extracurricular activities that I should participate in to improve my chances of getting a contract with the Big 4? Also what do the interviewers focus on when they are interviewing students for trainee internships?

Cyrus

A lot of it will be dictated by where you went to college, so a first from an IT somewhere wont stand to you as well as say a 2.1 in commerce from UCD.

What they will be looking for is someone who can work to their own initiative, quick learner and that can get on with people and is presentable to clients,

Extracurricular stuff may or may not come into it, but the most important thing in any interview is a rapport with the interviewer, people hire people they like and generally people with similar backgrounds to themselves.

I wouldn't necessarily do extracuricular activities for the sake of getting a job - it would be a chore.

Do something you enjoy and think how that might show initiatiave or leadership or whatever.

Other tips:
Don't leave filling in the forms till the day before the deadline.
Don't fill in the forms hungover.
Don't tell the interviewer that you don't particularily want to be an auditor.
Consider toastmasters.

paulers06

From my experience interviewing people - those who want it most get it.

It's not all about grades. Interviewers like enthusiasm, a good attitude and a good as mentioned above. Plenty of examples are essential. Anyone can say they've done something but you need an example to reinforce it. Examples don't have to be work/college related.

Should Have Done Arts

Superdude1234 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I am currently studying accounting and I am aiming for a 1.1 degree and I achieve a good Leaving Cert. Apart from academic results, what else are the Big 4 looking for? Are there any extracurricular activities that I should participate in to improve my chances of getting a contract with the Big 4? Also what do the interviewers focus on when they are interviewing students for trainee internships?

Just some advice.... apply to smaller firms to. Big four make you good auditor. small firms make you a good accountant/auditor.

Always good to have options.

Cyrus

Should Have Done Arts wrote: »

Just some advice.... apply to smaller firms to. Big four make you good auditor. small firms make you a good accountant/auditor.

Always good to have options.

Your chances of a better job after your contract are better with big 4 experience

Tarzana

Cyrus wrote: »

Your chances of a better job after your contract are better with big 4 experience

A lot of people who trained at smaller firms seem to do a stint in big 4s after so I'm not sure this is a reason to reject a smaller firm.

Tarzana

You should have no bother getting some interviews with your academic results. For the interviews, I think the most important thing is stressing why you want to be an accountant. Have well thought-out meaningful reasons. Though doing an accounting degree is a pretty good indication, it alone won't make a difference if you can't communicate your passion for the area. So just make sure you work on that! Know stuff about present economic issues affecting the country too. Just basically convey that you are business-minded and you'll be ggrrrraaaand.

Cyrus

Tarzana wrote: »

A lot of people who trained at smaller firms seem to do a stint in big 4s after so I'm not sure this is a reason to reject a smaller firm.

It's not quite the same though, there's an advantage to be able to show you were trained in one and were selected as one of their trainees

Tarzana

Cyrus wrote: »

It's not quite the same though, there's an advantage to be able to show you were trained in one and were selected as one of their trainees

Opinions on that seem to vary, some consider small firm training better in ways. Big 4 firms wouldn't take on people trained in small firms if they didn't believe their training was up to scratch. So surely being taken on by a Big 4 firm after training is an endorsement of your training. And performance is assessed during training contracts, not all trainee are born equal. :pac: To my mind, an excellent small-firmed trained accountant > than a mediocre Big 4 trained one. And make no mistake, some big 4 trainees will be mediocre, as indeed will be some small-firm trained ones. The big 4 don't always get it right in who they select, just like anywhere, in any job, in any industry.

Cyrus

Tarzana wrote: »

Opinions on that seem to vary, some consider small firm training better in ways. Big 4 firms wouldn't take on people trained in small firms if they didn't believe their training was up to scratch. So surely being taken on by a Big 4 firm after training is an endorsement of your training. And performance is assessed during training contracts, not all trainee are born equal. :pac: To my mind, an excellent small-firmed trained accountant > than a mediocre Big 4 trained one. And make no mistake, some big 4 trainees will be mediocre, as indeed will be some small-firm trained ones. The big 4 don't always get it right in who they select, just like anywhere, in any job, in any industry.

I quite agree, there are some people trained out side big 4 than some people trained in big 4, however, I'm speaking in general

Big 4 take on people from smaller firms because most of their newly quals go into the jobs in industry that the people joining the big 4 post their small firm training can't get .

You may not like it but that's the way it is in the industry , generally.

Tarzana

Cyrus wrote: »

I quite agree, there are some people trained out side big 4 than some people trained in big 4, however, I'm speaking in general

Big 4 take on people from smaller firms because most of their newly quals go into the jobs in industry that the people joining the big 4 post their small firm training can't get .

You may not like it but that's the way it is in the industry , generally.

But sure, if they have to a big 4 stint before going into industry, what's the harm?

Cyrus

Tarzana wrote: »

But sure, if they have to a big 4 stint before going into industry, what's the harm?

No harm but it would be preferable career wise to train there, plus you save yourself another 2 or 3 years auditing