BIG 4
 

Hi, Just wondering if anyone's currently working or has worked in any of the Big 4? What did you think of it? Did it help you with your career? Going into my 4th year this sept, so I have to start thinking about job hunting.

TIA

Big 4 what?

sorry, got to used to posting on school groups. Big 4 accounting firms
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man if you cant be more specific your gonna fail at life..lol..list the actual companies..jeez

Isn't it the big 5? Bank of can, rbc, cibc, bmo, to?
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***td
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If you don't automatically know what "Big 4" is, you likely will have little useful input to the OP's question to begin with.

Big Four (audit firms) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Considering this is a automotive forum the OP should be more specific in his question. Thus eliminating all the questions on who the Big 4 are.

Perhaps. Wasn't criticizing or anything, just pointing out it's not that big of an error of omission as somebody unfamiliar with the term may think.

I'm sorry if I'm a little unclear in my post but if those who have worked in any of the big 4 accounting firms, they will know which are the big 4.

I might not know anything but my brother the CA would. He was the head of the tax department at KPMG then was a CFO for a few mining companies and now owns his own firm.

I'll throw in a word here.

My brother went to a meeting with 1 of the Big 4 to talk about internship/co-op opportunities. He pretty much said that he was abit shocked at the honesty of the guy he talked to.

The guy he talked to said:
"If you don't have a 4.0 GPA or 3.99 GPA, your kind of SOL. We're looking for the best of the best and don't really want to spend any time on anything less. We'd only consider you aswell if you stand out somehow from everybody else, yet your GPA still better be in the high 3's (3.85+)"

This is kind of reality though as I have a friend who graduated from UBC with a 4.0GPA and she was hired by 1 of the Big 4 before she even graduated. She was also a big part of the community though and volunteered TONS in her years of UBC.

So it is largely grade dependent then i would assume. Thanks for your insight!

Grades don't mean everything. They want to see you are a well rounded character. I know a few people with an average GPA (3.2ish) getting into the big 4 because they have been actively involved in the community (volunteering, sports activities, clubs, etc).

What you really need to do is network and get to know the recruiters. And this is something you should have started a few months ago.

well said, networking is almost 75% of how to get jobs nowadays. obviously you grades cant be terrible. Of course they can be lenient and are willing
to take mid GPA students if you have lots of volunteering, special interest and are well rounded. Again its who you know..

great post melloman.

grades aren't everything, so for those who doesn't have a 4.0 GPA, ask yourself then what makes you stand out to hire you? What makes you so special to pick you out of the 1000 applicaitons? People complain about why do people only look at my grades. The question is, what do you want people to look at then? How awesome your car is? how great you're able to mod your car? fuck that.

I get this a lot. I'm already so awesome, why can't people just realize it. TO be honest, it's cause you're not. I often ask my applicants this question. Tell me something that's not school or GPA related and what makes you special? A lot of people go speechless, why? Because at that moment, you look back and you realize having iphone 5, finishing another level on candy crush, being a FB whore etc... all these things, in the end means nothign to the employer and you start questioning what you have really done to enhance your career or character.

there is no right or wrong, and even for someone that has 10 yrs of experience, it's how they answer and go about this question, that gets them hired.

Great post but aren't yourself an avid user of this forum?

If you've only started considering Big 4 in your 4th year and have no clue whether it'll benefit you or not, most likely you're way behind.

I've done my own research regarding the firms but I would rather hear it directly from those who have gone through the process to get a different set of insight. I transferred into UBC in my third year so yes, unfortunately I missed out on the events last year but that's why I'm trying to prepare for it for the upcoming recruiting season

Key word here is your friend is a "she".

it depends what you want to do in your career. doing audits will sap your energy and you will be beaten down by everything. but if you finish your modules and do well, you'll have your CA and the field definitely opens up.

what do i know though.

Too true. Volunteering, going to events, getting into clubs will all help with getting to know people and getting YOUR NAME known to others.

Again very true. Grades aren't 100% of what they look for, yet a big firm will want to know that you have that determination behind you so they know that you know what your doing, and if not are willing to put in 110% to figure it out.

All mentioned above, will also help set you apart. Being active in the accounting community will obviously help.

What does that mean really? Being behind a computer for afew hours a day doesn't mean anything. 24 hours in a day, where you might sleep 4-6hours, means you have 18 hours left to: volunteer, work, play sports, be in clubs or do anything else. Making a post only takes a minute or two.

accounting lol.

stick with big 2.

Totally came into this thread thinking working in or for Dai lus aka mainlanders
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BIG 6?