September 21, 201016 yr Out of interest are there any members who are studying accounting or are actual accountants that have applied for a graduate job with say one of the "Big 4" professional services firms recently? Reason I'm asking is just to compare the application process between here and over your way in America. I'm currently in the midst of applying and am totally sick of forms and online tests etc! Got some interviews in the next week or so which are far longer (45 mins - 1 hour) than any I've ever done. Then should I get through them I have to attend an assessment day which features an "E-tray" exercise, presentations and more interviews.
September 25, 201016 yr Out of interest are there any members who are studying accounting or are actual accountants that have applied for a graduate job with say one of the "Big 4" professional services firms recently? Reason I'm asking is just to compare the application process between here and over your way in America. I'm currently in the midst of applying and am totally sick of forms and online tests etc! Got some interviews in the next week or so which are far longer (45 mins - 1 hour) than any I've ever done. Then should I get through them I have to attend an assessment day which features an "E-tray" exercise, presentations and more interviews. You will get through it. The guy across the table from you probably hates doing the interview as much as you do. Other than a bit more experience, he is no better than you, so just be confident, not arragont-which from your posts, you are not. My biggest issue with interviews is that while applicants tend to have resumes with canned replies, the interviewers ask questions from the same book of canned questions. If I was interviewing, I would like to hear from applicants that our profession is so much more diverse than the perception, and that is what interests you. While you would have to start at the same basic level, probably auditing etc., the avenues that can be travelled even makes it difficult to pigeon hole where you expect to be in 5 years (which may be a question-"where sir do you plan to be in 5 years?") but that is what makes the profession more interesting and dynamic (oops, a buzz word) than people believe. Your expectation or goal is to apply yourself fully to whatever project you are assigned, learn as much as you can and make yourself as valuable as possible to the organization and to the organizations clients. We are, after all, a service profession. OK, you can use this-but if you get kicked out on your butt, don't blame me. Good luck to you. I started out in a big firm-too much BS, but absolutely the best place to start. As far as the forms, get used to them-in any area of the profession, compliance, forms etc are almost as time consuming as the actual work. The CYA aspect is so important, whether it is audit, tax or whatever.
September 29, 201016 yr Is the money you'd be making worth all that? I'm guessing at least 50k a year(or the Euro equivalent). Speaking of job interviews, I don't think I'll ever get through one. I'll just get nervous and stutter and stammer.
September 30, 201016 yr Out of interest are there any members who are studying accounting or are actual accountants that have applied for a graduate job with say one of the "Big 4" professional services firms recently? Reason I'm asking is just to compare the application process between here and over your way in America. I'm currently in the midst of applying and am totally sick of forms and online tests etc! Got some interviews in the next week or so which are far longer (45 mins - 1 hour) than any I've ever done. Then should I get through them I have to attend an assessment day which features an "E-tray" exercise, presentations and more interviews. I went through it when they were the Big 6 and back then there weren't any tests or anything like that. It was just a normal application. The way it worked was the firms went to your school and interviewed a bunch of people. If they liked you then they invited you to their office for several hours of interviews with several different people. Not sure how it is now but back then you interviewed in the fall to begin working the following September. Having passed the CPA exam before interviewing is very helpful. My grades were good not great but I already had the CPA exam and I think that helped me a lot. I worked there for 5 years and looking back it's amazing how much you learn while working there compared to other places.
November 2, 201015 yr Got myself a job at KPMG today, starting September 2011. Woohoo WOW, I'm impressed. Great job.
November 2, 201015 yr Author Cheers MrAndMrsFish and Fishes on the Pond. Looking forward to it however there is the long and hard year of university to finish first, but I'll get there in the end.
November 5, 201015 yr I'm surprised that there's still a demand for accountants since computers can do what you do.
November 5, 201015 yr I'm surprised that there's still a demand for accounts since computers can do what you do. It's auditing, not the stereotypical accounting that you're probably thinking of. There's always going to be a demand for it.
November 5, 201015 yr I'm surprised that there's still a demand for accounts since computers can do what you do. It's auditing, not the stereotypical accounting that you're probably thinking of. There's always going to be a demand for it.
November 5, 201015 yr Author I'm surprised that there's still a demand for accountants since computers can do what you do. Always a need for human judgment
November 5, 201015 yr I'm getting to the point that people around me are applying for internships at the Big 4. I plan to get a Master's Degree and become a CPA before actually holding down a job, but I hear that these internships tend to turn into full time jobs eventually. How difficult is it to get a job at the Big 4 with your CPA license if the only experience you have is, lets say, 100 hours of shadowing at a local firm? Also, how are these internships structured? I'm an accounting and economics double major, so I take 6 classes a semester and plan to graduate Spring of 2013. Are there any summer internships available, or are they throughout the year?
November 6, 201015 yr Author One of the main things I'm looking forward to by working for a global company, getting opportunities to work abroad (although doubtful during my 3 years of training). Would love doing a job in America for a month or something.
November 7, 201015 yr One of the main things I'm looking forward to by working for a global company, getting opportunities to work abroad (although doubtful during my 3 years of training). Would love doing a job in America for a month or something. Maybe our government will hire you to balance their budget.
November 7, 201015 yr I'm surprised that there's still a demand for accountants since computers can do what you do. Computers do what bookkeepers do but computer don't do what accountants do. Computers are just a tool and take care of the number crunching.
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