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cmw0421
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Posted: 08 Jun 2011 at 08:31 \| IP Logged

Say you have receive an offer from a large mid-market, say
McGladrey or GT. You have only weeks to accept it, but are
interested in fall recruiting with big 4. If you've
already been to a"Discover KPMG" event and feel
good about it, is it worth it to risk it and decline the
offer?

Ellipsis123
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Posted: 08 Jun 2011 at 11:39 \| IP Logged

I wouldn't risk it. Besides if you want to go Big 4, spend some years at the mid-market and it shouldn't be too difficult to get in as a Big 4 experienced hire as a senior or experienced associate.

bird
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Posted: 08 Jun 2011 at 12:06 \| IP Logged

i think that is good advice, but i would be honest with the people from the mid-market firm and explain your desire to go through fall recruiting. Ask them for an extension until the fall, or even the winter. i don't think you would have to explain the specific situation regarding KPMG, but obviously you will need to throw something persuasive at them.

Especially if you were able to obtain that offer as a result of an internship, you will be very attractive to the big 4 firms during fall recruiting in what i'm assuming is your senior year of college(??). IMO, it would be dumb not to make a run at those firms with what seems like a good chance of landing an offer.

Regarding Ellipsis' point about possibly starting at the mid-market firm and then jumping over to the big 4...I think it's a good backup plan, but as you will find out, public accounting really sucks a lot. Chances are very slim you will want to spend a few years in a demanding public accounting role, only to jump to a Big 4 where things will be even more difficult. the vast majority of people spend 2-4 years in public accounting and get out, so keep that in mind as it would be much much safer to simply start with a big 4 firm.

db729
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Posted: 08 Jun 2011 at 16:37 \| IP Logged

bird wrote:

^^^

Exactly how I'd put it. Transferring from middle market (MM) is pretty easy after a few years of experience. My firm hired a ton of people this past busy season, as did probably all the other Big 4. And to be frank, the experienced hires really knew their stuff. In my firm, some of the senior managers and partners came from MM firms and are highly respected (of course given their position). So your long term success isn't dependent on whether or not you start off in a Big 4.

With that said, I would advise you to try ask for an extension with GT/McGladry/etc and recruiting during the fall. If you've gone through the leadership program, there's a good chance you'll get interviews for summer internship or full time. Public Accounting (PA) is a pretty good way to start off your professional career, especially at a Big 4 firm. But PA itself really does suck and majority of the people leave within 2-4 years as Bird said. Almost everyone that leaves (given that amount of experience) is for either industry, other areas of business, or MBA, not another PA role. Given that, your opportunities after leaving is way better coming from Big 4 than from any MM.

Personally, despite having great opportunities and really appreciating my experiences so far in PA (especially at my firm), I can't see myself having a career in accounting. I definitely wouldn't want to work 2 years at a MM, jump to a Big 4, and then work a few more years before reaping the benefits. Most of my peers that are in PA right now, with 1 to 2 years of experience, are looking to go into banking or consulting. It's really hard to make that switch coming from PA and even more so if you're coming from MM (I want to say not even possible without really strong connections). Few people have been successful, but they all had Big 4 backgrounds.

At the end of the day, if you want to make a career out of public accounting, going to a MM now and moving laterally to a Big 4 isn't necessarily a bad option or an impossible option. But reality is most people can't stand doing PA most of their lives. And having Big 4 on your resume will open up a lot more doors than any MM.

cc704
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Posted: 08 Jun 2011 at 19:28 \| IP Logged

I did this exact same thing last year. It paid off for me in the end, but you
will face a lot of stress along the way.

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