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jochau906
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Joined: 02 Nov 2011
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| Posted: 10 May 2012 at 14:44 | IP Logged
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I was just wondering if I am too old for BIG 4 or if my chances landing a entry level position at a BIG4 firm will be hindered by my age. I am currently 26 years old but look like I am 21. I worked at a local CPA tax office for a year have all my exams pass and will be getting my license in two months. The only thing is that many of the people that I met that are starting at BIG4 are in early 20's and many of the guys that are my age that went to BIG4 have already left. I was just wondering if I will have a disadvantage because of my age I know many of the entry level hires tend to be 3-4 yrs younger than me.
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NoOrigins
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| Posted: 13 May 2012 at 10:05 | IP Logged
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Short answer:
No. I know several people who were in their mid 30s who got in as entry level associates or secured internships.
I, myself, was in my late 20s (I also looked much younger) and I got plenty of offers.
Long answer:
Age will be a disadvantage if you let it be, but you can turn it into a strength. You have more work experience and your maturity (hopefully) may help you relate to the managers and partners more than the young kids might.
Honestly, your age (unless you're older than mid 30s) should be one of the last things you're worried about. There are plenty of other reasons you may not get hired by big 4 (see other threads).
I think mainly the reason age is viewed as a negative are because of the assumptions that:
1) Your age makes you feel more entitled, or less willing to meet big 4 demands
2) You won't get along with the recent college grads
3) You won't like having a boss that is younger than you
4) You can't teach an old dog new tricks
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badcpa
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| Posted: 19 May 2012 at 01:34 | IP Logged
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26 is not that old for the firms, a lot of the people who
were recruited out of graduate programs were around 24-25.
35 is tougher, though not impossible if someone is good at
networking. People will have to work to overcome negative
perceptions and also the fact that they probably won't be
seen as fitting in with the others.
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Fuhrman2408
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| Posted: 22 May 2012 at 10:49 | IP Logged
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I'm 26 and was hired as a second year associate at a Big 4 Firm in December despite having 3.5 years of work experience split between corporate and smaller firm public. I think that my age has been an asset to me because of the maturity. My first go around in public I really fought the hours, but now I know what needs to be done and I do it. I can see it being annoying if you have a 24-25 year old senior associate that you're working for that thinks he/she is a hotshot, but all of the seniors that I have worked with have been older than me. They've all been pretty cool. I've found that I am the perfect age to relate to just about anyone that I encounter here.
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Coastergenius
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| Posted: 06 Jun 2012 at 16:52 | IP Logged
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I saw plenty of grads from my have get offers from the Big Four. It's not that it's a stigma as much from the employer's standpoint, it's just that many in their 30's or older are unwilling or unable to accept an entry-level starting salary.
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Topic: Too Old for BIG 4?
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