r/Big4

Hi guys, I went through EY technical round interivew last week and haven't heard anything back from the HR.

Is anyone else in the boat or can guide when can I normally expect to hear back from them?

Public accountant, tax season started 3 weeks ago. I'm already working 70 hour weeks and the last thing i want to do at 11pm is stand in front of a washing machine. Tried Poplin last weekend $1/lb in my city with $30 minimum, first order came back next day folded. Running about $140/month which during tax season is genuinely nothing against the time recovered.

Is this standard for public accountants during busy season? Or are people using different services for tax season specifically?

Due to personal reasons, I need to push my associate level role offer letter at PwC back just out of curiosity. How far back have you pushed back your start date and will your offer get rescinded if you keep pushing your start date backwards I feel like since I’m starting as an associate, it won’t be a big deal, but let me know your thoughts.

I am currently on my notice period. I received an internal opportunity but now my bosses are creating trouble and having ego battle. They said they might not approve it. I m on deadline here and they said the decision is upto us and we need more time. They feel I've lied to them about why m leaving but my stance of toxic manager has been the same..and that under her I was unable to manage family and career. Can they stop my internal transfer?? Has anyone else experienced this??

Genuine question from someone who's probably missing context here.

How does Big 4 hiring actually work for Emiratis? Because from what I've seen, nearly every Emirati I know who wanted one of those roles got it, and pretty quickly. Not saying they're unqualified, but the credentials don't always seem to matter the way they do for everyone else.

Meanwhile expats are going through multiple rounds, tailoring CVs, following up for weeks, and still getting nothing back.

I know Emiratization plays a role but is that really enough to explain the gap, or are these firms just going way beyond what the policy actually requires?

Second bad review cycle in a row genuinely wrecked my confidence. I kept hearing stuff like “be more visible” and “show more ownership” while I was already exhausted and working all the time. I remember sitting there thinking, what the hell do these people actually want from me?

What messed with me most was realizing it barely had anything to do with the quality of my work. It was office politics, personality fit, who people naturally clicked with, who looked “consulting-y” enough.

And the weird thing is the culture could completely change floor to floor. I worked with one group where people acted normal and had lives. Another team treated being online at midnight like some badge of honor. Same firm, same brand name, totally different world.

After a while I started wondering if maybe I was just bad at consulting. I went through this whole miserable self-analysis phase after work every night: journaling, therapy, rereading old notes, even revisiting a coached career assessment I’d taken a while back because I was desperate to figure out why I felt so out of place all the time.

The patterns were painfully obvious once I stopped ignoring them. I like solving structured problems. I like mentoring juniors. I do NOT enjoy constant client schmoozing and trying to sell vague strategy stories with a straight face.

That realization sucked, but it also weirdly took a weight off me. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t secretly incompetent. I was trying to force myself into a version of success built around the exact parts of the job that drained me the fastest.

Anyway, just a mini vent. Anyone else in the same boat?

Recent hires,

How long did it take you from your final interview to get the offer letter?

I’m in the U.S and interviewed for the business services devision.

I’ve heard that there are delays due to short staffing in HR. Is this true?

Thanks

I have the opportunity to do either but I’m a new grad and I don’t know what to pick. I feel like if I turn down my big 4 offer I am missing out on early career exit opportunities, but I could always find my way back if startup flops or is not making me happy. What do you recommend? They are both tax related so idk 🤷🏼‍♀️

Gave my virtual screening on 5th may and havent heard back from the hr till now, how long does it actually take to hear back from them, and rest of my applications are still showing new application for over a month now. I have heard referral is v imp to get into big 4s is it so? Does they not recruit from their own application? very confused

DId you just apply online? How did you apply?

I’m an accounting major finishing my degree in 3 years in May 2027 with a Big 4 audit internship that summer. I would normally start my career in Fall 2028. I’ve been leaning strongly against doing a MAcc. I don't like the idea of doing a MAcc as I've had Big 4 partners tell me not to do it. This subreddit has also convinced me a lot. I would rather get the remaining credits cheaply through community college, focus on passing the CPA, and potentially start working earlier.

My dad strongly disagrees. He believes the additional accounting education from a MAcc would meaningfully help my long-term career success. He did coursework up to a PhD (not in the U.S.) and worked in Big 4.

I already asked the Big 4 firm if not doing the MAcc would allow me to move my full-time start date earlier, but they said they won’t know until September.

So assuming they don’t move my start date and I’d have a full year before starting full-time:

1. Should I just do the MAcc? I'm not worried about monetary costs, it's the opportunity cost that bothers me.

2. Or would it make more sense to work, study for the CPA, or do something else during that year?

Also, it's better to apply for the MAcc sooner rather than later as you have a higher chance of getting scholarships. Should I just apply now or wait until I get a response on starting earlier from the firm?

How often do Big 4 firms recruit for FDD from undergrad? For context, I’ll be part of a rotational internship CPA track at a Big 4 firm this summer (going through audit, tax, and advisory) and was wondering whether it’s possible/realistic to break into FDD from undergrad through this rotational program?

For context, I’ll be studying at UCLA for Business Economics if school prestige matters.

I’m also considering pursuing Big 4 consulting, but I’m kind of leaning towards a more modelling-oriented/technical pathway

Hi all,

My apologies if this is posted in the wrong area, but I was employed by Deloitte as a consultant, but it was only a short period of time from June 2021-August 2021 as I realized the job was not for me. My question is, should I include this on my resume? Or is it too short of a period of time? I have been at my current job for 4.5 years now so I am not worried about my resume looking like I been job hopping.

Thank you in advance!

I left consulting (big 4) for a tech role at a Corporate. I thought I would have a decent WLB and decent pay. I got both but the team is meh and the culture is sort of toxic. I am weighing my options to get back to a different big 4. I understand the current market is challenging. Does it make sense to get back to consulting? wait it out or take an offer to get back? Understand it’s subjective but just wanted to hear some stories/perspectives.

When I first started in Big 4, I expected the hardest part to be the workload or the hours. And yeah, some weeks are rough. But honestly the thing that gets to me more now is feeling like my brain never fully switches off anymore.

Even after work I still feel mentally open somehow. I’ll sit down to relax and end up checking Teams again, opening Outlook without thinking, scrolling LinkedIn, checking random notifications, then suddenly I’m halfway back in work mode for no real reason.

The weird part is I’m not even always doing important things. It’s more like my attention got trained to constantly react to something.

During the day it already feels like nonstop switching. Calls, pings, review comments, random asks, fixing one thing before another message appears. By evening my head feels tired in a way that’s hard to explain because technically I’ve been sitting most of the day.

I noticed it started affecting smaller stuff too. Watching something without checking my phone every few minutes. Reading properly. Even conversations sometimes. My brain feels way less patient with slower things now.

Lately I’ve been trying to create a bit more separation after work instead of carrying the same reactive energy into the rest of the night. Nothing perfect honestly, still figuring it out.

If other people in Big 4 feel this too because I don’t think I understood how mentally “on” this kind of work keeps you until I was actually in it.

Hey guys, I recently did a interview with Deloitte for the 2027 audit co-op position. I thought the interview went decently well.

I was told they’d reach out to me but it’s been about a week and haven’t heard anything from them. I did the interview on may 7th. It’s been about 6 business days.

Should I assume I didn’t get the position? Or should I do a follow up to the number they called me on for the interview? If so how should I follow up?

I’m 27 and currently finishing up my CPA exams, hopefully by the end of the year. I have experience in nonprofit accounting, industry cost accounting, and spent a year at a CPA firm doing taxes.

For anyone who pivoted into Big 4 later than the typical college hire path, how did you do it? What helped you stand out, and what roles or service lines should I target with my background?