How to Get Hired by Big 4

The Big 4 Guru – Book of Secrets – Hiring Guide

Name: Book of Secrets

Creator: The Big 4 Guru

Website: Big 4 Guru’s Book of Secrets

Purpose: To give you the tips and strategies that you need in order to get hired by Big 4  accounting firms.

The ultimate guide to providing the insight, knowledge, expertise and exact formula for landing a job with either Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, or KPMG. Now, the author did use to work for PwC for a few years and is an insider who appears to know the in’s and out’s and can coach you through the process — but does he have all the answers?

The Big 4 Guru – Book of Secrets Review

At the start of The Big 4 Guru – Book of Secrets he gives a nice background and history to each of the big 4 firms:

• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Deloitte
• Ernst & Young
• KPMG

Now, of course, if you scour the internet you can find this information anywhere online, but I do like how he makes it an easy read and makes it memorable. I do believe that understanding the history of a company is vital in going for an interview. You do not want to find yourself getting a question in an interview about the company that you are applying for and not know what they are about. This section will help you to easily remember and digest the history behind each of the Big 4.

The Big 4 Guru Tips!

One feature that I thought was insightful is that the author displays Big 4 Guru Tips throughout the book in different sections. A few of them are just good reminders but a few others are worth their weight in gold and I found them interesting. The Big 4 Guru Tips sections are designed to bring what you are reading down to a practical level.  By just implementing one of these insights you can dramatically improve your chances of nailing down a position in the Big 4.

Get Your Foot in the Door

In my experience, sometimes the challenge can be just getting your foot in the door. You know that you can interview well if you can just get in front of the right people who make the decisions. Well in chapter three, the author discusses all the different techniques for getting your foot in the door for an interview. Specific areas that he details is:

• Specific Online Job Boards to Target
• Campus Job Fair & What To Do
• How to Request an Office Visit

The Donut Scandal

Chapter 4 is definitely the most insightful chapter in the book. I won’t go into detail as I don’t want to steal the book’s thunder but he does a really nice job of describing to you what you need to do step by step in:

• Pre-interview
• During the interview
• Post Interview

These tips are solid for any type of interview but there are a few tips that are specific to the Big 4 and you will want to know these before going into an interview. I do think that this chapter is worth the price of the book and will greatly increase your chances of getting hired in the Big 4.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Big 4 Guru also discusses three areas in the interview process that you need to be aware of. Knowing what types of possible questions and discussion points in the interview process can definitely give you a competitive edge. He outlines for you some specific, up-to-date, accounting topics that you will need to brush up on before you go in for an interview. In chapter 6, he also includes a sample thank you note that you can send or email to the people who interviewed you.

Should I Buy The Book?

The Big 4 Guru – Book of Secrets is a great book and I have trouble finding any major faults in it. If anything, the only thing I don’t like about the book is that it does appear on the surface to be a bit gimmicky. “Secrets” and “accounting” don’t seem to fit well these days (tongue in cheek). At the same time, I understand the importance of writing a compelling title in order to grab one’s attention. However, I did not find the book itself to be gimmicky or filled with fluff either. The author does a nice job of diving right into the topic and getting right to the point. Every page is filled with useful knowledge and he does not just fill pages of useless information.

If you are a new graduate and want to start in the Big 4 or you are looking to start a new career, than I would say that this book is a must. However, I also believe it can help those who have had a career but desire to get into the Big 4 as well. Overall, I think it is money well worth spent.

I hope it helps!