I have worked at Big4 firms for 14 years (Audit-4 and Consulting-10) and I’ll tell you that it is insanely competitive, super fast-paced, the politics is frustrating, there is minimal tolerance for emotional reactions and you are FAR beyond your comfort zone …. ALL THE TIME.
At this point I’m sure you’d like to ask: WHY - WOULD - YOU - DO - THAT - TO - YOURSELF? And while we're are having this heart-to-heart, let me also tell you that: I have joined 2 Big-4 firms TWICE…once in Audit and then in Management Consulting. No, I’m not a masochist. Yes, I am aware that there’s a whole HBR study about the psychology of people who work in such firms/ organizations. But let me backtrack for a bit and tell you a quick story about my love-hate relationship with Big-4s. Big4 Audit I grew up in India and joined Big4 Audit in 2000. At that time, getting a job at an MNC was considered a HUGE deal. I had NO idea what I was getting into when I signed up to become a CA (Chartred Accountant) intern. It was late nights, disgruntled managers, getting up at 5am for CA tuition classes at the other end of the city and then landing up at the client site to work 15–20 hours on the project because it was Close season. At the time, I hated every minute of it. As a 20 year old I had ZERO life, TONS to study and nobody who was happy with me (my bosses for not putting in 28 hours a day and my friends and family for not being around in general). And I hated it enough to leave without a job in hand the minute I had taken my last CA exam! This took about 4 years !! I had no idea what I was going to do next. I just wanted out. A few months later I qualified as a Chartered Accountant and started looking for another job. And it was then that I realized the power of working for a Big4 firm. I literally applied for 1 job (non-Big 4 firm), interviewed and received the offer in 1 week and started traveling all over the world for my projects in 1 month! THAT is the power of the Big4 brand. The 4 years in Big 4 Audit I had on my resume, automatically signaled these skill sets that I had developed over those 4 years:
Extremely high standards of deliverables
Flawless attention to detail
Supreme client relationship management
Polished communication and executive presentation skills
After a few years at this company, I wanted to do my MBA and switch careers
Enter Big4 Consulting
To be honest, working in Consulting is a whole different ball game than Audit. But the Big 4 quality standards, presentation and attention to detail remain the same.
I worked in Big4 Management Consulting for 10 years at two Big4 Consulting firms across India, U.K. and the U.S. Did I LOVE every minute? Absolutely not! Was I challenged to grow, reinvent my brand, learn the latest skills and totally refine my executive presentation skills? 100%!
Here is a list of skills I developed in Big4 Management Consulting:
Networking
Project Management
Building my brand
Communicating/storyboarding
Managing teams
Business development (Sales/ Proposals)
Client relationship and account management
So overall, working at Big4s has been a mixed bag. It stretched me FAR beyond my comfort zone which was PAINFUL but that’s what made me gain so many diverse experiences and skill sets which make me the professional I am today.
I didn’t like the LONG hours and (at times) unmanageable expectations on balancing client work, travel, internal firm initiatives, mentoring - all while balancing my family with 2 kids under 3!
But what I loved about the 14 years I spent in Big 4s is the way they have shaped my professional life, the doors that have opened for me just because of the Big4 brand, the standards that have been drilled in so well, I hold myself to them even today and the fantastic network I have established that has brought in opportunities I only dreamed of.
No…working at a Big4 is NOT overrated.
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Got more questions on Consulting? Comment below or email me at punya@byondgood.com. Punya is a former management consultant with 15 years of experience at 2 Big4 firms, serving top Fortune500 clients. She has lived and worked in 6 countries and changed 3 careers working across several industries. Punya is passionate about coaching new and aspiring Consultants to succeed in Management Consulting.
