What is it like to be an auditor at PwC?

February 27, 2019

In the ranking of the most prestigious accounting firms in 2019 released by Vault, the authoritative job search website in the United States, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and KPMG continued to be the most popular accounting firms. TOP list.

The Big Four is popular not only for its rankings, but also for tens of thousands of job seekers every year. PwC official data shows that the admission rate for full-time autumn recruitment in 2016 is less than 5%. Deloitte received more than 500,000 resumes throughout the year. KPMG received 27,000 resumes for intern recruitment alone. E&Y has to brush off 2/3 of the resumes. people.

So why are the Big Four attracting students so much? Let the senior audit manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers tell you the answer~ Can you only wait for autumn recruitment and spring recruitment to enter the Big Four? How to start preparations in advance and win the four major offers? Four major information, stamp: 2019 updated summary of the top four accounting firms’ written experience and interviews

By the end of this month, I have been auditing at PricewaterhouseCoopers for five years. Compared with when they joined the workforce, the attractiveness of the Big Four to graduates has been greatly reduced (Mr. added: In fact, it has not decreased at all). Almost all students who entered the industry together in the same class have now changed careers (their next jobs are very good).

However, no matter what the outside world thinks, I am very satisfied with my current job and I am in a good state. Looking at the experience of the past five years, I feel that I have gained a lot.

It is difficult for me to see these experiences from where I was five years ago, so I am very glad that I entered the industry I like by accident. In order to prevent graduates who are looking for a job from being blind like me, let me talk about what a newcomer can expect from this job:

Let yourself develop skills that can make a living

This is a bit sad to say, but for people who are conservative by nature, working experience in a firm can be recognized by the industry, and high-intensity work with many challenges can indeed deepen their understanding of the profession, plus a piece of paper The CPA certificate is really a solid career choice. Moreover, this job does not require high talent, but rather attitude and investment. As experience increases with age, it can be said that the more you work, the more value you gain.

The craftsmanship of Jiro Ono, who has been making rice balls all his life, and the so-called ingenuity of Fatty Luo, can actually be realized in this industry.

Whether you regard yourself as a professional or a craftsman, if you feel that you cannot adapt to an industry where people can eat each other faster, or you don’t bother to participate in the increasingly 2B and In the social competition based on routines, if you don't want to get rich overnight without working, you can consider studying in the four majors for a few years and actually accumulate your own capital. Apart from sleeping less, there is nothing to lose.

Quickly develop management capabilities in the project system

The most commonly misunderstood aspect of the auditing profession is that it is thought to be a group of people who only deal with numbers all day long. In fact, if you ask any auditor at any level, you will know that we spend at least half of our time dealing with people: client finance department, client management, subordinates, field leaders, project managers, senior project managers, project partners People, independent reviewers, colleagues in the tax department, colleagues in the corporate risk control department, company secretary administration...

Every project inevitably involves dealing with these roles. Especially in the middle level of the 3rd to 6th years, they are at the intersection of various channels. They face pressure from all sides every day: they need to put down their normal work to deal with you, the annoying person who comes to ask questions every day. Customer finance, the customer management who doesn’t know what you are busy with all day long and hopes that the money you spend is worth it, the children who dare to ask anything or dare not ask anything, keep looking for trouble just because The project manager who ensures the quality of the audit, the partner who is aloof and always likes to come up with big problems... Everyone has different interests, different concerns, plus a variety of working methods... any project It is a miracle that it was completed.

This kind of relationship network is no less than any type of enterprise environment. The difference is that every project establishment means repeating these processes all over again.

So you said, after experiencing each of the above roles from bottom to top for several years or even longer, more than once, and facing different people each time, your self-management ability , will there be any improvement in your ability to manage others, manage customer expectations, manage project coordination, and manage external resources?

The challenges you continue to face are becoming more and more interesting.

Every one to one and a half years, everyone in the firm will feel that they have entered an uncomfortable state at work. New tasks and new roles on project teams are constantly being added to the workload, and the work content rarely remains the same.

In the first year, I just did simple balance sheet accounts (I even ran bank confirmations professionally for a period of time). In the process, I learned about the firm’s operating mechanism and auditing by constantly asking questions. The purpose of procedures and tests, the basic characteristics of the industry, etc., are worked hard under a clear baton.

In the second year, you will start to delve into complex subjects, lead new people, and consider issues from the perspective of the person in charge of the site.

After one or two more years of working, I will enter the position mentioned above of being surrounded by enemies on all sides and connecting the past and the future. The working hours and responsibilities will increase sharply. At the same time, you will find that the good days of only caring about one customer at a time are gone forever. You often have to move between several projects, and the use of time and energy becomes particularly important.

Going further and working toward the role of audit manager, you need to consider maintaining client relationships, securing project resources, and coordinating the participation of partners and independent reviewers in the project.

When you reach the manager level, the responsibility for audit quality falls on your shoulders. You basically no longer make drafts, but do a lot of reviews, compete with clients (especially the financial director and senior management), and discuss audits. Fees, talk about report disclosure. And began to participate in project bidding, management of daily affairs of the firm and many other non-auditing contents.

On the way up, there is always new content to take on. And every painful struggle is followed by a transformation. This kind of promotion like an upgrade in fighting monsters makes the progress in the first few years of his career clear and concrete.

The pure joy brought by the work itself

This is the last thing I want to say, because not everyone can experience the various pleasures that the auditing profession can bring . Part of the joy comes from numbers.

I often feel like I am playing the role of a detective: based on changes in related subjects, interviews with customers in different positions, and the company’s disclosed operating conditions, I outline the story behind the numbers. When there are conflicts between stories, you have to start over. Just like a game.

Another part of the happiness comes from the trust of customers. Being able to help clients straighten out their accounts, make suggestions on internal controls, and most importantly, issue audit reports on time, meeting or even exceeding client expectations, that smile from Party A is really the best reward. The entire team enjoyed the process. Although it was hard work, they had the same goal and took care of each other, which made the job less difficult.