On Thursday, KPMG is going to have an informational session at my school discussing full-time, part-time, and internships, they offer for the upcoming Fall. Would it be safe to assume that they recruit for my school? The only reason I ask is because my school isn’t that prestigious (probably ranked 4th or 5th in my state, Georgia) and although I’m going to go no matter what, just for the information and experience. I’m just curious if getting a job at KPMG (or a big 4 in general) from my school with a 3.3 GPA is realistic or if it would be short of a miracle to expect?
TL;DR -> If KPMG does an informational session at your school, can you assume they recruit from your school? And if so, do you think a 3.3 has a realistic chance at getting recruitted?
Note: I know the best people to ask would be my advisors, but I really don’t think they are realistic in their “judgments” since they seem to upsell the program/school a lot more to a point that I feel it sets unrealistic expectations. This is not to say, I blame them for that, it’s kinda their job.
Stop apologizing for your school, I am CERTAIN there are tons and tons of successful CPAs from there.
Is your accounting/major GPA 3.3? If the accounting is higher, then be sure to break that out. As previously stated, you can have a great career in accounting without working at a Big 4.
As for KMPG, there are two ways to present yourself:
Hi, I’m Noteworthy, but you probably wouldn’t want to hire me because my GPA is only 3.X and this school is just sort of ok.
Hi, I’m Noteworthy, I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get some work experience. That recent transaction KPMG completed for (insert local engagement) is fascinating to me. How much planning went into the reverse merger? Did you work on that engagement?
I would guess that KPMG hires from your college if they are coming to do an information session. The Big 4 hire a number of students for a number of offices so they do recruit at many colleges. Many times firms have GPA cutoffs and that may come up in the information session or you can talk to someone in career placement who works with accounting majors to try to get an idea of what it might be.
And the post above is correct – never downplay yourself/your accomplishments.
As I told you before on another thread. Don’t put all your eggs in the big 4 basket. I started my career at Grant Thornton. It’s a well-respected CPA firm but not a Big 4. Also focus on the smaller firms and local firms. You will get your CPA just the same.
Not everyone is an accountant at KPMG! They would not be coming if they didn’t recruit at your school. A 3.3 may be on the low end, but if you make a good impression you might get somewhere. Plus, there is always free food. Go for the free food & the experience of talking with them.
@arc918 I know I’m very guilty of being pessimistic about my college, it’s just that throughout this forum, you’ll see countless people who go to top tier schools (usually questioning between multiple) and then the advice given to them is that they are highly competitive. As for my accounting GPA, i’ve only taken 4 accounting classes but it’s a 3.75. As for your second point, I usually try to do that (mention a relevant recent accomplishment of theirs) but it always makes me nervous cause occassionally they’ll get really detailed about it and I can’t really comment other than nodding in agreement (since I dont really have an advanced knowledge of accounting).
@sensation723 I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket, I’m more or less just wanting to know should I expect a chance in an interview or is it going to be short of a miracle for me to get one?
@intparent Well like I said, I will be going no matter what, at the very least it gives me experience, potential networking, and information about what accounting firms generally look for. But I was not informed of this “food”, so things just got much more interesting
When I recruited for one of the big 4, we always had some kind of food. It helped make more students show up! (Don’t hold it against me if they don’t do it, but they should!) What I can say from my experiences doing that is that they would NOT be showing up and doing any kind of session there if they did not do some hiring from there. Their people definitely have better things to do that go to campuses where they don’t plan to hire anyone.
Good job on your accounting GPA, keep it up and you will have good opportunities. And honestly, don’t try the “recent transaction” line. Odds are good that whoever you are talking to won’t know much (if anything about it), and it will fall flat. (Trust me, I tried something like that in the senior partner closing meeting when I was hired by a big 4, and it was a bust – I think I almost blew my chances of getting hired, but fortunately everything else had gone well up until that point. But the guy looked at me like I was an idiot.). Just be yourself. Be friendly, let them know you want to work in accounting and really like the classes you have taken so far. Don’t try to be something you aren’t.
I’m just saying display some enthusiasm for the firm and the profession. Knowledge and curiosity go a long way. I would agree don’t get “too cute” while looking for items to discuss, but I always appreciate genuine interest.
That’s my $.02 from 25+ years in public accounting, working everything from small local, to Big 4, to large local, to my own small firm (in that order).
When it comes time to write your resume in addition to your overall GPA, include your Accounting GPA as well since it is so high. Never know what will pique someone’s interest.
Definitely break out the accounting GPA separately. Who cares if you have only taken 4 accounting classes so far. It still shows you are good at accounting (classes at least). Don’t be afraid to put your best foot forward when you have a legitimately good story to tell.
