Interview Tips for US CPAs to impress the Big 4s

The competition for CPA careers in the accounting world has grown fierce that ultimately sets the demand for prospective roles high. Remember, there is no specific template for acing interviews at Big 4, nor successfully obtaining your gold standard US CPA certification from the one of the best CPA Review in India promises a way to crack your interviews. What gives you a long mileage to ace your interview at Big 4s or top MNCs require some unique qualities and activities to land in a rewarding CPA career. As the pandemic dust seems to settle down with the majority of the mass getting vaccinated, companies are taking a bold step to resume working from the office and interviews are no longer going to be online but office visits. To keep up with the new normal, here are some interesting tips to ace your interview.

Before you Visit Office

Now that many offices have encouraged employees to take the vaccination jab to ensure a safe work environment, interviews in future would be in-person. To face the new normal, accounting professionals with US CPA certification need to put the best foot forward as they cannot expect the traditional set-up of walking into the office, observing what people are doing and grab a few inputs about the company and then get interviewed by the key people. However, the case is not the same now as you need to spend about 10 hours in the office and while sitting before the interviewers, you need to explain the challenges and opportunities you took to make an impact outside your resume that will help you thrive at the current organization. 

Pre Interview Social Meets

Before the interview process, you might have the chance to interact with your competitors. Ensure that your presentation is perfect in terms of dressing and time sense. The pre-social meet is vitally important as it can feed confidence in acing the interview by socializing with your competitors to know the level of your competence and panic stations to rework on them before the interview begins. Since interviews at Big 4s look for an innovative mindset and continuous quest for learning and growth, pre-social interview meets can help Certified Public Accountants get immersed into developing an inclusive attitude to face tough questions.   

Long Day at Office  

If the company decides to take an in-person interview, then it is going to be a long day for you. Usually there are going to be 3 rounds of interviews. Some might be with the managers, CEOs or partners, and others with employees. While encountering every level, you might feel intrigued by the kind of questions. Prepare a checklist of questions according to your interest if it is related to audit, tax or advisory services to make a smooth sail. A bit of research on the expectations of the firms would be a great help in this case. Companies like people who can think like them, hence give yourself the best chance of success! Conversations may become critical in your career success. Unlike others do not lay back but put up your attitude and personality and make the conversation more engaging.

Make Break Time a Bonus

Lunch breaks are given by companies to set a buffer time for you to rejuvenate for the next round, maybe an oral interview. While spending time in the cafeteria or at the lounge, you may be closely observed by the manager or employees to assess your behavioral pattern, ethical standards and social comrade. Since accounting is a more dynamic profession, it expects CPAs to deal with diverse clients and scenarios, companies would choose professionals with a more outstanding leadership, inclusive and creative mindset to lead performance and growth. So, it is wise to come out of your comfort zone and keep your enthusiasm high during the breaks even if you are exhausted. 

Stay Calm and Confident

Since you have prepared a question bank of interview questions, the next step is to stay calm and confident while moving to the last round of oral interview with your recruiter. Since the accounting and taxation industry requires a more interrogative mind, you need to express more curiosity to your manager. It is ok to become nervous but take time to respond to questions with due diligence. 

Miles Education is India's best CPA training institute for finance & accounting professionals. Since its inception in 2010, the mission has been to create an ecosystem of CPAs and CMAs for F&A in India. Since its inception, Miles Education has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of F&A students and working professionals by preparing them for the future and enabling their career progression through the US CPA/CMA qualification.