Busy Season is Back

This is officially my first year of enjoying life no longer in the big 4 environment, and I must say that it feels pretty good not to dread my January.  Although my gf is still well into the Big 4 progression ladder, so I will have lots of stories.  I ventured off into my post Big 4 life in April, and here are the things that I feel I miss/ don't miss about the Big 4 corporate life.

What I miss: 

1) Some of the cool people at Big 4.  I never really fit the "corporate culture" reflecting back and never really fit in.  I always dressed like shit compared to the $300-$500 outfits I always see around.  There were a couple of cool people that I miss at the Big 4, not enough for me to ever go back, but they were cool and it was fun complaining about the bs environment.  I usually hated everyone, but there were a couple of cool managers that I still keep in touch with.  Most of my intermediates and juniors were cool as well, maybe it was because I was like the chillest senior. 

2) The occasional socials that I would go to, to have some alcohol and meet some work people.  But really, I don't feel like I fit in, ever to the accounting world, so this is very very minor.   

3)  The occasional travel opportunities and free hotels/rooms sponsored by the firm. 

4) The nice constant paycheck.  

I think that is about it, you think you would miss more about the Big 4, but after leaving big 4, I don't think I had a single regret about leaving like career progression and what not. 

 What I don't miss   

1) The 10+ year managers and partners who are assholes.  I know they have a job to do too, I'm just glad I'm not the one doing it anymore. =) After leaving Big 4, my health has skyrockted.  It took like 2-3 months of big 4 for post traumatic stress recovery, but I'm fit again, and my happiness has steadily improved.

2) staring at the computer screen for 10+ hours a day.  I already have bad eyes and working for Big 4 for the past 4 years made my glasses degree almost double. 

3) Busy season.  Man it feels good to be on the other side, and not have to take shit from clients.  To be fare, I had some really nice clients.  My last busy season, my partner stressed the controller so much, she constantly had to work on the weekends.  My controller had to bring her kids with her to the office.  I felt so bad. She was constantly stressed, and I wish I could tell her to take it easy, but I couldn't.  I really hope she left that job or got promoted since. 

4) Sitting in the audit room "pretending" to do work around 7-11 p.m., just to show face to the manager.  I think the biggest problem in Big 4 was and still is, people who don't need to be there still have to be there to look good to the manager/partner. 

5) I remember being so stressed out about deadlines and stuff, and looking back none of that was ever really that important.  It was also terrible to have to eat take out every day during busy season.  Looking back, I don't know why half the stuff we had to do, we had to do. 

Overall, I must conclude that I'm glad I left while i did.  While I would be a manager this year, I think I would have been a terrible one.
  
The Accountant

Work on Your Own or Be Employed?

Part I

Well, it’s been 4 months since I got back to work with my former employer.  4 months since I decided that it’s more practical to have a full time job than make it on my own in the ‘outside’ world.

These past 4 months reminded me what I liked (and didn’t like) about being an employee and what I liked (and didn’t like) about working on my own or being self-employed.

Let’s start with what I like about being employed.  Needless to say, the opposite of these are the ones I dislike about being self-employed:

One, the amount I will receive on a monthly basis is a sure one.  I don’t need to wonder whether I have enough money left over for my personal expenses, which was my constant concern when I was still self-employed.  Being employed means my salary is all mine.  Of course, that’s assuming my salary is enough to cover my own expenses in the first place.

Second, it’s not all about me, me, me.  I don’t need to be the jack-of-all-trades, to know everything and anything that has to do with accounting or auditing or tax, etc.  When you’re working for an accounting firm, and a big one at that, there are people you can go to and consult when you run into problems that have nothing to do with accounting or auditing.  Heck, even in accounting, you can still consult with other people, whom we sometimes refer to as “subject matter experts”.  So you don’t need to be an expert in everything, you just need to be an expert of ‘knowing’ to whom you can go to when you want to ask some questions.

Third, training is free.  Now this one I had to admit could eat into your funds when you’re self-employed and you need to update your knowledge and you need to attend all these trainings, seminars, etc., etc.  In an accounting firm, especially in the Big 4, trainings are free.  They had to.  They had to update you, as their employee, because you will use your (updated) knowledge to audit their clients.  If they train you right, you will serve the clients right.  If they don’t…

Fourth, and I’m not really sure if this is really under the category of ‘likes’ but I’ve included this anyway – you get to encounter (more) complex accounting and auditing issues.  Being in a big accounting firm (we’re like 2,000 plus in our office alone) means you get to audit really big clients with accounting issues that are so complex, you’ll rack your brains on how to resolve them.  Hint: Want to avoid this (or lessen the ‘rack your brains’ part)?  See like number 2 above.

So that’s all about the things that I like about being employed.  Next post, what I like about being self-employed.

Big 4 Firings, My Post Big 4 Life and the Failed Merger

Hey guys, its the Accountant here.  Its been a while guys! =) 

Big 4 Firings

First off, Big 4 firings.  I'm pretty pissed off at Big 4 firms that have blantantly lied to people to get them to stay during busy season and fire them once its all over.  There has been numerous Big 4 firings post busy season from Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Pricewaterhouse coopers. 

Here are some of the activity that firms have been doing lately.

a) Lie to Repeat UFE writers in 2011 that they will get a second chance after busy season and then fire them. *cough Deloitte*
b)  Fire them for trying to acheive work life balance even if they are working 60 hour work weeks during busy season.
c) Fire people when they are 1-2 months away from getting their CA.  *cough Deloitte*, *cough GTA Deloitte*
d) Fire juniors, intermediates, seniors, managers, senior managers if they are slightly underperforming.  No one is safe.

The truth is everyone is expendable.  No one is safe.  One bad performance, One partner you piss off, and your axed just like that.  I've talked to a top performing manager for 5 years, have an arm accident where he was out for 1 month, and he got axed.  If you deny this fundamental truth, you probably are too far along brainwashed into the Big 4 system. 

My Post Big 4 Life

I am officially Ex - Big 4.  I left as a Senior 2 (6 months away from my manager promotion) and also coincidentally just after I got my CA.

The last month I can say has been one of the happiest months in my live.  I've accomplished so much personally and professionally in just one month, then I did in a year under Big 4.  Ultimately, lots of people ask me if you were a University student again and would you go the CA route again., I will answer ernestly from my heart No.   I am grateful for what I learned, but ultimately, Big 4 wasn't a good fit for me, and it wasn't what made me happy.
  
If you put me back as a 19 year old, after completing my first term under Big 4, I would quit and not look back.  I followed rationality (It's a good job, It's worth completing, I worked so hard already) versus what my heart told me and what would ultimately make me happy. ( I don't like it here, I really don't think it will get better, I want to explore and do other jobs.)     

I also advise students who have done just one or two coop terms and decided that its not for them to follow their heart.  Ignore the people who tell you, "you'll regret it, its such a great job and everyone has to pay their dues"  You will only end up resenting yourself if you have the opportunity and don't seize it.  I encourage you to explore other jobs out there.  You will definitely find jobs you do like and jobs you don't like, but if I were in university again, I would do different coop jobs and explore and see what I truly wanted to do. 

Do not follow the herd.  Follow your heart.  It sounds cliche, but after seeing the emotional breakdowns of several of my colleagues, and close friends, this is valuable valuable advice. 

With that said, I defeinitely met tons of awesome people and close friends at Big 4.  I will miss them dearly, but its time for me to move on. 

My thoughts on the CA merger

Today the CMA and CGA pulled out of the CPA merger, and wtf is CA Doing?? Trying to merge with themselves now?

This merger is ridiculous and a waste of our membership fees.  I am a strong opponent against the merger, and wish we can just put an end to this.  The ICAO needs to really start listening to its members, who you guys represent, and stop trying to run the show for your own personal agenda and personal gains. 


Best regards,

The Accountant





 

 

Things You Should Remember When You’re New in the Big 4

Well, this has been a long blog in the making. I received the question (or questions) like a couple of months ago but it is only now that I’m writing something about it (my apologies to the one who asked these questions).

What the sender basically wanted to know is how he / she should act or what he or she should do when he / she is new in the Big 4. So I decided to write a post about things one should remember when one is a new junior in audit (I use audit because I was in audit or the assurance division when I was still working in a big accounting firm).

So here are the things you should remember:

The permanent file is…not just a file. It is something that should be taken out of the storage room every year to be read by the members of the auditing team. If you want to learn and learn fast about the company you are auditing, the first file you should look into is the permanent file. It contains (or it should contain) documents that are there to provide any member of the audit team (new or old) valuable background information about the company being audited. So if you’re a new member of the team, the first thing you should look for is the permanent file.

Last year’s working papers are…just a guide. Do not always assume that the things (procedures, schedules, etc.) you see in last year’s working papers are what you should follow in this year’s audit. Every audit year is different. Take last year’s working papers as a guide only. But don’t make the mistake of ignoring them either, some working papers you can carry over in the next year, saving you valuable time in your work.

Trainings are fine, trainings are very good for you…but you are the one in – charge of expanding your knowledge on the job. Read the files, listen carefully during the trainings, ask the right questions, look up to the right people, read sources and references and read, read, read about your clients – these are just some of the things I can think of to further your training in your chosen career. Feel free to think of more ways to learn.

Can you charge all your time to billable hours? Not likely. When you’re new, you’re still basically learning your way through so you are not yet at your most efficient self at this point in time. Be honest and assess whether you should charge all your hours to your client or charge them somewhere else (your senior or manager will be able to point you to the right charge code). This is not just the manager trying to control chargeable hours within the audit budget, this is you recognizing that you are still making your way towards conducting an efficient audit and your time sheet should reflect this recognition.

Now if you are in a tight deadline and you need to do everything ASAP, manage your time well and, yes, do overtime so that you can finish your job. And charge those overtime hours, please, especially if you know you earned every minute of it.

I don’t recommend skipping lunch and working through lunch. I’ve tried it, I’ve seen others do it and let me tell you, it is not productive.

It’s not a crime to ask questions…although you should assess whether it is the right time to ask these questions and whether the audit files already have the answers you are looking for. This goes for your senior / manager and your client. Try to set up a certain time of the day when you can ask them your questions and make sure you are prepared by this time. These people are busy, too, and let’s face it, they will expect you to look at last year’s working papers (and the permanent file) first to see if the answers you are looking for are in these files. So do your research first before approaching them for the answers.

It is also not a crime to make mistakes. Hey you’re new on the job, even managers (and yes, sometimes, even partners) make mistakes. So don’t feel it is the end of the world if you make one. Own up to it, make amends as soon as possible and try to avoid making the same mistake in the future. Now if your senior or manager or partner gets really, really mad at you, accept their anger, take everything with a grain of salt and wait until their anger subsides, then you can make amends.

Well, I hope the above are sufficient answers for the sender’s questions. Good luck with your job in the Big 4!

My Close Friend Just Got Promoted

I just got word that a close friend of mine from my previous employer – the auditing firm – will be promoted to partner by this year.  Oh, there’s no formal announcement yet or celebration, but I’m happy to say that I’m still in the loop so I hear about these things. Plus, I checked her Facebook wall and I saw that very same announcement.

 Her promotion got me thinking, if I stayed all this time, would I have been promoted too? I mean, we were promoted to senior and manager at the same time, have the same number of experience, have almost the same evaluation results, etc. It’s only normal to think that the answer to my question would have been yes. As one of my former seniors told me, I should have been promoted also to partner this year.

But then again, I get to thinking. The same number of years of experience and being promoted at the same time are not really guarantees that you will become partners at the same time, especially if you’re in the Big 4.

For one, if you managed to displease a certain partner you’ve worked with in the past, chances are, the same partner will block your nomination to partnership. I’m not kidding. I’ve seen this happen before. Managers who have been working for a long time in the firm don’t get promoted to partners. Why? Because one or two partners don’t want them to be promoted to the partnership (despite the fact that these partners were in the minority). There were even rumors when I was still with this firm that just one partner saying ‘nay’ will destroy your chances to become one even though the others agree to the promotion. Take note: this is just a rumor, but after my stint in the auditing firm, ‘news’ of the partners’ meeting tends to leak down to the managers’ level.

For another, the other partners may think you are not yet ‘ready’ to become a partner. I’m not really sure what the word ‘ready’ means as far as the partnership goes but I know for sure that years of experience do not necessarily equate to this readiness. And who will determine if you are ‘ready’? Why the other partners of course. They are, after all, in the best position to see if a manager is ‘worthy’ of becoming one of them.

Lastly, you, yourself, may think you’re not worthy enough to become a partner. Or you may think that you don’t want the life of a partner. Yes, I know the monetary value is great but then again, so are the hardships, the sleepless nights and the pressure of being a partner. I haven’t really seen a manager refuse to become a partner, but I’ve heard of managers who think that they shouldn’t be promoted to partners yet because they don’t think they can do the job. Some of them ended up becoming partners and some ended up leaving the firm.

As for me, well, I don’t think the life of a partner is for me. And I can only congratulate my friend and wish her well.

What about you? Do you think you will become a partner of an auditing firm?

Why I Write About My Stint in an Auditing Firm

I’ve been writing in this blog for over a year now. I’ve received my share of comments and emails, some nice, some not – quite – so nice. But this latest email I received had me thinking. The sender was telling me something like he or she kind of find my posts funny because I seem to encourage people to work with the Big 4, at the same time, I seem to be scaring them from working with the Big 4.


Well, I know I kind of get this kind of reaction from the readers sometimes. I mean looking back on the things I wrote, I get it why I received this kind of email. In some, I’m telling people why I like working in an auditing firm. In the others, I tell people what are the not – so – good things about working in auditing firms. Funny? It seems so. Confusing? Well, for me, not really.

You see, just because I liked my stint with this auditing firm, my former employer, doesn’t mean I couldn’t see what was wrong with it. Before I started working for this firm, I already had a fairly good idea of what to expect. I mean between members of my family who worked for the same firm and a brother – in – law who is still working in the same firm, it was nearly impossible to ignore the negative side of auditing.

Unfortunately, not everybody is in the same boat as I was. The proof? I’ve seen some of my co – juniors (when I was still one) and my juniors resign after a short time (one even resigned barely two weeks after her first day) because auditing work was not the way they envisioned it to be and the auditing firm we were in was not the kind of employer they would have wanted to get. Oh I know they were aware at some level just what they were going into but, without personal knowledge really they didn’t quite digest this kind of information.

It didn’t help that during career orientation programs, the HR people (and even the partners) from these firms won’t really tell you the negative side of working with auditing firms. They will tell you how many public companies they audit, how many big companies they audit, how many people they have, how many branches, how many affiliates, how prestigious it is to work for this firm, etc., etc. They won’t really tell you that you will work until 2:00 in the morning or that you will work for 48 hours straight or that during the busy season, you’ll get an average of 4 hours of sleep every night and that you will work your @ss off even during the week-ends.

And during my time (that was more than a decade ago), there was no blog such as this (or such as those in the links below), or comments such as those we received here. And that is why I write these things. I know that new graduates are excited to get into auditing firms, let alone the Big 4. I also know that it can be quite disappointing when you see and experience stuff you didn’t expect to see and to experience. That’s why I’m writing about both the good things and the bad things. And that’s why I’ll keep on writing about the positive side and the negative side when you’re working for an auditing firm.

To the one who sent the email, thank you for sending that email. Hope you get to work in one of the Big 4 firms and good luck!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

“I’m a senior manager in a Big 4 firm. I was told that I am being groomed to become a partner of this firm in two to three years’ time. I am married with a kid and my husband and I are doing fine financially. Problem is I received a very generous offer from a private company if I resign from this firm and move there. Should I accept it? Or should I stay and wait until I become partner of this firm?”

The above is not an email, by the way. It was one of the questions my friend and I discussed when we met for lunch. She’s still in the Big 4 firm and she posed that question to me.

I’ve seen a lot of things written about working for the Big 4 in the Internet. But seldom do I see (or I haven’t really been looking hard enough) posts about becoming a partner, or how much a partner really receives from the firm. So whatever I write in this post, it’s based on my observation and what I’ve heard from the ‘office grapevine’.

For one, salaries of partners in Big 4 firms (and even in small to medium – size accounting firms) are not definite.  Can anybody give me a sure figure? $200,000 a year? $500,000 a year? How about a million dollars (or more) a year? Is it lower than what you will receive if you become a controller or a CFO or a VP for Finance in a big or small private company? Or is it way beyond the said positions’ compensation package?

Put it this way, and as I’ve told my friend, it’s kind of hard to compare a private company’s offer with a figure that can range from six to seven figures a year! The partner’s salary is one of the most closely guarded secret I’ve ever known – at least where I came from but I don’t think this situation is unique. But personally speaking? I would say the compensation is far greater for a partner in a Big 4 accounting firm than for a CFO or a VP or a controller.

That takes care of the salaries (or does it?). What about the time spent in the office? Are the hours if you’re a partner the same or higher or lower than the hours spent when you’re in a private company?

We all know that the hours in the accounting firm can be hellish. I’ve seen partners who work from 8 in the morning to 12 midnight, 7 days a week during busy seasons. I’ve seen partners who are no-shows after 9 or 10 in the evening and even during weekends, and this is during the busy season. What about during the not-so-busy season? Again, it depends. Some partners go from 8 in the morning to 10 in the evening plus a Saturday. Some partners go home by 6 in the evening and you don’t see them around during a Saturday.

Admittedly, the hours are easier if you’re in a private company. But if you’re part of the group that closes the books, you can be sure you’ll be doing a lot of overtime during the month-end. I’ve seen some CFOs work their *ss off during year-end closing and FS finalization stages. Still the hours are less than those you will spend during the busy season, even for partners.

What about the risks? Which is more ‘risky’? I would interpret ‘risky’ here as which job has a higher probability of pulling you down into the mud if you or the firm or the company fails to address an issue that blows up all over your faces. Before the Enron debacle, I would have said being a CFO or a VP for Finance is more risky than being a partner of a firm. If you fail as a former, chances are you’ll be booted out (and may even be blacklisted) but if you fail as a partner, there’s still a chance you might salvage your position (only they will do some ‘revamping’ meaning you will no longer be allowed to sign off on financial statements). But after Enron, and watching a whole accounting firm go down, I’m on the other side of the scale. It is riskier to become a partner of a firm (and a Big 4 at that) than to become a part of a private company.

What about work challenges? Gee, this one is easy (at least for me). It’s the reason why I never contemplated working for a private company. I think there are more challenges if you work for an accounting firm than for a private company. In an accounting firm, unless you get stuck with the same client year in and year out (for the next 10 or 20 years); chances are, you’ll be resolving a lot of (different) accounting and auditing issues.  The same cannot be said if you’re in a private company. But then again, this is me. It really depends on one’s appetite for such challenges. And I’m going to stop at that.

So what did I tell my friend? In the end, I told her it all depends on her and what she wants in life. Higher or lower salary aside, more hours or challenges or not, it all boils down on whether she really like what she’s doing. Kind of ideal, yes? But then again, I think it’s as simple as that.

If you’re my friend, what will you do?

How to Fill Up Those Unassigned Hours

“What do I do with my unassigned hours?”

I often heard the above question when I was still working in an accounting firm. Juniors who have nothing to do always approach me asking how they can address this or if I can get them on my team just so they have something to do.

If you have unassigned hours, you can do some (or all) of the things I wrote in my previous post: How to Maximize Your (Unassigned) Time After the Busy Season.

“I already did all of them yet I am still unassigned, what do I do?”

Okay, okay, I hear you. Hmmmm, so what do you do? How about trying one (or, again, all) of the following?

Go Hound Your Scheduler. Chances are your firm will have one or several schedulers who are in charge of arranging your schedules. If there’s no one ‘over-all’ scheduler for the firm (or the office), there should be people who are responsible for scheduling the work. Your scheduler is in the best position to know of a team or teams who are in dire need of juniors to work with them. So go hound one or two of them to give you an assignment during this time. But please, don’t be confrontational about this (although I never heard of a junior doing this but who knows, there’s always a first time for everything). Ask them in a nice, calm way.

When I was still a junior, I would email our scheduler a week or a couple of days before my ‘unassigned’ days to tell him / her of my ‘availability’. Usually, my ‘available’ hours became assigned hours within a day or two. So, believe me, it pays to drop a note to your scheduler.

Go Tell Somebody. Don’t be ashamed to admit that you are unassigned. It’s a common enough phenomenon in an accounting firm. If somebody asked you about your assignment, tell them honestly that you are not assigned anywhere at the moment. Who knows? That somebody might actually know of a manager or a senior who is looking for a junior. Better yet, that somebody might actually be looking for one.

Go and Keep Your Ears on the Ground. Meaning? Keep your eyes and ears open for any team or job looking for a junior. And when you do hear of one, gather your courage and approach the senior or manager – in – charge. It doesn’t hurt to be a little (okay, sometimes a lot) aggressive during these times.

Go and Re - establish Old Networks. Ask your manager or senior from your previous assignment if they are still looking for a junior. Or if they know of anybody who is looking for one. Networking is not only for outside your firm, it should also be done inside your firm so make sure you stay in contact with all the people you worked with in your previous assignments.

Once you get your next assignment, it doesn’t end there. Getting an assignment is just half the battle.

The other half? Putting your best foot forward and I really mean your best. Not your mediocre self or your old performance or even your good self, nothing but the best should do.

Doing your best - even if your assignment is just for a few hours, or a day or a few days, or even if it entails just vouching and footing and filing working papers - will guarantee your next assignment, and the next, and the next...you get what I mean?

And if you still doubt me, why not check this post from Krupo? There are very good points to consider in this post.

Just a last note though. The first (and so far, the only) commenter in my previous post asked me this:

If you are allocated to a client in the schedule but there are delays, 
would you still charge your time to the client? Because you are not 
technically unassigned.

I know this is a little bit off topic, but next to being unassigned, I know this is also one of the major worries of juniors. So let me answer this the best that I can.

My answer? Technically, you should charge your time to the client because they are the ones causing the delay. But make sure that your manager and your partner are aware of this and that you can back this claim 100%. Your partner and manager will take note of this and meet with the client to request for an adjustment of the fees.

Now, if making an adjustment is not possible, make sure that your manager / partner and you have an understanding on how to deal with this delay in your time report. Do not just assume that you can charge everything or you can charge nothing to the client. At the end of everything, it is still your partner’s and your manager’s responsibilities to make sure you are utilized 100% in your assignment.

And that ends my post on unassigned hours. Good luck in getting your assignments!

Do You Play Farmville?

Are you a Farmville addict? Or are you one of those who love to update your Facebook account every hour or so? Come on now, don’t be shy.

I just came across this article where the famous Dr. Phil strongly ‘advised’ a mother to let go of her Farmville addiction because she is neglecting her real family! There’s also a video howing how the dear Dr. went about castigating the mother for failing to do her duties to her family.

And if you think this type of online gaming addiction is only present in our personal or family life, better think again. They are present even in our professional lives.

Now, I’m not a Farmville addict. I don’t really have the time to learn the ins and outs of this game. Heck, I don’t even update my Facebook account. But I have my own ‘online addictions’. And I’ve seen some of my juniors (okay not some, almost all) have their own such addictions. Plus I sometimes see them do it while working! And don’t think the busy season will deter them from doing these things (albeit the frequency will decrease), when there’s a desire to do this, there’s a will. And when there’s a will, there’s definitely a way!

Here are just some of the things they ‘do’ online:

1) Update Facebook or their other social networking site. In fact, if not for my junior, I wouldn’t have heard of Facebook or such sites! Some of them even have accounts in two or more sites!

2) Play Farmville.

3) When Farmville wasn’t around yet, play other online games (including Warcraft and the like).

4) Search youtube.com for good videos and watch them during office hours.

5) Download mp3s, pictures, videos, etc., etc. from the Internet

6) Engage in online chatting

7) Write blogs or read blogs (gotcha!)

Okay, guys, if you want to do these things in your free time, it’s really up to you. But if you do it during office hours and you think the firm’s top brass is not on to you, better think again.

Firms are definitely getting savvier when it comes to knowing who is doing what online. In fact, I’ve heard of cases when the firms ban sending or receiving emails to and from outside email addresses like yahoo.com or gmail.com. Even social networking sites and downloading pictures and music are banned. The punishment? Suspension or worse, expulsion from the firm.

Of course, the juniors and even seniors who are also tech-savvy usually find a way to circumvent these bans (don’t ask me, I won’t tell LOL). But then again, pretty soon, the firm’s I. T. people will once again catch up with them. It’s a game, one that I’m sure the staff will not win.

And really, if you think about it, why do we engage in these types of activities during office hours? Boredom? Addiction? Do we hate what we’re doing (re: auditing)?

Personally, my reason (as I said I have my own ‘online addiction’) is plain and simple boredom.

For those readers who are working (or used to work) for the Big 4 and who did these things, leave me a note why you did these stuff. I’d like to hear from you. Thanks!

Note: This blog and its writers do not, in any way, endorse these activities. Sure, I engaged in one or two of these activities but that doesn’t take out the fact that they’re simply wrong. Doing any of these activities while on your job is tantamount to stealing time from the firm (time that you are being paid for) and as I said, some of these firms have already laid down sanctions for anybody caught doing any of these activities during office hours.

Big 4 Firms in Top 4 of Best Places to Launch a Career 2009

I just came across this Sept. 3, 2009 article (little bit late I know) in Business Week about the Best Places to Launch a Career in 2009. This is actually a poll done in U. S. colleges and undergraduates on which companies or firms the respondents think are the best places to launch a career in 2009.

Surprisingly (or not surprisingly since evidently they’ve been in the top 10 since the survey was started in 2006), the Big 4 accounting / auditing firms topped the list. Deloitte is number one (in 2008, it was number 2), dislodging EY from its previous number one rank. EY is number 2, PWC is number 3 – the same rank it held in 2008 and KPMG is number 4. KPMG was the previous number 5 and it dislodged Goldman Sachs to take over the number 4 position.

Just two things I noticed. First is why Deloitte became number one. Evidently Deloitte offers higher entry – level pay per year than the rest of the Big 4, bigger signing bonuses and better time-off policies.

Secondly, the results stated that KPMG has no management training program???? This is quite news to me since one of the incentives offered by any Big 4 is a good training program. I don’t know, is this true? Any reader here who’s from KPMG who can verify (or not verify) this?

Anyway, back to the topic. The survey is U. S. – based but can be very much applicable in any countries where the Big 4 firms are present. As a former auditor working in a big auditing firm, I agree with its results.

Auditing firms, especially the Big 4, are good starting points in one’s career. I’m not saying this because the pay is good (private companies are known to pay better) but because (for me at least) of the on-the-job trainings and the training programs that one will get when one works for a Big 4 auditing firm.

After my first busy season on the firm, I was so burnt out I wanted to resign and to transfer to another company (with better pay and better hours, mind you). When I told somebody from the other company that training season is coming up in the firm, he told me to stay put and to take advantage of the training! Evidently, they don’t have such free trainings. In fact, for each level in the firm (from junior, to senior, then to a manager), there was a corresponding training program.

And what about new tax laws, new accounting standards and new auditing standards? Again, auditing firms take the lead in giving these trainings. I mean if you want to learn about IFRS, and for free at that, the auditing firm is the place to work with to get this type of information. New auditing standards? No problem, the auditing firm has another training program dedicated to these new standards.

Or how about the on-the-job trainings that one will get from the Big 4 or other auditing firms? Okay, this may or may not happen to you but definitely you will experience one or more of these. Some of the on-the-job trainings we got include SOX application, auditor – exchange programs, comfort letters for IPOs, due diligence (acquisition) jobs, fraud audits and IFRS first – time applications. These stuff one does not get to experience that much (if at all) outside of these accounting firms. So if you go and work for a Big 4 firm and stay around for one or more years, welcome any opportunity to do non-audit related jobs and you will get good on-the-job trainings.

If you want to see the full results of this survey, go to this link.

Of course, launching a career in a Big 4 is one thing, staying for a longer period of time within a Big 4 firm is another matter and not covered by my post. Thank you very much for reading it and ciao!

Evaluations and Rankings in a Big 4…Part II

In the first part of this post, I kind of summarized how we go through the evaluation and ranking process for the juniors and seniors. The process is really fairly easy and after five years, I can go through them with my eyes closed. But despite the familiarity with the process, it’s not really as easy as it sounds (and may not really be that effective all the time). Here are just some of my reflections or reasons why I state it this way:

First of all, ideally, one should evaluate and rate a junior right after the engagement is done. However, this is seldom done, especially during the busy season (I mean, heck, you don’t even have time to sleep, much less rate your junior or senior right after the engagement).

The result?

Everything boils down to the evaluation period and you really have to refresh your memory about everything that your staff did during the engagement. And since I didn’t make it a habit to note down my thoughts and observations, the trip down the memory lane can become a major headache for me (which, I know, is also similar to the other managers’ experience).

Secondly, it can be really subjective some times (okay, most of the time). Let’s face it, we sometimes have selective memories and what do we seem to remember the most? The shortcomings of the staff during the engagement.

Why do I say it’s subjective? Because if the staff just happened to rub the senior or manager the wrong way (even though the staff is a good auditor) or just happened to do something (even not related to the engagement) the senior or manager didn’t like, these will be reflected in the evaluation, even if what happened is a very rare occurrence. Is this fair? I don’t think so. Does this happen? Definitely it does.

Third, who is really in the position to rate the junior or the senior? Who knows the staff’s performance firsthand? Who has the ability to back up what kind of evaluation the staff received? Is it not the one who worked with him or her as the manager or the senior of the audit team? One would think that the answer to all these is very simple and very obvious.

But then again, it’s not as simple as I first thought. Sure, I’m the one who evaluates my staff. I’m the one who discusses the same thing with my staff and, later on, with my boss. But heck, there were times when my boss actually overturned my rating! One of them even questioned me in front of other managers and told me pointblank that my rating was wrong! Ouch!

Fourth, do these really make a difference, first to the staff / senior being evaluated and second, to the firm, as a whole? I’ve rated some of my staff for 4 straight years and my comments or ratings were the same. Even those “constructive criticisms” I indicated in the first year of evaluation were the same “constructive criticisms” I wrote in the 4th evaluation. This kind of defeated the purpose for the staff or senior because nothing is really absorbed and everything is just a cycle, something that is repeated over and over again.

What of the firm? Do these evaluations really help make the firm better in delivering its services? Or are these evaluations just “for compliance only”, something that we do just to show the outside world that we are trying to maintain “quality people” to ensure “quality audit”? Honestly speaking, if there was really any improvements brought about by these evaluations and by booting out those who did not meet expectations, these were so little, I hardly felt them.

Lastly, on the Forced Ranking system, this one is where I sometimes see the saying “majority rules” becomes true. If one, two or three managers worked with the same staff or senior, the ranking given by two out of the three managers will prevail, regardless of how the third manager ranked the staff or the senior.

For what we call the ‘top performers’ among the staff, there’s really no debate about them (most of the time), they’re really ranked at the top 5 among the staff (it’s just a matter of saying who’s first, second, third and so on and so forth). It’s in the middle level and the last level of performers that we, managers, sometimes reach a stalemate, and when this happens, somebody has to compromise his or her evaluation and ranking just to ‘break the tie’. So the evaluation sometimes takes a back seat over the ranking because the latter really has to be done and has to be done fast. Is this effective and efficient? I don’t know. But this is how it’s really done.

In the final analysis, the ranking and evaluation processes of a Big 4 auditing firm (read my disclaimer in the Part I of this post) may look and sound good to an outside party but, internally, this may not be the case. It’s good that there’s a system wherein we can evaluate the staff or the senior for their performance. The Forced Ranking, well, I have to say that this is a good way to weed out the not-so-good performers and to highlight who are the best ones (and you can start chasing them to become part of your team) and right now, I can’t think of anything better.

So if you can think of one or would like to share your experience in this aspect, feel free to leave me a note below. And so I end this rather long post. A Happy Holidays to everyone!

Evaluations and Rankings in a Big 4…Part I

Note: The post below is based on my personal experience with a big auditing firm. What I am relating may or may not be applicable for other Big 4 auditing firms. Please feel free to leave your comments and any thing you want to add about this topic. I am really interested in hearing from other auditors as not much seems to be written on this topic.

I came upon this article by Francine McKenna on ratings and promotions in the Big 4. Two words caught my attention: “Forced Ranking”.  According to Ms. McKenna, the Big 4 firms have seemingly become advocates of this performance rating where everyone’s performance is compared with everyone else.

Frankly speaking, this was the first time I’ve read about this forced ranking concept (although I understand it has been around for quite some time now. The above article made me remember my years in an auditing firm. I stayed for 8 years in the firm but I never actually realized that there was anything “forced” about our rankings (although, upon reflection, yes it is ‘forced ranking’).

Out of the 8 years I spend in the auditing firm, 5 of those were spent evaluating and ranking my juniors and later on, my seniors. Every time the busy season ends, another season begins – the pre-ranking, pre-promotion, evaluation season. In a nutshell, here’s how this evaluation and ranking goes:

First, we evaluate and rate each of our juniors and even, seniors while our managers and partners also rate us.

This is the time when we fill up a couple of pages worth of checklist plus put in our comments regarding the junior’s or senior’s performance for the last six months (kind of like having a trip down memory lane because you really have to remember the basis for your comments). The evaluation ends when we put in our over-all assessment of the junior or senior.

Second, we discuss the said evaluation with our junior or senior.

Sometimes, if we’re too busy with other jobs (they never really end, even during the ‘slack season’), there’s no face-to-face discussion involved. We just let them read our comments and if they have any questions, they will come to us. If they have none, then we’re okay. And sometimes, really, the person we are commenting on is just interested on his or her over-all rating. The comments? Read on.

Third, submit the evaluation to the partner for his / her review, comments and reference. The partner may also add other comments, refute some of the ratings and even change the over-all rating of the junior or senior.

Fourth, hold a meeting with other seniors and managers. This meeting is where our ‘forced ranking’ occurs. We rank each junior or senior according to their level or ‘batch’. Such a meeting takes anywhere from 2 hours to 6 hours, depending on the number of people we have to rank.

Fifth, submit everything to the partner and to the HR for final approval and future reference.

Sounds easy? NOT! On paper, yes, but definitely in practice, it’s a resounding NO. The reasons? You have to check out my next post on that.

Why the Big 4?

For the past few months, I’ve been reading and writing about what’s not good in the Big 4, why people leave these auditing firms (and mid-sized auditing firms for that matter), why I (and other people) would not return to working for a big auditing firm and what (negative) things can you expect when you work for a Big 4.

But despite all these, why are accountants (CAs, CGAs, CMAs, CPAs, etc.) still flocking to these auditing firms?

Why are these firms still able to hire hundreds, if not thousands of new graduates (and even experienced people) every year?

What do these auditing firms have that people still want to work with them, despite knowing the long hours, low pay, (sometimes) @sshole bosses and not-so-good working environment?

Is it the prestige of working for a Big 4 (or if you’re in another country, an affiliate of the Big 4)? I mean let’s face it, when people hear that you are working for one of these firms, their eyes will go round, their mouths will drop open and they will exclaim that you’re so lucky to be working for one of these firms. No matter if they see you already looking pale from being cooped up inside an office for a long time; or if you have dark shadows under your eyes for lack of sleep, or if you can barely say anything coherent because you are just so damn tired and just want to lie down and sleep.

Or is it the chance to audit big, public companies or private companies with well-known names – with the hope that you will get hired by these companies later on (after the requisite cooling off period that is) and get triple (or quadruple) your current salary?

Or is it the chance to gain more experience and (free) training to boost your resume and increase your chances of getting hired by the above companies when you resign from the firm? Or perhaps you just want to have more experience when you go back to school to get your master’s degree, or law degree?

Or maybe one joins the Big 4 because this is the best way that one will get the relevant experience and knowledge in auditing and accounting? Let’s admit it. This is the major advantage of the Big 4 firms, they have an arsenal of resources, knowledge bases and expert – partners to face whatever challenges there are in the field of auditing, accounting and even taxation. With the adoption of the IFRS, the Big 4 firms in Canada are once again in the forefront of these activities and the auditors know that this is the place to be to learn IFRS and its application.

Or maybe you just don’t know what to do yet with your accounting degree and your CA/CMA/CGA license and you saw that your friends are working for the Big 4 so you want to get in as well to be with them. And then you stay longer than all the others because you found out that this is what you wanted after all.

Or, and this maybe rare but it can happen, you know that your place is with a Big 4 firm and that you want to be (and you think you are meant to be) a partner of that firm. Although I haven’t personally heard this reason, I know that there are auditors out there who have planned their lives to become partners and earn what current partners earn (or even more).

Or, is it because you honestly do not know what to expect when you go inside the Big 4 and you naively think that working in one is the same as working for a private company? I do hope not.

So which is it really? Why do you want to work for a Big 4 auditing firm? Is it because:

1. I like the prestige that goes with working in a Big 4 firm?
2. I want the chance to audit big companies (that may become my employer later)?
3. I want to gain more experience and training to boost my resume?
4. I honestly don’t know what I want to do and thought, since most of my friends are in the Big 4, I might as well join them?
5. I want to become a partner of a Big 4 firm?
6. I don’t know, I don’t know much about the Big 4, I guess it’s just like working for a private company?
7. None of the above
   

So what is your reason for working in a Big 4?

Working with the Big 4 – What I Do NOT Miss

So okay, I wrote a post on what I miss when I was working for the Big 4. That post was a “feel good” one. This one is for those things that I don’t miss (read: those things that “sucked”).

I don’t miss…the overnights. Okay working overnight was not a common experience for me, even when I was working for the auditing firm. But one or two overnights were enough for me, thank you very much, that I didn’t want to repeat the experience again. I need my sleep and I don’t want to wait 48 hours before I can get one.

I don’t miss…working during the week-ends. I’m willing to do overtime work as I know it’s really part of the job. But please, leave my week-ends free. That’s the time when I do my housework, do my laundry, watch TV and generally, just sit back and relax.

I don’t miss…those clients…who are so slow that you have to wait for quite some time before you get what you want. Or how about those clients who insist on what they want even though you keep telling them that that is not the right accounting? Sucks, doesn’t it? Or what about those clients who, when you think you are already on the verge of finishing the job (including reviewing and checking the financial statements), suddenly give you a new adjustment and revise the whole financial statements?!!!!!! What the…?

I don’t miss…the strict rules…and the many requirements inside the auditing firm. Okay, how many times do you want to review the financial statements? How many partners do you need to review and sign-off on the financial statements? How many working papers / documents do you need to finish off the work? How many independence checklists do you need to sign off? And the list can just go on, and on, and on…

I don’t miss…the long meetings with clients, particularly those really tense ones that will really drain you of your strength at the end of the meeting. How long is long? Uhm, like 8 hours (this is I think my longest in one day)? It doesn’t help that your client is mad at you for proposing an adjustment and wants to chew your @ss and spit it out. To top it all, this is just your first meeting for the day. You still have another meeting to go through after this one plus you need to finish something for another client, etc., etc. Just a short tip: If you have a client that likes loooooonnnngggg meetings, do not schedule anything else during the day and, after the meeting, go straight home and go to sleep – you need it.

I don’t miss… partners or managers who are perfectionists, who question everything that you do, down to the last centavo in your working papers (hello? Where’s the materiality level here?). Or they will read and re-read your memo and tell you to re-write certain portions again and again until they’re satisfied with your grammar and sentence construction. I had a manager like this once (when I was still a senior), believe me, it took me half a day just to revise a one-page memo to his satisfaction, aarrrrggghhh!

And these are the things I don’t miss from working in an auditing firm. Oh don’t get me wrong, I still have those overtime, annoying clients and working during week-ends. But (at least for the overtime and the week-ends), I call the shots. The annoying clients? Well, I don’t think I will be able to escape them as long as I am in public practice. So, hey, I’ll just have to grin and bear it (or them). Thanks for reading my post!

Working with the Big 4 – What I Miss

I’m feeling a little bit nostalgic here. Christmas season is just around the corner. And no, I’m not nostalgic because of the coming holidays. It’s what comes afterwards that I’m remembering – the busy season. With the 8 years I spent in an auditing firm, the season kind of grew on me and even though I’ve been gone for over two years now, there are still a lot of things I miss working for the auditing firm. Let me just list some of them.

I miss…the food. A lot of my clients actually give us free food for lunch or dinner, or even both! One even served buffet lunch or dinner. In the office, the last month or so before the actual deadline, dinner is also free. No wonder a lot of us grow bigger during the busy season. All those food and no time to exercise...

I miss…the coffee. There were times when we were working until the early hours of the morning and we need something to keep us awake. Our solution? Go out and buy brewed coffee from Starbucks (which is just a few blocks away from the office / client). There was even a time when my boss brought in a coffee maker in the office so that we can brew coffee anytime we want. Sure the office smelled like coffee but for us, coffee lovers, that smell was great. So brewed coffee at 1:00 am in the morning, anyone?

I miss…my friends. Working in an auditing firm during the tax busy season can leave you little time to socialize with your friends outside the firm. But take heart. You can find good friends even inside the auditing firm. Sure you don’t see each other during the day because you’re too busy in the client’s office. But after 5 pm, some of us go back to the office, which meant we saw each other more frequently. I met some of my very close friends during my stint in the auditing firm. Oh and, by the way, that coffee-break will not be complete if you don’t share it with friends.

I miss…my boss. Now I know there are a lot of auditors out there who complain that their boss is a complete @ss, but my boss is not like that. Sure he loves to pressure us to finish the audit on time and to produce what he wants us to produce but what is a boss for right? But the knowledge I gained from my boss plus those times when I butted heads with him because we disagreed on something – these are the things I miss.

I miss…my clients. Who value what we do for them. Sometimes I have clients who think of me as just “another auditor”. But there are some who show how they appreciate what we do and these are the clients I really miss.

I miss…gaining knowledge from the firm. When you’re in a Big 4 or even a medium-size auditing firm, their knowledge base on GAAP / IFRS, auditing standards, ethics, etc. is really huge. You might take it for granted when you’re still inside the firm (especially since it is available at the click of your mouse) but once you get out, you’ll appreciate it and even miss it. Now that I’m out of the firm, I do everything – my own research, my own consultation, my own interpretation, etc. If I can just tap into that knowledge base…oh well, wishful thinking on my part.

I miss…the pressure and the adrenaline rush! Let’s face it. Some of us can really get addicted to working very hard, facing enormous pressure and the adrenaline rush. Call me a workaholic if you like but admit it. There’s nothing more satisfying than finishing your audit work and the audit report on time every time. And it’s not the same every year. Above everything else, auditing and working inside an auditing firm is not a boring job. Huge pressure, late nights, week-end work – YES, but boring? Definitely, no!

Working for the Big 4 (and even other auditing firms) during the busy season can really be a pain in the @ss and you have to face a lot of cr@p along the way. But hey, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get anything good from working as an auditor. There are a lot of good things inside the Big 4 and if you just think about it, there are a lot of things you will miss when you go out. So tell me again that you don’t miss anything when you worked for the Big 4?

To Return or Not to Return – That is the Question

This week I got a call from one of my former officemates in the auditing firm I used to work with. She is actually a close friend of mine and I still keep in touch with her (just so I can get the latest scoop on my former employer LOL). She was actually asking me when I will return to that firm. Apparently, some of our former (experienced) officemates (who were working in other countries or companies hit by the financial crisis) have already returned, giving them the hope that I would do the same.

First stop, I told her my answer is still no (hell, no!), same answer I always gave whenever I’m asked the same thing for the last two years now.

Second, I was surprised with what I’ve heard (although, come to think of it, I don’t think I should be). Yeah, I know we have the crisis right now and the auditing firms (especially the Big 4) have been letting go of juniors or offering flexi-time or shorter working days, etc. But from experience, I should have seen this coming.

Auditing firms almost always welcome ‘returnees’ or what they call ‘experienced hires’. My boss – partner is one example. He left the firm two times, the last time he was gone for almost 10 years, working as an operations manager in a private company. When he returned, he became a partner in less than 5 years! I, myself, was also a ‘returnee’ like 10 years ago and so are some of my former officemates in the same firm. So I know it happens.

This brings me back to those who returned. Why would they return? I mean, if you have already experienced what it’s like outside, have gone through less (even no) overtime hours, have more time for yourself and for your family and, generally, have more money, why would you want to return and to work for the Big 4 or for an auditing firm where the opposite of these may become true?

Unfortunately, I do not know how to get in touch with these former officemates of mine so I can just speculate why they returned (you’re welcome to add on to my speculations).

For one, the crisis is so severe that they could not find any other work so they chose to return (back to the fold, so to speak). Anyway, they know that the firm will always welcome them because they are experienced auditors and will just fit right in.

Or, for those who are working in other countries, the crisis is so severe in that country and they were the first to be laid off so they have no choice but to come home. Since they don’t want to go through all the trouble to look for another local job, it’s easier for them to contact our former employer and to return to the firm. These may be the people who will just bide their time when they will get another (more lucrative) jobs, either here or in other countries. Doesn’t paint a nice picture, does it?

Or, now here’s the catch, they truly miss working for the firm and they found out that this is where they really want to stay. I know, I know, this begs the question of why again (why would you want to work in the firm?). But then again, these are the people who became so immersed in the auditing firm’s culture and the kind of life they led when they were still there that, honestly speaking; they can no longer imagine their lives outside of the firm (we have a term for this – FF or For the Firm)! They already ‘escaped’ from that kind of life but in the end, they didn’t really want to ‘escape’ so they returned. And mind you, these are the people who said they will never (ever!) return to the firm.

Or, some really persuasive people managed to convince them to return to the firm, even though they already swore to high heavens that this is something they will never (ever!) do.

Whatever their reasons are for returning, there’s always the thought that they will not really stay for good. I mean, they already left, so there’s a possibility that they will leave again. But since the firm lacks experienced auditors, the firm is always after these experienced hires. Now, if you are in the place of these former auditors, will you still return to your former auditing firm?

A Balanced Life in a Big 4 / Auditing Firm – Is it Possible?

I got a comment from one of my previous posts on Skills You Need When Working for the Big 4. It’s all about sacrificing some (okay, most) things in life just to make it as a CA or an auditor. The list seems simple enough – watch TV, play computer, clean the house – all normal things. What bothered me is that the commenter thinks he needs to give these up to be a CA and an auditor. Is this what it takes to succeed in the field of auditing?

I’ve often heard this before (and I’ve often said it before also) that working for a Big 4 or for an auditing firm (for that matter) may mean a not-so-balanced life.

But then again, really, what is a balanced life? To the one who commented, I can see it is experiencing the simple joys in life. What about to those that are in audit (or were in audit), what is a balanced life? Is it being able to leave your job and go home at exactly 5 p.m. every day and not work during the week-ends? Is it being able to go and watch your favorite movie whenever you want to (and not when you can)? Is it being able to go to all the parties and social gatherings and all those cool vacation places every year? Or is it just being able to leave your job and go and watch your daughter’s school play or organize and go to your son’s birthday party or be with your parents and siblings?

So what is really a balanced life? I’ve heard this question a lot even up to now but I still don’t have a clear answer nor do I have a clear definition of a “balanced life”.

When I was a junior in the 90’s, I have a manager who was already 8 years in the firm. He wasn’t just working in the firm; his whole life is his work in the firm. I asked him about his life and he told me that he’s contented. All he asked was that he’ll be able to go home to celebrate his or a family member’s birthday, anniversary and holiday. Pretty simple huh? Yet for him that is a balanced life.

Or let’s take for example some of my (previous) juniors. They work their @ss off, especially during the busy season. Even going to the extent of renting out a unit nearer to their clients’ offices (yes, they were that ‘devoted’ to the firm). But they also know how to party, to go out during week-ends and when busy season is over, man, they do know how to take a vacation (other local places, other countries, different one every year, etc.). And I never hear them complain that they don’t have a balanced life.

Or what about my previous boss? He’s a busy-body during the weekdays but he has a ‘policy’ that he will go home at exactly 10 p.m. every day (no matter if it’s busy season or not) and that, as much as possible, he will not go to the office during week-ends. He also takes his vacation time very (very!) seriously (we’re not allowed to call him even during emergencies). And yes, he is happy with his life.

So again (for the last time!), what makes a balanced life, especially when you’re working for the Big 4? I’d say it’s simple. A balanced life is relative. What may be balanced for one may not be balanced for another. Only the individual can tell if his life is balanced or not.

Knowing what you want and going for it, but at the same, knowing how to compromise when called upon to do so is also another way to look at a balanced life. It is knowing when you will do something that you will really want to do and when you will have to forego something because duty calls (and there is no way you can do both at the same time).

Meaning, when you have free time (read: not a busy season), you enjoy yourselves, go home early, stay home during week-ends, go to parties, vacations, etc. But when the busy season arrives, you also know how to work your butt off to finish everything on time. It’s a compromise – this balanced life. Don’t you think so?

How to Look Good…Even During the Busy Season

Uhm, don’t get this blog wrong. It’s not about looking ‘good’ per se. It’s about how to maintain the appearance that you’re still a human being even when you’re already working 80 to 100 hours a week.

Have you ever noticed that during busy season, physical appearances change? I mean you can easily tell if an accountant or a CA (or a Certified Public Accountant in other countries) is working for an auditing firm and it is busy season just by looking at him or her. 

Dark shadows under the eyes (that get darker as the deadline approaches); puffy, sleepless eyes; the haggard pale look (because you’re cooped all day long inside the office) and the general appearance of busy-ness, tension and pressure – do all these sound (er look) familiar to you?

When I was working in a big auditing firm, it always amazes me that every time I see somebody who resigned from the firm, he or she looks so d@mn good. This former officemate looks younger, fresher, well-rested and happier. When I resigned from the firm, I heard the same comments just after a few months! Did we really look different (terrible even) during the time we’re working with an auditing firm?

Okay, just in case you’re wondering if I’m trying to scare you away from working with the Big 4 (again), wonder no more. This blog is not about ‘scaring’ you away. Rather, I just want to share some tips in how to still look good even when you are already deep into the busy season.

Get Some Sleep. I mean it, man, GET SOME SLEEP. Two hours a day, three hours a day, four hours a day, some even six hours a day! Whatever works for you, do it. Please don’t go 48 hours without sleeping for even an hour during all those hours. I know, I know, you have a deadline, a meeting, a report due, etc. but believe me; not sleeping is tantamount to ensuring that you will look like a robot, and a ‘dead’ one at that.

Get a Power Nap. This may not be the thing right? But I swear by this tip. 30 minutes to 1 hour tops. This will especially do you wonders if you do it after lunch. Rather than grabbing a cup of coffee to wake you up, find a quiet place (I usually go for conference rooms), close your eyes and snooze (uhm, make sure you set your alarm first). Believe me when I say that when you wake up, you’ll be ready to face the world, notwithstanding the fact that you got only a 2-hour sleep last night.

Eat Right. Okay, am I starting to sound like your mother here? Mother or no mother, skipping meals I don’t really advice, especially breakfast. Believe me when I say I saw a lot of auditors (myself included) who get cranky when they skipped lunch or dinner. The results? Disastrous if you get cranky in front of your boss. Bad rep if you get cranky in front of your junior. So grab something to eat and save yourself (and your boss or your junior) the bad mood.

Learn to Let Go. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t be too tense. Don’t worry about the little things. Don’t take it into heart when your partner yells at you or your client swears at you or your junior walks out on you. Repeat after me…business only, nothing personal…business only, nothing personal…etc., etc.

Go Out. For God’s sake, don’t make your office your home (I also saw some auditors do this). Go out. Stretch your legs, take a walk. Go out on a dinner date. Go out with your friends for lunch or for dinner. Or just go out, go to the nearest mall and take time out to look at what you want (but can’t buy because you haven’t received that overtime pay yet). If you feel you don’t have the time to do these things, squeeze in the time to do them.

Get Your Hair Cut Before and After the Busy Season. Look good before the start of the busy season by getting that hair cut that you want. Then schedule a hair cut after the busy season so that you’ll have something to look forward to. Better yet, schedule a visit to the spa right after the busy season. Knowing that you have something this enjoyable after the busy season will make the days go by really, really fast.

Lastly, Don’t be a Super Human Being. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Delegate. Prioritize. Learn to say ‘no’. Learn to let small stuff go. You’re only human after all. You have your limits. When you feel your body is already telling you that it needs to rest, heed it.

Hmmmm, serious stuff you think? Well, busy season is serious stuff. Ensuring that you still look good even during the busy season is more serious, especially for some auditors :). Hope the above tips help. Good luck with the busy season!