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September 21, 2023

Big 4 First Year – Getting Fired

Hey there,

I know that posts like this have been made before, but I wanted to write out my own situation because it kinda makes me feel better.

I started at one of the Big 4 in audit last September. Things were kinda rocky in the beginning because I was dealing with a really awful commute. I didn’t let it bother me though because I liked the work I was doing and my team seemed cool initially. Unfortunately I never really clicked with my team after the first couple weeks, and by the end of busy season I could tell that they actively disliked me. As the low person on the totem pole I just took whatever comments were thrown my way, but the environment was really uncomfortable. As a result, I never grew, never learned, and didn’t perform well.

My year-end review came up and I received a low score and was told that I need to “seek an opportunity outside of the firm.” I expect that I will be let go sometime in July. This kind of came as a shock to me as I never heard of a first year being let go before.

I don’t like making excuses, and I know that I have the potential to be so much better than I was the past year. Regardless of my teams feelings for me, I will be reaching out to everyone I worked with to get advice on how I can better myself going forward. I have a strong desire to be an asset for whatever firm I work for next. I never want something like this to happen to me ever again.

That being said I was hoping to get some advice on how to find a new position. I know that it’s  a stretch but I really want a shot at working for another big 4, in tax if possible. I have looked around and I know that big 4 typically only hire graduating college students for their entry level positions.

If another big 4 isn’t a possibility I will probably be reaching out to a recruiter. I am not really sure how well I would be received considering I am being let go before completing my first year. I have passed all of my CPA exams and I have my Masters in Accounting, so I am hoping that could help reduce the negative impact getting fired will have. I also believe that it will be possible to get a recommendation from another team that I worked with for a brief period of time. They liked me and the review I got from them had nothing but nice things in it.

Any advice would be appreciated. If there is something I am not even thinking about that you consider to be important I would love to hear it. Sorry if this comes across as rambling or if it sounds crappy- it’s kinda late at night and I might not be thinking too clearly at the moment.

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