How is the work experience at the big 4?
Well, I feel I’m qualified to write this answer, as I’ve worked for two of them in the past few years.Please note: I’ve been fortunate enough to have joined very good teams and I’ve seen people suffer because of short-tempered seniors and bad teams.I started my career as an associate in the audit service line and fell in love with my work. No matter the day, the time and the duration, I was always available for my clients and my seniors. This has enabled me grow quicker than most people and I do not feel I’ve sacrificed my personal life in the process.Some things I found refreshing:You work with the best. (Yes, this is somewhat subjective) The whole firm is filled with bright, young CAs, who are very helpful and appreciate hard work and technical skills. It felt great to finally be in a place where I belongedYou become a team player. Even something as simple as going to lunch, everything was a team event. You tend to become really close to most of them and form a huge network in the processYou get to work on things that are not accessible to other CA firms. SOX, APAs, BEPS and TAG reports are something most of my CA friends in industry and practice never get to work and collaborate onYou become sharp as a tack. When you work at this level, there really is no margin for error. Every colon, comma and tick needs to be presentable. This makes the Big4 a very conducive atmosphere to work inYou learn, continuously. E-learnings, training days, boot camps and the many networking events give many opportunities for you to learn and tough competition will also be a motivation for you to learnSome things most people abhor, but I don’t mind:Long working hours. This is a given if you hold responsible positions and charge high feesPolitics. Yes, the competition is intense and many blame games take placeMonotony. Yup, there’s lots of that!So, this is my experience. Feel free to ask questions.
Year 10 work experience in the army?
It's a a great idea to have your W.E. to do with your future career and this will give you a great advantage if you joined the army! Experience is what they normally look for. I would also suggest that you start training already (one of my mates wanted to join the army but she's not British but she wants to be a police officer instead) . I don't know what you'd do for WE in the army, but it might be a fun thing! You'll probably just help out and stuff? Ah I'm sorry I can't be much of a help with that one. =( I think they'll require you to wear a uniform? But don't worry they will give you the details and stuff when it's all set. Good luck!
How is work experience verifiable?
When you are hired by a new employer they will have you sign a consent form so they can do a background check on you. Usually they are checking for education, work history, criminal record and possibly driving record if you will be operating a company car. Employers use a background check service that will provide information about your previous employers and possibly even your salary history. If you pull your credit report (Experian, Equifax or TransUnion) it also shows your work history. Surprisingly many employers these days are also looking into credit history - they can tell how much your mortgage is and how long you've had it. Employers occasionally still call previous employers to verify employment dates but with all the liability issues surrounding this issue most previous employers will only respond with whether or not you worked there and for how long. You won't have to provide the news letter or any of that. Provide them your letter of recommendation and your resume. That's it, they'll do the rest on their own.
What kind of work experience is required prior to pursuing an MBA in India? Should he take up a job in the field he wants to do his MBA? Should he try different industries to determine the best fit?
Thanks for A2A.All genuine questions ... but perhaps not the real question that you should be asking yourself before doing MBA.I will try and answer all of them ..1. Yes relevant work experience is always better than non-relevant work experience. 2. Trying different things at young age never hurts. What really hurts is not being able to convey it on your CV or in the interview appropriately.3. Working in bank is not completely necessary. Corporate Finance or Financial consulting are equally relevant. Ofcourse, back office functions that are completely non-related to finance wont help either.4. 95+ is not a strong CAT score. 98+ (with consistency across sections) is. And, no one expects a fresher to have a a management job role before MBA.5. NGO volunteering is a bit of hoax. And interviewers make that out if its done recently only. I would suggest that learning a new language is a better CV booster and a real asset for the future.6. Well, to bluntly answer prima facie ... the private bank. However, it would all depend on the real job profiles.7. Elite MBA programme in my mind is IIM A, B and C and ISB (only a personal opinion). The requirements are pretty simple for IIMs ... crack the CAT and the interviews. Work experience counts .. but has a smaller weightage. Unless, you work at a brand, it doesnt really count at the IIMs. For ISB, crack the GMAT and have a strong work ex of over 3 years. It helps to have a well-rounded CV. Build ur profile with languages, travelling, sports, etcHope this helped.Now, I would just venture to say that these are very defensive questions. Not the real questions that help you take a decision. The real question is "Why do you want to do an MBA?" This requires a lot of thinking. Be brutally honest to yourself. Answers could be :1. Genuine interest in learning about "business" 2. Meeting 100-400 young intelligent exciting people3. Getting a big dream job4.Taking a break to explore yourself over a period of 1 - 2 years 5. Social prestige6. Proving something to your family members7. Doing it because everyone is doing it etc etc etc ...Be brutally honest. Once you have the master question answered, all other questions are just derivatives. You will answer all the 7 questions you asked differently every single time if your main motive to doing a MBA is different !Hope this really helped ! All the best !
What exactly does relevant experience mean?
relevant experience refers to any hands on experience similar to what you are applying. If it is a retail job, do you have people skills, cash handling experience? what personal or professional attributes do you have that relates to the job you are applying for. The majority of people that do not have actual experience in a certain field they are applying for and get hired is because of how well the impressed the interviewer. Research the company you are applying with and what they do and compare what they do to what you have done. A degree can also be considered relevant experience if the job similar to what you learned in school