An Interview with Partner of a BIG4 vs CEO of a company

“None of the characters in this below scenario were fictitious. I hereby attempted to make a resemblance between the Partner of a BIG4 and CEO of a company in the context of my interview experience with them, but I am not intended to bring any parity between them”

Subject:

Hi friends I attempted with this write-up, just to share my interview experience, which was with the big shots like the partner of one of the BIG4 and CEO cum MD. Both the F2F interviews were happened just in a time gap of 1 month between them.

Objective:

My objective is certainly not judging any anybody or to criticize any one, but only to share my experience of interview happened with two different personalities having mindsets exactly opposite, but still they are holding top positions. One is ambitious of goals and another is determined about values.

About Myself:

I cleared CA Final in November-2015 and was looking around for a Job as a Fresher in the field of either corporate taxes or Finance. Both were fascinating to me.  

In Detail:  

Like many fresher’s I am also keen to start my career with BIG4’s and applied for one of the BIG4 for corporate taxes with very enthusiasm, and all the interview process went well, consisting of Two technical rounds one with manager & another with Sr. manager and a HR round, each F2F with a gap of 1 week time. As the Sr. manager satisfied with me, proposed my profile to the partner, which is considered to be the final round of interview process and as soon as I saw the mail which says that I am selected for partners round, I am over filled with joy and it turned slowly in to tense, because it is the final round and that too with a big shot like partner of a BIG4. I called every CA friends and seniors to get to know the interview process, and one common answer I got from most of them is, as I already crossed two rounds of technical there won’t be much technical questions and he will be looking whether you are curious to learn and update nothing more than that. So I prepared accordingly.

Finally the most awaiting day arrived, which was exactly one month after completion of first round of interview and I am as tensed as the result day. My interview was scheduled at 9.30 AM and I reached there at 9.10 AM itself because I am relied on public transport and I don’t want to be late at any point. Butterflies in my stomach not allowing me to take my breakfast also. One of the manager came outside & asked me wait for 5 minutes, as the partner is in emergency call. I waited outside simply browsing Tax guru site to update, and I felt like reading book in the exam hall before exam. The time turned to 10.30 AM & one of the manager who interviewed me just arrived & looked at me and I said that I am waiting for the Interview with partner, he wished me & went inside. It was 11.00 AM and I requested the security person to call remind the partner. After 15 minutes the Sr. manager came out side and asked me to wait for 30 minutes since the partner is busy. Again I waited up to 12.00 PM but no response from inside and I reminded the Sr. Manager again & he asked me to wait for 15 minutes and it all went up to 1.30 PM. Finally the Sr. manager called me to come inside and showed me the pantry to have a coffee over there, since I was starving without breakfast and lunch. I waited inside again for some time and at last the partner called me in to his cabin & it was 2.45 PM and I was totally exhausted by that time.

It was so calm inside, though there are 2 managers who interviewed me earlier and 1 more lady believed to be a sr. manager started asking about my personal background and article ship exposure, while the partner opposite to me writing some mails. Then after 10 minutes, he suddenly interrupted my conversation with the lady manager asked me “why Direct taxes?”

Me: Because I love the subject, I basically like the way courts interpret the sections and give judgment’s, which eventually drawn my interest towards Direct taxes and I feel there is much scope in Direct taxes to specialize in Transfer pricing and International taxation etc over a period of time.

Partner: But I don’t know how much you are passionate to the subject, ok tell me how often you update yourself?

Me: Sir, since we have to conduct audits successfully, I use to update myself every day with new case laws which will be circulated by my principal during the article ship.

Partner: Oh! Then you read a case law every day? Tell me which case law you read today?

Me: A case law on house property income.

Partner: what about yesterday?

Me: One about PGBP?

Partner: day before yesterday?

Me: I have not read the case law but updating on Digital levy @ 6% the new schedule brought in the budget.

Partner: So, you are not really passionate of the case laws. Ok tell me five landmark judgment’s which you read during article ship?

Me: Vodafone case (Suddenly I got only one in my mind & I am confused what will be said as a landmark judgment in his context, though we must be reading more than 300 case laws during our exams)

Partner: How many pages you read?

Me: Sir, It was about 25 to 30 pages.

Partner: Do you think that is a case law?

Me: Yes sir! (In a low tense voice)

Partner: No it is not a case law, it is just a summary, the real case law is 256 pages, which I’ve read and if you really passionate to the subject. Have you read the budget?

Me: Yes Sir!

Partner: How many pages it was?

Me: Sir, I read the flaash points of budget about 30 pages.

Partner: Again you are going shortcut, if you are really passionate you should have bought the new Act and compare the old Act with section by section, that is what you should be doing if you are really passionate to the subject.

Ok If genie comes in front of you & gives you three wishes, what will you ask for?

Me: 1. Confidence to tackle any kind of situation, 2. a peaceful mind to take correct decisions 3. Health

Partner: Oh! Then you are not confidence now??

Me: I am now confident sir, but it depends on the situation which I may face in future.

Partner: Ok, you may carryon now.

And that is the last word I have heard from that organization. Yes as you have expected through our conversation, I am failed to impress the partner, I have not only lost the interview but also my confidence, peace of mind and eventually fall sick. (I reminded myself of that genie question.)

After few days, I got a call from one of the listed companies which is having a market cap of Rs.8.5 k Cr approx. I am excited with that role and attended interview. I’ve cleared 3 rounds with the finance controller, HR and vice president of the company. The final round was with the CEO cum MD of the company. (In fact his grandfather was the promoter of the company & his father currently is the chairman)

(Background of the CEO: He is neither CA nor any way connected to Finance related. He possess great technical knowledge about his industry.)

Another final day, arrived finally. I was equally tensed as same as that with Big4 partner. Not because of any technical questions but looking at his designation & opulent background.

I have entered his office space at 8.50 A.M as F2F is scheduled at 9.15 A.M, which is almost like a resort surrounded by lush green vegetation & peacocks. As soon as I entered his office space, his personal assistant came to me & requested to wait for 10 minutes as the CEO is having breakfast and she also offered me a drink which my butterflies reused to have in my stomach. At exactly 9.15 A.M, he himself came outside & apologized me for making me to wait outside & asked to come in.

His cabin is like almost a size of our coaching institutes which can easily accommodate 100 CA students. We both sat on a sofa & he offered me a cappuccino, which I reluctantly putdown due to general tendency of hesitation especially when it is a food item.

He started the interview, rather the conversation with my personal background and to my education. “I think everyone will have goals in their lives, which keeps changing in their lifecycle. They dream for it and go on pursue those and only few successful people achieve those. But the other hand, only few people have values which are going to the same in their entire life and they go all the way long and achieve beyond their dreams and makes everyone’s dream bigger.”

After hearing this from him I felt like so light in my mind until he asked me that, he would like to know what my values are. Somehow I was able to manage to satisfy him with my answers and secured the offer. “I hope we will meet each other again & while I visit your unit location this time & do have your lunch before taking your return flight”

Conclusion with my ideology:

I was pretty much amused by his hospitality, which I believe to be one of his core value. Even after the interview, even in fact today I keep on observing those values in every great personalities. Like our beloved prime minister, Mr. Modi, who never would have had any goal of becoming prime minister ended up as one of the best prime ministers for India through his values and the other side who is from a lavish family with almost everything set up & with a lifetime goal is to become the prime minister for India is not happening.

We all can see these values & principles in many of our great personalities around us, when you look at their complete life cycle, which will be there intact throughout their life time.

My objective here is not as to provide any gyan to anyone here, but just to share my insights about my transformation from depression to cognizance in that one month through little interaction with those great personalities.