How to switch from audit to advisory at another firm
Moving to a mid-tier firm is a common way to pivot into advisory, gaining better pay and work-life balance at the risk of losing Big 4 prestige. Switching directly into another Big 4 firm's advisory practice is harder because strict three-year experience requirements block candidates who only have two. To overcome this gap, applicants rely on internal referrals to secure interviews or attempt to lateral in from smaller firms as experienced hires.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Trying to do an internal service line pivot
- 2Waiting until having 3 years of experience to apply for advisory positions at other Big 4 firms
- 3Starting at a mid-size or local firm for 1-2 years to gain audit experience before applying as an experienced hire
- 4Joining a major firm in a non-audit assurance role like compilations/reviews and attempting an internal transfer
- 5Applying directly for audit roles at target industry clients instead of public accounting firms
- 6Applying during busy season when large firms actively seek additional staff
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm wondering what you guys think about whether it would be a mistake to go from Deloitte to Grant Thornton? I am considering this because going to GT would allow me to move to the city that I want to (Chicago), give me better pay, better work life balance, and allow me to pivot from Audit to Advisory.”source ↗
“How feasible is it to start in audit at a mid-size/local firm and lateral to Big4 later?”source ↗
“How difficult is it to join Big4 audit as an experienced hire coming from a non-Big4 firm and how would you recommend that I approach this?”source ↗
“I guess the reason is I'm seeing "at least 3 years of experience" needed for the other Big 4 firms for advisory position whereas I have 2 years of experience. Do you think I could still get an interview, especially if I have connections at the other Big 4 companies that would be willing to refer me?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Can you pivot from fund accounting to corporate staff accounting?
- 19Does starting in private accounting ruin your career?
- 7How to get clients for a new accounting practice
- 16Is moving from accounting to corporate finance too stressful?
- 4How to move from Accounts Payable to a staff accountant role
- 25What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?