Guys,
Please, can someone help me answer this question? I work in the Big 4 as an auditor and I’m dying to make transition into a good Corp Fin or FP&A role. I’ve been getting REJECTED at every turn casue most people are asking me, “why do you want to work in finance” or “why after all these years in compliance do you want to work in finance”?.
Can someone please help me obtain the best possible rebuttal to this common question?
Best Regards,
The Stark of Wall Street
Well, why do you want to work in finance?
if u dont know why u want to work in finance then u should not be working in finance
For Dead Presidents ?
models and bottles OP, models and bottles.
And Buggattis too.
Have you tried Big Four Transactions? They usually have a good corporate finance department and depending on the workload in Transactions and your ratings in audit, it shouldn’t be too hard to transfer - which I just did.
What have been some of your answers so far to this question? It is a great question don’t you think? Why don’t you have a good answer prepared? You know the question is coming. Did you say because you want to be a BSD?
just say its more exciting than boring ass accounting. nothing else needs to be said on the topic. saying that pretty much summarizes everything written below.
the reason i’m in it is because i get to make potentially life changing decisions every single day and it’s like a game that never ends, and i like games. plus you get rewarded for winning the game. its also intellectually stimulating and there’s always something new. all of these reasons are why i could never even think of becoming an accountant.
Hey Guys,
I appreciate some of the responses, others are just pathetic and also expected on a public forum where the sad reality is that the world is full off assholes. Anywho, I’ve always answered that question like this, “I’ve always wanted to work in finance, it’s what interests me and what i"m good at. I like to provide high level analysis that has a positive impact on the bottom line. I don’t feel like i’m making an impact in accounting. Also, I thought my role in accounting would expand more but it never did so now i’m trying to work in pure finance”
^^ that makes you sound like a quitter though. at least that’s how some may perceive it.
Could you please elaborate VWJetty? I certainly don’t want to come off as a quitter… However, I’ll have you know, I graduated with a BS at the heigh of the credit crisis, I had to take advantage of whatever job I could get! I couldn’t just say, “nahhh, i don’t want to just take any old job, i’m gonna pursue finance until it lands”…
I had to take this role in the big 4 as it pays the bills and gives me some experience. I just want a good way to explain that Finance is what i’m good at, what I want to do and what i’m interested in. It’s hard to convey that when you’ve been in compliance for years.
aight this is how u get it.
dont say u didnt advance in audting or whatever. say you wanted to work in something meaningful.
i feel ya on credit crisis. investment peeps are juss not in demand anymore. i had to do some stats consulting for labor stuff on my first job. Jumped shift after 1 year though.
why finance? juss say u want to learn how to make money. you want to know the ins and outs of a business. you want to figure out ways to make things more efficicent. but more improtantly, you want knowledge that can compound. because the more you learn, the more you earn. blah blah blah.
its about likability. say you’ll do whatever it takes and that to join would be a privelege. try to make the person feel good. ask them how they got their start. where they came from. ppl like to talk about themself. ask them what task they hate to do the most. how you can help, then tell them thats what your good at.
skills they need. communication both verbal and writing. ppl that can summarize. ppl that read a lot. people that can analyze data. ppl that can use ppt, excel, acrobat.
Every time I get a text from a friend saying happy hour? I wonder why I work in finance.
I work in corporate FP and A and the director told me he rejects a lot of people with public accounting pedigrees because they seem too rigid and focused on the past, while unable to project and plan the future.
I think it would be helpful if you could speak to some experiences where you had to antipicate and forecast with a lot of detail.
Hi Guy’s finance work is not a bad as Well , why did not work in to a field want to work in finance?
At OP…do you really say “finance is what I’m good at”? I’d say that kills you. Why would anyone believe you’re “good” at finance if you’ve been in compliance you’re whole life? It also just sounds kind of dumb…it’s like saying “I’m good at medicine”…doesn’t really make sense. Also, it makes you sound like you don’t know what it is you want do…“finance” is broad. I’m not surprised your answer is getting you rejected…it sounds so generic…like the “finance is my passion” answer.
You need to come off as hungry, willing to work, and eager to learn. Say you’re good at picking apart companies, analyzing financial statements, stress testing return scenarios, identifying synergies, etc.
I get to manage client assets, learn their strategy and secrets. The knowledge gain in finance through client relationship can sharpen your knowledge. If you enjoy programming, HFT and data analysis is extremely fun. I have no field knowledge yet, but those are the reasons that motivate me to pursue actively an IA or PM role. We will see, how things will turn out under the Blue sky law.
you dont, stay in IT kids
This is a better report, they compare countries with the Big Mac index lol
To the OP, you need to specifically state why you want the role you have applied for.
FP&A? You LOVE forecasting and driving incremental BP of margin for your client. Make it sound like you pull your pudding over it and just can’t get enough of it.
Transaction/Advisory? You LOVE modeling complexities and running sensistivies on transactions that impact the clients P&L, BS and CF statements.
Strategy? You LOVE theorizing about better ways for companies to manage their finance operations, reporting and methodolgies.
See the trend? It’s all about loving the idea of making money for someone and being willing to work long hours to do so. Finance people seek employees who want to make them money AND enjoy doing it. They will avoid anyone who comes across as a process oriented person, like those in Audit.