After years in industry, I'm interviewing for Big 4 roles in my early 30s. Every recruiter asks why I'm starting the public accounting search now instead of right out of college, and I feel like I have to justify my age in every conversation. Does anyone have advice on how to explain the timing? I want to sound confident and logical.

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I'm a B4 partner, and I love to hire staff with other practical experience. One of my best guys ever (now a pretty high ranking partner at a major firm), was a staff one at 30 after a stint doing logistics in the military. Another guy drove a forklift and put himself through night school. Those are the people I want - go getters that are motivated. Just be yourself and use your experience and maturity to your advantage. Good luck!

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Are you looking in broad audit / tax or a specialty group? If a specialty group, the job might make sense. If in broad audit or tax, I can see the concern… you’re gonna be reporting to individuals who are younger, more “mentally” prepared for the grind in busy season. The hours during busy teams are no joke, and it’s rare for some one industry to be prepared to work 60+ hours a week for extended times on various clients.

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I wouldn't read that as you have to justify your age, it's probably more like you have to showcase your experience. It's really an opportunity to show that you know about, for instance, the internal friction at a company and how issues with data arise. Be prepared to tell your story, present yourself as someone with valuable and practical experience.

The right time to do anything in life depends upon each individuals values. You can now say I'm more valuable to Big 4 firms than straight out of college because my knowledge base is exponentially more now. By transitioning into public accounting now you will, over time, become doubly more valuable than any one who has just stayed in industry or public accounting alone. You can say you are forward thinking because of the greater value you will be to potential future employers. You're on the cutting edge of positioning yourself for greater advancement and opportunity by thinking and working outside the box. Best of luck. The future belongs to those who have the foresight to think and do things differently in our hyper competitive future world.

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