External hires

have heard a few rumors that I was hoping you could clarify for me.
1) Big 4 firms do not hire on outside senior associates because they only recruit from their pool of staff associates.
2) Staff associates are only hired on straight of out college. So if you cant get an intern/job with a big 4 while you are in school, its too late to apply.
I am soon to have my CPA and CFE and also have 2+ years of audit experience with a small CPA firm. I have not applied to the Big 4 because of these rumors I've heard.

1) Big 4 firms definitely do hire people with prior experience in audit firms. But they obviously have not since the recession because they've laid off so many personnel internally. It really depends on the essence of economics, supply and demand. If the firms need more seniors because the turnover has been high, they will accept external applications. So it's definitely not too late to apply, especially around this time because the turnover rate is slowly going back to normal. Don't get me wrong, it's still tough, since the firms will fill up their slots internally first, and they still hire a good amount of people right out of college, so if these kids stay for 2-3 years (depending on the firm), they will get promoted to senior.

2) I've seen a few older people begin as a staff. They've worked in different industries, or started off in private, and are okay with starting at the bottom of the barrel again. It's hard if you're 25-30 and join as a staff associate, because you have 23 year olds telling you what to do, and you've already had experience in the workforce. So to your question, it's never too late to apply, it's just a question of whether you want to put yourself through the hellish staff associate years.