This is in response to the question about raises..... " I was told by an EY recruiter that they usually give raises between 8 to 15%. Does that sound correct?" The recruiter at that firm is correct, but it's not just EY, it's the big 4...and maybe even the smaller firms....although 15% sounds a little high. That only might happen due to market corrections, which occurs once every few years. Sure, the raises are higher than at normal corporations, because the path upwards in the big 4 is so structured. Trust me though, as much as the raises are nice, big 4 employees work much more on average than most corporations. So, really, by the hour, it's not that different if you do want to look at it that way. Back to raises, depending on your reviews, raises could range between 7-14%. Market conditions(a survey apparently gets passes around the firms to get a gauge as to how much they are paying) play a role in the percentages. No firm wants to be left behind in the salary...
Blogged about my life in the Big 4 and now about life in Private Accounting