Company Overview
Highlights
The fifth largest privately held business in the U.S. and the largest global network of professional services firm in the world.
Named to Fortune’s 2008 list of “100 Best Companies to Work For.”
Earned one of five spots on DiversityInc’s first “Top Companies for Global Diversity" in 2008.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the result of the 1998 merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, is the world’s largest accounting firm. PwC audits 32 percent of the Global Fortune 500, 34 percent of the FT Europe 500, and 42 percent of the S&P Latin America 100. PwC has three main businesses: assurance and business advisory services (including financial and regulatory reporting), tax and legal services, and corporate finance and recovery. The firm sold its IT consulting arm to IBM in 2002. PwC makes more than half its revenue outside the U.S. and has member firm offices in 776 cities in 150 countries.
PwC has focused its recent growth on developing economies including Brazil, China, India, and Russia. In terms of legal and PR troubles, PwC had been under the microscope due to its auditing work for the now disgraced Tyco International. In recent years, the firm was under fire for its role in client Amerco’s financial difficulties and claims of overcharging clients for travel expenses—for which the firm accepted an estimated $42 million penalty in 2005. In 2006, the firm paid $225 million to settle a class-action lawsuit resulting from the Tyco scandal.
But thanks to the extra work the firm is doing these days on audits and for Sarbox, PwC experienced strong revenue growth during the past several years. In 2006, PwC U.S. recorded the most growth in its advisory unit, at 28.1 percent. Assurance brought in the highest revenue at $4,131 million.
All job candidates should complete one of the firm’s online career profiles. If you’re a student, check with your campus career center to learn if and when PwC will be visiting your campus. Experienced hires and students at schools where PwC does not recruit on campus can apply for jobs online.
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Real People
Tax Associate
As a defensive end on his high school football team, Eric Gilmore knew he wasn’t going to make it big in pro football after he tore his ACL. Luckily, his offensive line coach had a background in accounting and encouraged Eric to sign up for the accounting elective he was teaching. Gilmore enjoyed the attention to detail accounting required, and with the encouragement of his football coach, he decided to stick with it as a college major. Now he’s a tax associate at the Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he does taxes for the rich and famous (well, sometimes).
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Advisory Services Intern, summer 2008
Hassan Hassan’s internship with PwC led to a big shift in his career plans. He was an engineering major, with internships in software development and electrical construction under his belt. His first encounter with PwC at a job fair made him think about a career in consulting. Then, his experience in PwC’s Advisory services and his interactions with other interns and members made a huge impact. He began to pursue different courses and a new career path.
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Manager, Financial Services
Kerri Patrick took an INROADS internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP the summer after her freshman year of college. She enjoyed the opportunity so much that she returned every summer, and came on fulltime after graduation. Now having worked her way up to manager status, she values her role as a diverse employee for PwC and enjoys mentoring younger recruits following in her steps.
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Tax Services Intern, summer 2008
Camille McLaws first chose to study accounting because of an interest in business and a desire for job security, but her internship with PwC showed her much more. After taking part in PwC’s Project Belize, McLaws worked in International Tax services in the San Francisco office. She emerged from both experiences with a strong network of support within the company and the opportunity to come back: She starts as a full-time associate with PwC in August 2009.
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Chief Diversity Officer
Roy Weathers, who’s been with PricewaterhouseCoopers for 18 years, has always liked a challenge—he picked accounting as his college major in part because he heard it was one of the most difficult.
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Tax Intern
Heidi Giles ’ roommate was an accounting major—she wasn’t. But when her roommate dragged her to an xTREME accounting competition meeting, she agreed to be a part of the team despite her lack of experience. It took a lot of hard work, but Giles’ team was chosen as one of the top teams in the U.S., and PwC invited her and her teammates to New York to learn about the industry and the firm. A few months later, Giles happily accepted her first internship—and switched her major to accounting.
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Market Sourcing Leader
PwC recruiter Jennifer Pettersen has been with the firm eight years and worked in several different offices, and she still continues to be impressed with the quality of the students she meets.
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