Company: KPMG
Date: 2014-09-03
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Average to poor company but good social life
Pros: One of the partners in the business is one of the most respected consultants in the world (and a great guy too!).
Good benefits and social life.
Don't have to work if you don't want to (like if you're preparing for interviews, or if you've had a heavy night).
Cons: The head of my department reminded me of David Brent. Except after he'd had a few drinks. Then he was more like Andy Gray. He was a HR disaster waiting to happen. He thought he was adored, but I rarely heard anyone say anything good about him. He talked a great game but he had no idea what he was doing, either as a manager or as an investment professional. 
KPMG is purely sales focused. Partners are rewarded for increasing revenue (not profits or quality of work) and are not remotely concerned with anything else. This flows through the company. Everyone is focused on doing what they need to do in order to get promoted. Clients are merely a means to this end.
Promotions are done on a "first-come-first-served" basis. There is no distinction for ability or performance. You take your ticket and wait to be called. Predictably, the business has lost a lot of talent as individuals have passed their exams and moved on.
KPMG is an audit firm and you will be rewarded in line with the performance of the audit business, irrespective of how your business has done.
Excellence does not exist in KPMG (one or two individuals excepted).