Company: KPMG
Date: 2008-04-25
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: former

Why you should grow your self and your career with KPMG.
Pros: KPMG provides a lot of benefits from employment not necessarily offered elsewhere.  They have the basics - fair pay and benefits, but also a lot of paid time off even as a first year associate.  They offer a lot of training, which is something very few other firms are doing, and actually help the employee make time to attend the training they offer.  The corporate culture is oriented very strongly toward community service, offering firm-sponsored activities as well as the flexibility to volunteer for things the individual employee finds important.  In fact, they have an entire committee ("Involve") dedicated to these types of initiatives.  Professionally, they also provide a very developed growth strategy, including help goal setting and working toward those goals.  At KPMG you can really develop your own path and grow both professionally and personally with a lot of support.
Cons: The biggest downside I see to working at KPMG is the sheer time committment.  This is not different from other large firms, however.  KPMG likes to advertise that they help you have a work-life balance, but I believe this is an inaccurate title.  I remember one employees example of this balance, when he said he was able to leave work in the afternoon to attend his child's play, and return to work at nine o'clock that night.  To me, that's not a balance, it's just flexibility.  I do believe flexibility is important, but in the end it's not 'balance'.  I believe a lot of newer employees in the next few years will be moving away from that model, and truly trying to have more of a balance, at least when it's not busy season.