Attracting accounting and finance graduate talent – beyond the Big Four

This study responds to ongoing challenges with recruiting quality graduate talent in the accounting/finance industry, critical given transforming labour market requirements. Drawing on Person‐Organisation Fit (POF) theory, we explore what attracts 475 Accounting/Finance students to graduate roles, their preferences for different organisation types, and influences on career decision‐making. Supporting earlier work, we evidence dominating preferences for ‘Big Four’ firms yet discern several appealing features of other organisational types and important intrinsic and extrinsic factors in decision‐making. Findings inform stakeholder strategies to support students for sustainable careers in different accounting/finance contexts and improve the recruitment outcomes of all organisation types in the industry.