Career in Big4: How AI is Changing Hiring, Onboarding, and Personnel Management

Danil Spirin, city — Karaganda, Head of Talent Acquisition, KPMG Caucasus and Central Asia

Previously, I worked in the hospitality industry, traveled to various countries, and explored what interested me. One day, I decided to switch to IT because the entire industry was moving in that direction. I joined Wooppay, implemented several recruitment projects, and we actively participated in all IT initiatives in Karaganda.

After that, I was invited to BTS Digital, where I learned a lot about the venture capital market in Kazakhstan. I worked at BTS Digital for three years and left last year. It was my favorite place to work. 

Then I moved to Red mad robot, where I was the ninth employee. When I left, the company had grown to about 160-170 people, and the company received an award as the fastest-growing IT company in Central Asia.

Today, I work at KPMG and am responsible for recruitment, employer branding, and onboarding in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Over the next few years, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka will join the cluster.

How I use AI at work

I actively use AI. Not just to ask it to write job descriptions, but primarily for learning. Currently, all companies are moving toward automation because any process involving human intervention becomes expensive.

My favorite tool is PowerAutomate. I digitize all routine processes and approvals that were previously done by humans. Corporate AI agents help me understand this; I ask them to explain how a particular application works in simple terms. Over time, prompts become more precise, and I only turn to neural networks when I encounter something new.

Next, I moved into coding. I am not a technical specialist at all, but I am good at structuring speech and formulating requests, so I manage to explain to AI what is needed.

The third tool is Excel combined with PowerBI. A few years ago, I set up dashboards by asking AI which formulas to use and how to integrate Excel with PowerBI. At that time, a colleague told me that I didn't know any formulas myself and asked what my value was. I was upset and learned all the formulas. But now the world has changed so much that this skill is no longer that important. Excel now has a Copilot icon, to which you only need to explain which formula or table is needed.

How AI works with existing employees

Last year, in a company with about 1,000 employees in Kazakhstan, we automated onboarding. With a headcount of more than 200 people, the process becomes difficult to control, and you simply don't have time to answer all the newcomers' questions. Last year, about 200-300 people joined us, and another 200 came for internships.

We created a bot accessible via a sticker with an NFC chip, which is attached to merchandise for new employees. You just need to touch your phone to the sticker, and the bot opens. It understands voice messages, images, and works in Kazakh, Georgian, Armenian, and other languages of the region. 150-200 users continue to use the bot even after their probation period to find out what benefits are available to them.

In this case, AI helped us create such a platform. Inside the company, we only use tools approved by the company and do not use AI for hiring and evaluating candidates.

At the same time, the company ensures all necessary measures for the safe use of AI tools.

What specialists Big4 needs

A product IT company differs from consulting in that in consulting, developers work on different projects with clear start and end dates. The technological consulting direction in Big4 and specifically in KPMG is similar to how I worked at Red mad robot. This involves a large number of developers who are distributed across projects.

Currently, there are open positions for business and system analysts, as well as system architects. We regularly hold hackathons and internships because Big4 has the resources to hire junior specialists. 

I also want to note that the company is 68% female and 32% male. 

On the impact of artificial intelligence on hiring

There is a test that candidates take at the beginning, and in the last couple of years, with the active use of AI, almost everyone passes it with 100%. We have stopped evaluating the mere fact of using neural networks and now look at whether the candidate could at least correctly find and apply information. In 2026, it is important not only to possess knowledge but also to understand where to find it.

Another situation is when candidates take interviews using special applications that suggest answers during the conversation. This is clearly visible by how their eyes dart around and by their intonation. A person reads the text monotonously, as if reading for speed. We do not pass such candidates further. It is important to talk to a live person during the interview and understand how they will actually work. 

The best advice: be yourself, because at this stage, you are being evaluated by a live person who looks at soft skills.

Main recommendations for those who want to get into Big4

The resume should be named according to the standard, first and last name, because the recruiter will then search for the file using exactly this data. Most companies use tracking systems that parse text, so the resume must be in text format, not an image. Data cannot be read from an image.

It is important to understand that the recruiter is interested in hiring you because they receive a reward for this, and they are not the person who makes the final decision to reject.

During the interview with the client, be sure to prepare and find out what the company does. This is the only question that the client definitely knows the answer to, and your interest is immediately apparent from the response.

The basic advice is to create a resume using AI, format it as text, apply for all interesting vacancies, and be yourself during the interview.