Ernst and Young: My Personal Guide to the Selection Process
Hi everyone, this is a guide to each of the stages of the selection process based on my experience.This also applies to PWC. Im going to limit what I say before Copy and Pasting the Guide. Also I apologise in advance for its length, didn't know how else to get it out there.
-Application Form
I found the application form pretty straight-forward, they have however recently changed the application form to include a question asking you to explain your motive for applying for the position, and to include your various experiences and achievements to backup
your answer, you are also asked to provide details of positions of responsibility and leadership you have had in the past as part of a separate question. These questions
simply provide you the opportunity to prove that you are a well-rounded person, and not just academically inclined. Good examples of things you can add here are school prefectship, Duke of Edinburgh, any leadership courses you’ve done, any position of leadership either on the sports field or in general. As for the justification for applying for the position, any work experience in the relevant field goes a long way.
-Strengths Test
This is a kind of situational test that places you in various common workplace scenarios. This can be a little tricky as it is multiple choice with some of the options seeming identical at times. Again, answer them with the company’s core values in mind and go through EY’s ‘what we look for’ page beforehand.
-Online Tests
I found these to be really easy. I purchased a numerical package from
assesmentday.co.uk, and did some free tests of shldirect.com to prepare. The EY online tests are broken down into three sections: numerical, verbal and logical (inductive) reasoning. If i remember correctly you have to answer 8 questions in 6 minutes for each of those sections (so three sets of 8, 6 minutes each) but i finished each section with minutes to spare. Each section is also broken down into two lots of 4 questions. Really nothing to be afraid of here, and i would highly recommend assessmentday.co.uk for any preparation.
-First Interview
The First interview is usually conducted by either a manager, or senior manager of the firm and is a behavioural interview. The majority of the questions will be based off of the Company’s core values, which can be found on the Ernst and Young website. A key part of proper preparation is knowing the core values inside out, and how they relate to your own personal values, capabilities and experiences (the questions asked will prompt you to provide examples of when and how you have demonstrated these values in the past).
Another crucial part of preparation is researching the firm itself, as several questions may test your knowledge of the firm, its services and the direction the firm is going. You are also likely to be questioned on why you have chosen to apply to Ernst and Young, rather than its competitors. My advice would be to research the firm’s recent activities, its vision and be honest about why you want to join the team, and you’ll do just fine. Some Questions that are likely to come up (and questions I was asked) are as follows:
-Why (your chosen service line)
-What do you know about what we do in (chosen service line)? (research to the best of your ability what your typical day in the service line might be)
-Why (the office you are applying for)?
-Tell me about a current affair you have been following?
-Why EY?
-What motivates you?
-Do you like to give advice?
-When was the last time you offered someone advice?
-When was the last time you learnt something? (was unexpected, through me off a bit)
-Do you plan your week?
-What is your greatest strength?
-What is your greatest weakness?
-Give me an example of a difficult obstacle you have had to overcome
-Have you ever done something differently the next time around?
-Do you work well in a team?
-Do you think there should be more hours in a day?
The questions you are asked may vary from person to person, but always follow a similar pattern that relates to their core values of leadership, enthusiasm, integrity and teamwork. Questions concerning the service line, your motivation for applying to Ernst and Young, a question on a relevant current affair, and what motivates you as a person are almost guaranteed to come up. The best way to prepare for the rest of the questions is to simply self-reflect: find examples in your past experience that demonstrate leadership (lead a sports team? a group in coursework perhaps? a Duke of Edinburgh excursion? etc.), find examples of where you have helped someone (a friend through a tough personal situation perhaps? which is one of the several examples I used), find examples from your past that demonstrate to the interviewer that you work well within a team, but don’t neglect the importance of being able to work diligently alone (prove through example that you work well both in a team, and on your own).
The average interview time is apparently about 40 minutes, but may vary. If it goes well, it may be longer. Both my first and final interview ran on for well over an hour (first interview was about 80+ minutes). After the competency questions you will be given a chance to ask the interviewer your own questions, I would highly recommend that you make the most of this, and doing so will demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in the position, as well as the office you are applying to. Example questions include:
-Could you tell me more about what you do here in the (input office)
- What responsibilities can I expect as a new graduate recruit?
The questions you ask must be genuine, asking simply for the sake of it is not a good idea; interviewers will know if you are not being genuine. Simply take an honest approach; as a candidate you are sure to have some curiosities about what you will face should you be given the position.
-Assessment Day
The assessment day usually lasts from about 9am to 12pm and includes a written exercise, a group exercise and a retest of the reasoning tests you did online. There is usually about 10 or so other candidates there, and the order in which you complete the exercises depends on how you are grouped.The written exercise is 40 minutes, and is divided into two parts; the first part involves writing a summary of sales and profit trends of a business for a client, and providing information on changes within the clients industry, as well as providing information on how the clients operations comply with Government policy. All necessary information is provided in a booklet you are given on the day. The second part places you in a scenario where you are leading a team at EY, and ask you various questions on how you will organise the team, distribute tasks, what skill you will develop, and how you will further develop the skills of the team. For the second part you simply need to read the email provided, and place yourself within the scenario. Answer the questions using common sense, and bear in mind the skills EY value (teamwork, communication, cooperation etc.). I did the second part in email format. I set 20 minutes for each part, I’d recommend doing the same, and don't bother creating any tables for the summary, it’s a waste of time, content is the most important part and make sure each part is addressed (sales and profit trends, industry changes, how the client lines up with Gov. policy).
The biggest challenge is completing the written exercise within the allotted time, but plan accordingly and you should be fine, just make sure something is written for each part, leaving any part unaddressed is likely to result in failure for the exercise.
-Group Excercise
This is also 40 minutes; the topic when i did this exercise was renewable energy, and i don't think it has changed for a while.
Your group is tasked with choosing a company and industry for EY to invest in. You have to identify and discuss two pros and two cons of each company and industry and at the end arrive at a decision. As before, all information is given to you in a booklet, with each candidate receiving the same booklet, as well as one unique separate piece of information on a particular company (which you will need to read, and discuss with the rest of the group). You are given 15 minutes to read all the literature (don’t forget to read the separate info on the company you’re given, I left it a tad late) and then given 20 minutes to discuss. I opted to keep the time for the group in order to make sure we heard everyone and didn’t run out of time. Remember it’s a group excercise and the moderators are looking for evidence that you work well within a group, taking the initiative and saying things like “Should we take turns to discuss the information we’ve been given” or offering to keep the time are good examples of a team player. It is important to also take notes on the info candidates give you, and provide recommendations based on that information. The final five minutes of the exercise is used to come to a conclusion, it’s a good idea to say things like “Should we go over the most attractive industries/companies and use a process of elimination?” or something similar.
Make sure you have short phrases you plan to use (such as those above) when going into the group exercise. Your aim is to stand out to the moderators by taking the initiative, and coming across as confident and enthusiastic. Do not, however, be overzealous and upstage the other candidates as that will count against you. Be clear and concise when identifying your company's pros and cons, and comment positively on the other candidates’ input.
-Final Partner Interview
This stage is less of a behavioural interview and more a chance for the partner to get to know you and see if you’re a good fit for the office. Some of the questions they ask may be behavioural and so you should prepare in the same way you did with the first interview but with an emphasis on learning as much as you can on your chosen service line, EY as an organisation, and the office you’re applying to.
My final interview started with the partner commenting on my accent as I greeted him in the office reception (I am originally from South Africa). I chose that moment to tell him a little about myself. From then on the interview was quite relaxed and very much a two-way conversation. The partner focused on what I should expect from the job, and the kind of skills and characteristics required to be successful in the service line in the long run. For example, on my CV I mentioned I was a confident public speaker, the partner took special interest in this and told me I would be required at times to present to clients.
Some questions I was asked:
Tell me about yourself?
What do you know about the work we do here?
What do you know about the industry?
What can you bring to this office that others can’t?
Would you rather work with a lazy smart person, or a hardworking slightly above average person? (you may get a few ‘behavioural’ questions like this)
On a global scale, what obstacles do Ernst and Young face in the current economic climate?
-Application Form
I found the application form pretty straight-forward, they have however recently changed the application form to include a question asking you to explain your motive for applying for the position, and to include your various experiences and achievements to backup
your answer, you are also asked to provide details of positions of responsibility and leadership you have had in the past as part of a separate question. These questions
simply provide you the opportunity to prove that you are a well-rounded person, and not just academically inclined. Good examples of things you can add here are school prefectship, Duke of Edinburgh, any leadership courses you’ve done, any position of leadership either on the sports field or in general. As for the justification for applying for the position, any work experience in the relevant field goes a long way.
-Strengths Test
This is a kind of situational test that places you in various common workplace scenarios. This can be a little tricky as it is multiple choice with some of the options seeming identical at times. Again, answer them with the company’s core values in mind and go through EY’s ‘what we look for’ page beforehand.
-Online Tests
I found these to be really easy. I purchased a numerical package from
assesmentday.co.uk, and did some free tests of shldirect.com to prepare. The EY online tests are broken down into three sections: numerical, verbal and logical (inductive) reasoning. If i remember correctly you have to answer 8 questions in 6 minutes for each of those sections (so three sets of 8, 6 minutes each) but i finished each section with minutes to spare. Each section is also broken down into two lots of 4 questions. Really nothing to be afraid of here, and i would highly recommend assessmentday.co.uk for any preparation.
-First Interview
The First interview is usually conducted by either a manager, or senior manager of the firm and is a behavioural interview. The majority of the questions will be based off of the Company’s core values, which can be found on the Ernst and Young website. A key part of proper preparation is knowing the core values inside out, and how they relate to your own personal values, capabilities and experiences (the questions asked will prompt you to provide examples of when and how you have demonstrated these values in the past).
Another crucial part of preparation is researching the firm itself, as several questions may test your knowledge of the firm, its services and the direction the firm is going. You are also likely to be questioned on why you have chosen to apply to Ernst and Young, rather than its competitors. My advice would be to research the firm’s recent activities, its vision and be honest about why you want to join the team, and you’ll do just fine. Some Questions that are likely to come up (and questions I was asked) are as follows:
-Why (your chosen service line)
-What do you know about what we do in (chosen service line)? (research to the best of your ability what your typical day in the service line might be)
-Why (the office you are applying for)?
-Tell me about a current affair you have been following?
-Why EY?
-What motivates you?
-Do you like to give advice?
-When was the last time you offered someone advice?
-When was the last time you learnt something? (was unexpected, through me off a bit)
-Do you plan your week?
-What is your greatest strength?
-What is your greatest weakness?
-Give me an example of a difficult obstacle you have had to overcome
-Have you ever done something differently the next time around?
-Do you work well in a team?
-Do you think there should be more hours in a day?
The questions you are asked may vary from person to person, but always follow a similar pattern that relates to their core values of leadership, enthusiasm, integrity and teamwork. Questions concerning the service line, your motivation for applying to Ernst and Young, a question on a relevant current affair, and what motivates you as a person are almost guaranteed to come up. The best way to prepare for the rest of the questions is to simply self-reflect: find examples in your past experience that demonstrate leadership (lead a sports team? a group in coursework perhaps? a Duke of Edinburgh excursion? etc.), find examples of where you have helped someone (a friend through a tough personal situation perhaps? which is one of the several examples I used), find examples from your past that demonstrate to the interviewer that you work well within a team, but don’t neglect the importance of being able to work diligently alone (prove through example that you work well both in a team, and on your own).
The average interview time is apparently about 40 minutes, but may vary. If it goes well, it may be longer. Both my first and final interview ran on for well over an hour (first interview was about 80+ minutes). After the competency questions you will be given a chance to ask the interviewer your own questions, I would highly recommend that you make the most of this, and doing so will demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in the position, as well as the office you are applying to. Example questions include:
-Could you tell me more about what you do here in the (input office)
- What responsibilities can I expect as a new graduate recruit?
The questions you ask must be genuine, asking simply for the sake of it is not a good idea; interviewers will know if you are not being genuine. Simply take an honest approach; as a candidate you are sure to have some curiosities about what you will face should you be given the position.
-Assessment Day
The assessment day usually lasts from about 9am to 12pm and includes a written exercise, a group exercise and a retest of the reasoning tests you did online. There is usually about 10 or so other candidates there, and the order in which you complete the exercises depends on how you are grouped.The written exercise is 40 minutes, and is divided into two parts; the first part involves writing a summary of sales and profit trends of a business for a client, and providing information on changes within the clients industry, as well as providing information on how the clients operations comply with Government policy. All necessary information is provided in a booklet you are given on the day. The second part places you in a scenario where you are leading a team at EY, and ask you various questions on how you will organise the team, distribute tasks, what skill you will develop, and how you will further develop the skills of the team. For the second part you simply need to read the email provided, and place yourself within the scenario. Answer the questions using common sense, and bear in mind the skills EY value (teamwork, communication, cooperation etc.). I did the second part in email format. I set 20 minutes for each part, I’d recommend doing the same, and don't bother creating any tables for the summary, it’s a waste of time, content is the most important part and make sure each part is addressed (sales and profit trends, industry changes, how the client lines up with Gov. policy).
The biggest challenge is completing the written exercise within the allotted time, but plan accordingly and you should be fine, just make sure something is written for each part, leaving any part unaddressed is likely to result in failure for the exercise.
-Group Excercise
This is also 40 minutes; the topic when i did this exercise was renewable energy, and i don't think it has changed for a while.
Your group is tasked with choosing a company and industry for EY to invest in. You have to identify and discuss two pros and two cons of each company and industry and at the end arrive at a decision. As before, all information is given to you in a booklet, with each candidate receiving the same booklet, as well as one unique separate piece of information on a particular company (which you will need to read, and discuss with the rest of the group). You are given 15 minutes to read all the literature (don’t forget to read the separate info on the company you’re given, I left it a tad late) and then given 20 minutes to discuss. I opted to keep the time for the group in order to make sure we heard everyone and didn’t run out of time. Remember it’s a group excercise and the moderators are looking for evidence that you work well within a group, taking the initiative and saying things like “Should we take turns to discuss the information we’ve been given” or offering to keep the time are good examples of a team player. It is important to also take notes on the info candidates give you, and provide recommendations based on that information. The final five minutes of the exercise is used to come to a conclusion, it’s a good idea to say things like “Should we go over the most attractive industries/companies and use a process of elimination?” or something similar.
Make sure you have short phrases you plan to use (such as those above) when going into the group exercise. Your aim is to stand out to the moderators by taking the initiative, and coming across as confident and enthusiastic. Do not, however, be overzealous and upstage the other candidates as that will count against you. Be clear and concise when identifying your company's pros and cons, and comment positively on the other candidates’ input.
-Final Partner Interview
This stage is less of a behavioural interview and more a chance for the partner to get to know you and see if you’re a good fit for the office. Some of the questions they ask may be behavioural and so you should prepare in the same way you did with the first interview but with an emphasis on learning as much as you can on your chosen service line, EY as an organisation, and the office you’re applying to.
My final interview started with the partner commenting on my accent as I greeted him in the office reception (I am originally from South Africa). I chose that moment to tell him a little about myself. From then on the interview was quite relaxed and very much a two-way conversation. The partner focused on what I should expect from the job, and the kind of skills and characteristics required to be successful in the service line in the long run. For example, on my CV I mentioned I was a confident public speaker, the partner took special interest in this and told me I would be required at times to present to clients.
Some questions I was asked:
Tell me about yourself?
What do you know about the work we do here?
What do you know about the industry?
What can you bring to this office that others can’t?
Would you rather work with a lazy smart person, or a hardworking slightly above average person? (you may get a few ‘behavioural’ questions like this)
On a global scale, what obstacles do Ernst and Young face in the current economic climate?
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