EY Reserve List (FS Assurance 2020)

OP

Original post by mnot

Hi,
getting accepted into the Big-4 is no easy feat, congrats.

Ive know idea how realistic your chances of moving from reserve to full graduate. (But if you dont hear anything before September perhaps *IF* you were interested you could mention you would be happy to start as a graduate in 2021 either January or September and perhaps try and join next years cycle). And see what they say.

How could corona affect this:
1) Bad: hiring gets freezed, they look to keep overheads down. (the good news with most of the Big-4 work is all the clients still need to audited and pay corporate taxes and this isnt changing).
2) Good: Other applicatns re-consider what they want to do & if they want to work in a major city such as London/Birmingham...

Good luck

Thank you for your advice and insights!

I think I'll do just that. If I don't hear back by Sept I'll definitely email EY re a deferred place for the subsequent intake.

And that's a very good point - companies will always need to be audited!

Reply 3

nealnaik

10

Original post by RadioBird

Thank you for your advice and insights!

I think I'll do just that. If I don't hear back by Sept I'll definitely email EY re a deferred place for the subsequent intake.

And that's a very good point - companies will always need to be audited!

Hello, I too am on the reserve list for the same scheme, and passed the final interview last week. I've been emailed and told that if I don't get placed in September, I will be contacted for placement in 2021 (hopefully an earlier intake than September). The wording of the email from the recruiter said "Congratulations again on your offer!" which I take to mean at some point I will be offered a position, its just not clear when it'll be. The ambiguity around the reserve list and what it means really needs to become more transparent, as I am mostly just speculating here.

Reply 4

username4982216

4

Original post by nealnaik

Hello, I too am on the reserve list for the same scheme, and passed the final interview last week. I've been emailed and told that if I don't get placed in September, I will be contacted for placement in 2021 (hopefully an earlier intake than September). The wording of the email from the recruiter said "Congratulations again on your offer!" which I take to mean at some point I will be offered a position, its just not clear when it'll be. The ambiguity around the reserve list and what it means really needs to become more transparent, as I am mostly just speculating here.

Congrats! What did you apply for? And how long did it take to hear back after your final interview?

Reply 5

nealnaik

10

Original post by gales123

Congrats! What did you apply for? And how long did it take to hear back after your final interview?

Thank you! I applied for FSO Assurance in London, and I had my interview Monday 1st June and found out on the 5th I passed. Not too much waiting, was expecting to not hear back for a while.

Reply 6

westrict

5

@RadioBird @nealnaik
Hi guys, I passed my final interview last week and have also been put on the reserve list. The email didn't specify what exactly the reserve list was... and didnt state that I would be offered a place in 2021 intake... I wouldn't mind 2021 intake if it was before September but would prefer to start 2020.

Please keep each other posted on this!

Cheers,

Reply 7

OP

@nealnaik @westrict

Hey guys, thanks for the replies - it helps paint a better picture!

Just an update which might help shed some light for you guys as well. EY contacted me regarding pre-employment checks, and that I'll be receiving an email from the 'post-offer team' in a couple of weeks. However, the email stated that 'this is not a guarantee of an offer' and is for 'smoother onboarding' should I receive the offer. I was put on the reserve list over a month ago, so I wonder if that has something to do with it? Do they work their way down the reserve list and email candidates who joined it first, based on the likelihood of existing offers being rejected? Who knows...

From both of your replies, it seems that EY are still doing partner interviews for the reserve list (as you both have passed your final interviews quite recently) meaning that they're still willing to get partners to interview candidates. And that, to me, implies they are betting on many spaces potentially becoming available because partners' time is very valuable and not easily allocated. I don't know if I'm correct or not, but why else would they still be adding to the reserve list?! Would they not otherwise have stopped? So I guess that may be a good sign...at least from a logical point of view. Idk how they operate the reserve list or how the order (if there even is one!) is determined!

Reply 8

H.C62

2

Original post by westrict

@RadioBird @nealnaik
Hi guys, I passed my final interview last week and have also been put on the reserve list. The email didn't specify what exactly the reserve list was... and didnt state that I would be offered a place in 2021 intake... I wouldn't mind 2021 intake if it was before September but would prefer to start 2020.

Please keep each other posted on this!

Cheers,

Hi Guys, I'm also on the reserve list, I have been for a couple of months. I'm starting to worry if it will turn into a job, however while also trying to find a job, the market is quite stagnant. I also really just want the job i'm on the reserve list for. Let me know how everyone else gets on. Fingers crossed for us all.

Reply 9

westrict

5

@RadioBird @nealnaik @H.C62 Hi everyone, back with an update, I received the email to complete pre-employment screening. This email was followed by another email stating: "To be clear, by completing the pre-employment screening, this is not a formal job offer, nor the guarantee that you will obtain a role, it is a pre-emptive step to ensure a smooth on boarding. You will need to complete this as soon as possible if you are still interested in remaining on the reserve list."

I think we sit tight and wait, they may even delay the start date to January for Covid reasons, thus giving us longer period to secure the offer.

Some of you also mention that you might be able to receive an offer for next years intake? I haven't received any info on this... was this just speculation?

Cheers

Reply 10

I have a virtual assessment coming up soon for the same position. Can't be fecked for it though, working my ass of for a position which is not guaranteed? Nah, feck that. I'll do a couple of hours of work the day before and wing it - this is only because I don't know what assurance actually is (I was transferred from another role). I literally did no revision for the second video recorded questions I had to do either (for the new role), so I know they are winging it too now.

Can anyone share any advice about the virtual assessments, just in terms of do you have regular breaks where you can turn off the webcams etc, what happens if you get disconnected etc?

Reply 11

OP

Original post by westrict

@RadioBird @nealnaik @H.C62 Hi everyone, back with an update, I received the email to complete pre-employment screening. This email was followed by another email stating: "To be clear, by completing the pre-employment screening, this is not a formal job offer, nor the guarantee that you will obtain a role, it is a pre-emptive step to ensure a smooth on boarding. You will need to complete this as soon as possible if you are still interested in remaining on the reserve list."

I think we sit tight and wait, they may even delay the start date to January for Covid reasons, thus giving us longer period to secure the offer.

Some of you also mention that you might be able to receive an offer for next years intake? I haven't received any info on this... was this just speculation?

Cheers

Same here - received and completed the pre-employment screening stuff yday, but also haven't been guaranteed an offer. It's just a waiting game, it seems!

Reply 12

OP

Original post by 0le

I have a virtual assessment coming up soon for the same position. Can't be fecked for it though, working my ass of for a position which is not guaranteed? Nah, feck that. I'll do a couple of hours of work the day before and wing it - this is only because I don't know what assurance actually is (I was transferred from another role). I literally did no revision for the second video recorded questions I had to do either (for the new role), so I know they are winging it too now.

Can anyone share any advice about the virtual assessments, just in terms of do you have regular breaks where you can turn off the webcams etc, what happens if you get disconnected etc?

Up until the assessment centre, you can actually wing it imo. But at the assessment centre itself there's a face-to-face section with an EY Manager where you will likely be asked why you chose Assurance! The virtual assessment centre consists of an introductory group 'chat' (you listen to the host introduce EY + give details of the assessments for the day), and then you complete a numerical exercise immediately after. Finally, at the time allotted to you (meaning you could have a few hours to rest in between) you will be given in-tray exercises mixed in with a live interview with a manager within either FS or UK&I Assurance. You complete the exercises while they observe, and then they question you on your answers/choices. After this, the same individual will ask why you applied to EY, and why you chose Assurance. I'd strongly recommend researching this beforehand even if for a few hours only.

For the partner interview stage (which is on a different day after passing the assessment centre) you will 100% have to research Assurance, the current climate in the professional services industry as a whole as well as news specific to EY. This could arguably be done in a few hours, but naturally the more prepared you are the better your chances of success!

I was personally well prepared at every single stage - I knew even before I applied that I wanted to get into FS Assurance and FS Assurance alone!

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 13

Original post by RadioBird

Up until the assessment centre, you can actually wing it imo. But at the assessment centre itself there's a face-to-face section with an EY Manager where you will likely be asked why you chose Assurance! The virtual assessment centre consists of an introductory group 'chat' (you listen to the host introduce EY + give details of the assessments for the day), and then you complete a numerical exercise immediately after. Finally, at the time allotted to you (meaning you could have a few hours to rest in between) you will be given in-tray exercises mixed in with a live interview with a manager within either FS or UK&I Assurance. You complete the exercises while they observe, and then they question you on your answers/choices. After this, the same individual will ask why you applied to EY, and why you chose Assurance. I'd strongly recommend researching this beforehand even if for a few hours only.

For the partner interview stage (which is on a different day after passing the assessment centre) you will 100% have to research Assurance, the current climate in the professional services industry as a whole as well as news specific to EY. This could arguably be done in a few hours, but naturally the more prepared you are the better your chances of success!

I was personally well prepared at every single stage - I knew even before I applied that I wanted to get into FS Assurance and FS Assurance alone!

You are 100% correct. I was wrong there. I was and I am just annoyed at the idea that I am having to prepare for something that if successful, just puts me on a reserve list. That really annoys me and it is difficult to get out of my head. I know I have to prepare well, but a large part of me feels this AC is utterly pointless because it will make no difference - a large number of people are not going to reject a job in this climate and with Brexit looming.

I hate the idea of having to put everything into learning about the company and 99.9% of the time, it will be completely pointless. The same thing happened with another company, WSP. I spent DAYS reading about the company, learning about the role, and answering these essay styled questions only to be rejected with zero feedback. It was an eye opener. I then applied to another consultancy company, did very little revision, got an interview and nearly got in but then the pandemic hit and it got cancelled :/. For a third company, BA, I learned everything about them, what their CEO said, their rivals etc. Not a single question was asked about the company whatsoever LOL!

I will prepare and do what you suggest of course. I have already watched a few hours of videos about assurance and tips applying for EY on their youtube yesterday. Two in particular were quite useful in explaining what it is. I had also prepared for my first video recorded question by reading their website and some of the case studies. I think the only thing I really need to brush up on is the current climate in assurance. I don't know anything about that because I originally applied for a completely different role (which I did have some knowledge about!).

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 14

westrict

5

Original post by 0le

I have a virtual assessment coming up soon for the same position. Can't be fecked for it though, working my ass of for a position which is not guaranteed? Nah, feck that. I'll do a couple of hours of work the day before and wing it - this is only because I don't know what assurance actually is (I was transferred from another role). I literally did no revision for the second video recorded questions I had to do either (for the new role), so I know they are winging it too now.

Can anyone share any advice about the virtual assessments, just in terms of do you have regular breaks where you can turn off the webcams etc, what happens if you get disconnected etc?

Hi,

What office did you apply for?

Reply 15

SkrillaWave

7

Hi,

I'm in the same position as some of you. I've also passed my interview and have a confirmed place on the reserve list. I've been told that we can expect to receive an offer up to 3 weeks before the start date (3rd September for me, not sure if this is the same for you).

Its like you said, essentially its a waiting game hoping that somebody drops out or that EY has starting dates later on in the year that are available.

All you can do is hope, haha.

Reply 16

Original post by westrict

Hi,

What office did you apply for?

Previously applied for forensive data analysis

Reply 17