Deloitte Final Interview 2013- Bright Start

This site helped me a lot through my interview process so I thought I would offer my experience.

Up until this point, my experience with Deloitte has been fantastic. Everyone has been warm and friendly, I have had human points of contact, with personal email addresses. My first interview was with two department managers within the sector I was applying for, and particularly the programme I would be under (Management Consultancy- People and Programmes). This interview was competency based and was a real opportunity to show off what you could do. I felt it went very well, lots of engaging talk and body language and was therefore not too surprised (but very happy!!!) when I received an offer for a final interview.

You are told that the final interview will be competency based whilst you also have to plan a presentation on a topic you are given. Well. My experience (and only mine personally) was horrific. My partner started by telling me he wanted to get to know me more however he specified that the interview would not, under any circumstances, run over the hour he'd prescribed. He started asking very obscure questions next about international trade and my opinions on social networking, all of which I managed to push through but they were not the kind of competency based questions I'd been expecting.

My interviewer went on to challenge every answer I gave, trying to make me second guess myself. I held my nerve but by this point was feeling exasperated and uncomfortable to say the least. He seemed to be asking me purposefully random questions as though trying to push me to breaking point. I did choke up at one point when he openly doubted my ability and said he wasn't sure why I had applied in the first place.

I then gave my presentation which I had spent a lot of time preparing only for him to barely mention it. The follow up questions were only loosely related and I felt as though he hadn't listened to me at all.

At the end of the interview, I was given the opportunity to ask any questions. When I brought into one of the questions why he'd painted one of my skills as a criticism he merely quoted "I don't believe i have criticised you at all." He then went on to make a point of how many other candidates there were and how I should be under no allusion that I would receive a call within two hours and would hear back within two weeks.

All in all not my favourite interview I've ever had. I suspect the partner was trying to push me to see how much I knew and how I handled myself when challenged however I feel it was a bit unfair in the, already highly pressurised, situation.

how did everyone else get on?