Application Process & Interviews at EY Australia

I went through a number of online interview processes (cognitive tests, recorded interview questions) and then proceeded to the group interview stage. This interview was split into two sections - a group task and a one-on-one interview with a partner. The partner I interviewed with made the situation relaxed and comfortable, the group interview involved our group working together to solve a business problem in front of a hiring manager.

Hiring process was very impressive the recruiters were heavily involved and wanted to help you to increase the chances of being selected. They provided very good support and showed the culture of EY. Made the environment very welcoming and positive. Wasn't as intense as other hiring processes and glad that EY allows for a more natural hiring process.

The application process to EY was easy and transparent to complete. This started with an online assessment/video interview which I was able to do when I was free (given a few days to complete). If you are successful, the in-person recruitment day involves a group activity and interview. I felt very comfortable when being interviewed as it was more of a conversation rather than feeling like I was being interrogated. The group activity was a great way to be exposed to the teamwork aspect of consulting.

My favourite part of the recruitment process was that I had only one contact person who stayed in touch. It was a more personable experience than I was expecting; I am a "small cog in a big machine" but it didn't feel like that during recruitment. When it came time to interview, I was able to have a say as to when and in what format (in-person, Zoom) I could sit my interview.

Interview was good - although serious, interviewers were otherwise friendly people to talk to Case study with the group of people - also good Recruitment was responsive

We first had to do a video interview (with preset questions), a few tests and then a final interview and case study in person. I thought the application process was quite lengthy but understand that it was necessary to save to company time and cut down the candidate pool. The questions are reasonable and in line with what you would expect a company to ask.

Took a while to hear back but once on the process it went quickly

The interview process and assessments were interactive, engaging and fairly assessed my abilities.

The interview was a breeze.

Fair but Tough

Campus recruitment usually involves a rich application process of your transcript, your CV, a video intro and a written piece on your desire to work with the firm. Upon successful shortlisting, candidates are invited to an assessment day which involves a 1:1 interview with a business/ team representative and a group activity

Positive, the recruiter was in contact throughout the process, had the opportunity to meet members from the team that I was joining

There were quite a few steps when applying as a graduate. The assessments took a lot of time out of my day because I wanted to succeed.

Assessment centre with group activities and individual interview.

The interview and assessment process is very straight forward. After applying I completed two online assessments and was then invited to a recruitment day which involved an interview and group assessment task. Interviews were conducted by two members of the team I was applying for and the group assessment required a team of five to present on a case study for a panel.

The interview process was straight forward. The only issue I had was only having one group interview day with a week's notice which I couldn't attend so was initially cut from the process.

I felt the interviewers were very welcoming and natural. Good organisation and structure. Questions asked were relevant. I liked the task of being a case study but the psychometric tests were quite long. I don't believe it was an accurate reflection of my competency as a worker. Namely the mathematical questions. But I appreciated the email and company fit questions.

One face-face interview and group activity.

The last time I interviewed it was for an internship role. There was online testing, a group assessment and then an interview with 1-2 ppl from upper management

Assessment center with a group activity (analysis and presentation), a networking event, and interview.

Questions regarding teamwork, how you work with others, instances in which you overcame a problem with the help of others, awareness of world events, what the firm does, how you heard about the firm, what your personal goals are whilst at the firm...

What are my strengths, when is a time that I worked in a team and it wasn't going well etc.

Questions were based around behavioral and technical topics. I was not expected to be an expert on anything, rather, the interviewer was looking at my experience from an overall perspective and wanted to know who I was as a person. For anyone doing an interview, I'd recommend making sure you are equipped with the STAR method and multiple experiences to refer to. It is also important to showcase your personality, where even through it is very easy to be nervous in an interview and it is expected, the interviewer wants to see who you are and how you would adapt to the friendly/social culture that EY has.

I can't really remember! I spent a lot of time preparing but it is a bit of a blur in my memory!

Can only remember: A time when I had to learn something new under pressure/in a short timespan (thereabouts)? How often I watch the news? Tell me about yourself?

Generic questions about why I wanted to work at EY, how I have demonstrated problem solving skills in the past etc

STAR and Behavioral questions

A range of behavioural questions to assess my cultural fit. Questions surrounding the demonstration of collaboration and leadership through professional and educational endeavours. Also, questions were asked around why I wanted to work for EY.

Reasons for joining EY Reasons for applying to the specific department Strengths and Weaknesses

What are the client opportunities Services we offer What are the trends in your particular discipline i.e technology, finance etc. Behavioral and prior experience questions

My interview was more of a discussion about the team and the types of work that team completes. Limited descriptive and behavioral questions were asked.

A standard selection of common behavioral questions.

Interviewer was off script.

I was asked behavioural questions which included the following: What are some of your strengths?, Describe a time you have been challenged and how you overcame it?, Describe a time you have demonstrated teamwork and leadership?, Why are you interested in joining the firm and this team?

To give examples of how I had previously approached work, teaming, conflict etc.

Tell me about yourself, why cyber security, why this workplace, what story have you looked into recently concerning cyber security, how do you manage multiple tasks, how do you encourage team mates

STAR format of describing prior experience/activities at work/university/personal life I don't remember the specific questions

A lot of behavioural questions like "tell us about a time you faced conflict and what you did to resolve it"

The usual behavioural interview questions as well as a good mix of general getting to know you questions. It was a genuine conversation, not like the traditional depiction of an interview where you are grilled.

Questions involving soft skills - conflict resolution, handling difficult situations

Emphasis group activities. It is crucial that you are able to work with others in this business. Whilst technical skills are important, they can be largely learnt by doing the job. What takes years to develop is social ability. Do you work well with others? Can you accommodate other people's needs? How do you navigate situations when a group-member is not pulling their weight? In order to prepare for this, get involved in group-based activities. Theatre, team-sports, group-tasks at school/uni.

To be yourself, stay calm and to come with confidence as EY wants the best outcome for you. I would recommend in order to prepare is to have a good background story that takes in all aspects of your life including high school, university and personal hobbies as it is your current journey.

Be yourself. This sounds like common sense, but it is often advice that potential candidates do not follow. Every consultant+ I have met is different to each other. They all have different personalities, work styles, and hobbies which they have outside of work. The commonality they all share is that they bring their personality to work in a genuine way rather than putting on an image that isn't real. This is something you should aspire to do as well. Learn how to bring your real personality to work and balancing that in a professional way. This will give you a huge confidence boost and help you in any application you complete including at EY.

Most places will ask, "Why do you want to work at [firm name]?" Prepare a sincere and considered answer. This means you will have to spend some time to get to understand the business that you're applying at, in order to collate a genuine answer that you can support. It is hard to know exactly why it is I was offered my job, but I think that at least part of it was because when I gave the answer to that question, I meant it. That is to say, even if I didn't receive an offer, I would have applied again to another part of the business. Because I wanted to work at EY. I think this was felt in my interview; 'I want to work here and let me tell you why!'

STAR

Definitely prepare answers to generic recruitment questions or at least think about it. Also think of questions you can ask the recruiters about the company has it shows genuine interest in working here.

Go to career events and get your face Infront of recruiters

Research the types of behavioural questions interviewers are likely to ask and think about 2-3 responses for each of this questions.

Be friendly and honest. Please note I put a 3 for hiring process as HR took way to long to complete their processes which resulted in me starting a month later then expected.

Learn about the department that you are applying to.

Review the website Speak to someone in a big to understand the org structure Research basic interview prep Practice!

Be authentic, apply to something that piques your interest, reflect on why you want a role or to work for a particular firm, understand your value-proposition (... and be able to articulate it), do your research about the firm and team beforehand and ask lots of questions that demonstrate our genuine curiosity .

Do research about EY as a company as have specific reasons as to why you want that role in that area. Be friendly and show your personal side.

Understand why they want to join this team.

The best advice I can give is to reach out to people in the team you are applying for to get a thorough understanding of the day to day work and culture. Not only does this give you more information about the role/team, it demonstrates a real interest in joining the firm and team you are applying for.

To really focus on being able to explain how you operate in a team environment.

I would encourage them to understand why they value the company and the specific service line. To make this personal and specific rather than a generic response. To do their research and reach out to people in that role so they can leverage a genuine understanding of the position/company.

Be confident in your interview but not too confident

Use the STAR method

Study up on the firm, the position, practice behavioral questions and just relax. The time you spend at the assessment center is about seeing if you can interact in a positive manner, so be conversational, be genuinely interested and if there are things that you want to know, make sure you ask in the interview.