I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at PwC in Nov 2014
Interview
Online Application - I completed the online application in early November 2014. It was a standard online application asking for personal details, education, work experience and awards / achievements.
Online Tests - The same day I was automatically sent online tests. These are the standard SHL numerical and logical reasoning tests and a personality test.
Further Information - A few days later I was contacted by email to provide further information to explain my employment and education gaps that were not possible to enter in the original application due to technical limitations.
Telephone Interview - I received an email invitation for a telephone interview. There were several time slots available including early mornings, late evenings and weekends. The telephone interview gave me a week of time to prepare and was carried out by a contractor who was polite and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. The interview questions were all competency questions and follow the competencies laid out on the PwC website. A few days after the interview I received an email confirming that I had passed on to the next stage. No feedback was provided.
Assessment Center - At this stage the process becomes more personal as their reliance on automatic emails is replaced by personal emails and phone calls. They called me to ask if I was able to make it to an assessment center the following day which I refused as this was not enough time to prepare and let myself off work. They were fine with this and said they would contact me soon. I was then contacted a few days later about a new assessment center date which I confirmed. You can choose to attend any assessment center in your region. The assessment center structure included 4 stages. The first stage was a repeat of the online numerical and logical tests which are harder than the online ones and are on paper. The next stage is a very time pressured written report which requires you to quickly sort out important information in a 20 page booklet and complete a written report. You are expected to focus on the important aspects such as timing, layout, spelling, grammar, calculations, sorting out important information etc. The third stage was a group task where you are given a booklet and your personal bit of information. Once again this is time pressured and you are expected to come to a decision with your group. You are assessed according to how well you work within a group and your personal contributions to the group discussion. The forth stage is a lunch with current PwC graduates and apprentices where you may ask questions and get to know PwC and the opportunities available. I was told I passed the assessment center the following day by phone and was provided feedback.
Senior Interview - This is the final stage and the date of this interview depends on the availability of Directors and Partners of the office and business line you applied to. There was a delay for me because of the Christmas Break. I was given a choice of two dates online to attend the senior interview in person at the office I applied to. The Director I was interviewed by was 15 minutes late to the interview. The interview started out fine with general questions about myself and my background. They try to make you feel comfortable even though this interview is the most important stage of the process. After a while the interviewer made a comment about time running out and began asking questions more randomly and interrupted my answers. My experience of the process was positive until the final interview. The result of this interview was provided to me almost two weeks later and I still have not received any feedback.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
You may be asked questions at the senior interview that were already asked during the telephone interview.
lot of stages of interview. i need to take a test. then go through the first stage of interview. then 2nd interview is quite tough as they the questions are more very high thinking level which i am underprepared. but it was a great experience.
The process was well-structured and professional overall. It included behavioral questions, discussions about audit/accounting concepts, and questions focused on teamwork and problem-solving. Interviewers were friendly and made the conversation comfortable. The process was moderately challenging but fair, with clear communication throughout.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you approach identifying risks or material misstatements during an audit engagement?
Final interview: was prepped by an early careers team member on a video call before hand. Interview was with a director or partner. Asked about how i expect to progress and why i want to work for the firm.