Deloitte - The Complete Walkthrough Guide
23 January 2010 - 1:18am
bradlever
Author’s Note: The following post is intended to be a guide for people who are applying to audit at Deloitte. I am not sure how much of what is said below will be true for people applying to other departments in Deloitte, although it is probably fairly similar for tax. The guide has been compiled using my own knowledge and other people’s experiences that they have posted on WikiJob. I applied for audit in the Nottingham office and was subsequently offered the job. As this is a very long and detailed post, I have tried to break it up in places with bullet points to stress key things to think about. Please be aware that the guide is based on the 2010 intake and that the company may change its application procedure in future years which could make some of what is said below redundant. I have provided further links to other posts that may be of use to you at the end.
The Application
[Edit] The application form for Deloitte is about the same as any other Big 4 firm. Most of the form is the standard information like education and work experience. As with all application forms, there are a number of free text questions for you to answer. These are (1) ‘Through your research and in your own words please explain five key reasons why you are interested in joining Deloitte’, (2) ‘Please explain your understanding of the core activities undertaken by your chosen service line and the value they add to their clients’ and (3) ‘Please let us know what you think you will be doing in your first year on your chosen programme and service line’. Here are some ideas:- 1) The qualification you will get, the opportunity for progression and responsibility, the variation and learning opportunities, the opportunities for secondments etc.
- 2) For audit: ‘true and fair’, legal requirement, helps companies to stay buoyant in the marketplace by appealing more to investors, provides opportunities for improving on weaknesses in processes etc.
- 3) For audit: studying hard for the qualification, out at client sites taking part in audits, less involved at first while still learning how an audit works, networking and making new friends and contacts etc.
You should also think quite hard about any positions of responsibility that you can include in the next section as these will all improve the quality of your application.
Key points for the application- Take your time and ensure that you especially think hard about what to write in the free text sections as they are what will distinguish your application from the others.
- Try to apply early if you can as they will be less busy and be able to push you through the system quicker. Having said this, don’t try and rush your application to get it in quicker, apart from being able to secure a job a bit quicker, there’s not much difference between applying in September, and applying in December.
- Get someone else to read through your application and check for any mistakes as they will not have time for applications from people who have not even bothered to check that their spelling is correct.
Telephone Screen Interview
[Edit] The telephone screen interview is something quite specific to Deloitte and you won’t find it in any of the other professional services firm. Its purpose is to ensure that you can speak clearly and that you know about the service line that you have applied for. The good thing about this part is that the questions are pretty much standard and so it can be prepared for in advance. You will normally be asked about 3-5 questions in the 15 minutes which could include:- Tell me about the last time you had to do a presentation – This is obviously going to be personal to you and so it’s hard to give any advice. Make sure you think it all through as they’ll want to know what it was for, what you did or how you went about it, and how it went.
- When have you had to deliver a difficult message? – This is quite a tricky question, especially if you haven’t had to deliver a difficult message before, but again it will be personal to you. Try and think about a time when you’ve had to reject someone from something, or give bad news, or talk about something difficult. Again they’ll want to know what the message was, why it was difficult, how you went about it (maybe giving feedback), and what was the outcome.
- Why Deloitte? – This is a standard question that will be asked by any company and you have to make sure you know your reasons. I’ve given some examples in the previous section.
- Why audit (or other service line)? – Again, I’ve given some examples in the application section.
- What will you be doing in your first year? – Same again.
- What is your understanding of professional services? – This question is a bit broader and will mean thinking about what professional services firms do as a whole (i.e. not just your service line).
- What services do Deloitte offer and what is your understanding of them? – This is the same as the previous question but more specific to Deloitte. The information is all on the website.
- Which qualification will you be undertaking and what is your understanding of it? – Make sure you’ve researched the qualification you’ll be undertaking. If you’re doing audit or tax, this will normally be the ACA and you should do some research on what specifically you will have to do.
Most people find it easy enough to get through this stage and its main purpose is to ensure that you can speak clearly. Use the information I’ve given you to do some preparation and also make sure you have read the entirety of Deloitte’s careers website, especially the competencies that they assess you on.
Key points for the telephone screen interview- Do some preparation so you know what to say and don’t have to take too long thinking up an answer or waffling.
- As it is on the telephone, it can be hard to hear what was said sometimes. If this happens, politely ask the interviewer to repeat themselves; don’t guess if you’re not sure, as this could look silly.
- Speak clearly and ensure that your passion for the job comes off in your voice.
Psychometric Tests
[Edit]The psychometric tests are quite standard for all professional services firms so you will have to get used to them. If you were good at maths and are good at reasoning then they shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. I didn’t do any preparation apart from going through the examples as I have a good grasp of basic maths and reasoning already. If you do struggle with your maths, then it is a good idea to do some sort of preparation. There are several websites that offer help with numerical and verbal reasoning. One such site that has been mentioned more than most is assessmentday.co.uk. The tests are split into two and so you have to successfully pass the numerical reasoning test before they let you take the verbal reasoning test.
Key points for the psychometric tests- If you aren’t good at maths or reasoning then do some preparation for it.
- If you are capable of doing basic maths and reasoning, then just go for it because they aren’t the most difficult tests and they are there just to screen out those who aren’t good enough with these basic skills.
- Keep an eye on your time and don’t worry too much if you don’t finish as long as you got through the majority. This is particularly true for the numerical reasoning which is harder to get through in the time given.
First Interview
[Edit]The first interview is where it starts getting difficult. Here you will have to demonstrate that you are the sort of person Deloitte wants working for them, that you know what Deloitte does, that you know what you will be doing in your service line and that you are aware of what your qualification involves. The interview is quite long compared to other firms and can take from 1 to 2 hours, normally lasting about 75 minutes. In your preparation you should pay particular attention to Deloitte’s 7 competency areas as these are the qualities that the interviewer is looking for. The interview is quite structured and you will be asked for two examples to demonstrate each competency area that they assess you on. There are so many different questions that could come up that I have decided not to include them here, but there are several examples on WikiJob. The examples that you prepare should be as adaptable as possible as it’s really hard to know exactly what they will ask you and so you need to be prepared for any possibility. You need to ensure that you expand on every example that you give which involves explaining the background or situation, then explaining what exactly needed to be done or what was required of you (which should be targeted at the specific question that was asked), then explaining what you personally did, and finally you need to tell them the result and what you achieved from your action. If you feel that you can’t answer a question because you can’t think of a relevant example, try your best. Part of the reason they ask hard questions is to see how you cope under pressure. You will not be marked down if you need to take a few moments to think. For a lot of the questions I was asked, I took up to 30 seconds to rack my brains for the most relevant example. Also, don’t let the pressure get to you and ensure you keep a professional and positive front on at all times, even if you feel that it’s going really badly.
Key points for the first interview- Stay calm throughout and make sure that you are always making a good impression, particularly at the start of the interview. They will expect you to be nervous, but don’t let it take you over.
- Make sure you have prepared thoroughly by looking at the competencies and thinking up as many good examples of your life experience as you can. The best examples are the more recent ones that demonstrate how you have been able to achieve something special and that you can describe in detail.
- Don’t panic! If you can’t think up an example, take your time and just think of anything that may even slightly fit the question. Avoid saying that you can’t think of anything.
Assessment Centre
[Edit]If your interviewer liked you, then you will get an email from your graduate recruiter who will invite you to an assessment centre (AC) which generally takes place in the office you’re applying for. If you have reached this stage then you know that the first interviewer liked you and thought you were suitable for the job, so always keep this in mind when doing your preparation and on the day itself. Unlike other companies, Deloitte ACs don’t have any group interaction and in many cases you will be there by yourself. Deloitte is also different in that the e-tray and written exercise that you do are always based around the same company – Trafford Lea which is a book and stationary retailer. Click here to read the background information on Deloitte’s website. I have listed the tasks in the order I did them, although others have commented that they did things differently, however the e-tray and written exercise will always go together, and the lunch will always be before the partner interview.
One of the major tasks on the day is the e-tray which is carried out on a laptop for 1 hour. You will be given background information on the company that you are working for and the client that you are currently working on. When you start you will have a number of emails already in your inbox. Many of the emails will ask for your advice on something and a lot of these are not clear cut. In fact, sometimes it's not possible to deduce the answer from information given and you just have to make up your own mind (e.g. when asked if you should put something off because it’s not a priority or whether you should tackle it straight away). For each email there are 3 potential responses which you have to choose between. With some emails there is 1 right answer which you have to pick and it is very clear cut (e.g. calculation questions), with others there may be more than 1 right answer, but 1 of them will be better than the others. Note that some emails have attachments that have information you need to read and manipulate in order to answer questions. You are also given a folder with other information that you will often have to look at in order to answer questions. You are told that you will be sent about 20 emails, although I went through the task pretty quickly and finished in 45 minutes and I was sent a total of 28 emails, although some of these were just responses that didn't require a reply.
Key points for the e-tray- Be aware of the time, but don’t rush through the emails. If you get stuck on a particular email, leave it and come back to it as reading other messages can sometimes help you with the one you were stuck on.
- Make sure you read all the information carefully and you do your calculations properly as the potential answers will likely include the most common wrong answers as well.
- Some posters have mentioned that it is helpful to open up the information and keep it open in the task bar (at the bottom) so you can quickly switch back to it when needed.
After this, you will be given a short break before moving on to the written exercise. This task is 50 minutes long and requires you to compose an email on which you will be assessed for the content, language, grammar and construct (i.e. formality). The task is about 3 potential companies which your client has to choose between to acquire in order to help them access new markets. You are given a range of information and asked to choose which company the client should choose, justify your choice and explain why you didn't pick the others. I went about the task by talking about the relative advantages and disadvantages of each company and then concluding by choosing what I thought was the best one and giving a quick summary of why I had picked that over the others. There are other ways to go about it, and you should construct your argument in a way that you think gives it the best strength. In the 50 minutes you also need to make notes on your choices as you will be asked by the partner to summarise the company you chose and to justify your choice. In the end, the company I picked appeared to have the most advantages (e.g. best customer service, good profitability, cheapest to acquire etc.) which I used to back up my choice.
Key points for the written exercise- Try and think up a strategy for how you will answer the question before you start writing as structure is one of the things you are assessed on. Advantages and disadvantages of each is one suggestion.
- Make sure you talk about each company and ensure when you make your choice that you give reasons why you didn’t choose the others as well as why you did choose the one you did.
- Leave enough time to make notes as these will greatly assist you when your partner questions you on your choice. Make notes on the reasons for your choice and include some evidence to back it up.
At some point before your partner interview, you go out for an all expenses paid lunch with a trainee and get to ask all the questions you want that may come up in the f interview. Main focus on questions should be the qualification, the sort of work you'll be doing, the reasons why they enjoy their job and potentially Deloitte's clients that could be mentioned.
The partner interview is arguably the most important part of the day. Unfortunately, in terms of planning, it is very hard to say exactly what will happen in your interview as they differ depending on the partner. I will begin with my experience and then note on a few other things which other people have mentioned. For the first 10 minutes I was asked to discuss the choice I made in my written exercise. The partner may try and push you and try and make you change your mind or he may list some of the disadvantages (e.g. my choice of company was quite old fashioned and may see declining sales in the future) and get you to explain how you could still justify advising that choice to the company. Don't get flustered over it and just keep reaffirming the reasons for your choice as one of the aims of this exercise is to see if you can stand up to pressure. Next, I was asked about 3 competency questions which threw me a bit because I was expecting to be asked more commercial awareness sort of questions. The questions he asked were 'Tell me about a time when you set about to achieve something and failed', 'Tell me about a time you had to learn something completely new', and 'Tell me about a time when you were put under a large amount of pressure'. I was then asked a little about recent news stories and mostly about why I wanted to go into accounting, why Deloitte specifically, why audit, what the ACA involves and what I thought I'd be doing, particularly in my first year. I was also asked if I had applied elsewhere and what stage I was at.
Other people have found that they were also asked competency questions (like in the first interview), however there are so many potential questions, so it’s best to look elsewhere on WikiJob to find examples of these. Other people have said that their interview was more of a discussion and didn’t really have many (or even any) competency questions. While my interview did focus quite a lot on audit and Deloitte itself, there wasn’t much in the way of commercial awareness, however this has been different for others who have found that having a good commercial awareness was really helpful. It has been noted that striking up a conversation about a particular accounting issue or a piece of business news can really help to engage with the interviewer and also keep the focus off you so much so you can avoid the tricky questions as much as possible.
- Keep calm and if it seems like they're really pressuring you and asking tough questions, it's just to see how you cope under pressure which you'll probably find in the job.
- Ensure you have enough general examples to get you through any random competency question that could come up. To be honest I think there's too many to actually prepare for each one specifically.
- Make sure you come across as actually wanting the job and jump at any opportunity to prove it.
- Find out exactly what you'll have to do as part of the job and what any professional qualification you do involves. (As for this point, you will go out to lunch with a recent starter before the interview and that's the best time to ask about the job and exams)
The Offer
[Edit]If you succeeded in the assessment centre, you will get a call from the partner who interviewed you to let you know that they are offering you a position. The time it takes to receive an offer can vary, for me it was the next day, for others it has been as they were leaving the building, while for others it has taken a few days. Generally you should get a reply within a week and you will always be told whether or not you have succeeded. As the call will be from your interviewing partner, feel free to ask for feedback as they will be able to give you it first hand, and especially if you were unsuccessful, knowing where you went wrong is very important for the future.
Round Up and Links
[Edit]I hope this article has helped. While it is very lengthy, my aim was to get as much information packed into it as possible. When I was applying for jobs, I found it quite difficult to search through all the different information on WikiJob, especially since a lot was quite dated. Please feel free to ask questions about any stage of the process and it would be really helpful to others if you could post your own experiences.
Here are some links to other WikiJob articles and sites that you may find useful:- Deloitte Audit London - Getting the Job (Wikijob)
- Deloitte Telephone Interview (WikiJob)
- Deloitte First Round (WikiJob)
- Deloitte Assessment Day (WikiJob)
- Deloitte's Competency Areas (Deloitte)
- Deloitte's Assessment Centre (Deloitte)
- Deloitte's Clients (Hemscott)
- www.assessmentday.co.uk (Psychometric Test Help)
More links may be forthcoming as I plan on creating more of these big articles to help future applicants. As these come up, I will post them on this thread.
Good luck!
25 January 2010 - 2:02am
Shuhs
This is such a great post! Thank you so much for writing all these stuff.
I'll be having a final assessment centre a week later and I just found it extremely difficult to think of that many examples which demonstrate my competencies. All other companies only ask for 1 example for a single question whereas Deloitte does require 2! I think I have really run out of relevant real-life experiences to relate to those competency questions? Could anybody tell me if it'll be too dangerous to tell the interviewer things I've never done or partly untrue? I know this might be risky but it's certainly better than a simple "I don't know" ,right?
And I was told right before my online tests that, random re-tests would be carried out during assessment days. I'd like to confirm with you guys whether this is really the case? I used to think this happened quite often because people told me they had been asked to re-do the aptitude tests during their assessment days.
A big thank you in advance! This place really helped me greatly and I'll certainly be offering my insights and help if I can ever get an offer! :)
30 January 2010 - 12:16am
Vincent Bolzano
Brad - just like to say you are a legend when it comes to these posts!
7 February 2010 - 11:46pm
cathy1229yan
Hi bradlever
Thank you very much for the unbelievably thorough guide. I'm currently waiting for the invitation for the first round interview. I wonder if you could remember any detailed questions on that day? Any help would be appreciated soo much!
22 March 2010 - 8:09pm
VaneelaLFAJ
Hi,
I've been recently invited to a first round interview...and in the confirmation e-mail they also said the following:
"Deloitte operates a retesting policy, you could therefore be selected to sit a retest of both the numerical and verbal reasoning tests before attending your first interview. If selected, you will resit your tests in the Deloitte office where your interview is to be conducted. Unfortunately if you are unsuccessful at the retest stage you will not be able to proceed to the first round interview stage."
Did anyone had to go through the tests before their interview? And if so, when do you find out whether you are "selected" for retesting, on the day?
22 March 2010 - 10:23pm
bradlever
never heard of it happening but I'm sure it does. I would have thought that you would get told on the day to be honest.
If you've done fine in the initial testing stage, then it shouldn't be a problem.
28 March 2010 - 1:50pm
derekjai
Hi all,
I'd like to know what everyone's experience has been in the first round in terms of commercial awareness.
Has it been to talk about one piece of recent news, or more like give me two examples of a good company and discuss, and two of a bad one and discuss?
Thanks very much in advance, it would be very much appreciated!!
1 April 2010 - 9:28am
dbeckham32
hi all,
i have the first interview coming up...i was hoping that some one could help me in the following question:
What differentiates Deloitte from its competitors?
What challenges is Deloitte currently facing?
I shall be grateful!!
B3cks!
1 April 2010 - 2:52pm
bradlever
The only answer I ever hear to that first question is that the people are nicer. I don't really know how true that is, and to be honest I hope its rubbish, since I accepted an offer from PwC and declined Deloitte. In all honesty, there's very little which makes it a hard question. Just say the people and hope they move on, oh and maybe mention London 2012 as well.
Challenges are generally the coming out of recession and trying to get clients to buy more of their services in order to help them recover. IFRS may still pose a challenge as standards are still changing which means that staff have to keep very up to date all the time. Maybe challenges in terms of audit firms being somewhat held responsible if their client commits fraud or goes bankrupt, like the Lehman Brothers and E&Y thing.
Probably more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
19 May 2010 - 12:19am
jigglyj0
During the assessment day, are the questions on the e-tray similar to the psychometric tests?
19 May 2010 - 9:36am
bradlever
Sorry no, they're nothing like them. The e-tray asks you to use information to answer emails, its more like a business comprehension sort of task. The psychometric tests, test your verbal and numerical ability.
19 May 2010 - 12:23pm
tutor
Here is a little comparison to think about re PwC and Deloitte.
I understand that PwC have a charge code for Volcanic Ash so that any staff stranded unable to return to work don't have to use annual leave.
Whereas, I believe that Deloitte insist staff use annual leave. Perhaps someone can confirm the Deloitte stance.
19 May 2010 - 2:20pm
jigglyj0
Hey is anyone joining the Manchester Tax office for Private Clients Services
I've looked at the tax proposals from the new government
Any recommendations on what other issues I could look at in terms of commercial awareness.
19 May 2010 - 2:21pm
jigglyj0
Hey is anyone joining the Manchester Tax office for Private Clients Services
I've looked at the tax proposals from the new government
Any recommendations on what other issues I could look at in terms of commercial awareness.
19 May 2010 - 8:13pm
derekjai
Hi jigglyjo
It might be useful to just have some background knowledge on how the recession has or will affect the tax on businesses and/or Deloitte and other professional services firm. Its something which could easily be asked. I applied to audit and the partner asked me how it was affecting my industry (I'm an engineer)
Good luck, and all the best!
26 May 2010 - 5:43pm
jonnymch
Great post - as a successful applicant I think the above is a very accurate description and any applciant would do well to read and understand the above.
I agree completely with your partner interview section - the questions really are quite random and I suspect that some partners are a lot more difficult to satisfy than others.
Fortunately, making mistakes in this interview is not the be all and end all - e.g. when I was asked about a company I admired, I chose BP and proceeded to desribe how they were developing nuclear energy technology and infrastructure??? I also said that I wouldn't want to work in the Tax department as I imagined it would be dull (He laughed when I said I thought audit would be more interesting) - later found out of course that he was a tax partner.
FI: in my partner interview I was asked questions about my travel/teaching experience and we also chatted about how the group scenario dynamics panned out. I suspect that the bulk of their questions are focussed on whatever part of your background they find interesting - coming across as balanced, friendly, intelligent and interested in finance are most important imo - I would not have thought they care about whether your teamworking competancy is rated as a "3 or 4" out of 5 - could be wrong about that of course.
15 June 2010 - 6:25am
sally baker
Hi Bradlever,
I hope you could help me.
I am expecting interview with Deloitte as an internal auditor in the public sector.
They are not conducting psychometric test but instead they are going to conduct the English and Maths test.
I don't know how to practice for these tests.
I would appreciate if you can come back to me and guide me how to practice for the test.
I have one week available before interview. So i would appreciate if you could come back to me asap.
I am struggling to get the right test practice and this is bit different from the Psychometric test.
God bless you to succeed in your career.
Many thanks.
15 June 2010 - 10:43am
fuzzies
Just had my AC on Thursday and got the job!! I would just like to thank everyone on this forum who posted their experiences, especially bradlever who is probably one of the most self-less people in the world (the world needs much more of you :) ) . I applied for Audit in London but because I needed a work-permit sponsorship and therefore had to wait, positions in London for 2010 filled out. Hence, I'm going to be based in St.Albans. Anyway, I would be more than willing to help anyone who has an AC for Audit coming up..so shoot any questions that you may have!
15 June 2010 - 11:04am
bradlever
Hi Sally,
I'm sorry but I've never heard of them doing an English and Maths test. Hopefully someone else here will be able to help you, but otherwise it may be best to phone them up and ask exactly what will be expected of you.
Thanks fuzzies, I like sharing experience and helping other people where possible. I'm glad that you're willing to do the same.
Brad
15 June 2010 - 6:29pm
sally baker
Hi Brad,
This is the job as an internal auditor in Public sector in Deloitte.
And this is a bit different than External auditor job in Deloitte.
Because this is other than audit assignements.
It is like Deloitte is providing assurance services to their clients.
Now i already called Deloitee and asked them for the interview process and i came to know that they will conduct the English and Maths test.
So i would really appreciate if you could send me the link from where i can get the material for the preparation of the english and maths test.
I am bit worrying but i know that when there is a nice people like you are in the existence who are ready to help, i can grow with the people.
Please help me to get this material. I would know how to do the preparation but i should know what to do.
At present i dont know what to prepare? If you could send me the link i will start preparing for the test. I will able to know how to prepare.
Because you are the employee of Deloitte, you might know the interview process for the job role as an internal auditor in public sector.
Plz help me to achieve my dream. Today i went to Church and pray that god plz send me the material through your messenger so that i will focus on the preparation.
And i feel like you are that messenger.
God bless you.......
15 June 2010 - 6:32pm
sally baker
Hi Fuzzies,
I dont understand what is AC for Audit.
I am expecting call from Deloitte for the interview for the job role as an internal auditor in the Public sector.
They conduct English and maths test and i dont know what to prepare?
I would appreciate if you could send me the link for the preparation of the English and Maths test.
Many thanks for your time and your unselfish help to me.
God bless you.....
15 June 2010 - 10:57pm
bradlever
Hi Sally,
I'm actually not an employee of Deloitte. I simply went through the interview process this year and was given an offer. I declined the offer from Deloitte and will be starting work in Assurance for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in September.
Have you been explicitly told by Deloitte that the tests you will be doing are not the standard psychometric english and maths tests, since I can't find any evidence of them doing any different tests for any of their applications.
I would suggest that you call them again and confirm that your tests will be different to the normal ones, and then maybe ask them where you can find the materials you need to prepare.
If you find that you are in fact taking the standard tests which I think will be the case, then the best place to find practice materials is here: http://www.assessmentday.co.uk
16 June 2010 - 2:39pm
The Untouchable One
Hey guys,
I sent off my app for an audit associate role on the 10th of June, and they got back to me inviting me to a phone interview yesterday and I have one now arranged for the 28th of June. I was and still am worried to an extent that I have left it to late to apply for a job that begins in September! I was just wondering how quick the application process goes and though that I have a phone interview, could the spaces fill before I have the chance? Also does anyone knows what's the percentage of people who make it through each stage of the interview process if anyone has that info?
Sorry for all the questions, anyway I'll give you a little background on myself. I'm currently doing work experience as part of my Masters and this finishes at the beginning of September. But during this work experience, I have got a 2 week placement (It's complicated, don't ask!) with another 'Big 4' company lined up for a fortnight from early July and I hope if I'm lucky enough to pass the phone interview that this 2 week placement doesn't clash with the next interview stage! Are the companies flexible in that respect to interview timing?
Thanks once again, this site has been a saviour thus far!
TUO
18 June 2010 - 1:37am
Xygor
Couple months ago it was approx. a month wait between each stage. It took me 5 months to get an offer. But it seems this period is getting shorter. Obviously, the spaces may fill or they may not. Worrying about it isn't going change anything, but trying to get in may do.
In terms of interview timing - they have specific days when they interview people. They will offer you a date - if you reject it, they will offer you the next available one. I don't think that they really care about when you're going to do your interview, it just if you postpone it - someone else is going to take your place.
30 June 2010 - 2:09am
cyberdahar
@ guys who had recently had their AC at London especially fuzzies:
I have my AC coming up in London in two weeks time. I am a little worried about the partner interview....CAn all of you guys list specific questions that the partner asked...it would be really helpful for me...also is there any other advice that you guys would like to give me...as in that I have two weeks so how should I prepare...what areas should I focus on...etc
11 July 2010 - 2:37pm
dilthegymfiend
thanks for the great post brad...
could you or anyone else who has done the assessment centre clear one thing up for me please; it terms of the written exercise when you are advising on the takeover target for trafford lea...are there intentions to takeover the company (say tarrini) and convert it to trafford lea stores let's say or does the company aim to takeover the company and keep the brand and stores etc as is.
i hope this makes sense
many thanks for any input!
12 July 2010 - 11:46am
kitten
Hi - quick qualification to brad's excellent walkthrough. I applied to tax in London, and instead of a partner interview I had an interview with two senior managers.
One of these interviews focused on competency questions and commercial awareness. In the other I had to give my short presentation on the Trafford Lea case. I was expecting to be questioned on it - but wasn't - so I think my presentation came off a little unfinished.
We were told that this set up is standard practice for tax in that office.
12 July 2010 - 1:30pm
dilthegymfiend
kitten...thanks very much you have cleared up a lot for me.
did you get an offer?
16 July 2010 - 8:42pm
cyborg_001
Guys thank u sooo much for this thread n info...saved my butt! got my offer today for Deloitte Operations Consulting line! So over the moon :)
17 July 2010 - 3:36am
bradlever
Hey all of you.. I'm so glad so many people have found this thread so useful. I actually took up a job at PwC which I'll be starting in September, but I hope all of you will remember this help if we ever bump heads one day. :-)
20 July 2010 - 5:07pm
cyborg_001
Guys...I NEED SERIOUS ADVICE AS TO WHICH OFFER TO CHOOSE (ACN or Deloitte) AS SOME/MOST OF U MIGHT HAVE SOME IDEAS AND ANY INFORMATION IS PRECIOUS FOR THE BEST DECISION...
Thing is...Accenture is known to milk its employees for money n over charge clients...very high attrition rates that's why they gotta pay more to attract new grads...they make consultants travel mon-thu consistently living in hotels n no life in small crappy towns.
Deloitte charges higher n never bids low cos they are consistent n respected...these days after MBBB (mc kinsey, bain, booz, BCG) it's Deloitte in consulting (independent dept)...plus its got independent offices/firms structure unlike Accenture which is a publicly traded company with internal politics. N I hear many Deloitte consultants go straight to McKinsey/BCG etc.
Deloitte seems to have a better culture n ethic n work-life balance (lesser travel). Its Operations Consulting in Deloitte (4 sub groups within...supply chain, finance function, operations/project excellence...work with other groups too).
http://careers.deloitte.com/united-kingdom/students/csc_general.aspx?CountryContentID=12510
http://careers.deloitte.com/united-kingdom/students/culture_benefits.aspx?CountryContentID=12414
General entry in Accenture (Analyst consulting group) with exposure to management and technology consulting sectors. On paper that gives wider exposure and a chance to specialise later after seeing all sectors but u could be just pigeon holed in technology and lick butt to get good projects esp me being an engineer dealing with their crap HR.
Deloitte offers a qualification (CIMA)...ACN doesn't...but Deloitte training in crappy Scotland (promotion in 21 months latest) n Accenture takes u to train in Chicago n 10K bonus in first two years with corporate Amex card (promotion latest 24-36 months)!!
Oh n the fact tht in Deloitte, a senior partner of the company called to offer...where as in ACN it's a generic email from HR!! says something right haha.
HELP!!! Thanks.
28 July 2010 - 11:22am
lankster
Hi,
I'm currently at the first interview stage for Deloitte who e-mailed me last week, asking to provide a suitable date/time for interview. I have emailed them two times , receiving no responses back. Do any of you know how long it usually takes for Deloitte to respond?
Thanks,
lankster
28 July 2010 - 1:52pm
bradlever
It varies. I wouldn't worry about it, they'll get back to you eventually.
5 August 2010 - 9:46am
autumn
Hi,
I attended Deloitte's interview and now need to claim my travel expenses back. Do any of you know which address I can send them to? I can't find it in the website.
Cheers
15 August 2010 - 3:19am
K.S
You need to send it to graduate recruitment. Email the person who arranged your interview and ask them the address
18 August 2010 - 9:11pm
Saf
hi guys
any help welcome with following question:
‘How important is taxation policy in the recovery of the UK economy and what tax policies do you think could be introduced to aid the recovery?’
thanks
18 August 2010 - 10:05pm
bradlever
I can think of a few points that I might use:
- Taxation and borrowing are the two primary income streams of the government. Taxation policy is therefore very important in helping to fund government expenditure. Government spending is important in aiding the recovery since it constitutes a source of demand which fuels the economy. In this way tax policies that help to increase the amount of tax raised are important.
- On the other hand, in certain areas, tax will constitute a reduction in the amount of money that other individuals or businesses will have to spend, and could therefore amount to a reduction in supply and demand and therefore a slowdown in the economy.
- When tax rates are too high, companies may be deterred from doing business in the country and may look to do business in countries where the tax rates are lower.
- We therefore need a careful balance in taxation policy in order to raise enough tax to fund government spending and reduce the budget deficit, but also to avoid taking too much money away from individuals and firms who would otherwise be using it in ways that stimulate the economy.
- Income tax is perhaps one area that should not be raised as it is important for people who are already struggling, to receive as much of their income as possible. Raising income tax would also discourage people from finding work as they would receive less benefit from it, and this would lead to more people claiming benefits.
- VAT is also an area which will have a large effect on everybody, however a small rise in the prices of goods may not impact on any one person in such a large way, but will raise a vast amount more tax revenue for the government, and so perhaps a small rise in VAT is a good idea.
- Maybe finding other sources of tax revenue is the best solution. An example of this is the proposed bank tax which is more redistributive in nature as it is taking more money from those who have a lot of it rather than those who have very little.
I hope those points help some. They are off the top of my head, but I enjoy thinking about these sorts of questions.
18 August 2010 - 10:21pm
Saf
hey Brad,
Thanks alot thats so helpful..I have to do a presentation on tuesday for BTG Tax on Tuesday and thats my discussion topic....
if you can think of more points please let me know...
in the mean time thanks...
oh by the way....
what do you think of the potenial LPP (legal professional privelege) status for tax advisors? which should bring them on a par with lawyers and accountancy's role in sustainability because after the copenhagen summit it was decided carbon emissions have to be limited to 2% and for the govt to reach this target they will set carbon taxes i assume....what do you think?????
18 August 2010 - 11:05pm
bradlever
That's flown way over my head :-)
I'm not really sure what that will mean to be honest. Why would tax advisors need LPP status?
19 August 2010 - 6:17am
Saf
Check out these links they'll explain the issue alot better than i can...
http://www.ion.icaew.com/TaxFaculty/20316
http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/video/2267399/video-icaew-pushed-legal
I hope they help....
19 August 2010 - 10:28am
bradlever
Right ok, I understand why chartered accountants who give legal tax advice should be granted LPP and I definitely agree with that.
I'm still not sure exactly what you're getting at when you say that LPP will bring them on par with lawyers and accountants in sustainability.
The government already has tax policies that aim to reduce carbon emissions. An example being road tax as cars are now taxed depending on the amount of CO2 that they produce.
19 August 2010 - 12:37pm
Saf
hahaha sorry Brad i read my post and explained the issues incorrectly, the LPP and sustainability are completely different issues..
The taxes on carbon the thing is at the moment it needs to be reduced to meet the 2% target and so business will be taxed more than likely be taxed...again this link may help....
http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/video/2256075/video-sustainability-challenge
let me know what you think...
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great post ,bradlever cheers!