Grant Thornton Final Round Assessment

I would also like to know this. Just recieved a phone call in the past hour (had 1st round interview this morning) saying I am through to this stage, so I would like to know what to expect :)

hey,
I had mine this week, and got offered the job :-) The 2nd interview is just like the hr one, some of the questions are even identical. But they did ask some general commerciality questions eg what the credit crunch is, issues in the news type things.
And then the partner interview is a 10 min presentation based on a booklet of information they give you on a firm. I found the most difficult thing the time pressure, it's difficult to get through all the information, but I don't think you need to mention every detail in the booklet, just highlight trends. And try and make sure you're quite structured in your presentation. Mine wasn't anything like 10 mins long, but the partner didn't seem tomind.
Hope that helps, good luck!

Hey Kady, congadulations in getting the Job at GT. I am going for an assessment centre soon and I wondering whether I need to prepare for Verbal and Numerical tests. Are these tests part of the assessment centre?

Er... I'm afraid I'm not sure. I never had an assessment centre as such, my 2nd interview was on a separate day to my partner one. But I never had to repeat the tests with Grant Thornton. I forgot to say, there was a group exercise to complete as well, which I did after my 2nd interview, but it wasn't too difficult, and I don't think it plays much of a role, as long as you seem fairly capable of working with others.

hey kady123, how long did you have to wait to get an offer from them?

are you starting in January or September in audit?

I just had my assessment day yesterday so I dont know how long I should expect, they said 5 working days. I applied for the London Office, how about you?

Thanks

Can someone provide some more details of the assessment centre:

What is the case study like?
What are the commercial issues which are worth discussing.

for the 2nd interview did you have to use new examples for the competencies?

Can you explain more about the presentation that you did?

How much commerical awareness was required?

Do GT definitely tell you either way? I had my second interview with them on monday but still haven't heard anything...

does anyone know what is the starting pay for regional offices? birmingham for ex?

Hi, I have had so much information from this site I thought i'd give something back. I had an assessment day with Grant Thornton last week and will clarify a few things for you. Firstly, I was nervous as you all will be but try to relax, what really came across is their friendly and supportive culture and everyone I met was very easy to converse with. It's quite short compared to other assessment days so it's important to make an impact in both the partner and manager interview.

The partner interview is a 10 minute presentation of a case study on the day. You have 40 minutes to prepare this and there are 2 sections, you must present the main trends in the data, then recommend how the client can improve their business and why. The data is fairly simple but there is quite a bit to analyse in 40 mins and prepare what you are going to say. I didn't even get to 8 minutes in the presentation but this doesn't matter as it is content that counts.

The manager interview should be a breeze as you will have already passed the telephone interview and it is almost the same. In fact the manager tried to rush through the competency questions so they could have more of a chat about what to expect and what you want to do and are aware of in terms of future career possibilities. Try to know a little bit about the qualifications you might study and ask questions about their views as it will help you decide if you get the job offer. Also be aware of some recent news, preferably something that is of interest to the department you are applying.

Expect to hear from them in 5 working days, however they can call you quickly. I was offered the job within an hour of leaving the building and called up personally by the partner to congratulate me on a very good presentation. I am not writing this to boast, just to validate my advice in this post as being useful. I hope this helps and wish everybody luck in their career.

Hi London steel,

Congratulations on getting the job.

Did you use the same examples for the competency questions in the manager's interview as the ones that you used in the telephone interview?

Thanks.

Thanks Batman29, I used different examples in the manager interview compared to the telephone. However this is because they were slightly different questions and necessitated different examples. If you were asked the same question you would be fine to use an example you have already used. In fact the interviewer saw the competency questions as a bit of a pain and tried to rush through them so they could have a good conversation with you to see if you would fit in there. Also it is very much a two way process so please make sure you have some questions prepared. I can't stress enough that these questions should be important to you not just because they sound right, make sure you are getting enough information about the company and the role you'll be filling.

Best of luck.

Thanks a lot for your quick reply London Steel.

I am more concerned about the commercial awareness bit and the case study.

What do you think is affecting Grant Thornton recently? Do you think I'll be fine talking about the IFRS, Sarbanes Oxley and the recession? Is there anythg else I can say?

Concerning the case study, how did you structure your presentation and about how many recommendations do I have to give in the second part of the presentation?

Thanks a ton for your help.

Thanks a lot for your quick reply London Steel.

I am more concerned about the commercial awareness bit and the case study.

What do you think is affecting Grant Thornton recently? Do you think I'll be fine talking about the IFRS, Sarbanes Oxley and the recession? Is there anythg else I can say?

Concerning the case study, how did you structure your presentation and about how many recommendations do I have to give in the second part of the presentation?

Thanks a ton for your help.

He everybody

I applied to GT audit graduate scheme for London office, but i am still waiting for interview to come. They put me on hold in the end of november and still saying they have many candidates ahead of me.

Is there anybody who also applied to london office and currently is on hold? are you considering to switch to another office?

do you people think recruitment is tougher for london office compared to other offices?

Batman29, try to avoid 'the recession' as an answer and consider its consequences, GT having to offer value for money to clients etc. Look at the publications for the final quarter of 2009 figures where GT were down on profit and how they had to restructure. As a consequence an issue facing them is getting back to the projected figures for 2010.
The presentation depends on what area you are applying to and I think it is only fair to every candidate that I don't go into all the details of how. This is after all a test of what you will be doing with clients and it is important GT get candidates who can do this of their own accord without help. So all I will say is work fast and logically, 40 mins is only just enough time to work through the case study and form a structure to the presentation. Best of luck.

Plat1num0///, there are many applicants each year and London is one of the most popular, if you are relying on this job bear in mind that London isn't necessarily harder but there are more candidates so you may be wise to switch locations.

Thanks London Steel for your advices!

i was thinking which office i should switch to? i have to do some research on some other offices as well.

but what i thought even competition is high for london office they give the most places compared to other offices. this means if other offices give less places chances are almost same, i dont know...?

do you have any idea of other offices? which one would u recommend?

thanks in advance! also, congratulations on getting job, that's amazing and i am sure u must be looking forward to starting the job, arent u?

Thanks Plat1num0///, I am very much looking forward to starting the job and it has taken the pressure off a little in the final year of university knowing that is secure.

 I see your point about the competition and in all honesty I am not too sure about other offices and what to recommend. If I were you I would get in touch with the HR advisor at the London office and ask them for advice. I know the lady I deal with at Euston is always very helpful and would give you some good advice on this. I am sure if you've applied to the other office they are equally helpful, that is one of the things I liked most about the company. 

You'll get a feel for this properly on the assessment day, it is like no other I have been to.

Best of luck, and anything else I can help with feel free to ask.

Thank you very much London Steel,

Your advices are helpful. I did so yesterday and I gave a call to lady that has been writing to all this time. But she did not pick up the phone and I found out when i was diverted to the voice mail that she was busy with assessments and interviews. I will try to give them call today as well.

At the meantime, I can understand your happiness that job now is in the pocket!!;)) keep hard with your studies and the best is expecting you in front of u!

all the best of luck to u as well!

hope i will get in touch with you if i progress further:) (not tooo sure)))

Thanks a lot for your help londonsteel, very much appreciated.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all this valuable posts. I have a final interview with GT coming up shortly. There is loads of stuff about interview and questions that could be asked to a candidate. However, I have found little regarding the actual presentation. I wonder if someone can help and it would be greatly appreciated.

Is the presentation on a projector or just over the table ? Is it usually about real companies or the fictitious ones ? do they all involve introduction, analysis and conclusion or something not so structured ?

I am not asking any specific details but just a general overview. Many thanks

hey guys, got an offer from GT earlier this year and will be starting in september, set up a facebook group Grant Thornton Graduates 2010 for people to get to know each other before september, please join!

Hi all,

Anyone can provide a few more details on the case-study?
What sort of issues are contained in the text? How is the presentation like? Do you have to use a laptop or charts? Or is it just a free presentation with no visual aids?

Hi everyone,

I recently got a call that I have been invited for the assessment center at Grant thornton. The HR lady told me it will be a competency based interview with a senior manager and a case study with a partner.... has anyone had an assessment center recently at GT?

Was wondering if the competency questions are repeated or are totally different ones? and can we use the same example we used in the first interview ?

 Please cld someone share their experiences....

moreover I wld be really grateful if someone cld share their experience on the case study session... what did the case study contain? what is expected? how to go abt it? do we need to use flipcharts or a laptop? is any technical knowledge required for the case study before hand or its more logical based.... what kind of research wld help do well in the case study?
I would be really obliged if someone cld guide me in this regard !

thank u : )

I have my final assessment coming up in coming week
it would be great if somone can help me on the issues as
how many people are there with us
how many we are competing against/with
any help with presentation??