PKF - FULL EXPERIENCES.

Thanks for sharing your experience rauters. I'm in a similar position to when you applied to PKF at the start: I orginally applied for audit at Leeds, I passed their online tests then didn't hear from them till 4 WEEKS later when the emailed me to say that the vacancies at Leeds were filled. I asked for my application to be transferred to Sheffield but I haven't heard from them for about 3 weeks now. What should I do?

I want to ask: how did find the application process overall? I think I'm ok with preparing for the first interview because I've had lots of experience with them, but how was the case study? What questions did they ask you? Did you get asked any commercial awareness questions in any of your interviews?

gradtrainee

Hi Rauters and gradtrainee,

I'm in the same boat as you Rauters, I have applied for the CA route in Nottingham and just recieved an email to do the online tests.

Well done on getting the offer in Nottingham !. Any idea how many graduate places they have in that particular office ?.

Were the online tests hard ?

Chim

@ Grad trainee - I called the lady who was emailing me at the start, she was called Mairead, shes at the manchester office, after i did that she emailed me straight away.

The process overall was the best so far for me personally, easy, relaxed, and they seemed genuinly interested in stuff i had to say. When i had a look round the offices they seemed the least stressful and most in tune and friendly with eachother.

The case study was simple i would say, not very difficult at all, and you get plenty of time. I got a bit grilled about it, but because you could read from your notes, there wasnt a problem really. In responce to commercial awareness they didnt really ask me any, but i did try and stick in what i knew, but not specifically no. Let me know if u need any more help.

@Chim - I think they have 4 or 5 places in that office, but i dont know how many they have taken on yet...The online tests wernt difficult really...compared to some of the other ive done.

Rauters:- Thanks for the reply rauters, I really appreciate it. Did you have just the case study and partner interview for your assessment day? I know a few of the bigger firms give a full-on assessment and loads of tasks to complete. Also, do you mind telling me more about what you had to do in your case study and what questions they asked you on it? I've never done one before, so need as much help as I can get.

I know that PKF train in CA but can you ask to train in ACA? I know there's not much difference in both qualifications, but it woyld be good to know.

Chim:- the online tests I did were surprising much easier than some of the others I've done. There is no need to worry about them. I still think that it's best to practise a lot before you take the real tests, so you feel fully prepared.

gradtrainee

Yeah thanks gradtrainee, I wont take the risk so I better get practicing, I have an online ability test for Ernst and Young aswell, so no doubt I will need to practice.

I think there are seperate vacancies for ACA trainees, maybe they could shift the application over.

Im finishing up an ICAS accredited degree, so I think CA would probably be best for me, but as you said theres probably not much difference.

Seems a good company to work for, as the assessment day doesnt seem that hard :P

Congrats on your offer rauters!

Similar thing happened to me when I applied recently for a CA sept 2010 start. Passed the application stage and the online tests only to be told (after a long time and few emails) that the position had already been filled.

I got my application transferred to the ACA January position only to be rejected over not meeting the academic requirements!?

I've sent an email regarding this because the academic criteria is the same for all their positions and I met it before and even passed the online tests lol!

They just announced the salary - £18000 for 2010! which isnt great, compared to the top four who are offering 20500, but its a job!

Remember that it is for the Nottingham Office, which definately will be substantially less than compared with London.

Think once you approach becoming chartered your wages will probably be much higher! You can always move into an even bigger company / position too!

Hi Guys,

I feel that I should also contribute to this thread because wikijob has also proved to be a great resource for me over the past few months. I applied for the CA Audit programme in Leeds for the Sept 2010 intake in November. The day after submitting my application I was invited to complete the online tests. Similarly, the day after completing the tests I was told that I had been successful and would be invited to a first stage interview, however the date of the interview was still to be confirmed. After not hearing anything for a couple of weeks I contacted Mairead (she seems to be responsible for most of the PKF recruitment as you guys have all had contact with her) to try to find out a rough date for the interview. I was then informed that my interview was unlikely to be until January which I was slightly disappointed about as it was still a couple of months away, but now I realise that they were probably still filling places for the January intake before Xmas.

So sure enough I had my first interview in January, which I passed. I won't go into detail about that because theres loads of perfectly accurate info on the first interview on other threads and it really is more like a chat than an interview. Just know why you want to be an accountant, why PKF, that the exams will be hard, and that you will be studying for the CA (although as I will explain, that is a strange situation now). I had my first interview on a Thursday and I think I was informed that I had been successful on the Monday and was invited for a final interview in Mid Feb.

So the Case Study. As rauters has said, its based on a fictional health club/ gym and you are informed a week before the interview that the case study will be based on the leisure industry and advised to do some prior research. I did quite a lot of research and to be honest this almost acted as a hinderance because I was trying to mention too many things that wern't all that relevant. My advice would literally be to have a background knowledge of how the industry is doing at the moment and possibly some of the strategies used by gyms at the moment to atract customers, and that is enough..... there really is all the info you need in the case study.

I would have to disagree with rauters about the ease of the case study. 75 minutes sounds like a long time but the time flew by for me and I would have been far happier with at least 90 minutes.... obviously that is part of the test though. Firstly you have to give 4 handwritten recommendations to the company, then prepare for an interview regarding the strengths, weaknesses, strategies for the future of the company etc. In hindsight, I felt I spent too long with the written part of the assessment. As you will see, there are literally 10 recommendations that you could give, so I would say just get four written down (obviously in good english) as quickly as possible and then prepare for the interview.

I found that the difficultly with the case study interview is not with identifying the problems with the company but the questions that follow. The text exagerrates the problems, for example it said something along the lines of "the managing director has little or no interest in the financial side of the company, and instead leaves this solely to the financial department, the head of which is a close friend of the md and can therefore be trusted". Obvious problems with this, but expect them to ask you what exact problems can arise from a situation like this? How would you sort out the situation etc? Basically be prepared to justify your answers and if your interview was anything like mine, be prepared for a real grilling. I was offered the job, so a grilling isn't necesarilly a bad thing, they just want to make sure that you know what you are talking about.

After the case study we simply chatted about details from my application form, work experience, uni, travel, hobbies etc. They left it very open for you to sell yourself to them, and if I'm honest I feel that this could well have been the turning point in the process that got me the job. No real competency questions or commercial awareness questions. This lasted for about half an hour, at which point I was taken to another room to be retested on the numerical and verbal reasoning papers. These may well have been the exact same ones from the initial application stage, certainly very similar.

I was telephoned the next morning and offered a job, however they asked if I would be prepared to start in January 2011 rather than September 2010. Also I would be studying for the ACA qualification rather than the CA. Both of these factors are ideal for me as I now plan to go travelling for a few months before starting and the ACA just seems a more logical qualification to study for in England. Don't get me wrong though, I would have been very happy to study for the CA qualification, they are both equally respected.

Since receiving my offer I have found out that PKF, certainly in England will be putting trainees through the ACA qualification from 2011 onwards. If you have a look at the job board now, you will see this is the case. Gradtrainee, if you want to work in Leeds and study for the ACA why not ask to shift your application to the January intake. As you will see from the job board, there are still vacancies. If you do get the interview at Sheffield for 2010, you will be asked specifically in your first interview "Why you want to study for the CA?" and "What is the difference between CA and ACA?" so I would recommend going to the interview being prepared to study for it.

Hope this helps, just ask if you want any more info.

Thanks JMS for a very detailed post! I think its given me a bit more confidence now. I sent you a PM asking you more about the interviews and case study. I hope you don't mind answering my queries. I am surpised that the whole application process has been so relaxed.

gradtrainee

Thanks for the info guys.

It is really appreciated and useful for applicants.

Regards....

hey guys i have my final interview nxt week and im very nervous as this is my first grad interview lol...i was wondering what kind of things r expected from the case study interview and what kind of questions were thrown at u

also are the recommendations for the ficitional company easy to find and note down or quite difficult...

with the general interview also...was it pretty much the same as the first one, going over app??how many ppl interviewed u guys

any help wud be great

@JMS, I am starting with PKF in January 2011 also, however they have given no indication of the salary as they said it would not be confirmed until November, this isn't an issue as such but makes it hard to look where to rent as I am relocating and fairy soon. If you have any idea how much it will be even a ball park figure could you possibly let me know..... Thanks and Good luck :-)

They havn't given me a definite figure either mate but said it would be around 18,000. Where are you based? Well done on getting the job!

Oh at least thats a ball park figure, which is helpful thank you:-) I am going to be based in Manchester!!! Can't wait, but its such a long wait between being offered the job and actually starting, its mad. I got offered it at the start of June, you don't know anything about when in January we will start and stuff do you?

No problem at all! I got offered the job in February but it worked out well as it gave me plenty of time to go travelling. They havn't finalised the start date but said it will probably be the 17th. I only get back to the UK on the 11th so it better not be the 10th, haha! I'm based in Leeds so I guess we'll be on the same induction things!

Hi
I submitted my application for PKF a while back and got an email saying they would be in touch within 20 working days. By my calculations those 20 days have passed. Is this a bad sign? or should I just get in touch with them?
Thanks

What do PKF ask from school leavers on the 2 nd interview?

Anyone had a recent assessment day and what was involved. Any help you be great.

.

Hi, I doubt many of you will be checking this anymore but I have an assessment day with PKF coming up and I've been told to spend no more than 2/3 hours researching the leisure industry. I was just wondering if I should take notes in with me or try to remember the key points from my research?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks :).

heya,

i have my AC v.soon in like 2 days so I was wondering whether you could give me some tips on the case study.
what were the main points you poicked out and what type of questions were u asked by the partners when it came to the case study?

thanks so much for your help

Hiya
For the case study you are given 75 minutes to look over a company brief. You don't really need much information as it is all given to you in the brief however an overview of the current market (in the uk and in different regions within the uk) and the markets expected future is useful. During the 75 minutes you are asked to give 4 handwritten recommendations (make sure you make a note of these as they were taken away from me before the interview began). You then prepare for strengths and weaknesses strategies etc
In the interview you are asked to give a summary of the company and then to go through its strengths and weaknesses. The main part of my case study part of the interview was focussed on strategies (so research some strategies that fitness centres use these days), be prepared to back these up and explain why etc (they tend to grill you). I threw in a little of my research here, eg how the market is growing compared to the rest of the economy, strategies of particular firms etc. They just want to know that you think logically and have a good business sense etc.
After this they moved onto the actual interview where they went through my application and asked questions. They then asked why PKF and not any other mid tier firm, why not the big four? What will I be doing in my first year (mostly box ticking and studying)? What do I want to be doing in 5 years? It was really relaxed and was an interesting interview, so don't worry to much.
The majority of my research was centred around strategies and I got the job so :)

hi has anyone here been offered a place at pkf in london september 2011??

hi,

For those who have successfully completed PKF's aptitude, any website you would recommend one to use for practice?

Hi , I have my first interview in 2 days. I was wondering what type of questions the HR manager may ask ??

Its my first interview , so understandably I am nervous.

Any replies will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Hi, I just got offered a job for the September 2012 Grad scheme in Audit. Its at their London office so if anyone has any questions about the application process just let me know.

Hi slb223,
Well done on the job offer! I'm also applying to the London office for Audit and Assurance. What was your first interview like? I have mine this week and I'm a bit nervous. Did they have any surprise questions you didn't expect? Also, have they told you the starting pay yet?
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thank

Hey, like the other posts say it was fairly relaxed. They mostly went through my application form then general competency questions. They also asked what I knew about the qualification and then general things like why pkf etc. There weren't really any suprise questions it is all stuff you can prepare for by having examples of when you've displayed certain skills. My starting salary is between £24,500 and £25, 500 they haven't yet set it. Hope that helps

Hi slb223, well done on securing the job.

I have managed to get through to the assessment centre, which is next week, for a non-london office.

Can you advise me what to expect on the assessment day? I.e. should I prepare for the case study, are the tests the same as the online ones we did and is the interview similar to the first interview?

Any help you could offer me would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks

Hey rc051, on my assessment day we had to resit both the psychometric tests. They were online and in the same style as the ones you sat previously but not the same questions. There isn't a lot you can do to prepare for the case study, I just looked through general info for the industry they told me it was in such as strategies that other companies are using. For the written part you wont really need any of this info but it might give you some ideas of how you can recommend improvements. The interview is 45 mins based on the case study and then another 45mins based on you. The second part is not that different to the first interview but you might be asked more detail about the company and what sectors they're involved in. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply slb223. I had my interview yesterday and it went well I think. It didn't really feel like an interview! It was so relaxed!

Had mine yesterday and thought it went ok too. However, didn't hear from them on my way home from the office like a few people on here have!

Had my 1st interview today, interviewer was very nice and friendly (one of the best I have ever had, if not the best). I just received an email that I have passed (after 2 hours). Can't wait for an Assessment day.

Hi all,

I've been offered a place to start in Sept 2012 in a regional office, very exciting! If anyone has any questions about the whole application process just ask. This forum was particularly helpful in preparing me for both 1st and 2nd interviews so I'm more than happy to give back!

Hello,

I have just received an offer to start Jan 2012 so if any body has any questions about the recruitment process feel free to ask! :)

Hey,

Congratualtions rco51 and j19872 for your offers. Can you please provide me with some further information regarding the assessment day? Was the case study difficult and was the interview afterwards also relaxed as the first round? Also did you have to resit your verbal and numerical tests?

Thank you for your reply^^

Hey,

Congratulations rco51 and j19872 for your offers. Can you please provide me with some further information regarding the assessment day? Was the case study difficult and was the interview afterwards also relaxed as the first round? Also did you have to resit your verbal and numerical tests?

Thank you for your reply^^

Hi RomeoLe

I found the case study quite easy - it was a booklet providing information about a Hotel business. I did a bit of research beforehand which I found quite useful. You get 75 mins to read the booklet and do a SWOT analysis of the business and make recommendations.

I found my interview similar to the first one and just as relaxed, although I'm sure this varies office to office.

I did have to resit the verbal and numerical tests but they were shorter (if i remember rightly) than the ones I did before the interviews. The numerical test was 15 mins for 10 questions and the verbal was 20 mins for 20 questions (i think!) and they were straightforward.

Hope this helps!

Congrats for getting the offer. I just wanted to find out more about the assessment day. For the case study, I know you make 4 recommendations, but will these be given in the booklet? Are there any obvious recommendations or all the recommendations roughly same? How do you structure your recommendations? How many sides of A4, does your answer have to be? What actually do you recommend, do you recommend companies to takeover or projects to undertake? Also, do you write advantages and disadvantages of the companies you recommended or other recommendations as well. Do you do SWOT analysis of all 4 of your recommendations? Also, what do you talk about for 45 minutes!!!!!! for the case study interview, just the strengths and weaknesses of your recommendations. 45 minutes is quite a long time just to discuss 4 recommendations. Were there any hard questions or questions which require a strong commercial awareness?

Were you interviewed by 2 people (partner and a manager) or just one. Also, were there any competency questions in the 2nd interview. I really want to join PKF. Sorry for all these questions. I would really appreciate if any of you could help me with these questions. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN ADVANCE!!!!

hi everyone. thank you for all the information on the process.
For those that have applied for the regional offices, did anyone apply to Bristol? I sent my application in a while ago and i havent got a response from them.

Thank you all for your comments, they have been so helpful:) I have an AC coming soon up and I was wondering a few things: can we use a calculator when we take the online numerical test? Is the case study a group exercise? Or are we alone with the interviewer during both the case study and interview? Thanks!

Recommendations arent given, you have to make them. There are loads you could make so just pick the ones you feel most confident talking about and that you an justify. Some will be more obvious than others.

In the 75 minutes you have to make your recommendations in the form of a letter to the board of directors. Then it is just a case of using GOOD English to convey what you want to say. With mine, I went through each recommendation 1 at a time, justifying as I went along. There is only one company you make recommendations on, and all the recommendations I made were internal to the company.

The SWOT analysis is of the company as a whole, not each recommendation, and I'd advise you do this first before you start making recommendations, as once you've completed the SWOT, you'll more easily see where the gaps in the company are.

45 minutes goes really quickly and in my case, it was basically talking through what I'd written down. I was allowed to keep what I'd written on but not sure if that's the same for everyone. I got asked a few extra questions but nothing that needed amazing commercial awareness, just make sure you've read through the case study start to finish and picked up all the key elements.

I was interviewed by 2 people on the day and after the 45mins on the case study, we spend another 30-40mins talking about me, very similar to the first interview.

For E1986...You can use a calculator for the the numerical tests, but make sure you take your own as they dont provide you one. The case study is NOT a group exercise, you do it on your own in a room with a desk and lots of different pieces of paper for the first 75 mins, then you'll be joined by the interview panel (2 members in my case) to talk about what you've just done for 45 mins then you'll continue talking to the panel for another 30-40mins about yourself, similar to the first interview.

Hope I've answered what you want, if yo have any other questions, PM me. Cheers

@J19872 Thank you, your comments are very very helpful:)

Thank you soooo muchhhhh J19872. I really appreciate your help!!!!!!!!!!!!

In your first interview, do they ask many commercial awareness questions? Or in-depth ones about their firm?

Thank you.

had an assessment centre at the london office last thursday, can confirm that it was exactly like what the other people have posted on here, fairly relaxed, just remember to make detailed notes on the case study as they do go quite in-depth. got a phone call about 2 hours after i'd finished offering me a role, so now I'll be starting in sept/oct 2012. If anyone's got any other questions just give me a shout

Hey ,

I was at the thursday assessment centre on the 8th thursday too , they called you that soon ???

Im the asian guy with the black bag and blue shirt and tie if you didnt know , did the person who interviewed you , call you ???

I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Thanks

hey sandeep, I've just inboxed you

Hi huwcs,

Just wondering if they retest you on your online tests? need to prepare again if the do! Also, how does the day go in terms of what happens when u start the assessment day?

Thanks!