Why EY Interview Questions

How to answer the question "Why EY?"

    Author: Naveeth Rishwan Habeeb
    Naveeth  Rishwan Habeeb
    Naveeth Rishwan Habeeb
    I graduated from the esteemed PSG College of Arts & Science with a Bachelor's in Commerce, specializing in Computer Applications. Furthering my academic journey, I earned a Master's in Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Data Analytics from the distinguished Kumaraguru College of Technology Business School. My professional journey commenced at Wall Street Oasis, where I flourished within the Research and Development team, eventually assuming the role of Finance Chief Editor. Presently, I'm soaring as an Investment Banking Fellow at the renowned Marquee Fellowship Program. Armed with prowess in Financial Analysis, Forecasting, Market Research, and Corporate Communications, I am on the lookout for an entry-level position in financial services. Eager to embark on an exhilarating journey, I invite opportunities that promise to send shivers down my spine. Let's craft a narrative that resonates and embark on a thrilling chapter together.
    Reviewed By: Austin Anderson
    Austin Anderson
    Austin Anderson
    Consulting | Data Analysis

    Austin has been working with Ernst & Young for over four years, starting as a senior consultant before being promoted to a manager. At EY, he focuses on strategy, process and operations improvement, and business transformation consulting services focused on health provider, payer, and public health organizations. Austin specializes in the health industry but supports clients across multiple industries.

    Austin has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration in Strategy, Management and Organization, both from the University of Michigan.

    Last Updated:November 29, 2023

    When you hear EY, you immediately think of Ernst & Young, a multinational corporation providing multinational professional services. In terms of work-life balance, it is a solid company. Their proficiency with various technologies suggests that offering service alternatives are one of their strongest suits.

    You already know it is a fantastic location to work if you are seeking an IT job because its major goal is to create a better working world powered by data and technology. Recently, EY was the seven-largest privately owned organization in the US.

    They provide several possibilities for you to grow and improve your talents and abilities in your personal growth, which benefits both the individual and the firm. In addition, it assists clients in growing and expanding.

    EY employs over 195000 people and has over 750 locations in over 150 countries. EY provides firms with assurance, tax, advising, and consulting services. 82% of EY employees believe their experience has been great.

    Use Linkedin and do a lot of networking to speak to anyone you may already know at EY. Always consider speaking to colleagues who have participated in the student programs or with your professor with experience with EY.

    So, doing this will support you in getting an insight into individual perspectives about EY, and online research will not provide the information you need. EY generally hires fresher/fresh college students and experienced professionals for various positions.

    EY Interview Process

    The EY hiring process consists of many steps.

    • Online Assessment
    • Technical Interview
    • HR Interview 

    Every company’s interviews cannot be complete without these three major processes. The Online Assessment result generally takes 3 to 5 working days to declare. If you're done with the final interview round and waiting for results, that depends on the job description requirements.

    All applicants interested in applying for various roles at EY must go to the EY employment portals to do so. There are two employment portals: one for entry-level work for students and one for established professionals.

    • Visit the Job portal.
    • Lookup for an open position. You may sort based on location, role, and other factors.
    • Apply for the role you want.
    • If you are a first-time user, you must establish an account or sign in.
    • Once logged in, complete the necessary fields in the online form.
    • Upload your resume
    • There it is.

    Online Assessment

    Your application is sent to the appropriate department for first screening when you submit it for any vacant position. Therefore, you must accurately fill out all the essential information and submit your most recent CV.

    You will get an email with specific instructions to complete the range of recruitment tests required in the recruiting process after the EY screening team determines that you are eligible for their procedure.

    These are some of the relevant assessments related to EY

    • Numerical Analysis
    • Adaptive judgment
    • Workplace Personality Test
    • Center for Verbal Reasoning Evaluation
    • Interview via video

    You have a certain amount of time to answer 12 or more questions on the EY online numerical reasoning test. You can take the exam online from home, but you'll need to score at least a certain amount to advance to the next round of the hiring process.

    You will need to be able to evaluate information gathered from various sources, particularly tables and charts, in the verbal reasoning test. In addition, you must be able to execute simple mathematical operations, but you only have a minute to respond to each question.

    Note

    Accuracy and speed are important.

    The situational judgment test is the first in the EY online exams. The behavioral exam aims to show EY how potential employees would respond to circumstances that could arise at work.

    The Question format will be text and video with 20 questions. Using the exam results, recruiters may determine whether you are a suitable match for the position by learning how you handle problems at work.

    Following the second, the personality test will be required to score the descriptions on this online exam according to which ones are the closest to you and which are the furthest from you.

    It's important not to allow yourself to select the solutions you believe the recruiters are seeking, as they mostly watch for abnormalities in your answers.

    If there are errors, you will be penalized, and your total rating will suffer. In addition, you can't rehearse for this online exam because it focuses more on your behavior and attitude.

    However, you must remain composed and work in a calm setting because if you don't, you might not be capable of understanding the answers correctly.

    In Verbal Reasoning Evaluation, you may check your reading comprehension abilities— verbal and written—by taking the EY online verbal reasoning exam. 

    Why EY Interview Questions: Technical Interview

    You will attend the face-to-face interview round with the entire project if you have passed the multiple written exam stages at EY. These two interviews will examine your technical knowledge and capacity to adjust to changing work circumstances.

    Traditional interview questions, situational discussions, and technical skill tests may all be common questions in technical interviews. In addition, the interviewer often evaluates if your technical talents, knowledge, and skills are sufficient for the position you seek.

    They could consider how you approach problem-solving and evaluate how well you’d fit in with the organization’s culture.

    Interviews for certain roles proceed with Team Lead, Project Manager, and behavior test with higher officials. There are some factors considered for specific interviews when you attend Technical interviews.

    The Fundamental words and skills of accounting that should be familiar to you are:

    So, these accounting terms are a few topics covered by the questions. Suppose you attend an interview where the role is about Audit Assurance and Taxation. Prepare it well in these fundamental concepts. These concepts imply the most essential and basic component of anything more complex and in-depth.

    Certain accounting and financial subjects are addressed in technical questions. This resource is dedicated to technical finance interview questions. Always spend a few seconds thinking about your response before speaking the interviewer’s question out.

    Systematically answer each question. This usually implies categorizing replies into points, and even if you don’t know the exact answer, just give the important facts. On the other hand, if you don’t know the answer, Don’t be afraid to admit it.

    Note

    Show your logic to prove that you have a rational thought process and can handle difficulties even if you don’t recognize the exact answer.

    Why EY Interview Questions: HR interview

    The HR staff will conduct your final round, usually at the HR Team lead level. This round includes broad inquiries based on your profile, behavioral inquiries, etc.

    Every organization conducts an HR interview round to get to know the possible candidates personally after the early stages of candidate selection.

    The major goal of an HR interview is to evaluate the candidates' backgrounds, personalities, skills, and shortcomings to determine whether or not they are a suitable match for a certain position.

    In other words, the HR round determines if you'll be invited to participate in the subsequent rounds.

    These are the general questions mentioned below:

    • Tell me something about yourself
    • What are your future plans?
    • What is your family background?
    • Why EY?
    • Why Auditing?
    • What is your biggest achievement?
    • How would your friends describe you?

    Remember these pointers before you attend the interview. The very first and foremost thing is recognizing the job profile. You need to know what is required of you by the specific job profile.

    Examine the job description to learn more about the company’s expectations of you, the abilities needed, and the qualifications they seek in a candidate.

    You won’t be startled if the interview is conducted without any questions about the job description if you have gathered the necessary knowledge about its criteria. Secondly, look over your resume carefully.

    Ensure your CV compiles with the demands of the work profile. Check your resume carefully to see if you’ve matched your information to the requirements of the employment profile. Reshape your resume’s sections (skills, education, experience, etc.) are necessary.

    Matching your CV to the employment profile of the organization is the objective here. However, you can still emphasize the experience or skills that closely fit the job description, “ even if there isn’t a perfect match.”

    Why EY Interview Questions

    Ernst and Young look for the following qualities in their employees:

    • Respect
    • Enthusiasm
    • Teamwork
    • Academic excellence
    • Integrity
    • Leadership

    Being honest is the finest thing. Attempting to prepare and practice the ideal response will never be successful, specifically by just repeating what everyone else is saying.

    Why EY? Is there anything specific from your recruitment process that stands out? Are there any particular people or topics that fascinate you more than others?

    Do they participate in any social programs that you find appealing? Any unique employee perks the business offers that assist in setting them apart from the competition?

    “Just talk about whatever comes naturally to you.”

    Personally, I enjoy discussing EY's culture and how it distinguishes them from the other Big4 firms. However, it would be wonderful to include personal examples to support your claims rather than merely repeating information available on the internet, such as networking with existing workers or attending panels.

    Quality matters a lot. As you know, "Character is life,” the company looks deeply into the quality of employees. Likewise, organizational behavior is important and gives you special recognition in the company.

    So, now you will go over the EY interview procedure in detail. This employment procedure includes both recent graduates and seasoned experts. The hiring process is quite similar and easy only if you are well prepared to attend big4 companies.

    #1 Sample answer

    “I spent a lot of years in public and wasn’t a big fan of asking this when I was interviewing. But the best answer I got when I did ask it was, “Why EY?”. Because you guys got me this far into the interview process, and I really want a job in the big 4.

    I could tell you all the great things about myself, but the reality is I want a job, I want to start at the top, and EY is part of the top. All the big 4 firms are similar. They’re all excellent, and they would all be a great place to start my career.

    But EY was the only one of the big 4 with a recruiting process that saw the excellent skills, personality, and resume I bring to the table. The other three failed this exam, and after the initial interview, they rejected me.

    Thankfully, your firm has thus far passed the test, which benefits both me and the business. So if you make me an offer, I'll work hard to support the team and advance the company's objectives. I'm keen to learn and advance in this field, and I think this business is the greatest setting for me to achieve so.”

    #2 Sample answer

    "I am interested in working for your company because I admire your organizational principles, the past, and amazing track record of success."According to people who work here now, this is an excellent opportunity for me to work for an innovative organization that promotes innovation and progress.

    I'm eager to learn and eager to collaborate with other eager and like-minded individuals who have a shared objective. Working for your company will give me everything I am looking for, and if I am effective, I plan to build a long-term career here."

    #3 Sample answer

    “There are absolutely hundreds of reasons why I would like to work at EY. However, the main draw for me is that you have been assisting businesses for years, and any firm that can develop and exist for that long is impressive.

    You obviously encourage your staff to be the best they can be, and I only want a job for an organization that employs the most brilliant individuals.

    I want to advance my career with EY, and knowing that so many employees inside EY volunteer around the world each year speaks volumes about your trustworthiness, high standards, beliefs, and ethics”.

    Case Analysis at EY

    At Ernst & Young, case discussion is the most popular interview style. You receive a business case containing all the pertinent facts and specifics about the organization's choice.

    Before drafting your recommendations, you must skim through, analyze, and comprehend various facts to solve the organization's challenges. You will also require a team management plan comprising a working time, individual duties, backup plans, and progress checks.

    You may also receive good estimated cases from time to time. Such case studies include the calculation of profitability by assumption. For example,

    • Let's say your customer is considering building a petrol station in a large city. What essential details are necessary for you to assess this investment?
    • A significant manufacturer of high-end mobile phones is thinking of creating a new, less expensive product line to gain market share. Inform the client whether this plan is feasible and profitable.
    • Analyze the event management in a wedding's profitability. What are the main tools at your disposal to boost profitability?

    Don't be afraid of it when you are new to case studies. Just talk about the issue. Then, take a pause and give yourself some time to understand what you have been missing if you cannot understand it.

    Get innovative if you run across trouble. Avoid becoming overwhelmed and rely on your creativity. 

    Note

    An essential factor of the case interview is grasping the company's challenge and purpose. The easiest way to lose a case interview is by not responding to the proper business question. Therefore, clarify your inquiries to better understand the problem and business position.

    After that, ask the interviewer if you clearly understand the case goal. This guarantees that you appropriately begin the case.

    Why EY: Behavioral Questions

    This evaluation is similar to the System Suitability Test (SST) in that it offers work-based situations likely to occur throughout your time working with EY. In addition, it assesses soft skills such as response to a certain Circumstance and capacity for teamwork.

    Behavioral interview questions aim to understand your personality, thought process, and problem-solving style. Your responses to these behavioral questions can help the interviewer determine whether or not you would be a good addition to the existing team.

    You can choose a few particular instances from your CV to use as examples of leading, strengths, limitations, communication, problem-solving, and more to prepare for these financial analyst interview questions.

    You don't have to remember the answers, but you need to know what experiences you would discuss and how you would put them over to the interviewer.

    The interviewer wants to know more about you, but you must present yourself best. So take some behavioral questions for Financial Analysts Interview:

    Why EY: Technical Questions

    Technical types of questions are used to evaluate how well you understand the fundamentals of finance. Hiring managers inquire about their educational background to evaluate candidates' readiness for a particular position.

    Employers must understand how each candidate's background, achievements, and credentials are important because technical occupations are frequently highly specialized.

    Hiring managers look into your technical training, education, and experience details. They do it to confirm your credentials and gauge how effectively you can explain complex technical ideas. How you respond might also reveal how you imagine and function to interviewers.

    Technical interviews can take on a variety of forms. Therefore, you should consider the many approaches and strategies you might employ to provide a satisfying response when figuring out how to prepare for a technical interview.

    If the interviewer asks, “Describe a time you made a big mistake and what you did to fix it.”

    It might be challenging to recall an instance from your history that can serve as an example. For instance, if you have to talk about a mistake, it shouldn’t be too severe or harm your character.

    Your chances of landing the position will suffer if you have any stories involving lying or confidentiality violations. However, if you must discuss a mistake, you may demonstrate that you performed honorably, accepted responsibility, and fixed the problem.

    A sincere response may help establish your trustworthiness. Every day, mistakes are made at work. Of course, we all make errors, but what matters the most is how we deal with them.

    Take an example of a technical question for a Financial Analyst Interview:

    Conclusion

    WSO provided you with the whole EY interview procedure in this article (Ernst and Young). Feel free to reach out to us if you require clarification or if you have any questions. Go to its official website to learn more about EY and its principles.

    For passing the EY employment process, WSO provides practice exams and interview preparation courses. In addition, you will receive sample tests, study guides, simulated interviews with top individuals from the consulting business, an evaluation of your resume, and much more.

    Learn about the interviewer, which means ask if you aren’t told who you will meet with during the interview. Learn the responsibilities of each interview in the organization and prepare some questions customized to each of them.

    You might enquire about their responsibilities, talk about recent developments in their industry or bring up a hobby they share outside of work.

    Improve your verbal, math, and critical thinking abilities. These abilities are necessary for employment at a company like EY. You can finish your exams and assessment center tasks quickly if you brush up on these abilities.

    Utilization of time. Throughout the EY hiring process, you will take a lot of structured quantitative exams. You can respond to each question precisely and fast if you practice beforehand, improving your chances of beating the time.

    Fill out behavioral surveys truthfully and frankly. The key to passing this kind of test is understanding how to respond to specific behavioral questions while being loyal to oneself.

    WSO’s very own consulting interview guide can be found here if you still need further materials to prepare for consultancy recruiting.

    Researched and authored by Naveeth Rishwan Habeeb | LinkedIn

    Reviewed and edited by Parul GuptaLinkedIn

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