Careers at Deloitte
Deloitte is a global financial business company that has been providing services such as auditing, legal and tax advice and financial consulting in industries ranging from energy, health, government, and technology. The company was founded over 175 years ago and now employs around 330,000 people across 150 countries and territories. Deloitte UK is the original home where the company started in 1845 and currently has 20,000 employees.
In 2019/20 Deloitte hired nearly 5,000 people, 1800 of which were graduates, interns, and starters. They invest heavily in training and professional development for their employees, as well as schemes that help people globally gain the work skills they need to improve educational and economic outcomes. The ethos of Deloitte in the 21st century is to make an impact that matters, shifting the focus to corporate responsibility and helping clients to make socially and financially ethical decisions while still building capital and achieving business goals.
Deloitte Application Process
As one of the Big Four in the financial industry, Deloitte is one of the most popular and sought-after companies to work for, especially for graduates and young people. The selection process has four stages:
1. Online Application
2. Online Assessment
3. Job Simulation Assessment
4. Final Interview
Although the process itself is not too intensive in terms of how many stages you face, you are competing against a huge number of other applicants and this number is on the rise. At each stage, it is crucial that you pay attention to instructions and put in the work to show that you are a strong and serious candidate.
Deloitte Online Application
Firstly, you will need to make a candidate profile and provide basic information about yourself and which opening you are applying for. Before applying, make sure you thoroughly check whether you meet the minimum requirements. They may vary slightly depending on which role you are applying for. If you're not successful the first time, you may have to wait six to twelve months before applying again, therefore make sure you write a strong application the first time around.
This step should take around 20 minutes and they will probably ask you some motivational questions, e.g. why are you applying for this particular role, or why are you interested in working for Deloitte. These questions are designed to help assess how well you match the key competencies that Deloitte is looking for, so you should keep these in mind when giving your answers:
- Communication
- Achievement of goals
- Commercial awareness
- Career motivation
- Planning and organisational skills
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving
Deloitte Immersive Online Assessment
The immersive online assessment is what Deloitte call the psychometric testing portion of their application process. Depending on the role and department you are applying for, you will be assessed on situational judgement, numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning. It is highly recommended you complete these online tests in one sitting.
Deloitte Situational Judgement Test
Deloitte describes this as a chance to get to know them as they get to know you. This happens through situational judgement tests, which present you with hypothetical, but based on real-life, workplace scenarios that ask you to choose the best possible response from a list of options. Technically there are no wrong or right answers on situational judgement tests, but they will be looking to match your personality to the work culture of the company. Therefore, the best way to prepare is to do your research on Deloitte's values and culture.
Companies like to give these assessments because they find candidates who are not only qualified and competent but will also thrive in their work environment, which can have a huge impact on productivity and staff retention. It helps you understand whether Deloitte is really where you want to work just as much as it tells them whether they want to hire you.
Deloitte Numerical Reasoning Test
Numerical reasoning is a critical skill for success in the business world. Deloitte uses this type of psychometric test in their hiring process to assess an applicant's ability to reason quantitatively. This online aptitude test usually consists of 21 questions that must be completed within the time limit.
You will have to demonstrate your knowledge of financial terms as you work with financial data and interpret numerical information. While these tests are around GCSE-level in terms of mathematical difficulties, they are challenging as they require you to deal with a large amount of information, and understand correlations.
Numerical reasoning questions are designed to measure an applicant's ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems. It is important to prepare for the test by practising numerical reasoning tests to sharpen your problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. The more practice you have, the better prepared you will be for the real thing.
Deloitte Verbal Reasoning Test
Deloitte uses verbal reasoning tests as part of its selection process to measure a candidate's ability to understand and use written language. Questions are based on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills. The time limit is what makes this test difficult. Make sure that you practice by taking multiple verbal reasoning tests, so you can be able to quickly read and understand the information provided in a text to answer the questions accurately.
Deloitte Job Simulation
The job simulation stage is more intensive. It requires you to provide recorded video answers and written responses to interview questions. The questions will directly relate to the work you will be doing on the job. It's a good chance to find out more about your potential day-to-day activities and gauge how well you will perform.
Deloitte Video Response
The video responses will be for a mix of competency, motivation, and scenario-based questions. Again, this assesses how well you might fit into the culture at Deloitte and allows you to demonstrate your knowledge of both the industry overall and the company's work and impact. You will get 2-3 minutes to prepare and the same for your official answer, so focus on being confident and decisive in your answers. This is also the first time that the recruiters get to see your personality and how you present yourself, therefore, try to make sure that your answers reflect you well.
Deloitte Email Task Simulation
The written response section is often given in the form of an email task, during which you will have to compose an email to a colleague or supervisor, showing the efficiency of your communication skills in a professional setting. Typically, you will be given the details of a task or report and you will have to relay the important information as you think is best for the situation. While you cannot practice this, you should try to be mindful of small mistakes, such as typos, and make sure you know how to structure a professional and formal email.
Deloitte Final Stage Assessment
For the final stage, you will be asked to an assessment day, which can be either face-to-face or virtually.
Deloitte Live Interview
During the day, each candidate will have an interview with a senior staff member from the department they have applied for.
Demonstrate that you're passionate about your chosen business field. Make sure you're ready to discuss your motivations, broad interests, skills, values and career objectives, and possible action in various situations.
Make sure you present yourself in the best possible light. Dress appropriately, and use your body language to communicate openness and confidence. Eye contact is important for both online and in-person interviews. In the case of an online interview, try to make eye contact by looking at the webcam instead of your screen as a means of keeping your focus on the other person.
Deloitte Group Exercise
A group exercise will be set up to assess your teamwork abilities, and to determine your preferred working style in a more lifelike setting than other job tests. Your group will be assigned to a company issue or scenario for which you will have to come up with a solution. The key skills to ascertain are communication, interpersonal, critical thinking and adaptability.
Deloitte Presentation
Lastly, you might have to give a presentation. If this is the case, you'll be notified in advance. It will be in your area of expertise, and will only be five minutes long with a maximum of 4 prepared slides, meaning you have to be concise and efficiently communicate the important aspects of your research, including awareness of issues and how it relates to the area of business you are applying for.
For an even more in-depth guide to all of the aspects of the assessment day, go to Deloitte's final stage guide.
Top Tips To Get Hired At Deloitte
Demonstrate your enthusiasm
Deloitte is very keen on hiring people who are enthusiastic about the financial sector and eager to start a lifelong career in this business. One of the most important things to emphasise in your application is your knowledge about the company, global events, and why you want to work in finance, so make a note of your motivations and anything that you are particularly passionate about. This will tell them about who you are as a person as well as demonstrate your willingness to learn and have a future-focused attitude.
Take the assessments seriously
Treat all of your online assessments as seriously as you would an in-person meeting. This means when you are recording responses make sure that you present yourself professionally and in an appropriate environment. Make sure your background looks good, and no one interrupts your recording.
Be a team player
For the group exercise, Deloitte are looking for team players who understand the importance of working collaboratively and learning from each other. Sometimes it is tempting to be overly assertive to make sure that your voice is heard, but the best approach is to be confident and receptive, not dominating.
Practice the psychometric tests beforehand
One of the best ways to improve your performance in assessments like situational judgement, numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning is to do as much practice as you can. We have hundreds of practise questions available, so take a look at our test pages to get started.
