Careers at EY
EY is one of the Big Four accounting firms (alongside KPMG, PwC and Deloitte), and their global business employs almost 300,000 people worldwide. EY primarily offers services like assurance, financial audit, tax, and consulting to companies around the world.
Originally formed in 1989 following a merger between Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young and Co., EY was known as Ernst Young until a rebrand in 2013.
As an employer, EY is consistently ranked in the Fortune Magazine list of the 100 best companies to work for - every year for the past 21 years. This is far longer than any other accounting firm and is a big reason why they are a popular choice of employees for both those just graduating as well as those with experience.
If you are considering a career with EY, there are several business areas to choose from, including:
- Assurance
- Consulting
- Strategy and Transactions
- Tax
- Core Business Services
- Financial Services
- People Advisory Services
Employees of EY can enjoy a culture of diversity and innovation that values respect, integrity, great company values, and enthusiasm.
EY Application Process
The application process for EY is slightly different depending on how you are applying. As it offers career paths for both experienced applicants and a well-regarded graduate scheme (as well as apprenticeships and undergraduate work placements), the stages in your application process may vary.
Throughout the process, it is worth bearing in mind what EY is looking for from employees - they describe it as being more about the mindset than the skill set you might have. Some of the descriptors of ideal candidates include:
- Open
- Energetic
- Innovative
- Analytic
- Great Communication
- Team Work
- Agility
- Resilience
- Lifelong learning
- Curiosity
EY Application Form
Every EY application starts with the creation of a candidate profile and the completion of an application form with personal details. This process does not take very long (about 30 minutes) and gives you a personal account to use for everything relating to your application.
Your application will be reviewed by a member of the recruitment team, and there are three possible outcomes:
1. You have met the requirements for this stage and are invited to move forward to the next stage.
2. You have been unsuccessful at this stage, but they have put you forward for a different role that they believe would be more suitable for your relevant work experience.
3. You do not meet the requirements for this role at the moment, but they may keep your information on file for future roles.
EY Online Assessment Test
EY online assessment, or EY test, is the next step in the graduate recruitment process after the application form. EY works with Cappfinity to produce their assessment tests, and they usually comprise the following:
EY Situational Strengths Test
Candidates are presented with 16 different scenarios based on real-life workplace situations. For each scenario, the candidate must choose the most effective course of action out of five possible responses. Sometimes the answer needs to be a rating of the 5 responses from most effective to least effective.
This is similar to other situational judgment tests and shows the recruiter how you deal with problems and issues that you might come across in the workplace.
EY Business Behaviours
Similar to Situational Strengths, this assessment comprises a scenario that is based on the daily happenings of the role you have applied for. There are 8 questions, each with five possible answers - and all the questions are based on one detailed situation or scenario.
What is the EY What’s Your Mindset Assessment?
The What's Your Mindset Assessment is a version of a personality test that presents you with a series of statements designed to assess your personality characteristics across five different dimensions – concentration, detail focus, learning languages, problem-solving, and technical affinity.
In this test you will have to assign points (out of 25) to two different statements, depending on how you feel they represent the way you think and behave at work.
EY Numerical Reasoning Test
Numerical reasoning tests are not designed to test your mathematical knowledge, but rather how effectively you can extract, understand and analyze data from tables, graphs, and charts. In the numerical tests for EY, you will be presented with 12 questions to answer.
This test is timed, so you must be comfortable with basic operations as well as percentages, ratios, and fractions.
EY Verbal Reasoning Test
In some cases, you will have to take a verbal reasoning assessment. This is a test of your ability to quickly read, understand and evaluate written information, usually as a paragraph or two of text.
Answering the question about the text relies on your ability to make a reasonable deduction based on the given information - there is no need for prior knowledge of the subject matter, as the information you need to answer the question correctly is provided in the text.
Your results from the test will be assessed by the recruitment team, and if you have scored sufficiently well you will be invited to the next stage of the recruitment process.
Whether you are successful or not, you can expect personalized feedback on your strengths and what areas you need to focus on to improve.
EY Job Simulation
This part of the recruitment process is only used in the graduate scheme, and it involves real, work-based scenarios. Like other situational judgment tests, you will be expected to answer these questions based on what you think is the best course of action to take based on the scenario presented.
There are 14 questions in the Job Simulation, and each one may be timed or untimed. You are required to present your answers in different ways; some will be putting answers in rank order, some will be written, and others will require video answers.
EY Experience Day
If you have passed all the previous stages, you will receive an invitation to EY Assessment Centre, which is also called The EY Experience Day.
The EY Experience Day is a full-on, immersive experience held either online or at an EY office. It is a traditional assessment center in all but name, so you can expect the same mix of group and individual exercises and activities to help the recruitment team get to know you better.
During the Experience Day, you will be expected to solve problems, complete tasks of real work-based scenarios, and give presentations, both on your own and as part of a group.
This is a real chance for you to demonstrate the individual strengths and mindset that EY is looking for in their employees, so take every opportunity you can to shine while you are on the assessment day.
If you are successful after the EY Experience Day, you will be taken forward to the final stage. If not, then you will receive personalized feedback about your performance so you know what to work on for further applications.
EY Final Interview
In the final interview, you will be invited to attend a conversation with a senior representative. This is a chance for you to be able to ask some questions about the role you have applied for and the wider goals and values of the company.
You will also be asked questions about your qualifications, your previous experience (if any), and what your motivations are for working with EY.
The final interview isn't lengthy, and you will find out a short time later if you have been successful and received an offer for a position.
EY Other Entry Processes
For experienced professionals, the hiring process is broadly similar, although you will have fewer online tests complete. The usual order of this is:
- Online application
- Invitation to telephone or face-to-face interview
- Written assessment (taken online or at a testing center)
- Formal offer in writing
- Onboarding and induction
Each business area and even the individual roles within them will have slightly different processes and assessments, but the recruitment team will keep you informed of the next steps that you will be facing in your particular application.
