Congratulations to Jordan who secured an internship with EY. We caught up with him a week after he had finished to get all the insider details of his internship. He told us all about the work he did for EY as well as the application process he went through to secure the internship.
Why did you apply to EY?
I wanted to go into professional services. Therefore, it seemed only logical that I should apply to one of the Big 4. EY’s reputation precedes them, everyone knows them and everyone knows they are one of the best. This fantastic reputation of theirs initially drew me in. Furthermore, when I met their employees at various different networking events they were always incredibly affable. For me to meet different people from EY and for each person to be good-natured reassured me that the company would be a real pleasure to work for. Additionally, on my placement year I met multiple colleagues in my firm who had come from or were heading to EY and every single one spoke highly of the fantastic work culture that EY had nurtured. This only further fuelled my desire to work for EY.
What did you get up to on the internship?
During the internship the team really wanted to help me learn. I wasn’t relegated to coffee making duties but was given an active role in the team. I worked with a lot of data, analysing a businesses’ key financial metrics which would be inputted into reports for our more senior members to read and then present to clients. Towards the end of the internship I got to go to several of the client presentations too which was a really valuable experience. Being based in Birmingham we would travel to London to visit and then present our reports to EY clients. The whole internship was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from an experienced team to which I also added value with a meaningful role.
What was the application process for your internship like?
So, the application began with a C.V. check and the typical psychometric tests. If you really do put time into practicing for them you can feel quite prepared when it comes to actually sitting them. After these tests I had a values-based telephone interview where I was asked about my motivations for joining E.Y. and what I felt I could bring to the role. Following this I was invited to an assessment centre with 6-8 other people. We were all from different service lines so it wasn’t at all like I was sitting there with 8 other people looking to go into transaction services. In one exercise we were partnered with another applicant from a different service line. In this exercise we had to explain to the other person what our service line focusses on and how it might change with the impacts of technology. Following this we had a 1-hour interview with a partner. In this interview we had to give a 15-minute presentation on a case study followed by a question and answer session. I chose to focus my presentation on increasing cross border M&A activity and how EY could take advantage of this despite political instability.
Did you find the Bright Network FESTIVAL useful?
Yes, it was a great opportunity for me to meet a lot of different people from different firms. I feel that having links to a firm you are applying to is really valuable, especially if you have a name you can drop. It makes interviewers feel as though you already have a foot in the door and if their colleagues know you it encourages them to take even more seriously your application.
What three tips would you give to fellow Bright Network members?
- Start as early as possible. If you can get involved in spring weeks then do. They give you a real foot up when you’re applying to internships.
- Take part on extra-curricular activities. They make your application stand out as they show that you have a healthy work-life balance. It’s important that interviewers feel that you’re personable and have more to you than just being academically gifted.
- Don’t rush your applications. Plan your applications and personalise them more. Don’t just send out applications to every accountancy opportunity. Doing this doesn’t give you the opportunity to tailor your application to the firm you’re applying to. Tailoring your application really does improve your success rates.
What’s the hardest interview question you faced?
It was a technical question concerning how revenues affected the three financial statements. Make sure you’ve read up on your technical details before the partner interview for sure.