Magner Center for Career Development and Internships

1303 James Hall 718 951 5696

Interviewing with PwC: Advice from Alumni

Observations:
o During Interviews: they look for hints of whether you'd be friendly, whether you'd fit into the group
well or you'd alienate people easily.
o PwC is a Client Service Firm: therefore, clients might be also useful.
o In the Tax Sector: it's assumed that experience in tax is limited because of the way college courses
are structured, so, they spend a week teaching you everything you need to know and the rest can be
learned on the job. (Don't worry too much if you have no experience.)

Research about the firm:

o Ensure that you get and tell them about the recent firm's actions toward the accounting
pronouncements and the community and make them look good (e.g. you are the worlds largest
financial services provider, the connected thinking philosophy)

Feedback from the recruiter:

o Interview Practice: some candidates were very nervous for the interview. The more interview
practice the students get the better and less nervous they will be.
o Your Questions are important: students questions are a very important part of the interview. Near
the end of the interview, when the interviewer asks if they have any questions, they should always
answer "Yes". Asking questions is their chance to show their interest in the firm and their curiosity
to learn.

Some of the General Questions Asked Include Areas in:

o Teamwork
o Proficiency in Excel
o Favorite course

Tips for the Interview:

o Naturally be confident and be you: tell yourself I came for the interview and I definitely want this
job; if I get it then it is great, if I do not it's another good experience to be interviewed with such a
great firm.

During the Interview with the Partner:

o Point out Things you have done that can make you Worthwhile for This Position: how you
succeeded in school when holding a full time job and being a full time student; this is not something
readily feasible by a lot of students. For most cases there is a drop in GPA. This can actually show
your ability to handle multi-tasks and keep stuff on schedule successfully. Also, show him/her that
you can stand in front of a work challenge.

o Remember: the partner wants to get to know you, who you are, how you do things that can benefit
the firm, if you are able to keep up within a fast pace environment, etc. Do not forget to ask him/her
questions about his/her career in PwC (They love to talk about it.)
Interview with the Manager: (critical)
o Know your resume: in detail. One alumnus heard of a manager who goes line by line on your
resume to ascertain that you have been doing what is stated. Memorize your resume if you can and
be able to describe clearly what you were doing on that particular job; explain the technicality of it.

Manager May Ask:

o Be familiar with the following questions from Manager, HR, or anyone Interviewing You:
What do you do when there is a slacker on your team? Have you ever worked in a team
environment, how did it work?
Why are you interested in accounting firms, especially PwC, knowing that it requires a lot of
hours? Why did you decide to make a career in accounting/auditing?
Tell me about yourself, what makes you think you are qualified for this position, why should
I hire you?
*Eventually, ask the manager questions. This is stressed by various alumni.

Meeting with HR:

o This is where you want to know what kinds of benefits and compensation to expect, possibilities of
advancement in your career, possibilities of rotation between services or industries, the traveling, and
the CPA stuff among others.

Manager and HR May Ask:

o Give examples of a project where you had to do research, what was the project and which sources
did you use.
o Give an example of when you had to make a decision and didnt have enough information.
o Why accounting?
o Why PWC?
o Why Audit and not Tax.
o Tell me about yourself
o Tell me about a time when you were faced with conflicting situations. How did you make a decision.
o What are your plans for the future or where do you see yourself in 5 years?
o Tell me about a time when you handled a difficult situation, what was the issue and how did you
solve it.

Additional Questions to think about to be Prepared for PwC Interviews:

Personal/Behavioral
1. What do you consider your most important characteristic? Or what are you known for?
2. Would you consider yourself a team-leader?
3. Do you always have to be in charge?
4. What characteristics do you think a leader should possess? Or what characteristics should the ideal
leader have and why?
5. What will you do if you are assigned to an engagement with a team member whos known for being a
slacker, or not completing his assignments on time?
6. If someone offends you, how will you address that scenario?
7. If you were unable to complete your assignment on time, what would you do?
Career
1. Why did you want to become an accountant? Or just, why accounting?
2. There are three other companies of the Big 4s, why PwC?
3. What do you think is the most important in achieving the goals you set? Or how do you plan to achieve
the goals you set?

4. Why assurance and not tax? Or why tax and not assurance?
Hierarchy
1. Where do you see yourself in PwC? (Its always important that the candidate answer this question
futuristically). They should think about becoming a partner or manager within a realistic period of time.
At PwC, the hierarchy is Associate, Senior Associate, Manager, Senior Manager, and Partner. It
usually takes 3 years to get to each level.
General
1. Why did you choose Brooklyn College?
2. What did you enjoy the most about Brooklyn College, and why?
3. What did you do to either hurt or help your GPA?
4. Looking back, what will you change about your college experience?
Additional Advice for Interview:
1. Research the company (pwc.com) - # of offices, employees, developing markets, etc.
2. Be confident, honest and positive
3. Be able to talk about everything on your resume
4. Be punctual
5. Smiling helps

The Interviewers love the following questions:

Candidates should approach these various questions with no hesitation and answer in a lucid manner.
o Practice these types of questions and be confident in your answers. Show the interviewer that you have
been in tough and rigorous situations yet you successfully got out of them by doing......
o What are your strengths and weaknesses', ' tell me of a tough or an uncomfortable situation, whether at
work or at school, that you found yourself in and how you resolved it', ' tell me about yourself' and at
times ' why should we hire you and not anyone else'.

Important Keys to Remember When Answering the Interviewers Questions:

o Dedication: positive attitude and willingness to learn
o Contentious: to meeting deadlines. These are keys to getting hired and passing those interviews.
o Pro-activeness: a major aspect that is a must and it is absolutely necessary to mention. If the candidates
are pro-active, they will get ahead. Alums strongly recommend sometime during the interview or to an
answer that the candidate provides about him or herself, they should mention that one of the keys to
their success was being pro-active in school or in their internships, etc.

What the Interviewers Want to See:

o Confidence: the interviewee has to be able to subtly show that you can take on any projects
without much training and tackle it. The interviewers want to see if the candidate can improvise.
o Success: under stressful times and being able to meet deadlines, especially in this field, is
crucial. Must be hungry to learn and not afraid of work and take on several projects at the same
time. (Multitasking should be mentioned by the candidate. How he/she had succeeded before in
one or another situation by their ability to multitask.)

What Candidates Should be Able to Do:

Demonstrate the ability to adapt when necessary. (Examples include travel.)
Demonstrate interest in learning about various developments in the accounting industry.
Ask what PWC has to offer to broaden their knowledge of the accounting profession.
Explain why they chose accounting as their profession.
Show that he/she is able to work in a team environment. At the same time, the candidate has to
show that when needed he or she can step up to the plate and be a leader.
o Appear to be friendly, especially in places where longevity is a big concern.
o
o
o
o
o

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus-candidates/interview-tips.jhtml

 Advice from Alums:

1. Do Your Homework: about the firm/industry. Shows you are serious about making this a career. Don't just
Google the company. Reach out to the alums who work/worked there, interns, friends etc...
2. Be up to Date: with current events/issues.......and tie in a few questions concerning current events and the
firm/company.
3. Practice in the Mirror: (or with a friend etc).This helped one alum because she was able to realize that her
hands were flying everywhere and it made her conscious of little quirks that may be read wrong by the
interviewer.
4. Ask Questions: have a few questions in mind especially since sometimes the interviewer may have answered
the question you wanted to ask. Questions like "Tell me some of the things you think you did as a new
employee to help you progress in your career" are good starters. Picture yourself working for the company. It
helps phrasing questions easier.
5. Know your Resume Inside and out: don't include information about a club/membership that you didnt
actively participate in. One alumnus mentioned that his interviewer asked him to go step by step, discussing
everything on his resume.
6. Be prepared for: the "tell me about yourself question". Use it as a way to highlight things that may/may not
be on your resume. Don't tell them your life story.
7. Ask about: a typical day in the position you're interviewing in. Ask about challenges that new hires typically
experience. Ask about their training.
8. Show Interest by: asking about being provided with a coach/mentor.
9. Turning Weaknesses into Strengths: if asked about any weaknesses that you have, be honest but back it up
with a strength, or make sure you can talk about how you're improving or working to turn it into a strength.
o When asked what is your biggest strength or weakness, to be safe, the candidates should address this
directly to the job:
Some weaknesses to consider are: learning gap all the technical skills such as, not
knowing PwC software, PwC methodologies, etc.
Some strengths to consider are: academic prowess (GPA and grades in accounting
classes), leadership skillsprovided the candidate is/has been part of a professional
organization), and upward mobility in your job if the candidate is currently employed.
10. Show Parallels to Accounting: use recent jobs to look for similarities with the auditing or taxation
profession. It helps you to sell yourself when you are able to communicate your work experience or
extracurricular activities (ex: customer service jobs can help you sell your client facing strengths).
11. Remain Professional: at every stage of the interviewing process and do not bad mouth people (ex: coworkers, classmates, school and/or teacher).
o This is especially important during the pre-interview dinners; avoid making any negative
comments about people or your school. This will reflect negatively on the candidate as a person.
o Always maintain professionalism, even when having fun during happy hour functions with
colleagues.
12. Super Day: be bold and introduce yourself to your competitors, they maybe your future colleagues.
o You are probably being watched, so you want to demonstrate that you can work a crowd and
build a relationship with total strangers (this is vital since that is what you will be doing with
clients and this will also help your salesmanship when you are a partner).
o Be polite to everybody you meet at the firm's HQ you never know, the security guard in the front
of the building might have someone's ear who has influence.

25 ways to Strike Out on Interviews:

o What Alums Advise you to Stay Away from:
1. Poor personal appearance

2. Lack of interest and enthusiasm

3. Failure to look at the interviewer when

conversing
4. Limp, fishy handshake
5. Late for interview
6. Vague responses to questions
7. Lack of planning for career
8. Lack of confidence and poise
9. Over aggressive, conceited with superiority
complex
10. Inability to express self clearly
11. Makes excuses, evasive, hedges on unfavorable
factors
12. Lack of tact
13. Lack of courtesy

14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

Indecision
Cynical
No interest in Company
Wants job only for short time
Intolerant (strong prejudices)
Inability to take criticism
Narrow Interest
Ask no questions about the position
Low morals
Lazy
Over emphasis on money (Never about ask
salary)
25. Failure to express appreciation for interviewers
time

Consider Other Questions That You May Be Asked:

1.
2.
3.
4.

What are your short-term and long-term goals?

How would you describe success?
Dont you feel you might be better off with a different size firm than ours?
How would you describe your own personality?

Use the Following as a Guide for Questions to Ask the Interviewer:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

o Questions to ask about Position:

Can you explain the job cycle?
How can I, as an associate/intern really make an impact in PwCs business?
Describe your expectations of the right person in this job technically and personally?
How could someone exceed them?
Has any associate/intern who has worked for you been a super-star? Why?
Has any associate/intern who has worked for you failed? Why?
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of the job?
What do you find to be the most mundane aspect of the job?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

o Other Questions for the Interviewer:

Do you mind if I ask your background?
How long have you been with the company?
What do you consider your major achievement here?
What do you like most about the company?
What are your secrets about how to do well here?

1.
2.
3.
4.

o Questions to Ask About the Company:

Who are your main competitors?
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
How would you describe your company culture and philosophies?
What are some changes currently going on in the firm?
> Within department
> Sales, marketing
> External factors
> Accounting changes
o Come up with Interesting Questions to Ask the Interviewer:
Try to be original with your questions; your goals with your questions should be to take the
pulse of the firm's atmosphere via the staff.

 For example, during an interview, and alum asked the partner "if he had a time machine and
could go back in time to meet his younger self as he is entering the firm, what advice would
he give himself to put him on the right path?.

Its Important that the Candidates Know the Company Structure, Lines of Business,
Major Changes, etc:

o The lines of business are:

Assurance Group (audit and compliance etc.)
Advisory Group (internal control and regulatory compliance as well as financial
advisory, risk management etc.)
Tax Group tax compliance (internal, federal, state and local, acquisition and mergers
etc.)
There are other groups that are very important to the companys business:
Transaction Services team primarily responsible for mergers and acquisitions
System Process Assurance team - (SPA); they are the IT auditors.
OGC Legal team; advise other teams about legal matters; litigation.
National - advisors for all teams on accounting matters and issues.
The candidates should be aware of the major changes impacting the profession such as:
Implementation of IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards).
New credit requirements for financial institutions to get loans.
Impact of the recession on the company (ex: lower audit fees were charged due to
liquidity issues etc.)
SOX 404
PCAOB
The candidate should be mindful that soft skills are very important in the profession:
Companies are not only looking for good GPAs, they also want great orators that have
excellent interpersonal skills.
The candidate should know why he/she wants to work for PwC as opposed to Deloitte and
Touch or Ernst and Young:
The candidate should think about the Company-awards, reputation, commitment to
learning and the positive things their mentors/friends disclose.
The candidate should be willing to explain why PwC should hire him/her instead of another
candidate:
Although all the Big 4 accounting firms does the same work, they have different brands.
This question is asking you what your brand is and why is it better than the other
candidates.
PwC primes itself on connected-thinking. What that means is working with and sharing
your point of view and respecting the point of view of others who in most instances have
different race, gender, and religious beliefs. (Keep in mind PwC is an international
franchise).
The candidate should also be willing to answer behavioral questions:
Ex: You are working on a project but theres a slacker in your group; how do you ensure
this person does not extend the project because of his/her tardiness?
The public accounting profession requires a lot of time management.
The candidate should be able to use 3 words that would best describe them and why:
The candidates should take three qualities from PwC website that he/she is comfortable with
and elaborate.

You can call the Magner Center at 718 951 5696 to schedule a mock interview with a counselor.
When possible see if you can talk to someone who works at the company prior to your interview. Contact Natalia GuarinKlein at nataliag@brooklyn.cuny.edu to see if perhaps there is time to pair you up with an alumnus/alumna prior to your
interview.