jobsforyou

Deloitte partner interview

2005-08-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know how much prep you've done for the partner interview, but it's helpful to go back over the competencies listed on the Deloitte site, and have a few thoughts ready for the stock questions: why tax/audit or whatever you are applying for; why Deloitte; talk about a business issue you've been following recently...

Deloitte E-Tray

2005-08-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hi CatThe thread started by herdo is at http://www.doctorjob.com/Forum/View.asp?ThreadID=62755 It is very useful and contains alot of info about Deloitte written by very decent people such as herdo, eliot, lavistar, eran, boru and others.But it takes time to find the info as the thread is very long and there is alot of KPMG info in it.After going through it, this is a summary of what I have found:You need to read the information about your position as the project analyst advising Harrisons Books (given on Deloitte's web page) quite carefully.In the first part of the e-tray you are given information about your company and Harrison books in folders on the computer desktop. Using this information you have to answer the e-mails present in your in-box and the answers are all multiple choice. After answering them you get more e-mails which you have to answer using the info in the folders - I think that there is a total of 25 e-mails. Before starting to reply u should spend 5 mins to read the info in the folders to get an idea of whats what.If you have time left over after finishing the first part you should write down everything you have read as u need it in the 2nd part.In the second part u are given info about 3 companies ( called The Bookworm, Paper clip and Musica ) such as growth, profit etc. You have to choose which company out of the three u want Harrison books to acquire and write a report to a manager about it. You have to base your answer on the advantages and disadvantages of the companies given (more info about this is given in the thread - its the best!) You have to back your answers up, as in the next part - the presentation /interview you will be asked why u chose that company and not the other two. I think as long as you can support your answer u can choose any of the three companies. All the info u wrote down in the first part about the companies will help u to support your answer during the interview/ presentation. Theres more detail on the thread - if u have more time I recommend going through it.

Sharemarket

2005-08-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

search for online share trading in google, you will get hundreds of results.

What you can do, though, is invest in a fund, which is managed by a professional and so should provide steady, long-term income. The best way to do this is through an ISA, which is tax-free. This is a long-term investment, so won't solve your immediate money situation, but should help in the long-run.You can find loads of funds at www.fidelity.com.If you know the basics of trading but have no experience, you could be more successful trading sports bets on betfair. You can do this using the same techniques as you would use to trade shares, but it is a lot easier.

You will pay a trade fee for every trade that you put through. The cheapest is around £9 or £10 per trade with e trade (but this restricts you to trading on the UK exchanges i believe). That means if you buy and sell one particular companies shares you need to realise £20 of profit before you cover your costs. Unless you will be doing your trading in size then you may struggle to make enough to justify the trading

Sarbox

2005-08-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

don't think sarbox is as relavent to medium sized firms. Sarbox is American legislation for american companies, plus any that list on the american exchanges, firms big enough to list in america are probably bigger than the typical client of a med sized firm. Sarbox is of course very important to the big 4 as they derive the vast majority of their audit income from FTSE listed companies who, more often than not are listed in the U.S as well.IFRS will be of just as much importance to med sized firms as all UK firms are beggining to report their accounts in that format.I believe conflicts of interest refers to the situation when a firm is giving both audit and advisory services to a client. I don't know, but would guess that this was good for mid sized firms as they are picking up the work that the bigger firms are having to pass up.

Big 4 (Part 4)

2005-07-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by JuliaS , April 5, 17:03
You're welcome J I didn't actually finish the 24 questions in 70 mins and I know that the people sitting either side of me said that they didn't finish either.
I think there's two points to learn from this - 1) time does go really quickly so you do have to work fast; 2) don't panic if you are running out of time and haven't answered all of the questions, as you don't have to in order for them to offer you a job.
Good luck and let me know how you get on!!

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by Charity , April 8, 18:00
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone here.. I got an offer from deloitte!!!
all the tips here have really helped me, and I just wanted to say that if anyone needs more advice, i'm here..

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by Charity , April 8, 18:05
oh and to everyone who is starting this year, maybe we should all exchange email adds just to keep in touch.. it will be great to be with such nice and helpful people..

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by kuku104 , April 10, 16:11
Hi!i've got a KPMG assessement day on for next week, but am really stressed coz havent been for anyother assessment days yet!!For the presentation, I still havent decided on the company to do it on let alone anything else!!!I just read the posts about the presentation not being that important, but still 10 mins is a long time.hoping for some help on how u chose a company..., or anything further i might want to consider that is important for the presentation.This thread has helped so much to make it seem less daunting (just a little).cheers

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by i love bali , April 11, 20:48
hi guys
good forum and definitely v helpful! i have my assessment ctr with kpmg tomorrow and am in a last minute panic right now about my presentation.
went to the careers serv today to show them what i've prepared and was told that kpmg would probably be interested in sales/profit/cost forecast related to my recommendations. i dont have a business background and am pretty much clueless about how to figure out this sort of things. i know julia said they're not concerned with the finance, but in another reply someone said that he/she was asked about the company's profits/turnover.
as i'm really bad with figures i just wanna know what are the chances of being asked a financial-related question on the presentation?
thx so much for any help!!!

Deloitte First Round and E-tray by Nervous! , April 13, 11:33
Hey,I have just been accepted into the Audit department at Deloitte, London office to start in 2006.
I'm feeling in a really good mood, so if anyone wants advice/ideas on the first round, the patner interview, the e-tray or even the tastiest meal to have at lunch let me know ( ant@selln64.com ).
Good Luck!

Re: Deloitte First Round and E-tray by BeeV , April 13, 13:41
well congratsi just got rejected by KPMG after first round interview. Disappointed with myself. I have got E&Y coming up in may. Hope i can do better. :(

1st interview at KPMG by preda , April 13, 21:01
hi,
i've been following this thread for some time and i think it's terrific. i've got a first interview with KPMG on the 29th April and i would really appreciate if anyone could tell me how long the interview is and what the interview comrises of.
thanks!

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by herdo , April 13, 22:11
Hi,
my first interview lasted about 1hr and it was certainly tougher than the partner interview. KPMG have a website with a list of competencies - I can only advise you to look through those, they are lots. make sure u have some understanding of what's happening in business as well as the usual competencies and career motivation. uve got quite a bit of time to prepare, so if i were u, take a look at those competencies on the website - here's the link:

best of luck!!

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by da8thmonth , April 14, 09:04
Hi herdo,
during the partner interview, were you asked questions relating to the examples of compentcies you gave in the 1st interview? As the 1st round interviewer took so many notes, I'm wondering if they were passed on.
Thanks,
Da8thMonth

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by herdo , April 14, 10:54
Hi,
The first interview was more of..give me an example of ... ,..., ... and so on or demonstrate this that or the next.
The partner interview was more of a "formal" chat - i did my presentation first, he then asked me a few questions - that took about 15 - 20 minutes, he then asked me a few general questions, really finding out about my personality and character, and then he just wanted to find out how much i knew about business. he also asked my what i thought his job was...so it really wasn't that tough. I think the presentation made me feel more comfortable, even though i was nervous to begin with, (as u could tell from the initial post on the thread), but it was the e-tray that i thought was the hardest part of the day.
so to answer your question, i dont think he had my first interview notes, nor did he really ask me many competencies, and if he did, they most likely were asked in the first round, as that guy asked almost everything possible.
best of luck

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by Gini , June 12, 22:01
Hi Herdo,thank u guys 4 all ur tips. I av finished my 1st interview and i passed tho i never knew of dis link then. Thank God i made it. The info here is really helpful and I am so much particular about the e-tray. Can u pls be more specific with me?I need to know precisely how d first part look like. How many pages does the booklet have for d part1 and can we read it first b4 clicking on 'Start' to gain time as someone suggested?
How many companies are presented in part1? Are the questions arranged according to the way the companies are arranged?
As regards the questions relating to numeracy in the part1, are there specific questions relating to numbers in the part1?
for part2, u guys are talking about 'Coda', can u pls help us out so dat we can gain time on reading d booklet. And how specifically does the Part2 look like? How many pages is that? How many company profile does it entail?pls tell us what is involved. I know u might say i am lazy but i'm sincerely not. This job is so important to me and it determines a lot for me, so I have taken all significant steps to get 2 dis point and i cant afford to drop here.
Kindly help as much as u can.
Gini

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by Eskay , June 17, 17:51
hey
have you had ur assessment centre yet? I have one next week
Where have you applied? did you want to discuss anything as were in the same boat..?

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by i love bali , April 16, 12:32
hey guys
i'd like to thank everyone here for all the input about kpmg assessment ctr. i had mine on tue (12 april) and was told that i'd passed it on thu. the tips about e-tray and presentation were extremely useful so a big thx again:)
i'd like to know if anyone has any opinion about internal audit/information risk management? unfortunately my 1st choice position (london audit) has no more vacancies and so i have the options to:1. move outside london2. move to internal audit/information risk management3. defer to 2006.
i definitely would not like to defer my entry and am not keen on moving outside london either. before sending my appl form i was interested in information risk management (although decided to go with audit instead as its more general) and got the feeling that info risk is a growing area.
does anyone have any pros/cons about these 2 divisions (info risk/internal audit)?... any opinion will be greatly appreciated. thx guys:)

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by preda , April 16, 15:41
really? there are no more vacancies for audit in the london office?

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by i love bali , April 16, 16:32
hey preda yup thats apparently the case. of course its all subject to acceptances of offers already extended but the chances of vacancies being available for london audit are slim. but u shouldnt worry too much about it unless ur dead sure u only wanna do audit in london this year.

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by preda , April 16, 22:50
hi 'i love bali',
i just got a little worried because i'm still yet to have my first interview. but congratulations on getting your offer anyway. oh and best of luck with which ever choice you go with.

Re: 1st interview at KPMG by preda , April 14, 14:29
thanks a lot herdo for your help

Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by mufasa , April 18, 15:34
Hi everyone!this truly is an amazing forum!I am quite stressed about tomorrow, just getting into panic mode, not only have i been prepin for this day, been so stressed about it havent been able to start wk for final exams in 2 wks time!!!ahhhh........!!Just wanted to know if anyone could help me with the partener interview and what questions you get asked about your presentation ?and in general after.I am guessing get asked questions like why KPMG, why audit, but what competencies specifically?please please help!!!!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by mufasa , April 21, 00:31
hi!i have one main thing to say....THANK YOU!!!!!MR HERDO, MR ELIOT, MR BORU, n every1 else who's contributed on this thread, I just got offered a place with KPMG!!!!!All I can say is that the in-tray ex is tuff, but manageable, i answered 99% of the emails, n i m not the most organised person in the world. the partner interview, know the company well, thats imperative, it really impresses them. The grp ex, contribute valid points.But i hafta say u guys rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , April 21, 12:52
hi mufasa ,congratulations on getting an offer from kpmg!! i noticed that u applied to audit and i'm just wondering if u applied to the london office? if u did, r u in the same boat as me (no more vacs in london audit) and what options did they give u? (see my posting a few days back)
thanks and again congratulations:)

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by Vish82 , April 22, 12:29
I had been invited to assessment centres for PwC, Deloitte, Lloyds and KPMG. I didnt get through to PwC or Deloitte in spite of the awesome help on this forum but kept learning along the way. And a couple of days back, I got offered a position at Lloyds TSB for Wholesale and International Banking, which was awesome. I still have my assessment centre for KPMG but am just gona go there for the heck of it because I feel the Lloyds position offers a lot more.Anyways, my experience just shows that there is a learning curve involved and that there is always silver lining at the end of the cloud. So all those who are stressed out or havent been successful, just hang in there.I wanted to offer my sincere thanks to herdo, elliot, boro n others. I really gained a lot from this forum, though not directly. Best of luck wiith your future.

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by mufasa , April 23, 22:17
hey i love bali!Thanx for the wishs.Congrats to u to!!The assessment day was actually quite tuff, but glad to get thru it!!!Yep they gave me the same options aswell. I think i might just defer for a year, take some time out and do other things.By the way, do u happen to know wot the starting salary for kpmg is this yr?

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by preda , April 24, 19:19
hi,
i'm preparing for my first interview for audit and among the competency questions i'm having most trouble with are:
Give a time when there's been a conflict in a team you've been in. How did you deal with these conflicts?
Give a time when you've had to adapt to change and how did you go about adapting and fitting in?
Give a time when you've had problems working in a team.
Have you ever had to challenge authority?
Give a time when you've been de-motivated in a task.
Those are among some of the questions i have trouble thinking of responses. what are they looking for when they ask these questions. any help would be much appreciated.

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , April 26, 18:02
hey mufasa i have no idea about the exact salary for kpmg audit but i reckon it'd be between 23-24K. not sure if theres a signing bonus etc. do u know if the salaries r the same for audit, internal audit and irm?...

Salary by kjs , April 27, 14:11
Gatwick office is £23,500. Plus a relocation loan. Hope that helps.

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by apprentice , April 28, 13:41
Hey i love bali and mufasa,
did u guys hear from them by email? had ur assessment centre in canary wharf office?

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , April 28, 20:06
hi apprentice (i suppose it was inspired by sir alan sugar/donald trump's show? :) yep had my assessment ctr at canary wharf and yup they let me know by email. i thought it was quite weird for a job offer but i guess it'd b easier to explain by email rather than phone.
did u get an offer as well?
mufasa, have u told them what u wanna do?

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by mufasa , May 2, 02:37
hey, yep i got an email aswell.....not too impressed by that.i love bali....i think i m gonna take a year out n travel n temp n stuff....good opp. Every1 i've talked to, especially new grads at big 4 companies have or wished they took a year out, coz the training contract is gruelling to say the least.Havent told them yet, but will do soon, hopefully will get 1st choice in the area i wanna work in.Wot about u?Sorry bout the late reply.thnx btw for the replies about the salaries. Seems that Kpmg is th lowest payer out of all the big 4, EY started on 24k las yr (so will be higher this year), Pwc is on 26k this yr, not too sure about deloitte yet.

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by eskay , May 5, 12:42
EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY EY
hello every1
elliot.. thanks for providing me with this link
just spent that last few hours going over this bad mamma jamma of a king sized thread..
any tips on EY interview.. only at 2nd stage but any help will be much appreciated?..

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 10, 02:41
hi, i have been to a 2nd stage EY interview in the assessment centre for london ICO audit. its basically a competency based interview, all candiates get asked the SAME list of pre-prepared questions. there is NO commercial awareness questions nor qs on accounting issues such as sox or ifrs. so no need to waste time on reading them. you will be asked some starter questions about yourself, followed by around 10-12 examples, in the end one or two questions about why ey.
the competency questions r: (in no particular order nor is exhaustive cos couldnt remember all)
tell me a time
1) when u submitted a piece of work which exceeded expectations
2) when u persuaded someone to change their action or views
3) when u showed creativity
4) when u made a long term decision at the expenses of short term decisions
5) when u communicated complex information
6) when u managed time efficiently
7) when u adapted different styles of ppl in team work
8) what's the biggest change in your life
...u will be probed further for the competencies.
EY does not give feedbacks to unsuccessful candidates. good luck!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , May 5, 18:12
hey mufasa. i've decided to join irm instead. i was initially quite interested in the division anyway and after meeting up with someone who's working there, i got a very positive impression about the work that they do. i still need to go thru an interview to assess my career motivation though. so this whole thing has really turned into a very long process... not good in the middle of an exam period.
anyway your news about the salary is a bit disappointing but it shouldn't matter too much... good luck with whatever you do!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 10, 02:23
Hi, thanks for the tips. I have been informed by a friend about this site and it helped to pass the assessment centre. I also got the email about the 3 choices since I also applied to london audit. I phoned them and was told internal audit no longer recruit in london as well. for IRM, I really dont fancy the careers motivation interview so might opt for somewhere in outer london such as Gatwick or St Albans. I wonder if anybody who know anything about these locations could you give me some ideas about what they were like? kjs, have you been to the gatwick office? how was it and the people there? Is the training the same as those in london office? Does anyone know would there be opportunities to transfer office later after joining?
I love bali, could you tell me if the IRM option dont work out, would we still have the option to transfer office, or that's it? what other process do u need to go through? such as perhaps lunch with the IRM managers or career statement or whatever? which london office is IRM based, please? is canary wharf?
I guess it's a lot of questions, I would like to thank all of you in advance for your help, and best luck!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by Ibrar , May 10, 09:32
Hi Leston
For E and Y did you do the maths test? How was it if you did them?
I am applying for a summer internship and got the assessment day very soon!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 11, 13:40
Hi, the ey numerical tests in their office is paper based, plz do not be put off should u be unable to finish them. I had around a quarter unanswered qs but still managed to pass it.
the questions are kind different from the online one. u will need to usually do multiple calculations b4 arriving an answer.
anothing wanna say is their caculator aren't easy to handle:) as for me, the first one I used was malfunctioning:( then I was replced with a new one without compensating time loss. but, the caculator still dont seem to function well, problem arise when u need to perform calculations of long equations or multiple steps,... anyhow, just make sure b4 start, ask for guidance on using the caculator, test it to see how it works. then it should be fine.
good luck

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by Dan123 , May 11, 13:46
HI Leston
Thank you for your advice. Is it like SHL based paper tests?
I have heard that you just need to pass them so you can guess a last few in order to reach the pass mark quota which I believe would be 18/32 or something. You left 6 questions out?! Didn't you guess the last few?
I will most probably take my own calculator in which should be ok.
Can you please give me any tips on how I can practice for these tests? Are they similar to any other company? BDO, UBS?
Thank you

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 12, 22:44
hi, yeah, u r right, i think around 18/32 will probably pass. I left around 6 out cos I didnt even have time to guess. I was battling with the calculator! I would think spend the last 10 sds guess the remaining, but be sure check if they do negative marking or not.
as u know the ey online test is same as ubs online. but the paper one is v different (harder), vaguely remember it was similar to barclay cap paper test, but not sure others.
finally, practise the shl is definately useful, though I would encourage u try out the harder ones.
best

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by Ibrar , May 13, 09:05
Hi Leston
How comes the paper one is harder than the online one? I found the online one very hard itself. How comes its harder? In what way? I am very worried about it.

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 16, 18:58
Hi, hope it's not too late for replying. The ey 2nd stage numeric test made me feel its harder than the online one because typically there were more stages involved in calculation b4 arriving the final answer. for example, one question may ask u to first compute a sum, then a percentage, then compare this percentage with others to find the highest etc. but dont worry, the percentage required to pass the test is definately lower than the online one, as I mentioned b4. and not all question invloves many steps, a number of them are easier. if its harder for u, it will be so for others, so just be calm and good luck!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by Ibrar , May 18, 09:10
Hi
Had EY test yesterday and it was very difficult I found.
Let's see but I don't think I passed it as usually with E and Y you get a call on same day, however I haven't heard anything. Oh well, the test was just beyond my capability unfortunately.
There were 9 of us and I was the only one that had to do the test. Everyone else had A level Maths.

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , May 11, 12:35
i don't know if it's just me being really stupid.. i swear i posted 2 replies to your questions above and none of them were shown in the forum!...
anyway leston i had my career motivation interview yesterday and was offered the position today:D trust me the interview was easy and the preparation that i needed to do was none as much as for the first interview/assessment ctr so it shouldn't put you off applying to IRM...
i say only move to IRM if you're really interested though, coz you'll be bound by the contract for 3 years... in my understanding, you'll still have all 3 options available until you've accepted an offer/ as long as there are vacancies.
i think FS and government+intrastructure (something) are in canary wharf and CIM and something else are in blackfriars. but not 100% sure... anyway it's better to hurry if you wanna change divisions coz the process took a while to me. let me know when you've made a decision and what it is...
to everyone who's helped me prepare for my interview and assessment ctr -- a BIG THANK U... i'm another one who received a job offer thx to this thread:D

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 11, 13:30
Hi I love bali,
thank you very much for the replies. I thought u or somebody must have replied cos I got email notification from doctorjob but just couldnt find the msg. must be pro of the website.
I emailed them yesterday saying I was considering moving to gatwick and asked them a number of questions about the gatwick office, training and clients etc. I am waiting for them to reply then I can make up my final decision.
I asked a friend of mine who work for pwc in gatwick. He gave me some really good insight into working in that area, there will be some london jobs and I will be trained in angel in london for the exams as well. also, about where to live, there is choice between closer to london or to gatwick. the latter is obvious cheaper! as for my friend, he pay £650 for a one bed room flat suite, which is impossible in london. pay is the same. hope this info can help ppl who also have the 3 choices.
I lobe bali, how long does it take for them to get back to u when u replied that email? also, could u tell me if u know where is IRM based? I guess based in IRM the primary focus will be IT related issues? do u know its team size and other work info, plz? lastly, is the salary identical to audit (if u know)?
I really appreaciate all ur help and will definately keep u informed about my choice progress.
bestleston

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by Eskay , May 11, 17:20
easy peeps
congrats on ur offers.. hopefully i can add my name to the elite list on this forum.. ;-)
this thread is HUGE now.. lol..

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , May 12, 23:22
hey leston
i would suggest that you call them and not email. you should've been given the no of the HR person who was at your assessment centre, just contact him directly. if you need to speak to someone else instead, he'll pass you on to them. from my experience the KPMG HR people have been very helpful -- however they do have a slightly weird system (?) where someone emails you about your offer, but it turns out he/she is not the person you need to contact for further info...
anyway i received my offer letter today:) i don't know what the start date is yet but the salary is £24k which is not bad -- i don't know what audit gets.
IRM is more IT based but still in a way similar to audit (checking control etc). if you take the ACA route you'll get to study for chartered accountancy as well and basically get the best of both worlds. people in IRM are divided into business units like in audit as well and they work as part of a big team comprising of audit and IRM people.
the FS business unit is based in canary wharf and CIM is in blackfriars -- i'm not sure about the other business units.
hope this helps!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by leston , May 18, 15:30
Hi, I love bali,
many thanks for the replies and answers! they are certainly very useful in helping me to make up my mind. I have decided to change to IRM as well, pursuing the ACA route. I contacted them by phone and now I am writing a career motivation statement and if passed I will have a career motivation interview with a senior person from IRM.
You have successful completed this change process, I wonder if you could give me some ideas about the career statement and the motivation interview you had? What type of questions were you asked in the interview and what knowledge about the role are we expected to do? Is there competency or commercial awareness questions as well? finally, is it a senior manager you've been interviewed with and how long was it?
When do you hear from them after you submit the career statement? I really appreaciate your help!!! hopefully, we may work in the same department!!!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by deloitte please help , May 21, 12:07
Hi everyone,It tool me more than 1 hr to read everything about deloitte but I have 2 more questions and I would be very grateful if you can help as I really want to work for deloitte.
1)Everybody get the same topic for the second part of the in-tray? i.e. to recommend a company that Harrison should acquire?
2) I was rejected by KMPG becuse I did not manage to answer all the e-mails, in the first part. DO you have any tips how should I approach this in order to answer them all?
Thanks!

PricewaterhouseCoopers Interview by Jailoa X , May 22, 12:57
Hi
I've a Partner's interview coming up with the assessment day as well any help from recent interviewees?.
Has anyone been to assessment day. What did they ask you on group exercise like what was the topic and how did you respond to it?
Any helps most appreciated.
Jialoa

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by i love bali , May 22, 20:08
hi leston good to hear about your move to IRM!
about the career motivation process: for some reason i didnt have to submit a career motivation statement before my career motivation interview. i'm not sure why. i did meet up with an IRM trainee in an informal way though in order to find more about the job -- maybe it pretty much confirmed my motivation (?). the interview i had was very short and simple, it was only about 15 mins long and the questions are very general and typical of an interview process:why IRM? what do you know about IRM? etc. really, nothing you shouldn't know about and nothing else but career motivation -- so no competency/commercial except the obvious ones. i think it was a manager who interviewed me. i suggest you google 'IT audit' to have a general understanding about what the job involves. it should go ok... i heard from them the day after my interview.
hope everything goes as planned!

1st part of etray by davidchenlin , May 24, 09:29
i love bali:
congratulations on your offer! can I ask a quick question regarding the first part of e-tray. are all emails in your inbox before you start or they keep coming in continuously during your work?
and what do you think is the best way to approach: look at all of them and decide which one to deal with first, or on a first-come-first served basis?
Thanks you vey much!

Re: 1st part of etray by davidchenlin , May 26, 10:22
come on, anybody help me?Thanks a lot!

Re: Partner interview!!help interview 2moro by BeeV , May 22, 14:41
Hello there. Was wondering whether anyone been to E&Y assessment centre? How is it like? Is it similar to KPMG to which i can read from this thread? Or is it different? Can anyone share their experience with me? thank u!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by hatecom , May 22, 21:45
Could I ask anyone who's been to a KPMG assessment centre recently what was your topic of group discusstion?Many thanks!!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by kjs , May 26, 16:05
Yes, the emails keep coming in as you are doing the exercise but don't let this put you off.
The group discussion is around choosing a company out of a selection. You don't need any prior knowledge - you just have to be able to come up with a decision as a group. They are testing your team working ability more than your ability to do the task - remember this!

Re: PwC Assessment and Offer by bumpyoh , May 27, 19:52
Just thought I'd add my name to the success list on this thread and say a HUGE thank you for all the info...took ages to read but was very helpful.
I got my offer from PwC Tax. The assessment day was fine - the diagrammatic test is really difficult but I guess the pass mark must be very low as I only managed to answer 14/30 questions - however I know that all of these were right so if they negatively mark, I didn't lose any marks.
The individual presentation went really well - make sure you read all the info and structure your "briefing" adn try and think out of the box on solutions whilst ALWAYS considering the monitory value of corporate responsibility actions.
In terms of commerical knowledge for the partner interview - best thing you can do is read the company's own publications! PwC release their own quarterly and monthly series of publications called "Trouble with the Taxman" "Private Clients News" and "Essentials" - they are all available for download on their site - essential industry reading even if you are applying to a different Big 4 company. Track where ex-PwC employees are doing well i.e, the new head of the anti-avoidance unit at the inland revenue is an ex-PwC partner - my interviewer knew him and was impressed that I mentioned it. Good luck all!!
btw, they phoned me back the day after the assessment centre to offer it to me, so I didn't have to wait too long. Oh, and for anyone out there who is female and has a family already - they actually seemed PLEASED I had a daughter rather than thinking it would detract from my career focus or workign hours. I love this firm!

Re: PwC Assessment and Offer by PwC Case , May 28, 14:14
Hi
Congratulations on your brilliant success. My assessment day is coming by could you plz let me know what was the topic of your case study, any important points which you remmember.
I would really be greatful.
Thanks

Re: PwC Assessment and Offer by Eskay , June 2, 18:46
does anyone have a summarised document of this?,, it must be 100 pages long!.. lol

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by anileh , June 2, 14:10
Hello!
Recently I've been offered a job at KPMG for Public Sector Audit (2006 entry)!! I'm absolutely delighted!
I've spent so much time reading and absorbing the information on this thread. And I don't think I could've performed as I did on the assessment day without the help of the generous ppl who have donated to this thread and clarified my expectations of the day! It removed the "fear factor" (it was the first assessment day I had ever attended)!
So thank you to all the contributors. Well done to all the employed graduates and good luck to everyone!
If anyone wishes to get in touch with me about the assessment day (although the advice on this thread is all you'll ever need!) or if you are going to be at KPMG then feel free!!
All the best,
Helina

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eskay , June 2, 18:44
hey
I have a first round interview in Audit coming up. Would you be able to help?
Any tricky Questions I should look out for?
I really appreciate it.
ThanksSK

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by anileh , June 2, 21:44
Hello
As mentioned before, the first interview is based on the competencies as listed on their website.
My interviewer selected a few questions from the leadership area, and then a few from the other categories. Finishing up with business focus questions (one business success and one business failure), and why motivations for Public Sector Audit and KPMG.
Obviusly each interviewer has their own style so each interview is not to the above structure! So prepare by having a few examples for each of the competencies (just to be safe), read FT for the business focus questions, and really know why you want to do what you've applied for!
I was very nervous (my first interview), but my interviewer made me feel at ease and in some ways the interview was like a formal chat! Prepare your answers well, and you should be fine!
I hope that helps - Good luck!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by davidchenlin , June 2, 19:32
hi, Helina:
Congratulations on your job offer! did you managed to finished the e-tray exercise? and how did you approach them?
also, how do you think I should behave in the group discussion? do i have to be the leader or be very resourceful?
I really appreciate that if you could answer my questions!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by anileh , June 2, 21:59
Hello!
Thanks!
The etray exercise I found hard! The first part (70 minutes; 24 questions) I did not complete. Initially when you begin the exercise, theres about 4 - 6 emails to answer. But the emails kept coming in! I approached them in chronological order. I think I completed just over half of the questions? The second part (50 minutes; 2 emails to compose), I took the advice of others who have posted on here, and spent 10 minutes reading and 20 minutes per email. A previous post provided a very good simple and basic structure, which works!
In the group exercise, don't worry about this, this is the most relaxed part of the assessment. And if you are lucky, (as I was!) your group will be friendly cooperative and not over bearing! The most important thing to keep in mind is to enjoy it (seriously!) and to contribute; for example, offer to time keep or to present, and raise points that you think and listen to other people when they are talking.
I hope all that helps. But seriously, everyone at KPMG is SO friendly! I hope that reassures you! All the best!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by anileh , June 2, 21:59
Hello!
Thanks!
The etray exercise I found hard! The first part (70 minutes; 24 questions) I did not complete. Initially when you begin the exercise, theres about 4 - 6 emails to answer. But the emails kept coming in! I approached them in chronological order. I think I completed just over half of the questions? The second part (50 minutes; 2 emails to compose), I took the advice of others who have posted on here, and spent 10 minutes reading and 20 minutes per email. A previous post provided a very good simple and basic structure, which works!
In the group exercise, don't worry about this, this is the most relaxed part of the assessment. And if you are lucky, (as I was!) your group will be friendly cooperative and not over bearing! The most important thing to keep in mind is to enjoy it (seriously!) and to contribute; for example, offer to time keep or to present, and raise points that you think and listen to other people when they are talking.
I hope all that helps. But seriously, everyone at KPMG is SO friendly! I hope that reassures you! All the best!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by anileh , June 2, 21:59
Hello!
Thanks!
The etray exercise I found hard! The first part (70 minutes; 24 questions) I did not complete. Initially when you begin the exercise, theres about 4 - 6 emails to answer. But the emails kept coming in! I approached them in chronological order. I think I completed just over half of the questions? The second part (50 minutes; 2 emails to compose), I took the advice of others who have posted on here, and spent 10 minutes reading and 20 minutes per email. A previous post provided a very good simple and basic structure, which works!
In the group exercise, don't worry about this, this is the most relaxed part of the assessment. And if you are lucky, (as I was!) your group will be friendly cooperative and not over bearing! The most important thing to keep in mind is to enjoy it (seriously!) and to contribute; for example, offer to time keep or to present, and raise points that you think and listen to other people when they are talking.
I hope all that helps. But seriously, everyone at KPMG is SO friendly! I hope that reassures you! All the best!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by ElijahWood , June 21, 18:45
hi Guys,just wanted to ask about assessment centre E-tray(apologies in advance!!)
are the emails related in the 1st part to the 2nd part?do you have to take a strategic view on them and try kill a few birds with one stone?is the first part mulitple choice?thanks in advance!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by diyacomp , June 21, 21:33
give me your email adress, il forward you a really helpful thing sme one sent me

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , June 21, 23:51
Hi ElijahWood,
Firstly for the first part, all answers are multiple choice.
Secondly for the second part, if I remember, there is some relation to the first part, but even if there isn't there would be no way in which u could prepare for it anyway (before the assessment).
I would advise on spending about 5 to 10 mins just getting to grips with the booklet and all the information, and finish the first part as quickly as possible so that u have more time for the second part (preparation) which I think is more important but i'm not sure.
Finally, thanks for everyone for making this such a successful thread - its a shame that doctor job hasn't given an input yet.
Best of Luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by ElijahWood , June 28, 13:33
KPMG tips
Loads have been covered, great tips by Boro, Herdo and the man himself Eliot Spitzer!
Just a few things I think I should add on..
E-tray exercises: I think the best thing was to just reply to those that seemed most important, i.e. clients etc first.. then others..
The second one was a blessing.. I spent 5 minutes reading through the booklet before I even started this exercise. I also took a time out to get a drink etc.. its well worth taking this break to chill out.. go for a walk or something.. Some great guidelines are in this post. This exercise was good and the calculations were very simple.. using a formula I think so no probs there!
Take notes in the exercises.. these are collected at the end and ‘thrown away' but Im sure they would look over this briefly.. but its good to take notes and you can look back over these for main points in the presentation, or the 2 e-tray exercises. I remember them saying that they definitely keep the ones you make after the group discussion so take some decent notes. It will help you anyway! Don't worry about them too much tho.
Partner interview.. This started off well.. He was very nice but he really probed around the negative parts of my application and also asked things like ‘What demotives you?' When have you had to give up on a task? - so be careful! Make sure you prepare these. He didn't sound impressed with me but I think I came out with some good responses. In the end I got the offer so I think it was just a way to test me… There were no real technical questions.. Just a bit about what have you read about KPMG recently, What is affecting KPMG at the moment.. (IFRS, Sarbanes Oxley)?
I asked the partner a couple of questions about clients he worked with and what he enjoyed etc and something that came up during the interview… I think that's the best way to go with questions.. but definitely prepare something.. I didn't ask about Global Mobility Programme because it just sounds like you want to go on holiday or something.. I would ask something more relevant to the role. Etc..
Wish you guys the best of luck. Thank you so much for all your help you guys. Ive been in shock for a while about this role but am very happy to have been offered a place! Good luck to you all!
EW
Drinks on me when you get back Eloit!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Dan123 , June 28, 14:06
Can anyone remember the pros and cons for the different companies for Deloitte's E-tray exercise?
Bookworm, musica and the other company. Which one di you choose and why?
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , June 28, 21:14
Dan 123 - in response to ur question
The 3 companies are Paperclip, Musica, and The Bookworm.
Paperclip has MEDIUM potential for growthMusica has HIGH potential for growthThe Bookwork has LOW potential for growth
PaperClip has the highest profit, whereas Musica has the lowest
Customer spending frequency is low for paperclip but high for the other 2
I chose bookworm (probably wrong) because they had a range of topics in books and could help in education - they also seemed like the best value company
They also have a loyalty card scheme which is useful and can encourage bulk buys
This is all very vague but will only make sense when u do the real thing.
Best of luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Dan123 , June 29, 09:08
Thanks a lot Herdo
I think your choice was good as lot of people I know chose that. I guess it will be easier when you actually see the information.
Do you know the time frame for the e-tray exercise? I have checked this forum and it only says you have 2 hours. What is the breakdown however?
Cheers
-

Big 4 (Part 3)

2005-07-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Presentation ......... by oops... , February 25, 18:06
Hey guys,
once again thanks for all the advice. This definitely is the best place for Big 4 Advice. I haven't had any offers yet but I'm through to the KPMG final stage next week in Manchester (Thursday). The presentation is really stressing me out. I just don't know what company to do the presentation on! I have no idea where to start! I spoke to a KPMG partner and he told me to do it on KPMG, which instantly seems quite foolish because the partner will definitely know magnitudes more than you about KPMG. KPMG HR presentation people said this was a very bad idea so I don't know if he is messing with me or not!
I came across Dyson as another prospective company, but It's quite hard to get in depth information. The only other choice is to do it on the firm I work for at the moment. It is a very small manufacturer (a partneship). I am so confused about this. Any help will be very much appreciated.
Eliot good luck with the travelling. And everyone else good luck with your jobs!
Cheers

advice on Group Advice by mnb098 , February 26, 00:39
hi, i put my question here because i get a feeling many ppl here are quite hot on this( subsequently got a job offer)please offer some tips:recently did a group exercise for EY:while one guy on my right handside (A)kept on talking all the time-every sentense,breathless,continusously-the guy on my left hand side(B) was quiet during the discussion,i was struggling get in some of my words during A's speech and ask for B's opinion if he could open his mouth beforeA...I felt more and more tired and helpless as the discussion went on, I doublt if I was doing something wrong?How will you do in Group Exercise?Thanks

Re: advice on Group Advice by herdo , February 26, 08:07
hi,
from what i've read, A certainly wont get the place. If you managed to give any opinions and encourage B, you have already increased your chances. I dont think u did anything wrong though.

Re: advice on Group Advice by flatout , February 26, 10:36
this thread seems to be generating success for a lot of people. just want to say well done to you all.
just wondering, when i come to apply to these things later on in the year, how much chance will i have in getting past the application forms of the big 4. i ask this because although im on for a solid 2.1, i have 22 ucas points. that makes me 2 ucas points out from the minimum level.
do you think i should try to get some experience first in the 'cold calling' way that was described in some other topics? or would it not make much difference?
thank you

Re: advice on Group Advice by flatout , February 26, 10:39
also would i have to do the whole calling/writing a letter to HR explaining my situation. i dont have any mitigating circumstances. that was the requirement for my offer and i got what was needed.
cheers.

Re: advice on Group Advice by boru , February 26, 11:47
Hi Flatout,
I got 22 UCAS points too. I actually got a straight rejection from KPMG, and they told me in their feedback that my A-Level results weren't good enough (though I did get a 2:1). I emailed the head of recruitment and explained why my A-Level grades weren't as good as expected. She said OK, you can do the online tests....the rest as they say, is history! May I suggest that if you don't have mitigating circumstances, that you "invent" some. If you are good enough to get past the online tests, first interview, and assessment centre, then I don't think they will care about your A-Levels. I didn't invent my mitigating circumstances, but for all they know I could have! (Plus if you say you got BBC and dont mention mitigating circumstancs you will get straight rejection from their system....)Good luck!

Re: advice on Group Advice by flatout , February 26, 13:02
cheers for the info. so they do appear to be quite strict about all the requirements. i suppose il have to start coming up with the whole lunch money being stolen stories or teachers giving me a hard time etc. then again i suppose for 2 ucas points difference, theyre not gona make such a big deal out of it, i guess its just to see if you are that determined.
my GCSEs are quite good actually (all A's and B's) so that should help to explain that i would have been capable of slightly higher A levels. guess will have to see what happens.
really do need to sort out some experience for the summer after finishing uni. am attempting the medium sized as they might be more willing to take me on a more casual basis. not ready to apply to formal schemes just yet.
do you think its possible to do a few weeks in the big 4, maybe even unpaid? any agencies that can help?

Re: Presentation ......... by jode , February 26, 18:20
I would say KPMG is probly not the best choice of presentation as the partner is likely to know a lot lot more about the co than you so it could lead to some potentially tough questions after your presentation.
Re: dyson. Have u tried their website? Companies house? (4 their a/cs?) Calling them and asking some questions for the info you want? You also may want to learn about patents if this is ur choice tho.
A smaller co (like where you work) is what I chose. It is good as it reduces the difficult quesitons a partner can ask you as you have the upper hand - knowing more about the company than them. As long as they have increasing profits then you can be justified in your choice as they have the means to expand.

Deloitte Offer by Offer , February 28, 12:40
Does Deloitte give the offer via Email or phone? I find that my online status has not changed - still assessment centre booked. Quite worried! Thanks a lot!

Thanks by newc , February 28, 13:19
Hey guys,I've just been reading through all your advice and it is so helpul. Thank you! I have my final stage next week at KPMG.
KPMG is the only accountancy firm I've actually applied for - do you think I should admit to this or does it make it look like I'm not committed to a career in this area?

Re: Thanks by lexcoups , February 28, 16:15
Hi oops,
I've got a KPMG assessment centre as well in Manchester on Thursday!!
Thanks to Eliot, herdo and the gang for all the advice. It's astonishing when you read through all the posts and see how many people got an offer. I was quite confident till I read all the info but really happy cos now I know what to expect.
Newc, will let you know how it goes this week that way you have a heads up. Also, try to read up on the other posts and it should give you some idea.
Ps: Can anyone answer why Deloitte takes a long time to reply to anything??? I got through to the final stage there as well but they've been so long in replying throughout the whole stage. At this point, my choice is tipped to KPMG.

Re: Thanks by JamesM , February 28, 22:41
Hi lexcoups,
In terms of Deloitte replying to your emails, it depends what stage you are at. I found that once Ireached the final stages the replies to any questions became fairly rapid. If you are applying to the Manchester office then the person you need is called Tracey MacDonald (Head of HR) she is really nice and will deal with any queries that you may have (I personally like phoning for that instant response).
Hope that helps!

Re: Thanks by lexcoups , February 28, 23:12
Hi JamesM,
Thanks for that. I'm in touch with Tracey quite a bit but she's a very busy lady and so isn't around much. I'm trying to sort out the date of my assessment which is supposed to be next week so might give her a call if I don't hear anything by wednesday.
Cheers

Re: Deloitte Offer by ssi , February 28, 23:04
Hi,
If it's bad news, I think they email you, and if it's good - they call. Give it a few days, I got my call two days later, while checking my mail for the rejection!

KPMG assessment day by newc , March 1, 12:19
I've read everyone's advice on the KPMG assessment centre day but have a few more questions about the in-tray exercise!
-Are the 2 exercises in the in-tray completely separate?
-Do you need to use information from the first part for the second part?
-Are you later questioned on both parts?
-When does the maths part come in? (not my strength as I did an arts degree)
-I noticed you mentioned taking care of client issues and keeping an eye out for hidden agendas - can you think of any examples,as I'm not sure of the type of things I should be considering?
Thanks guys. I've read the stuff you've written pretty thoroughly so I hope you're not having to repeat yourself.
I think I'm going to try and write a summary of all the useful advice that has been on here and then I can post it up here.
Eliot - I've just got back from South America - where are you going?

Re: KPMG assessment day by Jaw Bee , March 1, 20:11
Just had Deloitte final round today and think it went ok....
how long does it take for them to get back to you (directed at those who got offers)
more specifically the London offices
thanks
Jaw

Re: KPMG assessment day by eran842001 , March 3, 00:15
got a deloitte assessment day for audit tomorrow and i ve read this site a couple of times now and it has been so extremely useful!
im just having last minute stress attack right now !!!!!

Re: KPMG assessment day by eran842001 , March 3, 18:04
Hey Jaw bee
How did it go? Have u heard back from them yet?

Re: KPMG assessment day by eran842001 , March 3, 18:10
Hey
I had my assessment day at Deloitte today and I just wanted to thank all the people who had given such invaluable advice on this forum. Really helped during the etray exercise.
For anyone requiring any further information, i thought this little bit might help:
In the written exercise, where you have three companies to choose from: there are advantages and disadvantages of all three companies. The Harrison's Board tends to be very risk averse and traditional so keep that in mind and during the time they give you to make notes for your presentation, make sure you identify some key areas which will be problematic (exists in all 3 companies) as you are definetely going to be questioned on those.
Also the partner interview is about competencies but its so much more informal than the 1st one and he doesnt stick to any schedule as such- it tends to be more of a conversation, Read up on FT/accountacy age for any big audit related news or any business news in general - having a couple of stories up your sleeve can only but add to your success..
Im meant to hear from them on tuesday - have no clue how it ll turn out. Think I messed up my Etray presentation - thus i thought others could use a bit of a step up on that.
Good luck!

Re: KPMG assessment day by Jaw Bee , March 3, 18:47
I havent heard back yet, but reading through this forum think it does take a few days sometimes, gues some of the other firms it is quicker and also when it is local offices also quicker
will just wait patiently,, how do you feel you did?
what office was it?
keep in touch via this....best wishes to you
i think if anything it will be my interview but think the rest of the day went fine

Re: KPMG assessment day by eran842001 , March 3, 21:25
Hey
Yeh Etray the actual 2 exercises were alright. Finished on time and had a few minutes to write notes down. The Etray presentation seemed a lil dodgy to me but the manager guy who interviewed me was safe so Im hoping for sumthing!
I hope we both get in !! R u for audit too?

Re: KPMG assessment day by lexcoups , March 3, 23:53
hi oops,
Good to meet you at the KPMG assessment day today. Hope you get in and good luck with your Deloitte one.
Thanks to the rest of the guys for the support. The KPMG assessment was as demanding as some have mentioned but don't get too stressed about it.
Etray - read all the information carefully but don't take forever to read it like I did otherwise you won't finish.
Written email assignments - again read all the information and plan out how you're going to answer the email. Keep check of time as you've got two emails to reply to.
Group exercises - make sure you have an input and try and get a reasonable discussion out of everyone.
Haven't done my interview/presentation yet so can't give advice on that but I guess just be yourself.
Good luck to the rest of you who've got assessment days coming up. The Deloitte information givenby eran and the rest will be quite useful so I'll definitely look over that before I go.
ciao

Re: KPMG assessment day by Jaw Bee , March 4, 09:10
Hey Eran,
Glad to hear you felt it went well
i think mine went well, only thing might be my final interview but my etray and presentation i think were spot on
I am for Audit also, are you for London to?
can you post if you hear back? i saw above that it took someone 3/4 days to hear so think its more the smaller departments and local offices where people get called straight away? what you reckon?

Re: KPMG assessment day by eran842001 , March 4, 14:50
Hey Jaw Bee
Yeah I think you re right. My mate got an offer from Deloitte a couple of weeks back and he heard back from them 3 days after his assessment day. I am for London office too ! So yeah definetely keep in touch abt how it all turns out!

Re: KPMG assessment day by Jaw Bee , March 4, 18:07
I got in.........so relieved......
another one for Deloitte, London
was so the one i wanted.....
can i ask anyone else who got an offer, what was the cnditions? 2.1 i assume??

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Nervous! , March 5, 01:16
I have an assessment centre for Deloitte on thursday 10th March and because of this forum I am feeling much more confident. I know a few of you have sent e-mails to people full of information about the e-tray excersise, could you please send it to me too (ant@selln64.com). Also, another thnak you on behalf of a friend of mine who just got accepted to KPMG after he had looked over this forum page!
Thanks,Anthony

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Jaw Bee , March 5, 09:05
Nervous.....dont be....sorry just being silly
i would say everything i got was from this page.....copied it all to word then trimmed the fat to get good ideas...
for me the key was this i think:
when i was doing the initial e-tray exercise i was thinking of the presentation, this board gives you an indication as to what is asked, so i kept writing points and made a grid on a sheet of paper with all the plus points for each company and minus points....hence you have a head start for when you get your 10 mins to prep
i have had 4 assessment centres and this was by far the best one (not that i passed) as it really does depend on just performing, it is tailored so you can show your strngths....like other ones that use group exercises, dont see the point as the whole design changes behaviour and isnt practical
Deloittes is very practical and think as long as stay focused should be ok
wit regards partner interviews think it depends, some people got asked different questions, some more on themself and competency some more on audit industry etc

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by bdown , March 5, 09:53
I was wondering if anyone else is worried about this.
I have an offer for kpmg on condition of 2.1. What happens if i miss out on it and get 2.2.
obviously i'm trying my best to get 2.1, but u never know - does anyone have any reassurance they can give

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by oops... , March 5, 11:25
Hey lexcoups,
I've got my Deloitte one this wednesday at Stonecutter court... Anyone else?
Still havent heard from KPMG but fingers crossed.
And for everyone else, the etray is very difficult. But don't let that scare you. I didn't finish the first part of the etray. I found that looking around for all the different information was pretty difficult and time consuming, hopefully the deloitte one will go better!
The interview was a bit wierd actually. The partner turned up late and rushed me through my presentation. asked me two questions about the presentation, namely what is the turnover / profit of the companay and that was it. He then started to talk about KPMG Pensions in general and continued for the large of the interview. He asked me a question about my A Levels and that was it. He gave me a few mins to ask him questions, so I asked him about his career and he felt right at home talking about himself!
The group exercise went good and is really just about acting up for the assessors! (within reason obviously. No one likes a loudmouth!) Plus my group were really relaxed and good team players. Cheers guys!
Good luck to everyone else...And thanks or the advice on this thread!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lexcoups , March 5, 12:46
Hi oops,
Don't worry guy, I'm sure you'll get the KPMG job. And don't forget, you promised that you'll go to the Deloitte interview with your tie round your head when you get the KPMG job so I'm looking forward to hear how that went!!!
My Deloitte interview is on Friday in Manchester so I'll have to get tips from you.
ciao

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by tigertim , March 5, 15:45
kpmg e-tray
i have this coming up on tuesday, (dorset rise) and quite simply cannot fail it!
its for an internship in auditi've read all the stuff above but still have a couple of questions....
can people please tell me what the best preparation is for it... what kind of figures do you get given in the handout??
what did you guys recommend in your 2 emails?
are the multiple choice answers always obvious??
do you always put the client first, or safety before client??
please help...
many thanks guys

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by sunnmoon , March 5, 23:14
hi guys:I'm new to here, going to the EY assessment centre on next Monday...I just wondersing has anyone been to the EY assessment? What the group discussion is about? how can i write a report relate to it?
Thanks sooo much if anyone could answer my question!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by gtever , March 10, 22:25
group discussion about the case study: for me it was about a Leather product company...you don't have to write report, just some recommendations!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by richie4 , March 6, 03:43
hey tigertim...even i have my kpmg etray on tuesday at dorset..for an internship..if u get any information please let me knw also...i also wanted to confirm tht it will nly be an etray right??there wnt be any presentations or interviews right??thanks...hope to hear soon

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by tigertim , March 7, 18:20
yer its only an e-tray for the internship... just got info from the above... what time u going and wot area u applying for???i booked in for 2 @ dorset rise

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by oops... , March 8, 12:41
Hey Lexcoups,
just got a call from KPMG. they said they are still interested but they can't make a decision till next week! What the hell does that mean. They said that they have two more people to come to the assessment stage. does that mean They are looking for someone better. I thought that we were not being compard with each other, but against their benchmark??!?!? Or does this mean I'm on their reserve list??
Anyone else been in this situation??
good luck with your interview mate.
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lexcoups , March 8, 13:58
hi oops,
That sounds weird cos I remember them saying we weren't being compared with each other. I guess it means they're looking to see who will get the job in that office this year and then the other person might have to defer or take their second choice location. Either way, I presume they want you!!Just got a call from Deloitte cancelling again (that's twice now) so I have to go next week!!! I guess it aint to bad cos now I can just concentrate for the KPMG interview.
Good luck guy and don' t worry. Let me know how your Deloitte interview goes. No excuse for not wearing your tie round your head!!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by woojah , March 8, 15:33
Hi oops & lexcoups,
Nice meeting you guys at the KPMG assessment day last Thursday up in Manchester.
I'm the other guy who was going for Pensions Advisory (remember me?). I found the forum thread you guys were talking about.
There certainly is a lot of information here about the e-tray exercise. Too bad I didn't know about this until afterwards!
oops: My partner interview was exactly like yours (mind you, it was the same guy!). He spent ages talking about KPMG, trying to 'sell' the company to me, etc. Towards the end, he realised that I hadn't said anything, so he asked me a couple of compency questions and then went on to ask about my interests. At this point the interview had run overtime, and he continued the interview whilst taking me back downstairs so. Weird!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by eran842001 , March 8, 14:54
HEY JAW BEE!!!
I GOT THE OFFER FROM DELOITTE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you to eveeeeryone in this forum for being so fantastic in their advice. I still cant beleive it ! See you in August I guess !!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Jaw Bee , March 8, 15:07
Eran,
Well done, will be seeing you then
post your email address and i will contact you so we can exchange ideas nearer the time, i am also in the middle of thinking what area to go into/ what audit group
but again well done, you must be pleased

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by oops... , March 8, 15:41
Hey woojah, lexcoups...
woojah, that guy did have a wierd take on interviews!!Have you heard back from them yet. I got a call yesterday saying that can't decide till next week. They are apparently two more guys for assessment centre... Don't really know what that means!
I got my Deloitte one tmrw, but that's for Actuarial & Insurance Solns so hopefully that one will go a bit better!
lexcoups, Deloitte messed me about with my application as well. just stick with it and hopefully it'll be ok!! I'll keep you posted about the day.
Good luck...
Ooops

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by woojah , March 8, 17:19
Hey oops,
Yeah I agree, the partner was strange, but at least he was a nice guy.
I got exactly the same call from KPMG yesterday informing me that they can't make a decision until next week.
My view is that they are waiting to see additional candidates going for the same role at the next assessment day, before making a decision. Once they have seen everyone they will pick the best of the bunch I presume.
But look at it this way. If we didn't meet the benchmark standard we would have been rejected already. So it's part good news!
Best of luck with your Deloitte assessment day. Coincidently, I will be going to an Aon assessment day tomorrow for an actuarial consulting position.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lexcoups , March 8, 19:29
hey oops and woojay,
You guys are definitely on the right track. They've definitely shown interest in you so hang in there.
Good luck with the other interviews and I'm sure after the KPMG one everything will be easier.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by newc , March 9, 17:44
Hey guys,Just did KPMG assessment centre - thanks for all the advice. If anyone has any questions about it which arent answered above (probably unlikely!) just let me know.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by anna23 , March 10, 12:17
Hi there,
I, like many others have been stunned and inspired by the content of this thread! I'm currently trying to prepare for my first round interview at KPMG - public sector audit on Wed 16th March but I'm finding it difficult to obtain information in this area. Does anyoine have any recommendations for public sector inforamation sources?
Also, I won't have access to the internet this weekend and was wondering if there are any good test books available to buy?
Any advice would be of great help.
Many Thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by oops... , March 10, 20:57
Hey lexcoups,
Had my Deloitte Assessment the other day so here's my account of the day...
Etray - What the guys say on this forum is spot on and it definitely is easier than the KPMG etray. The scenario is that you are a business advisor working on a growth strategy for Harrisons (Book retailer). The emails you get are pretty similar to the type you get on the KPMG etray but it is made easier by the fact that you only have one company to advise on and not the three at kpmg.
The second part of the etray involves writing en email to your manager about what business harrisons should purchase. Choose one and back it up as well as you can. remember you have to give a interview \ role play type situation based on your recommendations. You will be quizzed about your answer and it shouldn't be too taxing.
Lunch - Was great, Smollenskys was really nice. And Deloitte did get hold of an actuarial graduate which was quite useful.
Interview - Pretty much the standard competency based interview. I actually enjoyed this one and the partner (actually director) was very pleasant. I got the standard questions about my commercial awareness. I talked about acturial issues (morris review, equitable life, changes to the appointed actuary system, and a bit about the pensions black hole).
I found the day to be slightly less stressful than KPMG but that may be because I new what to expect. They said they'll reply within 3 days but Im not going to hold my breath. Im in a sticky situation because I have two offers, which effectively explode on monday. I've extended and extended as far as possible. Hopefully either one of KPMG or Deloitte will reply by then...
I hope your KPMG one went good and good luck with Deloitte mate.
And Woojah, a belated good luck for your Aon Assessment.
Bye...

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by gtever , March 10, 22:21
finally could say thank you to all and offer my help: i 've got pwc offer and some expereince in other big4s and IBs, feel free to ask and I would be glad to help!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Cam1 , March 11, 14:56
Hi there,
could you pls help me on the following:
1), in terms of culture, whcih do you think is the best among big 4? (be objective plz!!)
2), between EY and KPMG Financial service Audit, which will you choose?
3), in terms of career development, is there any difference among the big 4?
many many thanks!!!x

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lexcoups , March 10, 23:18
hey oops,
Nice to hear the Deloitte interview went well. I had my KPMG presentation/interview and it sort of went ok. Was really worried about my presentation because I was still writing notes ten minutes before the presentation and hadn't even memorized one sentence. I ended up reading off my scribbled notes but it was alright.
Got some hard questions on business issues which I thought were crazy. Had to tell him that I couldn't answer one of them only for him to point out that it was just recent and not many people knew. Then got the dreaded question of "What do you think of the economic activity in the UK at the moment and how do you think it will affect the interest rates?" What????? Anyway managed to blag it. Got another one of "Do you think it is good for the interest rate to be governed by the Bank of England or should it be done by the government? Again, What????? Had to point out to him that he said he wasn't going to ask any hard questions, to which he started laughing. Blagged that one as well but was well shocked.
The rest went ok but was taken aback by the questions. Apparently I'll hear from them soonish so I'm chilling. Deloitte on Tuesday and from what you say it should be better.
Will tell you if I hear anything soon. Keep in touch.

KPMG interview by newc , March 11, 08:21
Your questions sound so hard! The only hardish question I got was 'what are the issues facing our industry today?' - I talked about liability cap and sarbox mainly. Other than that, the questions were more competency based. A few quesions around my presentation but just asking me to elaborate a bit on things I'd said and I was also asked why I had chosen the company I did (I chose a big company but didn't get any difficult questions about it).
The group assessment was fine - we were told it was to test our team working skills, so everyone worked really well together. The task isn't difficult at all.
Intray was the hardest part of the day, just because of the restricted time. The calculations are easy (I was worried they wouldn't be) and my only advice would be to work quickly and:PART 1Make sure you know what info is in the folders but I wouldnt read it all in detail until a question in your email asks about it, as it would take a long time to read it all at the beginning and you don't have the time
PART 2You can read the info in your paper folder before you press start and the timer begins - take advantage of this and don't start the timer until you have read part 2 of the booklet.Think about which function you chose (your recommendation) carefully as once you start writing, there isnt enough time to change your mind and start again.
Hope this is helpful for anyone with their KPMG interviews coming up. Good luck!!

Re: KPMG interview by oops... , March 11, 15:29
Lexcoups, Woojah, everyone else,
I just got a call from deloitte and I got an offer from A&IS. Thank god for that. I am so relieved.
A big thanks to all the people who contributed to this forum and good luck to all the people who find this forum as well. It really is the place for big 4 job winning advice.
Lexcoups - Those questions seem pretty difficult actually. I never got anything as difficult as that before! It sounds like you did ok but good luck anyway!
Catch you later guys.

Re: KPMG interview by lexcoups , March 11, 16:23
Hey oops,
Congratulations guy!! I'm now convinced that if the rest of us go to the Deloitte interview with a tie on our heads then it should be alright :-)
After my performance yesterday I wasn't feeling too good but got an email from KPMG today...I got the offer!!!! It's so crazy the amount of people who have benefited from this forum and gotten offers. Definitely a big thank you to everyone!!!
Didn't think they did offers by email but I guess they do sometimes. Waiting for the official offer by post. I hope you get it too Oops cos you know we'll have fun together at KPMG. Come on!
Let me know which firm you decide on taking. ciao

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by eran842001 , March 11, 18:37
Hey
Heres my email add: eran2004@gmail.com
Please keep in touch if you are starting with Deloitte this Autumn !! Jaw Bee.. Hope alls good !

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by eran842001 , March 11, 19:52
eran04@gmail.com i meant... sorry being thick..
also if ne1 wants ne help on deloitte assessment days - although everything s plenty enough on this thread send me a mail and ill help u!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , March 11, 21:48
Congratulations Everyone!!
This thread has now reached 300 posts, and the number of offers is rising rapidly !!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by donnie darko , March 13, 02:30
wow this is a long thread.
I have 1 question: how come there is nothing on PWC here??? All the talk is on Deloitte/KPMG....

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Jaw Bee , March 13, 09:59
I would imagine as Deloitte and KPMG follow similar structures with an e-tray and presentation (although it is different in what you speak on)
there is a lot of advice here though that can transfer over into any big 4 interview
good luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by gtever , March 13, 15:43
well, pwc doesn't have etray but only case study...so might be more common...eh, i've though pwc -audit and if there is any specific question, i would be gald to answer!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geoly , March 14, 06:52
It 's great to share all this valuable info, congrats to all!Has anyone attended deloitte's assessment for consulting? Any pointers?
Thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by oops... , March 14, 10:00
Hey Lexcoups,
Congratulations mate! Nice one! I haven't had a reply from KPMG yet but they did say that I'll hear this wednesday... I'll definitely keep you posted with my plans mate. My email addy is jabirsaleh@hotmail.com.
keep in touch dude!
Geoly, I had a consulting assessment last week. It was for actuarial consulting but it was just like the assessments from the other service line. Everyone does the Etray and etray interview, there's plenty of advice about that on this forum. Your interview may be slightly different but I had a pretty standard competency based interview. I think the best preparation is to read this post from start to finish and you should have pretty good idea of what it's going to be like.
Good luck...
oops...

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by woojah , March 15, 14:47
Hi oops, lexcoups,
Congratulations on your offers! Certainly well deserved.
oops: I'm still waiting to hear from KPMG - man they are slow. Let me know when you hear and what your plans are w.r.t which offer you are likely to accept. The actuarial profession is pretty small, so I'll probably run into you sometime again in the future.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by samurai , March 16, 12:19
Hi everyone,
i have Deloitte assessment day next week. Can anyone tell me if during the interview with the partner you get questions again like ..."tell me an example of your life when you have demonstrated xxxx ablities? Is it the same as the competence interview?thanks a lot!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lexcoups , March 16, 17:08
Hi woojah and oops,
Have you guys gotten any words yet? Had Deloitte assessment yesterday and it went ok although I think I bullied the partner questioning me on my presentation into believing my choice was right. Got offered the job so have the great task of choosing now!
Anyway, ya'll let me know what you're doing cos I'd be fun to work with ya'll.
ciao

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by oops... , March 16, 17:27
Hey lexcoups, Woojah
Congrats lexcoups! Nice one. Which one are you more inclined to pick? I got an offer from KPMG as well but I'm thinking more along the lines of Deloitte as I want to move back to London. Not sure yet. Will see how much KPMG will offer?
Woojah, how did your Aon Assessment Centre go? Anything from KPMG yet? I got a call this morning...
Anyway guys good luck with whatever you do and keep us posted with whichever one you choose.
Take it easy...
Oops...

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by PMC , March 17, 19:25
Hey guys,
Just want to say thanks for the help on the forum - had my KPMG e-tray today and hopefully it went ok, I'll soon find out! Thanks again anyway.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by luciana , March 19, 13:24
guys i am currently dng a course in history at brunel uni...so u can guess i have no clue abt npv, return on capital,etc. can u plz tell me what reasons u gave in deloitte for the etray? am really sorry to be a pain but it is simply that i have no clue and some reasons my friends gave there r totally non understandable for me ;-(

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by luciana , March 19, 13:28
btw applied for tax but have now realised audit is easier...do u think it matters? interviewer said that i would need better techncal answers than the ones i gave for the partner (i think). well done to herdo, boru, eliot n lavistar for ur offers. at least some people were good enough to help each other. hatts off guys

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by mr frog , March 21, 00:20
Hi,
Does anyone think it's late to apply to KPMG now? I've been told that I've passed the online tests and that i'll have an interview but i have had to tell them that I have to go to Hong Kong to renew my residency and will be back on the 5th April. Do you think this might be detrimental to my application?
BTW the advice on this thread is terrific!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by newc , March 24, 15:07
I don't think it will matter. They seem to be really flexible. When does everyone who has jobs have to let KPMG know by? I have to let them know by 1st April whether I want the job and was wondering whether I would be able to postpone this.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by laguna_1 , March 29, 03:20
Hey,
I just got to say, practically everyone here is so decent, this communiy is one i like> nice to see that the peope im hopefully gonna be workign with in general are so damn nice...
anwyay im in 3rd yeat at glasgow uni doing accounting and finance, i sort of left my applications to the last minute, for th esummer internships, so far i have a pwc assessment on the 26th april in newcastle for public service, also i have a kpmg one for gatwick, tho im still waiting on the date, also im waiting for a date for deloitte, they seem to be taking there time...
im thinking that i want kpmg now, after reading this thread its just sounds like my type of people...if that maks sense lol
i was just wondering about the gatwick position, anyone going to be working there, i had the option between gatwick, birmingham and somewhere else, but ideally i wnat to work in london when i graduate and htought since gatwick is the closest , just go for that
reading this section has pretty much answered all my question, tho i think in summer internships, u dotn have to do presentations about a company to te partner, well im not sure,
hopefully i shud be ok with the interviews and stuff, have had qutie a lot of experience, been working in good part time jobs,eg clydesdale bank etc for last 2 years,
do u guuys have an diea on pay for the internships, as ill have tp pay for accomodatin to out of it, or do u think the companeis might help towards that,
cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by law42 , March 29, 11:15
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to thank everyone for their great advice. I didn't get Deloitte but I have just found out that I got KPMG!
Good Luck to those that are still to do assessments!
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Ibrar , March 29, 11:21
Does any1 have advice for the E and Y Selection Day?
Thank you

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by mikea , March 31, 23:57
hi everyone
just like to express thanks for all the tips, I got a KPMG offer!
Just a message for Clare who was at assessment centre in leeds last tuesday, wondering how it went, hope all is well.
Thanks again everybody

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by dom16 , May 11, 16:44
Mikea,
Well done on the offer!
I was also at that assessment day in Leeds, & have been accepted for the MTP (Manchester).
Still wish that I'd known about this thread when I was applyin though!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by mr frog , April 3, 04:29
Hi,
I've been rejected by loads of investment banks after having interviews and assessment centres. I have a KPMG interview coming up and since I have been rejected several times, I am very nervous and a little lacking in confidence about the KPMG interview. How do interviews and assessment centres compare at IBs with the Big Four? I haven't had too much experience being assessed at accountancy consultant firms and so it would be extremely helpful to know the answer to my question, if anyone has had expereince in both.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by da8thmonth , April 1, 08:28
To Micah and Law42,
Congratulations that both of you have received offers from KPMG!
I have the assessment center left to do and was wondering if you both could confirm what has been previously said about the assessment center on this message board. I think it is always good to get a fresh view and opinion!
I appreciate all the info that has already been posted especially by Eliot, Herdo and others.
Da8thMonth

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by matt925 , April 1, 12:18
Ive been following this post for quite some time and i have just a few comments to make. 1st: the assesment day at kpmg is a joke. it is easy and straightforward - a wallk through the park - anyone who thought it was hard should attend one of any IB of top consultancy.
secondly i think lots of people are confused as to what working for the big entails: lots of accounting, lots of balance sheets, zero creativity, zero strategy, zero "responsability". im not trying to discredit the profession but i think that lots of people on this post have been lured by a nice website rather than a true understanding of what its really all about.
good luck to everyone, see you in the office.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by da8thmonth , April 1, 12:42
Hi matt925,
I as well as many other I'm sure have also been following this posting for quite a while.
As many have not yet done the assessment center, for them it is not a joke. Personally, as to whether it is more difficult than an IB or top consultancy doesn't matter to me one bit, as I only applied to KPMG.
Secondly, I already work for KPMG FS Advisory in Frankfurt. So, I think your description of what people do is incorrect. It is not what I see here nor what I personally do. I have many friends with KPMG in the UK and I don't see "zero" creativity, "zero" strategy or "zero" responsibility.
Just another point of view to throw in the pot. :-)
Da8thMonth

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lexcoups , April 1, 21:37
hi guys,
Thanks for your contributions and it's good to hear different points of view. However, I have to agree with da8thmonth on the fact that these assessment days are not a joke to people who're trying to secure their future. Whilst the difficulty level is a subjective matter, these assessment days will ALWAYS be hard for those who haven't had much experience in doing them. Ofcourse if you've done plenty then they get easier as you go along. Same as online psychometric tests.
Secondly, please don't forget that although you're working for the company, you're nontheless there to get QUALIFIED. Without a chartered accountant qualification and experience, you cannot be trusted with the level of work we aspire to do. The same goes for ANY JOB; you have to be qualified with adequate experience and know-how in order to get assigned good work.
Thirdly, to say we'll get "zero responsibility" is false because you're responsible for the work you're assigned to do. I've heard of a few people who've been let-off for being "irresponsible".
Fourthly, don't forget that everyone here is applying for a job in ACCOUNTING which directly translates into working on accounting issues and so "lots of accounting" is a given. However, there are different service lines in accounting and if auditing is not your thing (which includes lots of balance sheets) then you could pick another service line (tax for example or corporate finance). That's why there's such a stigma around accounting because many people unjustly associate it with balance sheets and numbers.
Hope you don't take this personally; I just thought I'd shed some light on a few issues. Good luck to everyone who's still got assessments to do.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by zain , April 2, 16:50
Hi all,
Thanks everyone for the excellent advice on this forum. I have got an offer from both Deloitte and KPMG's Audit (London). I am finding it very difficult to decide which one to go for. I would really appreciate if someone can provide me with an insight to which one to choose.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by mr frog , April 3, 05:07
Hi,
I was wondering how the interviews and assessment centres at accountancy consulting firms compare with those at investment banks. I have been rejected by IBs after interviews and assessment centres. I have an interview with KPMG for audit and I am lacking in confidence and rather nervous since I have received many rejections in the past. If anyone who has had expereince in both could enlighten me with regards to my query I would be extremely grateful!
Thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by mr frog , April 3, 05:07
Hi,
I was wondering how the interviews and assessment centres at accountancy consulting firms compare with those at investment banks. I have been rejected by IBs after interviews and assessment centres. I have an interview with KPMG for audit and I am lacking in confidence and rather nervous since I have received many rejections in the past. If anyone who has had expereince in both could enlighten me with regards to my query I would be extremely grateful!
Thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by alan21 , April 4, 15:28
deloitte definitely!the only reason which can make u turn down deloitte is if u have an offer from pwc. if it's kpmg or e&y, don't bother.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by grad05 , April 4, 15:44
hi alan21,
just curious which will you choose: KPMG or EY?cus iam stuck between the two, and what i am concerned is NOT the whole firm's repuation, but the financial service team's reputation.
pls shed some light...thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by alan21 , April 5, 13:59
definitely ey : higher growth, bigger clients, more work (=more experience)

KPMG Assessment Center by da8thmonth , April 5, 13:40
Hi Herdo and lexcoups (and of course anyone else who cares to leave their opinion),
I believe I have finally reached a decision about the company which I will prepare my company presentation.
The company I am choosing is a French life-insurer that is looking to expand/develop their business in Germany.
Do you think that the choice of a French company looking for European acquisitions is appropriate for an interview in the UK? Do you think it is expected to do a presentation on a company doing business in the UK?
I'm thinking that since I am coming from Germany, that perhaps I should pick a company that actually has some interest in the German market. Also, I'm interested in the FS sector, so I chose a life insurer.
Of course, it also helps that I actually just did a pitch for this company, so the presentation, research, and expansion/development strategies are already complete.
What do you guys think? Too European-focused for a UK interview? Will it bother the partner not knowing anything about the company or market?
Thanks for your opinions!
Da8thMonth

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by matt925 , April 5, 13:49
hey there - ive been following this forum for some time and want to give my opinion to help all of you out there.
i went through the recrutiment process with KPMG and was later offered a position on the FInancial Advisory Programme, on of the hardest to get into (because of small number of team)
i wont talk about the etray- many constructive things have already been said.
the presentation! people! the point of the presentation is that they want to see a) that you can do research b) that you have business acumen c) that you can present to a senior exec.
the topic itself is far less important - just know your stuff, know how it realtes to KPMG and audit IFRS and Sarbox and speak clearly and confidently.I did my presentation on an LNG importer in canada; the partner had NO CLUE what i was talking about - but he appreciated the clarity with wchich i expresseed myself etc. i got the job, then turned it down. (got into top managemetn consultancy)
just remember, relax, be serious . worry about the e tray more than anything, wake up early - its a lot of math under pressure for 845 am!
good luck

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by da8thmonth , April 5, 13:59
Hi matt925,
I was under the impression that there was not a lot of math in the etray. I thought it was 24 emails/multiple choice questions, about 3 different clients you are advising. All infos are to be found in the booklet they give out. It is timed at 70 minutes as well.
Is that correct? It is what I gathered from this forum.
Also, since you are "lurking" today on the board, can you tell me are we allowed to mark in the booklets that they give us for the etray? I was thinking of bringing post-its, and highlighters so that during the first 5-10 minutes I can mark where the numerical information is, and to mark which companies are on which pages.
Are the documents for the 3 companies that we "advise" in the etray all mixed up with one another? I've read one complaint about it being tough to find all the information in the booklet. However, only one person said this.
The etray is my largest worry, as it is the one thing that you can not prepare for.
Thanks!
Da8thMonth

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by matt925 , April 5, 14:07
okwhoever said they had no maths in the etray is wrong. its not mathematical algebra, stochastics etc. but you have you go through accounts, calculate profits, losses, revenues etc. it is not hard, but long.
as far as the post its are concerned...you will not have time to do any of that, highlight or whatever and you cant write in the books
they are about 40 pages long, each. reallisticcally, breeze through them, pace yourself and answer as many questions possible.
also, to whomever is out there: do you really think that you will go through an assesment day for an accounting firm without ANY maths. honestly people!

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by da8thmonth , April 5, 14:14
The previous post did not say there were not ANY math, just that it was not a lot.
As for actually calculating revenue, profit, loss, net income, etc. Isn't all this information to be found in financial statements? Are there no complete financial statements in the 40 page booklet?

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by JuliaS , April 5, 15:44
I've been reading the recent posts and thought I'd share my opinions too! I applied for London KPMG and got the job. From talking to a lot of people, I hear that KPMG is by far the best of the top 4 companies to work for, in the way that they treat their people - they didn't just come in the top 5 Sunday Times Top Employees of the year for no reason.
On the assessment day, I think the main thing with the e-tray exercise is time. I'm no expert in maths, having done a BA, and found the maths fine. Much easier than the numerical reasoning test you have to do with them. It is simple calculations - percentages, using formulae which they give you etc. It's easy to find information in the booklet, as it is laid out company by company. You just have to be fast.
I don't think it matters what you do your presentation on either - I didn't focus on finance in my recommendations and my interviewer didn't ask me about the financial side of things either. I think it's all about the ability to communicate well and then thinking about the answers you give to their questions - he started asking me about an area I knew nothing about and I acknowledged that I knew very little about the area, which I think is better than trying to bulls**t. It obviously worked as I've been offered the job.
Anyway, I hope these comments are helpful for anyone still worried about assessment centres coming up!

Re: KPMG Assessment Center by da8thmonth , April 5, 16:03
Hi JuliaS,
I'm glad to hear that the calculations in the etray are much easier than the numerical reasoning test, as I was not at the top of the class on either of those two initial exams. I am surprised to hear that they give you many of the formulas. I'm also glad to hear that they do you the "favour" of not mixing up the company information. I figure though, that 24 multiple choice questions in 70 minutes can not be that difficult, right? I guess fast and accurate is the name of the game, huh?
I think that I am going to stick with the French company. From what you and matt925 have posted, it doesn't seem to matter to the partner. What matters is that you are able to speak about the topic clearly and concisely for 10 minutes and have reasonable answers to the questions the partner throws at you.
On another note, congratulations on your offer and thank you very much for your opinion on the assessment center and the etray exercise, even though they have been discussed to death on this forum already!
Thank you!

Big 4 (Part 2)

2005-07-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 18:21
welcome....
u can do the presentation on whatever u want. In fact, they would rather u dont do it on something like tesco, easyjet.... Do it something ur interested in...and make sure u can talk about it - thats important!!
to be honest...i've kinda forgotten what the e-tray was on!!!! - i think in this massive thread though....the likes of eliot and boru gave some excellent suggestions - which helped me get the offer - so i'm sure u'll find all u need to know there
If ure still unsure....i'd b more than happy to try to remember fully and post it on this thread....but i dont want to mislead u...so i'd need to gather my thoughts again
I started preparing 4 my presentation a week b4 the assessment, so its good 2 c that u wanna b fully prepared.
Best of luck....i'm a bit tired now...so i might post something more detailed within a day or 2 hopefully
Best of Luck!!

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 18:28
Dear herdo and Geee,Thank you so much for the kind reply. I have read through everything here for hours, very interesting and helpful. you guys are great!!!!!I think i am gonna choose Vodafone and focus on the interesting strategies etc.. of the company. although a big topic :( thank you herdo... i am sorry for such a pain.. take your time to remember what happened in the e-tray.. Great Great thanks !!!!

Re: thank you by at last , January 26, 18:52
anyone of u guys been to pwc first interview for assurance. you seem to be really helpfull and if u guys can give me any tips, I would greatly appreciate it. Well done on all your job offers and I hope I have one soon

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 19:16
Yes....I had my PwC first round a while, but for not 4 audit.
Make sure u know the basic competencies but they will be impressed if u can talk about both IFRS and Sarbanes-Oxley - commerical awareness - they look at that heavily
If u dont know about Sarbox or IFRS....say so...and i'm sure someone can help u

Re: thank you by at last , January 26, 19:55
hey!! does anyone know about IFRS and sabox and the impact it will have on pwc. thanks once again herdo

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 26, 20:02
Search this thread for a post from me on the 14th of Jan.
I've outlined the impact of IFRS and Sarbox in the big 4.

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 20:08
Sarbanes Oxley:
Since 2002, Sarbox has become the most challenging proposition for the legislation of companies. These companies must test their internal control properly - many companies are struggling with this
IFRS:
Introduced on Jan 1st 2005, and affects EU companies, and this changes the way companies produce their accounts - again companies need help with this
Because companies need so much help, Pwc can provide them with help, but for a price - so actually those accountancy firms will be happy, as they will get a lot of money.
Thats what i think, maybe someone should correct me quickly if i've made a mistake so that no one is mislead

Re: thank you by dan. , January 29, 14:02
hello
ive just discovered this forum today, and its really good stuff!!
I have a PWC first round interview at Birmingham in a couple of weeks..
Just like to ask a few questions, would appreciate any feedback ..
Just to confirm that i will only have an interview, they wont suprise me any numerical tests willl they??
Also from reading this thread, the interview will mainly consist of questions based on my application..is this correct?
Could somebody please tell me current business affairs that may be relevant...as i am not to educated on this..i have read about the sarbanes oxley and IFRS.. but are there any important issues i need to know about??
And finally has anybody got any good interview preparation techniques they would recommend?
Any help very much appreciated
Thanks
Dan

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 29, 14:53
Hi Dan,
Havent been to a pwc interview but i've had quite a few interviews with other firms and the format tends to be the same.
For current affairs concerning accountancy firms you should be able to talk about liability caps and the possible merger between ICAEW and CIMA.Check out www.accountancyage.com for the most relevant issues.
I normally prepare for interviews by summarising why i want to work for a firm, what i can offer the firm, why i want to work for a particular division, examples of leadership, teamwork, initiative etc, facts about the company (such as turnover, profit, competitors turnover and profit, areas of growth, chief executives etc)and also questions to ask them.
I write all of it on a sheet of A4 and review it on the way in to the interview. I normally find it quite helpful as this way the answers to most of the questions they throw at me are at the tip of my tongue.
Its useful to go over your application answers as they will invariably question you about these.
I also pick 3-4 current business issues and read up on them. In my recent interviews I have talked about Yukos, the stock exchange, strength of the dollar and the listing of China Airways on the LSE.Make sure you read the FT or at least browse the FT website for a few days before the interview.... just to be safe though since I havent been asked anything that I couldnt answer by reading the business section of the telegraph or times!!
Good Luck
Good Luck.

Re: thank you by dan. , January 29, 22:03
Hi again
Thanks for your reply Eliot, was very informative..
Just another to question to ask.. Throughout this thread, i keep on seeing issues relating to liability caps...uve mentioned it in your reply?? what is this about then? (forgive me if the question is dumb)
Thanks for all the information again, im so grateful...
By the way im curious.. are you working anywhere at the moment?? or have you got any job offers ?? Are you undergrad?
Thanks
Dan.

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 29, 23:30
Hey Dan,
Its not that dumb a question!! I didnt know anything about it until I started preparing for interviews.
Under current conditions if a company collapses, it can sue its auditors if it feels they were in any way responsible or negligient. A good example would be how Equitable is claiming damages of £2bn from EY. This is an area of concern for the big 4 as a claim that big could easily put them out of business. This is why they are lobbying the government to limit the amount that they are liable to pay out. Hence the term "liability cap".
I am not working at the moment. I graduated in 2003 and temped at Deutsche Bank for a while before going travelling. I've been applying for grad jobs since September and have fortunately got a couple of offers. I've decided to accept an offer from Deloitte and will be starting with them in September. I'm off on my travels again from March!!

Re: thank you by SPSAT , January 30, 00:53
Hi Eliot,
So EY was lucky enough to escape from Equiable's huge claim, but actually was it becuz EY really didnt do anything wrong or just becuz Equitable's management were more liable for the mistake?
And the big 4's lobbying has not been successful so far, am I correct?

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 19:12
no problem whatsoever!!
ok for the e-tray here goes:
The e-tray is split into 2 parts:
1st Part: 70 mins:
You will be give a booklet with quite a few pages. The booklet is split into parts 1 and 2. At the beginning of part 1, spend at least 5 mins - but no more than 10 mins- browsing through the booklet- thats what i did, just to gather information. Most of the information needed for the multiple choice replied are in the booklet, although if they're not, it is critical that u always take care of client issues first. Any calculations needed are fairly simple. I would suggest that you work fairly quickly, and try to give urself about 3 or 4 mins spare time, so that u dont waste any time for part 2, and u can use that 3 or 4 mins famililarising urself with section 2 of the booklet which is notably smaller, but here u must make decisions and analsyse the information
2nd Part: 50 mins
You will have to write 2 e-mail recommendations. For one of them, you must remember to apologise for the lateness of the reply. Spend about 25 mins on each. Basically I spent 5 mins on each one just gathering the info, and then 20 mins for the actual e-mail - make sure your arguments are in bullet point format - thats what i did at least. I didn't actually write much, I just wrote what i saw basically. Try to write the same amount for each one. Also, remember that there is no spell checker, so avoid making careless spelling mistakes. The decisions u make should b fairly straightforeward, but make sure u start something like this:
Dear abc,Thankyou for your e-mail. I have analysed the information carefully, and below are my suggestions:.........I hope you have found this information useful, please contact me for any futhur information....
You could write something like that... I cant remember exactly what i wrote. It's all about being tidy and polite, and also backing your suggestions I think. I really do think quality is more important than quantity
I do remember that Boru gave some excellent suggestions regarding the e-tray as well if i remember.
If there's anything else i remember...i'll let u know
Vodaphone is an excellent company to choose...but be careful!!!!! - Vodaphone is very well know, and the chances are, are that the partner will know about them, and could probe into it, and u must be up to the challenge of proving that u have done ur research. But uve got the right idea, and it should be fine
Best of luck again!!
Keep posting!!!!!

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 26, 19:24
Hi,
I would agree with Herdo about Vodafone. Its a very well known company and although they are audited by Deloitte, there is a good chance that the partner at KPMG will know a lot about them, especially if the partner happens to be part of the information, comm and entertainment industry group.
I chose a mid-sized company which I used to work for and there was very little the partner could throw at me that I couldnt answer since he knew very little about the company and the ball was in my court the whole time.
Having said that, if you do your research properly, you should be fine. Just be prepared for some very probing questions!!
If you are going to talk about Vodafone though, make sure you talk about how they took over mannesman in germany. Thats been one of the biggest issues concerning cross-border takeovers in recent times and Deutsche Bank chairmain was put on trial in Germany for his role in the takeover.

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 19:30
dear Elloit..thanks a lot for the ideas... gosh... u r so smart :) thank u!

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 26, 19:33
hahaha.....
not that smart! I worked at Deutsche Bank last year so I had to know that!

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 20:02
hello everyone.. sorry for questioning again.. i am just a bit confused cos somebody in the threads said the first part is to answer 24 multiple choice questions in 70 minutes, someone said it's reply 24 e-mails in 70 minutes...which one is true? thank u!

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 26, 20:04
You recieve 24 emails and for each email you recieve you need to choose a response from a number of options.
So to answer your question - Both are true!!

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 20:09
Dear Elloit,you are such a helpful& great person. thank u!! gosh.. i expected i gotta draft the reply to 24 e-mails in 70 minutes..... thanks god i don't have to.. thank u!

Re: thank you by Snyr , January 29, 10:05
Hi
Thanks for all your help!
Will the responses to the emails in the first part be of the same form as we had in the Business Awareness Questionaire?

Re: thank you by Xing , February 3, 16:15
Hello, Herdo and Eliot, Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I agree with you that it is better to choose a medium-sized company for presentation. But the thing is it is too difficult to gather information about these companies. I was thinking to do my presentation on a limited company where my friend is working for. but the information he could give me was not enough for me to do a 10 minute presentation.
so I think i will still choose a large company and do some serious research. What do you think? and is it a good or bad idea to choose company which is KPMG's client?

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 19:27
Dear herdo:Thank you for sharing all these with me... I am so so appreciated and can't find a word to describe it.... thank you soooooooo much. i will spend lots of time do the research, remember all the fantastic tips elaborated here. i hope 2 or 3 weeks later, i can bring the good news to thank all of you here. :)

Re: thank you by SPSAT , January 26, 20:42
dear guys,
this is really the best thread on assessment day tips iv ever seeeen n i guess it is also the one dat brings success the the most ppl...so glad i found diz...
just wondering apart from the IFRS and Sarbox....wut else commercial news should i talk abt? anything? or still something related to audit or KPMG or the accounting industry?

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 26, 21:10
You could also talk about Liability Caps for auditors. This is a big issue for the big 4 as it would only take one big case to put any of them out of business. For example, Equitable is claiming 2bn worth of damages from EY and this is an issue that concerns all of the big 4 including KPMG.
In terms of commercial news, something new dominates the financial pages every week. Try and talk about something which you can relate to KPMG's activities. Have a look on www.accountancyage.com for the most relevant articles.

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 21:17
I guess you could also say that advances in technology means that the accountancy firms must help its clients compete in an online environment
thats sounds good...doesn't it??!!!???

Re: thank you by antworsuch , January 26, 21:50
your discussing is most impressing: i will have my first round interviews with pwc and EY next week, and some transferable knowledge I found in this thread is very encouraging( especially i often feel frustrated about my future at the moment, very hopeless), really appreciate your help.have a nice day:)

Re: thank you by Xing , February 2, 00:04
Hi, Herdo, thank you very much for your information! It is extremely useful as I am going to the assessment centre soon. In the e-mail from KPMG, it was mentioned that there will be three exercises and an interview. I would like to know besides the presentation what the other two exercises are.
Thank you!

Re: thank you by Alphi , February 2, 00:10
they are: group discussion, e-tray excercise, presontation and partner interview... those kind ppl have spent lots of time and energy on this thread. if u read through them carefully u will have a better understanding. lots of questions have been answered several times in great detail, read them before u repeat any questioning.good luck!!

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , February 2, 00:10
Hi Xing,
Although your question is directed to Herdo, I know the answer as well so here goes:
In addition to the presentation you have to complete 1. an etray exercise2. a group exercise.
The content of each exercise is covered in detail on this thread.
Hope this helps!

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 21:41
Alphi,
This link below may be of some use to you: its to do with vodaphone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4207973.stm

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 23:43
dear herdo,got it, thank you for been concerned.. extremely appreciated. bless u!!

Re: thank you by Geee , January 27, 05:59
I did vodafone in fact too...try to read about the deal (that failed) last year in the US- Cingular and AT&T Wireless.One dis- say that voda has always been overvaluing acquisitions they make, they should look more into the matter..Hey Elliot, i worked for DB too over the summer..Which div, if you dont mind? I was in Corp F

the best thread for the big 4! by lavistar , January 27, 13:19
Hi eliot boru gee and herdo,
its great how many people this thread has helped. its as if we're robin hoods to the big 4 human resource sheriffs!we should actually start an email group perhaps...to keep each other updated on how things are going in kpmg/deloitte, and ofcourse, about exams etc.
elliot, what can i expect now that they have made me an offer?

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by at last , January 27, 13:47
hey guys!!have to do kpmg online tests in a couple of days. please give me some useful tips as to where I can practics. is it shl or something else.thanks once again to herdo and elliot

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by at last , January 27, 13:49
have to do kpmg online tests in a couple of days. can anyonegive me an idea what it entails or if it is shl. any practice websites would be useful as well. is it similar to the pwc one??thanks once again to herdo and elliot

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , January 27, 15:44
I found the numerical tests for KPMG to be fairly straightforward.
The verbal on the other hand was very very tough and I managed to do just over three quarters of the questions.
Dont let this put you off though since the tests are designed to put you under a lot of pressure. If you are in the 30th percentile they will probably invite you to an interview.
Its worth practising the SHL tests although they are pretty easy compared to the KPMG tests.
Try going to your uni careers service and asking them if they have any practice tests you can do.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , January 27, 15:35
Its good to see how this thread has helped loads of people.
The advice we have collectively given people would normally cost £3000 if they went to Harisson Careers service!!
You should be getting a confirmation letter from Deloitte which you will need to sign and return to them. Once they have received that, they will send you a questionaire about how you found the recruitment process as well as a form on which you need to specify which group you want to join ie FS, TMT etc.
The start dates havent been confirmed yet but when I called them last week they said the main contract is going to be sent out 4-8 weeks before I am due to start and the start date is probably sometime in september.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Forest , January 28, 12:45
Dear guys,
I have been reading through all your posts here, it is so amazing that people here are so helpful. I am really glad that I came to here and found this thread, it would be my biggest bonus by visiting doctorjob website.
I have just passed my first round interview and going to KPMG's assessment centre soon, I would like to ask that for the 2nd part of the E-tray exercise, when you reply the 2 e-mails, are they based on the same company or you need to make recommendations for 2 different companies?
Thank you so much for all of you sharing your experience here, Herdo, boru, Eliot, Geee.etc.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , January 28, 12:59
Hi,
One of the emails is regarding a recommendation for one of your clients (there are 3 clients).
The second email if I recall is to do with a recommendation that you are making to an internal dept of the company which you are working for.
I'm sure that this has been posted somewhere in this thread already but I wouldnt blame you for not being able to find it since there are so many posts here!!
Good Luck!!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by SPSAT , January 28, 18:56
Eliot,
Thak you sooo much for your extraordinarly generous help....
So actually do you think using handouts in the presentation would be a good idea? i mean would it do some good? cuz i think i read it somewhere you said the partner is going to be so busy taking notes and wouldnt have time to even look at you at all...

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by boru , January 28, 19:05
I didn't give a handout at my presentation. He only asked me two questions on the company and that was it. Spent most of the time interviewing me (did interview first, then presentation). I think we ran out of time.
As for the company you choose, make sure it is a company specific to what you want to do. If you want to go into ICE (information, communication, entertainment), then make sure you do it on an IT company.
You need to be up-to-date with your business awareness and also why KPMG and why audit...pretty bog standard questions.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by SPSAT , January 28, 20:33
Boru,
Thank you for your tips. Actually I have a chosen a pretty small company that i worked before, since it is just a small com, i dont think i can easily get their accounts or financials, and hence my presentation is going to be from a quite marketing point of view, so my recommendations is quite likely to be about differentiations n diversification but pretty difficult to quantify thouse effects, would the arguments sound vague or not concrete enough?
so actually did the partner expect you to talk aweful lot of special reasons for why KPMG specifically? cuz with most of my reasons, i think they can easily be applied to the other big 3, so where would you suggest for me to find some real special reasons for KPMG or audit?
thanks a lot

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , January 28, 19:31
Hi SPSAt,
I agree with what boru has said. The handouts are mainly for your reference. Dont bother preparing elaborate handouts unless you want to stick in a graph or table which will help you make a point.
Good Luck

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by SPSAT , January 28, 20:36
Hi Eliot,
Thank you very much for your point.
Where would you suggest me to look at or think about to find some good reasons or motivations of "Why KPMG specifically" or "Why audit rather than tax or whatever" ?
Many thanks

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by SPSAT , January 28, 20:36
Hi Eliot,
Thank you very much for your point.
Where would you suggest me to look at or think about to find some good reasons or motivations of "Why KPMG specifically" or "Why audit rather than tax or whatever" ?
Many thanks

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by SPSAT , January 28, 20:36
Hi Eliot,
Thank you very much for your point.
Where would you suggest me to look at or think about to find some good reasons or motivations of "Why KPMG specifically" or "Why audit rather than tax or whatever" ?
Many thanks

KPMG Forum by herdo , January 28, 20:54
This thread could be a KPMG Forum, and then possibly develop into a Big 4 Forum. Maybe DoctorJob should consider moving this thread to the top so then the advice would be more accessible - and maybe others will learn how the forum should operate:
For those with interviews coming up..i wish u the very best of luck.

Re: KPMG Forum by Snyr , January 29, 10:12
Hi
Thanks for all your help!
In one of your posts above, you mentioned about the E-tray breif on KPMG website. I have looked for it but have found nothing. Could you pls help. The only link i have concerning the assessment day is the link i received with my email.
Thanks
Snyr

Re: KPMG Forum by herdo , January 29, 10:25
Hi Snyr
http://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/Graduate/Careers/BusinessChallenge.html
That link above is as close a practice as I could find. However, the real thing is a lot harder - but u must make sure you can answers those ones in that link correctly with no hesitation.
If i find anything else...i'll let u know.
Best Of Luck

Re: KPMG Forum by Alphi , January 29, 11:34
herdo..thank u so much for been so helpful..! this thread is the bestttttttt i've ever seen. u people are so nice helping others unconditionally. Thank u!!

Re: KPMG Forum by Forest , January 30, 01:28
Hi, Herdo,
You mention the following link as close a practice to the E-tray exercise.
http://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/Graduate/Careers/BusinessChallenge.htm
But I could not open the link, ever time I tried, it goes to the www.kpmgcareers.co.uk
Has anyone else experienced the same problem? Many thanks.
Herdo you guys here are so helpful and generous.

Re: KPMG Forum by herdo , January 30, 09:19
Hi Forest,
Goto Google.com and type in KPMG Business Challenge - hopefully that will work. It should be the first one on the list

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , January 28, 21:36
When asked why KPMG, I just used the generic answer which I use at all my accountancy interviews.
I said all the big 4 deal with prestigious clients but what sets KPMG apart from the others was its people. I mentioned having been to KPMG networking events and how they helped me develop a real insight into the culture at KPMG and also how people I know at KPMG are a lot more satisfied than people I know at other big 4 firms.I also talked about the work/life balance and levels of formal and informal mentoring and support that staff recieve.Thats a generic answer that should work at any of the big 4 but what really got the partner to jump up with excitement was when i mentioned the global mobility program and out of the box program at KPMG which give employyes the opportunity to undertake international or cross functional secondments once they have qualified.These programs are something that KPMG staff, especially partners are very proud of and mentioning them will show that you have done your homework!!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by missD:) , January 28, 21:51
Hello,I am wondering about the role of audit in Mergerstried to find sometrhing from ft and accountancyage, but havn't got much in-depth analysis, as you've discussed, is it mostly realted to IFSA( the produce of the accounts for the two forms), Sa-OX( the internal control of the new firm), or liabilitiy cap for audit?can anyone point out a direction? many thanks :)

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by boru , January 28, 22:02
Another reason for KPMG is you could say that they take corporate responsibility very seriously - much more so than the other Big 3. They encourage staff to help out at schools (3 hours a month) and fledling businesses, as well as recycling all their paper, cutting down on paper cups etc. etc. They are 38th "greenest" financial company in UK compared to next highest accountancy firm which is PWC at 61st or something like that. You can also mention their core values which they expect all staff to adhere too.
As for Miss D:)s question, I'm not too sure what your question is. If you're asking about business awareness issues, such as IFRS and SOX, look about half way up this thread for Eliots summary. It has been in the news recently (like yesterday) because over 600 companies have not complied with article 404 and Eliot Spitzer is thinking about extending the deadlines before imposing fines (I think thats right....correct me if I'm wrong Eliot!). China Air has also moved its alternative listing from the NYSE to the LSE 'cos SOX was financially punitive.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by missD:) , January 28, 22:11
sorry, my question seems to be blurI want to know what is the role for Audit when two firms merge?
Do FISA, Sa-Ox or Lia-cap affect the process?
thanks a lot

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by missD:) , January 28, 22:32
thank you, boru,you've pointed out clearly that Sa-Ox affect the listing of a single firm,that is to say, the two firms have to consider where to be listed after they join together-and audit can tell them the cost-effective solution. right?

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by SPSAT , January 28, 23:39
Dear Boru and Eliot,
Thank you guys a trillion!!! I didn't know KPMG was that "Green" comparing to the other big 3...and I will definitely talk about the international secondment programme...
As to MissD:), I think the "audit" in your context sounds more like the "diligence"(i aint sure if im correct, but i did hear of something similar) it is something that investment banks usually do before they propose a M&A deal...it is like they gotta check up both parties' accounts and make sure the info. they have is as accurate as possible and then move on constructing the deal....i think you can consult with some Corporate Finance people...they must know this much better than us...
In my own opinion, Audit is needed at all times as required by the regulators, every public company is required to publish an Audit report to show that their accounts do represent a true and fair view of the company's financial position n the activities they have undertaken...anything else others wanna add?

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by missD:) , January 28, 22:05
I guess audit is essential before the merge( to see if they got healthy balance sheet, internal control...and provide recommendations), but is that all what they are responsible for?
sorry my knowledge of audit is mostly about the concept, not sure if the link(between Audit& Merger) seems to be appropriatecheers

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by boru , January 29, 02:13
I wouldn't worry too much about the role of auditors in a merger. I doubt very much it will come up in interview. I'm no accountant but I'd say that the role of the accountants is more of an advisory one - how is the newly merged company going to produce its finanacial reports, what controls need to be in place etc. etc. etc. I wouldn't say audit as such plays a role except for valuing a takeover target (you'd look at the balance sheet I guess.)

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by herdo , January 29, 10:29
we've been averaging almost 8 posts a day!!!
Now thats impressive!!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by rj124 , January 29, 11:49
im new to this thread but i am impressed with the amount of excellent tips that have been given! Peoples lives have really been changed by this thread!
i have my e tray exercise coming up on monday and was wondering whether anyone could give me any hints on the way i should write the recommendations? Should I introduce the email and then go straight into the recommendations? When I write the recommendations, should I write in bullet point format? I think herdo said it would good to write 3 points, each a paragraph long.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by herdo , January 29, 12:02
Hi,
For the e-tray you have to write 2 e-mail recommendations.
I think mine were minimal. I would suggest write as many useful points...but in a bullet point format - i think thats important.
This is what i posted before:
Dear abc,Thankyou for your e-mail. I have analysed the information carefully, and below are my suggestions:.........I hope you have found this information useful, please contact me for any futhur information....
You could write something along those lines
Good Luck on Monday

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by rj124 , January 29, 16:32
it will be necessary to write 2 recommendations. what are the recommendations for exactly? do you recommmend that one company be chosen over the other? or that both companies be recommended?
any help would be appreciated! thanks herdo for the last post.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by rj124 , January 31, 00:01
thanks very much herdo for all the advice, ill report back on how the e tray was!
thanks to everyone, wish me luck for monday!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by missD:) , January 29, 16:07
SPSAT and boru,
you spot on, audit is more like an examiner of the account while dvisory plays a bigger part in Merger, thanks a lot for pointing out!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by law42 , January 31, 21:38
Hi Eliot,
I wanted to thank you for all your advice on this thread. It has helped me a lot.
I have an assessment day with Deloitte on Thursday at the Glasgow office. Deloitte is my first choice- I really want this job.
Can I just check that in the e-tray it does not matter which company you pick as long as you back it up with evidence?
Do you think the partner interview was fairly standard?
Anything else that you can think would be a great help.
Many thanks
Lorna

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , January 31, 23:14
Hi Lorna
Your understanding of what to do in the etray is spot on. Make sure you have a clear idea of the advantages and disadvantages of all the companies. There will be several for each of them and the interviewer will focus on the advantages of the companies that you have rejected and the disadvantages of the company you have chosen!
My partner interview was pretty hard. I think the partner tried to make me lose my composure and at times the questioning was pretty aggressive. However at other times it was fine. However, people I know have had some very pleasant interviews with deloitte partners so my advice would be to stay focussed and try not to lose your cool regardless of how badly you think the interview is going.
I cant think of anything else off the top of my head.... i'm gradually starting to forget about certain aspects of the assessment day but am pretty sure that everything you need to know is on this thread. If you need any clarification on anything or have any specific questions just post a message here
Hope this helps!!
Rish

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by law42 , February 1, 20:24
Hi
Thanks for all your help. You must be bored of being asked similar questions...but I just need to clarify a few things.At the start of the e-tray are you given a paper booklet and folders about Harrisons on screen? And should you read through all the e-mails first before you start replying? And are the replies like multiple choice apart from the e-mail recommending your choice of company?
I am sorry but I have never done an e-tray exercise before and I don't fancy doing KPMG (because it sounds hideous) so need to succeed at Deloitte.
Many thanks again.
Lorna

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by herdo , February 1, 21:15
Lorna,
I did the deloitte e-tray a while ago. This is what i would say:
Make sure you read deloitte's e-tray info on harrisons. You will be doing the exercise on your own laptop. You are assumed to be holding some position for a company. After logging in, you will notice that you have around 6 e-mails i think, that u must respond to - these are all multiple choice. Before even looking at those e-mails, spend around 5 mins looking at the folders (e-mail folders on screen) which contain essential information such as whos who, each person's availablity, current projects operating and so on....Based on that information in the folders, you should respond to each of those e-mail. After responding, more e-mails will appear which you must respond to. I cannot remember exactly how many e-mails there were, but i'm sure Eliot can remember - I actually recently did the kpmg one - which i prefered somehow !!!!
The second part (wtitten exercise) is like this:
For the recommendation, you will have to recommend one of three companies - I think the names were "The Bookworm", "Paper clip" and "Musica"
Each of those companies have information such as "Potential Growth" which is either high,low,or medium. Each also have last years profit, and also each have customer spend frequency.
You have to target a region for Harrisons based on information given, and recommend one of these companies.
They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
One of the companies has a loyalty card scheme, I think thats the one i recommended - but i dont think that was the best one - I didn't support my points very well at all
Just see why one is better than the other and make as many comparisons as possible.
Also, if u finish the e-tray early, don't waste time doing nothing, if i were u, i would make notes for that written part, as u'll need them for the e-tray interview.
Just make sure you read all the information before u start, I spent 10 mins reading the booklet for KPMG e-tray before I started, and I finished right on time.
Best of Luck !!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by flycat2005 , February 4, 13:13
Thank you very much for the advice you guys give me!! I will have my assessment centre of KPMG on 14th!! Feel quite nervous about it actually.
I want to know for the second part of the e-tray exercise, do we just need to list our recommendations or we need to write something to backup my suggestions? Do I need to calculate some financial figures to support my points? or just essay type?
Besides, for the partner presentation, do I need to do a brief company financial analysis first before I give my recommendations? Do you have any useful structure for it?
Thank you very much :)

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , February 1, 21:15
Hey,
Deloitte dont give you a paper folder. Its all electronic (KPMG give you a paper folder as well which is quite convenient). But make sure you spend a few minutes familiarising yourself with the folders.
Dont bother reading through all the emails. It doesnt matter which one you respond to first. When you begin, you have a few messages in your inbox and emails continue to come in response to your choices. I went through the emails that were already in my inbox in a reverse chronological order just in case they referred to a previous email but there was no need.
Apart from the recommendations, all the emails have multiple choice answers.
With regards to KPMG, although I messed it up, quite a few people on this thread messed up the deloitte etray but did well on the KPMG one, so you might not find it that bad after all!!
Good luck

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Eliot Spitzer , February 1, 21:20
hahaha
What are the chances of that happening!!
Herdo and me posting similar replies at the exact same time.
I wouldnt have spent 5 minutes drafting my response if I had known you were going to post that answer!!

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by herdo , February 1, 22:25
I was thinking the same thing!!!
At least we haven't confused lorna by saying different things.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Nick Leeson Trading Co , February 10, 15:31
Just wanted to write a quick thankyou to all those that have contributed information to this thread. I found it very useful when tackling the KPMG assessment day and was offered a position.
Thanks Eliott an Co.

Re: the best thread for the big 4! by Watermelon , February 13, 17:43
Hey everyone, thanks for all your contribution. I really feel useful.
I've got two other urgent questions. Really hope that someone could help me out. I reaaally want an offer from Deloitte.
I didn't know what kind of format would be great for the recommendation email. What factors are most important in choosing those three firms?
Many many thanks.
WaterMelon

Re: thank you by jode , February 23, 18:07
Thank you, thank you!!!!! All your help was sooooooo useful when preparing for my assessment day at KPMG. I had it today and got offered the job!!!!!!!!
So you can add another person to the list of KPMG employees to be who used this site!
Hope to see you all as colleagues in September .

Re: thank you by ssi , February 21, 07:39
Hi Eliot,
Thanks for your advice on this thread! I'm doing my assessment day at Deloitte tomorrow - you've basically answered almost any questions I'd have, but I was wondering do you call your interviewer, for example, Mr Smith, or Sir?
And again in the E-tray presentation, if the person you're writing to is John Smith, do you say Dear John, or Dear Mr Smith?
Thanks!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 30, 20:45
Herdo,
Just wondering if you got an offer from PWC following your assessment day?

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 30, 21:02
No i didn't.
Even though i passed both tests, had only positive comments from group exercise. The partner report was too short, but that was cos he did all the talking. They didn't really have proper reasons.
But I am happy with kpmg to be honest.

Re: helping people by lavistar , February 2, 12:03
hi herdo boru and elliot,
i got an email from someone who was asking me for help on the deloitte assessment day. i remember ho helpful your advice was, so i took half an hour to send her a long email detailing everything
and then i caught her on msn ( she gave me her ID) and i told her i had mailed her and asked her when her final assessment was and her response to that was that SHE WAS HAVING HER FIRST ROUND NEXT WEEK!!! and i was like why is she asking for info on assessment when she hasnt even made it through the first round. and then she goes on to ask me about the first round interviews!!! i couldnt believe it.i just help that it was abusing someone's kindness and clearly deceptive. have any of you encoutered something similar?

Re: helping people by boru , February 2, 12:12
I can't say I have...
I'm wondering whether graduate recruitment at the Big 4 are aware of this thread, and whether they are happy about it. We could easily be much more specific about the "answers" but I'm not sure whether that is the right thing to do. I don't think we have given anything but very helpful pointers here but between us all we could easily devise some kind of "cheat sheet" that would defo get you into KPMG/Deloitte/PWC etc...
I'm thinking I might start a new thread just summarising everything that is said here into one post, 'cos it has got so big now that anyone looking for an answer to their question has to search through zillions of posts...what do you reckon?

Re: helping people by Alphi , February 2, 12:26
Dear Lavistar,I am so sorry for ur horrible experience.. just ignore her.. there are ppl who behave unnornally...Boru, I strongly agree with u!! actually most of u guys' kind information supplied are focusing on Strategies rather than telling ppl which anwer to choose nor giving details of the case study in Xdays... i think it's fine... however, I think if the recruiting team in big 4 see this thread they will be unhappy because they also aim to test ppl's behaviour under uncertain circumstances...it might be a good idea to start a new thread, eliminating those info which are too detailed. well... but what can i say.. u guys have spent ages creating such a thread and I have no intention to ask any of u do this hard work..hahaha....

Re: helping people by herdo , February 2, 13:29
I see your points !!
This thread has so many posts - possibly a record - and it would be a shame to remove it, but it may have to be done:
I think boru's idea of a summary would be a good idea.
Doctor Job does have the power to remove it, but I think that both Boru and Eliot would have to agree as they have contributed the most on this thread.

Re: helping people by boru , February 2, 14:04
I have really only posted a few messages...not as much as you and Eliot! There are a 179 replies to this thread and 3 people have got jobs as a result of it. If we do not keep posting to this thread does it get automatically deleted after a while? That would be a shame as It is probably the most helpful, and certainly the most life-changing, thread on Doctor Job.

Re: helping people by Isabel , February 2, 17:55
Just to be sure. What exactly happens at the 2nd round for Deloitte. I understand that there is:1. email exercise (multiple choice)2.Written exercise (make reccomendations)3.PresentationWho is the presetation to and what is it regarding? Also what is the group exercise?CheersIsabel

Re: helping people by Paddy Ashdown , February 2, 18:41
I am not trying to be funny or nuffin but your questions been answered enuf times on this thread.
Some friendly chaps/chapesses have spent ages writing tips on deloitte and KPMG and the least you can do is read the thread carefully.
There is no group exercise for deloitte in any case.

Re: deloitte offer by lavistar , February 3, 09:49
hi elliot!
i was wondering if you seen the contracts that we will be required to sign? I was also hoping to start in spring rather in autumn. do you think that this would be possible?
what division have you applied for in audit? if possible, kindly email me your email address, i would, if i may, contact you just to have a chat about deloitte.
ive been waiting for ages to be scheduled for the final assessment of pwc and its pissing me off! ive waited over 2 months and everytime i call they keep telling me that they still have to arrange a schedule for it! what a load of b***s**t!!!!
anyone experiencing the same thing?

Re: deloitte offer by JamesM , February 28, 22:31
Hi Lavistar,
I had to wait from the end of November to mid January to get a PwC assessment day. All went well though and I got the job, but turned it down in favour of Deloitte. What office will you be working in? In terms of start dates there are only 2 autumn ones as far as I am aware. However, friends of mine have taken a "gap year" and then started in the spring ready to start their exams with the new intake in the autumn. Hope that helps!

Re: helping people by gaudier. , February 4, 15:00
hello, lavistar,thanks for giving advice on this thread.I am not the girl you mentioned, but i think she might be just nervous.say from my experience,my assessment centre is on the next day of my first roundso I have to prepare both in advance

Re: helping people by Xing , February 4, 17:46
Hi, Eliot, Herdo and Boru, i wanna ask you guys one more stupid question about the presentation in KPMG's assessment centre. I understand you may be tired of answering all these questions. but I really need the help!
We are required to talk about how the company could expand and develop its business and give advice on it. Based on my understanding, I need to talk about the past development of the company and the future expansion plans. I just wonder if the future plans should be based on the company's actual strategies or based on my personal opinions? Or both are important?
I am also thinking about choosing a retailer, not a supermarket of course, which is not a client of Big 4. What you guys think?
Thanks!

Re: helping people by flycat2005 , February 5, 12:49
Hi, everyone. Can you guys tell me something about Air China's listing in London Stock Exchange? Or Yuko. Thank you very much!
Besides, the recommendation email we need to write in KPMG etray exerciese. What kind of recommendations we need to give? I mean, is it about company expansion, development or something else? Thanks xxxxx *_*

Re: helping people by stop being lazy , February 5, 15:27
hey, really think u can find out loads of information about airChina and Yukos in various media( BBC, FT, Wallstreet), just use the google search and summerise by yourself.after all, you should fight for your job , not just pick up other people's knowledge!( very luckily, the thread gives a lot about what to do, but you have to decide HOW to do it)!If you can't master simple tasks like this, how can you handle more difficult situations in real work?

Re: helping people by Calm down get done!!!!!!!! , February 5, 15:43
Strongly agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ppl shouldn't take advantage of others just because they are kind and helpful! if you don't have the motive looking answers by urself, no matter how much info ppl give u, u will still FAIL....

Re: helping people by adamsmith , February 12, 01:39
Deloitte or KPMG in Birmingham?Any advice?

Re: helping people by ask a silly question , February 12, 22:28
Hmmmm....any advice for KPMG or Deloitte? If I were you I'd check the other threads cos this one obviously doesn't have any advice in it....

Please help by dnv , February 17, 00:59
Hi,I am having my first round interview at KPMG next week. This is for a summer internship and not a graduate job. So please tell me what I will be asked? Is the interview for internship gonna be easier than the graduate one?Do you have any presentation, case study or test in the first round interview?I don't know why they asked me to come for an e tray test last week, even sooner than my first interview?
Please help,
Thanks a lot guys.

Re: Please help by herdo , February 17, 09:38
dnv,
your process seems to be different to the graduate process, so i wouldn't worry about it being easier/harder than the graduate one. Either way, it will certainly be more competitive. They should have told u in ur e-mail what you will need to know and what u will b assessed on.

Re: Please help by oops... , February 19, 16:50
Hi,
Ok I'm in a bit of a sticky situation. When I filled out my KPMG app I did not have my university transcript to hand. Its been a year since I graduated btw. I could remember my final grades but my 2nd and 1st year grades were guessed! I can barely remember the modules I did!
I've been invited to the KPMG assessment cente and was wondering what to do...
1) Will they ask to see my transcript, which I haven't got yet...But it should be on the way soon...2) Will this affect my application. Either way I got the 2.13) Shall I call them and explain what I did??
Btw this is a fantastic thread and a brilliant help to anyone going for the big 4!
Somebody please help me....
Cheers

Re: Please help by Eliot Spitzer , February 19, 18:41
I dont think they will ask to see your transcript. Normally they just ask for your certificate which will simply state your degree classification.
Dont explain what you did unless they specifically ask for your transcript which is very unlikely.
Good luck with the assessment centre!!

Re: Please help by oops... , February 19, 22:40
Cheers Eliot!,
that should help me sleep a bit better now. I have got to thank you, herdo, boru and lavistar for all the advice on the thread. It really is brilliant.
What company did you guys do the presentation on? I know someone mentioned Vodafone a bit further up. Just wondering...
Cheers

Re: Please help by herdo , February 19, 22:51
congratulations everyone!!
we have now gone past the 200 mark in less than 2 months

Re: Please help by perths , February 20, 07:47
Hello there,I have an assessment centre with Deloitt early next week, however, due to some personal reason, I prefer to defer it to a later date( they told me they had place there)...i wonder if it is too late to inform the firm because of weekend( i can only phone them on Monday)...Do you think they would help me with that? Or will they be angry about the change?Does my reason sounds all right?Please give some suggestionsMany thanks in advance!!

Re: Please help by Eliot Spitzer , February 20, 10:25
Hi Perths,
It depends on when the assessment day is. If your assessment day is on tuesday and you call them on monday, they might not be too happy since partners and managers who are very busy take time out of their schedules to interview people and this time is probably booked several days in advance.
Moreover, a lot of people drop whatever they are doing to attend assessment days at the last minute (I know people who flew down from Oslo and Moscow to attend assessment days with 2 days notice) and if you try to rearrange just one day before they may look at it as lack of committment.
Having said that, if you really cant go, then you really cant go!!! Call them and see what they say.

Re: Please help by perths , February 20, 11:58
hmmmm...it is on Tuesday!!I need to attend another assessment with an IB on Wednesday( the only date they offer and informed me last Friday) and just feel exhausted about the schedule. I have to take hours of train and struggle between different tests/activities...Although i am quite committed to Deloitt, i can't refuse IB because i havn't got offer yet!!Therefore, try not to rush in and perform badly- as it may rain my possible future with either!!having said that, i understand your points and have great concern as well...if possible, may I ask what would you do if you were in my position?really appreciate your time and generous help!!perths

Re: Please help by Eliot Spitzer , February 20, 12:15
I was in a pretty similar position to you a while ago. I had a KPMG assessment day on a wednesday and on tuesday evening deloitte asked me if I could attend their assessment day on the thursday. Although it was short notice I decided to go for the assessment day at deloitte rather than try for a later date.I was lucky as KPMG and deloitte are very similar. Obviously IB and deloitte are very different so it could be tricky getting into the right frame of mind.
If you are travelling from far, you could maybe spend tueday night in a hotel.

Re: Please help by V168 , February 22, 13:53
Hi Eliot, Herdo and Boru,after reading this thread it's amazing to c how helpful people are, but could you pls help me on the following two questions:1), Which is better: EY or KPMG and why?the factors i consider are: reputation, pay and beneits, career progression, usefulness of work experience, work environment and the "tranferability" after qualified( i.e. ability to move jobs)
2), which of the qualification is better: ICAS or ICAEW and why?
many thnaks indeed!

Re: Please help by herdo , February 22, 14:07
hi V168,
I would naturally say KPMG is better, and I do think it is.
However, I've heard that the ICAS and ICAEW are the same, but the ICAEW may be slightly better, though i am not really sure.
good luck

Re: Please help by Eliot Spitzer , February 22, 14:22
I would say both KPMG and EY are very very similar in all the areas you have mentioned. Both companies deal with prestigious clients, employ people of similar calibre, pay about the same and look great on your CV.
However, I would personally choose KPMG over EY because it seems like a much friendlier place to work at and although this sounds very cliched, I think I would achieve a better cultural fit with them!!! Someone once mentioned to me that choosing between the big 4 was like choosing between 4 equally good unis. Go for the one where you feel you will fit in best.
ICAS and ICAEW are equally recognised. Thats what all the accountants I have spoken to have told me. The main difference is that the ICAS exams are frontloaded which apparently means you get them out of the way early into your training contract.

Re: Please help by V168 , February 22, 15:06
Hi Eliot and Herdo,
thanks a lot indeed for your helpful advice!
it's actually quite painful to "reject" either of them, cus i have put in so much effort in obtaining the offer...just another question: could you pls tell me what exactly are the salaries among the big 4 in Audit?also is it true that many qualified trainee flee to IBs after 3 years? if so, which division do they end up? do you think it's better to stay with the firm?
many thanks!

Re: Please help by Eliot Spitzer , February 22, 16:15
In london salaries are between 23 and 24k.
i heard that over 50% of all trainees leave after 3 years and many of these go to IB's.
Check out www.efinancialcareers.com if you want to know how much a new qualified ACA can expect to earn in banking, insurance or asset management.
Although many people leave, the rewards can be great if you stick with the firm although nowhere near as good as in IB. People I have spoken to who have stayed with the firms after qualifying have said they have done so because they preferred the lifestyle at the big 4.

Re: Please help by V168 , February 23, 15:50
hi Eliot,
many thanks indeed for your advice!
to be honest, there's another complication when i am choosing between EY and KPMG: for KPMG, it's a China program, i.e. i need to return to China after 3 year's training in the UK, but for EY, it's a UK program, so i can stay on with no problem, but someone suggest me that KPMG has a slightly higher reputation than EY in the UK, so that may be better option, and now i am really in a dillema cus i really want to work in London since i have spent more than 5 years in the UK......what can i do??!!pls help.....
cheers

Re: Please help by SPSAT , February 23, 17:14
Hi 1/168,
I have spoken to a couple of KPMG ppl. abt the programme, supposingly you should return to China after 3 yrs training but actually it is not a MUST. You would still have a choice between returning or staying after 3yrs.

Re: Please help by V168 , February 23, 17:41
Hi SPSAT,
many thanks indeed for your reply!
actually do you mean i can stay on for SURE or it will depend on SOME conditions?? if so, what are they??
also the contract actually says " the KPMG UK contract will terminate after 3 years and return to China for full time position" or sth like that? so could you pls tell me more about the contract and what people's view on this?(i.e. the successful candidates or those who are currently on the program)
final question: if you were me, what would you do when choosing between EY UK and KPMG China program? any UNBIASED view between the two?
many thanks for your time and your help is greatly appreciated!regards,

Re: Please help by SPSAT , February 23, 20:41
Hi 1/168,
I am not SURE because i talked abt this with a graduate joined last sept, and as such programme started last year...i guess no one can be absolutely sure what would happen after 3 yrs...but i think it really depends on whether you wanna continue or not...cuz it is always a two way thing, if you dont want to go back to the Chinese office, you can well quid the job and jump to another firm...ur contract terminates by then anyway...and im sure they respect that...as the NQ's are pretty popular in here anyway...
personally, first of all, i didnt get the EY offer unfortunately...but i guess your work will mostly be similar...the only thing different would be the culture...n to me, KPMG ppl. gave me a more friendly impression...
secondly, i prefer the China program cuz i wanna try working back in China as well...despite a lot of stereotype abt working like s**t in China...always OT n stuff...but i still wanna give it a try..cuz it may well not be the case after a couple of yrs...esp. the partner i met told me that the growth n development in Shanghai was unprecedented n phenomenal...so it could be great even going back...
and the thirdly, i have been here for almost 4 yrs too...i cant say i dont like UK but i just dont feel it to be really the place that i would enjoy my life as much...althought financially the reward is better comparing to the salary you will be getting if you go back... at least to me, i think the life would be more interesting back home...
so i would prefer KPMG, but ofcuz, my idea is inevitably subject to my own experiences...and i think either program wouldnt be much different anyways..and you always have a chance to change afterwards...so i guess choosing between the culture is the key...just ask urself which would you enjoy ur job better...
hope this helps..

Re: Please help by V168 , February 24, 11:19
Hi SPSAT,
thanks again for your reply.i understand what u'r saying, and i certianly agree with you regarding the potential in China.....actually i am still 1/2-1/2, it's just that rejecting either will be a difficult decision....so could i possibly ask what's your plan after the training here? going back and which office? do you know any other's views, e.g. the current trainees, are they going back as well?
sorry for the many q's asked, a final one: do you know the salary in China compare with UK, are they similiar or very different??! =)
many thanks,

Re: Please help by Offer , February 24, 16:22
Hi V168,
Congrats on your offers?
How was the assessment day at EY? Can you tell sth. about the case study?
I have an assessment day with EY coming, but have no idea about how to prepare.
Thx a lot!

Difficult decision: EY or KPMG!!??? by V168 , February 22, 13:54
Hi Eliot, Herdo and Boru,after reading this thread it's amazing to c how helpful people are, but could you pls help me on the following two questions:1), Which is better: EY or KPMG and why?the factors i consider are: reputation, pay and beneits, career progression, usefulness of work experience, work environment and the "tranferability" after qualified( i.e. ability to move jobs)
2), which of the qualification is better: ICAS or ICAEW and why?
many thnaks indeed!

Re: Please help by herdo , February 20, 12:16
funny u should ask this perths.
i had 2 big 4 assessments days one after the other, on monday and tuesday. fortunately, i got an offer from the one i attended on monday in the evening, so the pressure was kinda off. However, yes, it will be difficult, i was really tired for the one on tuesday, especially by afternoon time. My advice to you would be to go, and i'll tell u why.
i understand that u have assessment days on tuesday and wednesday. obviously, if u get an offer great. but suppose that one of them is postponed as u desire, and u dont get the first one, then u'll b under so much pressure to get the next one. at least by having them one day after the other, u wont know the result, which i think is better. its a defensive tactic, but it does work. so i would go if i were u.but it is ur decison.

Re: Please help by herdo , February 20, 12:18
eloit!!!!
u always beat me to it!!!
but ure right, they are different, IB and Big 4, i didn't consider that.
but i would still go.

Re: Please help by perths , February 20, 16:53
hi, thank you very much for sharing your expereince with me!!i realise how daunting the process could be...especially i face two firms in different industry...and completely different corporate culture...while you both chose to go, i will ring them tomorrow and see how they response...after all, I didn't get an offer from EY's assessment centre (which could explain why i am not quite confident at the moment), and try to prepare more before I take the Deloitt one.Anyway, fingers Xthank you again, guysperths

Re: Please help by ssi , February 20, 20:24
Hi perths,
I have my assessment day at deloitte on tuesday as well, are you in london?
Anyway, just saw your question - I was supposed to have my assessment day on the 27th jan, and the NIGHT before, i started coughing like crazy...and the next morning, i had no voice! so first thing i did was email deloitte, also saying that i will still come in if i don't hear from them, and then i got ready....just as i was about to leave home, i tried calling, and they were finally at office, and they told me it was fine, and moved it...
so don't worry about postponing, they were really understanding, and even said i should just try and get well soon...luckily for me, after postponing, i discovered this site!
hope that helps..

Re: Please help by ssi , February 20, 20:33
oh and also i'm not so sure if you're reason would be appreciated though... they might feel you had more time to inform them about that...you could try say you're sick!
btw, herdo, eliot, lavistar, etc - if i get an offer, i owe it to you and the others in this thread!

Re: Please help by perths , February 22, 15:00
hi, ssi,thanks for your help, i've called them on Monday morning and they said it was ok to put me on a later date...i hope it helps...i was quite surprised to received the short notice of the IB last weekend and didn't prepare too much, therefor found it quite difficult to juggle the two...mentally and physically...hopefully, it is the right choice...(i'll never know)know it's your assessment day today...best luck!!ps: i think this is a legendary thread with some legendary ppl...

Re: Please help by SPSAT , February 21, 18:18
Super Special BIG BIG BIG Thanks to Eliot, Herdo and Buro...
I just got through KPMG today and I wouldn't have made it without all you guys' generous n helpful tips!!!
THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH!!
btw, how long would i actually receive the offer?

Re: Please help by Xing , February 21, 21:18
Eliot, Herdo and Buro...Thank you guys so much! I just got the offer from KPMG and the information and tips from you are so useful!
Really Big Thanks!!

Re: Please help by matt925 , February 22, 09:45
aaaaaahhhhhhhh guys help!!!
congrats to all of you! I have my assesment day tom and am really nervous... any last minute advice?!!
hope we all become work mates.... :)

Please help by dnv , February 22, 11:42
Hi, i'm having my first round interview with KPMG tomorrow. I have read quite a lot about IFRS, liability cap, Sarbanes.....from the Accountancy Age. Do you think I should read more on something else?I haven't known much about KPMG activities but just the Big Four in general. Any ideas where I can find information about KPMG specifically? I found their website not very useful.And finally, do the interviewers ask very specific question about your commercial awareness?
Please help me. Thanks a lot

Re: Please help by matt925 , February 22, 11:51
Hey! where do you have it tomorrow? i have it too! we are propably in the same group. if you give me your email, it would be useful for us to chat on msn or something to prepare last minute toghether. let me know ill check this post frequently
matt

Re: Please help by dnv , February 22, 12:07
hi, i'm having it at KPMG Bristol office at 11am. How about you? How is your preparation?My MSN is vidang_84@hotmail.com but I'm not online until late afternoon cause I'm at uni at the moment.But I check this thread in the meantime.

Re: Please help by matt925 , February 22, 12:29
ive sent you an invite for msn. ill be on all afternoon. talk to you soon

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by da8thmonth , February 23, 20:28
Hi Everyone,
I've read through this whole board and as many have already mentioned it really is a good source of information. I didn't know where to place my request, so I put it here. I apolgize if it is in the incorrect place.
I have a question that perhaps someone who has had a recent interview for KPMG Audit Graduate Program will know the answer to.
Does anyone know approx. percentage or number of spots that are still open for KPMG Graduate Program, intake year 2005?
Just wondering, as I feel my first round interview is rather late (18 March).
Thanks!
Auggie

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , February 23, 20:42
unfortunately, i cant help u.
But i am glad u have put your post at the end of the thread, as it makes it a whole lot easier to find.
Best of Luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by beautifulflower , March 1, 09:37
Is there anyone know about the KPMG one year business placement programme? Thanks!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Magic Man , February 23, 20:45
When did you apply and how long did it take to schedule the interview?
I think that the Big 4 are generally quite fluid with the number of people that they offer contracts to.
Applying late may affect your chances of obtaining a place in a particular division (eg. FS), but if they give you an interview then i would hope that they would have a job opening.
It seems that they just want graduates to meet a certain standard (hence jobs are avaliable for all at assessment centres), so as long as you meet the standard you should be fine. (However, if there were no spaces left for Autumn, they might defer until Christmas or next year)

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by ssi , February 24, 16:49
Hi, I just got an offer from Deloitte today, so wanted to say thanks to herdo, eliot, lavistar and everyone else!! how many people is it now, who have jobs thanks to this thread!
After my assessment day, i wanted to come on here and put up more info, but everything seems to be covered already...one thing though, the partner interview can sometimes seem REALLY bad, but i think that's just what they want to do, to see if you crack under the pressure...
so if anyone has a bad partner interview (like me), don't worry about it, and don't let it affect anything else you have to do on the assessment day!
anyways, thank you to everyone on this thread!

WELL DONE EVERYONE by Eliot Spitzer , February 24, 17:11
i had a similar experience with my partner interview. In fact, about half way through the interview he actually said that based on what I had said upto that point, he didnt think I was committed to a career with deloitte!! But once i got the offer i realised it was just a ploy to see how i would cope with the pressure.
I think so far people who have used this thread and subsequently got big 4 offers include herdo, boru, lavistar, ssi, geee, nick leeson trading, jode, spsat and xing.
Well Done Everyone!

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by mnb098 , February 24, 21:30
by the way, are you going to travel around very soon? if so...best wishes for your journey!!

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by Eliot Spitzer , February 24, 22:37
yeah i'm off to south america on tuesday!!!
thanks for your good wishes

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by herdo , February 25, 07:34
Eliot,
Best wishes for your journey, and once again thanks for your contribution to this thread

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by mnb098 , February 25, 14:34
hi, hope to see your post again...if possible...wahtever about south america or accounting...do you ever need any advice?:-)

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by swedey2k , February 25, 15:12
Hey Guys,
As a long time lurker, first time poster, can i also express my thanks to eliot, boru, herdo etc for all thier advice. I have been offered a job for KPMG in Bristol.
While i was worried that i hadnt heard till three days after, rather than the same night like Boru and Herdo, the advice given here was amazing.
Sometimes the advice may seem like the assessment centre is tough- it can be, but follow the key tips on here (esp reading your information for e-tray first!) and you'll be fine.
Thanks again, dan

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by jode , February 25, 16:45
Hey all.
Once again thanks to all those who posted their fantastic advice on this site it has been really helpful and I (like many other now using this thread! Well done guys) got offered a position at KPMG.
Thought I might add a few tips for anyone yet to complete the application process as its still rather fresh in my mind.
Commercial awareness - Some good points have been discussed with regards to Liability cap, Sarbox and IFRS but I would also be keen to mention Auditor independance as this is a hot topic at the mo what with new rules from the APB (Audit practise board). Its all about how much non audit work audit firms do for their client and hence their independance.
Group exercise - You are given info on a company and 5 mins to read it, then for 30-35 mins you discuss as a group having to decide 3 things ... which company should make your web page, what to have on the web site and advertising/promotion strategy. Your group must then do a 5 min presentation on this.
ETray Exercise - already loads on this so not really much I can add
Partner interview - I was asked mainly about my application form. Then why I am looking to KPMG over the other Big4? Why I chose my presentation? A few specific Q's about my presentation including him asking for further financial details (if you're doing a smaller company who don't have their a/cs on a website download their financial statements from the companies house website so you have all this info) As I am currently working he asked me about my current role and what had been my greatest challenge within this. And it wasn't even as scary as I thought. Just make sure you practise ur presentation and don't be put off if they interreupt you (they did it to me ) it's only to test u.
Questions to ask - Just a couple of ideas incase ur stuck but I'm sure u'll have loads of ur own. ... What post-qualification training is there and has this increased since compulsary CPD ? ( See ICAEW website for details of new compulsary continuous professional development)Who are some of your main clients at ..... office ? (He seemed to like this as talked for ages on it)Induction training?How long has he worked at KPMG and why did he choose it?How many taking on at this office and how many offers have been made? (For your own piece of mind on places available but he told me they are flexible with the no of places if they find the right people)
Anyway, hope this helps anyone who stumbles upon this great link still in the process. Good luck.
Well done to everyone on securing their offers. x

Re: WELL DONE EVERYONE by swedey2k , February 25, 16:56
Just to add to the list of questions, one that i asked that i think might be good is 'What social events are there to bond with the audit/tax/business advisory etc (whatever your discipline is) in the first few weeks). Makes you look a team player as well as someone who is more rounded and enjoys a good social life.
Dont know how it played for me, it could have detracted from my application for all i know, but i think it was good anyway!!

Big 4 (Part 1)

2005-07-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

A thread from doctorjob

KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 10, 20:07
Hi,
For the KPMG Presentation to the partner, there is no projector.
Has anyone done the assessment centre?
I would be most grateful if someone could advise me on how many handouts I should make, will I be showing these handouts to the partner, or are they for my own personal use, and should I produce any graphical information.
I just need a little advice - so far in previous posts of mine, the advice has been excellent.
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 10, 20:15
The presentation isnt really a typical presentation. You will be sitting down at a table with the partner and talk about expansion plans. The handouts are entirely for your own reference. Of course, if you feel a graph or diagram might help you make a point more effectively it will be worth drawing a graph to show the partner.
Good Luck

KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Jabir Saleh , February 15, 16:21
Firslty congratulations on your job offers guys. Secondly congrats on the success of the this forum!The advice on this site is definitely job winning and hopefully it will help...
I have a question, which is more about how the process works. I did my first round interview at KPMG on the 18th January for Pensions Advisory (Actuarial). I found out that there is only one vacancy in that department. I was successful and have my final assessment centre on 3rd March. I was wondering how they selected people for assessment? Do they just take one person for that vacancy to final stage or more people?? I asked HR about this and she said I will probably be assessed with people from other service lines and not necessarily people going for my position. Does that mean the job will be given to the first person who is good enough or the best person out of a selection of people? Further confusion arises from the 1 in 3 statistic posted on the KPMG graduate recruitment website?
I'm off to prepare for my presentation and brush up on my accounting / pensions knowledge. Take it easy and good luck job hunting!
Jabir

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 10, 20:16
Search the forum for my user name. I have given someone else tips regarding the etray which you may find helpful

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 10, 20:20
Hi Eliot,
That other person u have been helping was me !!!!
I would like to thank you for all your assistance - much appreciated.
Thank You

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 11, 00:32
Hey Herdo,
You got assessment centre this Thursday? Audit? Me too... Currently preparing my presentation. Looking forward to it already!
Thanks for the advice btw Eliot. I like your alias too - very appropiate

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 11, 10:21
Hi Boru,
My assessment centre is not until next Monday.
Good luck for yours on Thursday, - I am applying 4 tax.
Do u reckon you could give your experiences of the e-tray exercise, and any hints on the recommendation and the group exercise.
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 11, 10:40
Sure, no problem. I'm a tad worried about the e-tray exercise myself. Eliot (or anyone else), would you say the maths involved is easier or harder than the numerical/verbal reasoning tests they give you? Would it be wise to practice some more numerical tests?
Thanks for any help!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 11, 12:37
I would describe the etray at KPMG as a combination of the business focus type questions you would have had to do as part of the original applications with numerical and verbal reasoning.
The maths is pretty straightforward but becasue of the time pressure can be very difficult. Sources of information that you need to perform calculations are located in a number of different documents and this is where the difficulty lies... trying to work out where all the relevant information is!
My advice to you would be to spend a couple of minutes going through all the folders that you are given at the start of the exercise.
I think I gave some people some advice under my last alias "Enrico Bondi". You might find it helpful to search for that alias

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 11, 12:48
Oh..I was wondering who Enrico was....cos I found that helpful too.
I understand there are 2 recommendations to write.
You mentioned that "Coda" was the one to advise. Is this for one of them or both.
If it is for one of them...do u have any advice for the other recommendation.
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 11, 15:38
To be honest the whole thing was a blur!!!
I vaguely remember that it was something to do with a recommendation for the marketing division. But I may have that mixed up with another assessment day!
My advice to you would be to make notes about all the companies that you are dealing with. Its possible the assessors will ask you to make recommendations regarding another company.
Most importantly, work fast.I got my feedback from the assessment day on Friday and was told that although I excelled at the group exercise, presentation and partner interview, it was my performance on the etray exercise that let me down.
Good luck!If you want anymore advice just post ur request under this thread

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 11, 23:22
Hi Eliot,
For the presentation, I'm still not really sure what to take.
Do I print it out in the form of powerpoint slides.
Do I have a series of bullet points on a page
Do I have to give/show anything to the Partner
Any help much appreciated.
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 11, 23:29
I have my presentation done now, and all I can say is that I am not giving out any handout. I reckon you should only have a handout if it supports your presentation - i.e. graphs, diagrams etc. That is my opinion though, Eliot may think otherwise (after all, he's the one with the job offer!).
I am going to spend tomorrow practising my maths, and looking over topical business issues. Then I'm going to hope and pray that I do my best! Will let you know how I get on....

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 12, 00:59
Hi Boru,
Think you may have got the wrong end of the stick!! I didnt get the offer from KPMG. They rejected me because of my performance in the etray exercise.
However, your approach to the presentation is spot on. I did pretty much what you plan to do and the feedback I got with regards to my presentation was very good. I had a diagram which I showed to the partner as it supported the points I was making.
It doesnt matter what ur presentation looks like. I printing off some slides using powerpoint but as they say in their email, hand written notes are just as good. The partner will be too busy scribbling in his or her pad to even glance at your notes so dont worry too much about the presentation

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 12, 10:20
Hi Eliot,Yeah I know you were unlucky with KPMG but I thought you had offer from mid-tier firm? Alas I have no offers (but another three interviews with other people if KPMG goes tits up).
I don't have any diagrams to show - I'm doing mine on a paperless technology company so if he asks where the handout is, I'll say I didn't think it was in keeping with the theme!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 12, 10:29
I'm really worried about KPMG assessment centre.
The problem is...is that I am so busy.
I have a Grant Thornton telephone interview on Thursday, KPMG final round on monday, and PwC final round on tuesday.
How hectic is that gonna be.
If anyone has any advice for PwC, that would be great, but I dont think PwC have anymore places, in fact i doubt if KPMG have anymore places.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Zaf , January 11, 00:39
I have not been to the KPMG assessment center myself, but my advise to you would be to enjoy the occasion and smile. Give it your all, and dont look down too much at your handouts. Make sure you look towards the partner as well.
all the best
Zaf

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 12, 15:02
Hi Eliot,
Sorry to be a pain, I just have one final question. Are you allowed to use a calculator for the etray exercise? Just wondering whether I should brush up on my mental arithmetic or not...
Thanks!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 12, 15:35
You get a calculator so dont worry too much if you arent as good at mental arithmetic as Dustin Hoffman in Rainman!!Good luck!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 12, 20:51
Hi again,
What kind of questions will the partner ask me like competencies and commercial awareness - i really need help!!!
boru....best of luck tomorrow...at least i'm not competing with u......
Cheers for any help

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 12, 22:47
Business awareness:
The partner asked me to talk about any business issues that I had been following recently. I talked about Yukos and the possible takeover of the LSE. I had to go into a considerable amount of depth.Fortunately the issues were of my choice and I had done a lot of reading in advance.
I was also asked to describe what I felt were the major issues affecting the accountancy industry and issues that would drive the business forward.I talked about liability caps for auditors, sarbanes oxley legislation in the US and International accounting standards. Since I was applying for audit these issues were particularly relevant. If you are applying for a different service line you may be required to talk about something else.
Competencies:This part of the interview was similar to the first round. The questions you are likely to be asked focus on identifying whether or not you possess the competencies they are looking for. These competencies are listed on the website although I cant rememberthem of the top of my head.
Application Form:Expect the partner to ask you some really specific question about stuff on your application form. For instance, I was asked why I took one of my A-levels six months earlier than the others and why I performed extremely badly on some of my modules at university.
Important point to note is not to be too competitive on the group exercise. Of the 10 people at my assessment day, 2 applied for tax, 2 for transaction services, 1 for corporate finance, 2 for audit and 3 for IRM. So you are not in direct competition with anyone there. They will not be assessing you in relation to the other candidates.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 12, 22:55
Thanks again Eliot.
How did u not get an offer??? - my god..they must be strict with the e-tray !!!
I'm not really sure what the best business issues to talk about are, they seem like they go into serious detail. Where do u reckon would be the best place to look---i find the bbc website the most useful - do u have any other better suggestions.
cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 12, 23:06
The bbc website is very good.
It covers issues such as the LSE and Yukos in a very simple Q and A format. Browse the telegraph business section, www.accountancyage.com and FT as well if you have the time.
I wouldnt say they are any stricter when it comes to the etray than they are for any other part of the assessment. But the etray is the only way they have of assessing certain competencies and if you are unable to perform well, they simply cannot tell if you can multitask or manage your time well.In any case it was a great experience. I had a deloitte assessment day the next day and performed extremely well in their etray exercise(admittedly it was easier!!) and they made me an offer today!!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee , January 13, 00:03
Hii..Congrats! I have my KPMG assessment centres next week and I already had my deloitte. I was told that my e-tray was the only thing that let me down too.
Is the e-tray of deloitte similar to that of KPMG? how many questions you have for KPMG? And do you have to write an e-mail communication too.( as deloitte)thanks..Gee

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 13, 00:10
My experience at KPMG was the same as your experience at Deloite. I was told that the only thing that let me down was my etray.
I found KPMGs etray to be much harder than deloittes.... there are more companies to deal with and at the end you have to write two emails. Try searching the forum for my alias. I have given quite a few tips about the etray at KPMG.
Good Luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 13, 00:16
When did you have your deloitte assessment by the way?

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee , January 13, 00:39
Hmm..it was in the second week of december but I dont remember the exact date..
Thanks a lot for all again

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee , January 13, 00:46
Another thing - will the e-tray be the same as deloitte. I mean afterwards do I have to discuss my e-mail communication with someone or its done as the e-tray ends and can i stop thinking about it?
What was the two e-mail communication about in fact?
i am being a pain I know, but i really need to make the most out of the day..
Thanks a lottttt!
Gee

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 10:19
yeh...thats exactly the same problem i'm having.
Boru....u had ur kpmg today, so it should b fresh in your mind.....any advice?
i failed the deloitte e-tray because i dont really know what they were looking 4 in the written part.
I mean, my presentation and interview could b a complete waste - because i cant c myself passing the e-tray. I know they say no prior knowledge, but surely u need to know something - or is it just a way of filtering out candidates.
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by babaka , January 13, 18:25
herdo, sorry abt your experience in deloitte...when r u gonna have your KPMG assessment day?
what preparation do you think would be sufficient?
im rili confused abt the etray now...it seems extremely difficult...everyone said the only thing let them down was the etray..so what exactly should i do to prepare for it? check out all folders once start and then keep making notes on varies companies and at the same time move fast? ill have my KPMG assessment day pretty soon n im rili worried abt it...please helppp!!!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 18:33
babaka,
I wish i could help u, but the impression i'm getting is that if u failed the deloitte one - like i did - one would have no chance with kpmg.
my assessment is on monday, and then i have pwc assessment on tuesday - i fear the worst!!
however, all this stuff being said about no preparation is untrue - if u do a business degree you DO have a HUGE advantage - that is the truth. I do a maths degree, and although regarded highly - does not help with this kind of stuff.
all in all - the e-tray is not fun , because if i mess it up, then my other preparation would come to waste
but sorry - i cant help you cos i dont want to give u bad advice.
u may have read some comments from "killy" - he said the deloitte one was straightforeward - i didnt find it so

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by babaka , January 13, 18:40
herdo,
so you still stand some chances of getting an offer from KPMG or PwC....regardless how difficult the assessment day would be....i think ur previous experience would definitely help you somehow...wish you the best luck for both companies next week!!
regarding the business issues, what issues have you prepared? also liability cap, lse takeover, Sabox and IFRS? what kind of depth should i get into?
thanks,
Babaka

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 18:48
babaka,
chances are there, but they can disappear in a flash as i found out - but i think the only experience i got was being rejected at final round - i didn't get a fair partner interview
i know nothing about liability cap, but i think we need to only know a little about sarbanes oxley and ifrs, but my main worry is commercial awareness, because that is as much as i know - what r u applying 4?
sorry . i dont mean why the hell r u applying? - i mean what divsion??
best of luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by babaka , January 13, 18:54
im applying for KPMG audit...sorry dat i didnt mention abt this earlier...
i think the assess ur commercial awareness on both your presentation n partner's interview may ask you questions regarding those issues affecting the accountancy industry or KPMG....i didnt prepare liability cap either..since i think that is kinda old already...i only got some basic knowledge abt Sarbox n IFRS..i hope these are enough...or if somebody else has better ideas...feel free to let me know...
once again...best of luck for your assessment day too...

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 13, 19:01
Hey Babaka,
They wont expect you to be an expert on sarbox or IFRS. As long as you are aware of how they affect KPMG's business. You could mention how AXA is the first major european company to publicly announce that IFRS is going to affect their profits and how ITV is trying to buy back shares from its US shareholders so that it does not have to comply with sarbox. Incorporating those facts into your answers will show the partner that you have been reading up.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by babaka , January 13, 19:11
Herdo,
great!! thank you very much..you just remind me that there are a number of examples i can use in the accountancyage...
thank you very much and hope to see your good news in a couple of days....

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 19:16
Eliot,
thanks for that advice,
u may have seen this question coming, and i'm not really sure of the answer but....
how does sarbox and ifrs affect firms like KPMG.....i would assume the get a lot of money from it....but what would u say
cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 18:50
Boru,
I'm not sure whether u have come back from kpmg yet
I just wanna wish u the best of luck and hope the day went well
at least it is over and done with
ps. let us know how it went
cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 19:17
WOW!!!
who would have thought that KPMG - Handouts? would turn into such a popular post - i got more than i bargained for ---- cheers guys !!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 13, 20:15
Hi Guys!!
Just had my KPMG assessment centre...and they just rang me up to offer me the job!! I am so chuffed and I am EXTREMELY grateful to Eliot for all his very helpful advice. Kudos on your job offer with Deloitte.
Whilst it is still fresh in my mind, here is my overview of the KPMG assessment centre.
Firstly, the eTray exercise. Believe everything you hear, this is really really really tough. I don't mean to scare you, but just so that you are aware. I managed to finish it but thats only because I knew it was time pressured thanks to Eliots great advice. My tips for the eTray would be as follows....
Read the booklet they give you for about 5 mins BEFORE you even look at your emails. Plan a structured approach to your replies. Make sure that you know who is a client, who is your boss, who is a prospective business etc. etc. and plan a structured approach to your emails. If you do this you will be OK.
For the second part, my tip would be this...
You get to a screen with instructions on the second part of the exercise. Don't begin the exercise until you have read the second part of the booklet. Get some ideas in your head of what they're going to be asking and prepare your replies accordingly. Again, I managed to finish this in the allocated time but a lot of people didn't.
The group exercise you have nothing to worry about as long as you make a contribution, and the presentation should be a breeze. I had the nicest partner in the world for my interview and he was extremely easy to interview with.
Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to Eliot who has been such a great help. I'm really pleased you got a job with Deloitte. Good luck to everyone still applying; with the advice here you all have a decent enough headstart! I am now off to get exceedingly drunk!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 13, 20:39
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Good to know that I have been able to help.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by babaka , January 13, 21:38
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Glad that you have passed the socalled unbeatable etay Boru...
What do you actually mean by having a structured approach? Do you mean I need to identify the respondents first then reply them according to priority? Is there sort of order to reply as I suppose it is all about prioritising tasks right?
And how about the making notes on the company thingy as Eliot suggested? Is that crucial for the recommendation part?
Many thanks,

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 21:50
CONGRATULATIONS Boru!!!
However, now u r part of the elite club along with Eliot !!!
Basically following on from the previous post...how much do u remember about the letter writing part. Do u remember what company you advised? basically that kind of information i may find really useful.
cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 13, 22:16
hi again,
I was wondering:
How does IFRS and Sarbanes Oxley actually affect the Big 4.
Also, if they ask, how would u start your own busniess, what should I say?
Any help much appreciated,
Thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 14, 00:01
IFRS requires all listed companies in the EU to produce financial records that conform to specific international standards. Until now each country has had its own set of GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) which formed the basis on which a companies accounts were produced. However with this new EU directive, companies need to change the way they prepare their accounts. Since individual companies are not fully aware of how they need to adapt to the new system this represents a massive opportunity for the Big 4 to make a bucketload of money by helping companies adapt.
Sarbanes Oxley is legislation that applies to companies registered on US exchanges or companies anywhere in the world which have more than 300 shareholders in the US. The legislation was introduced in response to the collapse of Enron and WorldCOm and aims to ensure that companies have internal controls which make financial reporting as transparent as possible. It is very very prescriptive and the penalties for not meeting its requirements will be very severe. Once again this represents an opportunity for the big 4 as they can help companies meet the requirements of this legislation.
Hope this helps.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee , January 14, 00:03
Congrats!!Thanks for the advice. i have my assessment centre coming over next week , i would appreciate if you could tell us more about the second part of the e-tray.What you had to do basically? and how much was the length that u had to write? Did u incorporate a lot of facts from given data or more from ur own knowledge?
thanks..Gee

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 14, 00:49
Hello chaps,
Eliots summary of SOX and IFRS is pretty much how I understand it so take that in. Having said that, I wasn't asked about any current business issues.
With regards to the second part of the e-tray, I don't want to be too specific with regards which company I advised because you may be asked to advise a different company in which case you will be screwed. All I can say is that I looked at the documentation provided very carefully before I wrote my replies. There are a lot of hidden agendas that you have to look out for and if you don't read the documentation carefully you will miss these.
What I had to do for the second part was write two emails with recommendations based on the research a colleague of mine had done. Having read the dossier, it was fairly straightforward. If I had done that, I wouldn't have had a clue. Honestly, it is a lot to do with common sense and planning. If you read the dossier carefully, you shouldn't have any problems. I hope that helps!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by with a little luck , January 14, 01:45
thank you soo much guys!! looking at this thread has really helped me prepare for my upcoming presentations with the big 4. I wish you all luck and well done for getting so far.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 14, 01:57
Just wondering what the record is for the most number of replies to a thread on the doctorjob forum!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 14, 05:38
Thanks for the advice yet again.
Boru, just out of interest, which company did u advise?
I think that Eliot said something about Coda b4 - I mean....are the 2 e-mails similar..or r they totally different
Cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 14, 14:02
Hi,
The company you advise is indeed Coda, but it's all about what advice you give them. You can write absolutely anything provided that you have thought about your argument logically and can back it up with evidence in the dossier. For the second part of the exercise you don't really need to know any info from the first (I didn't make any notes useful for 2nd part).
I actually did an Arts degree so I'm used to reading texts and writing arguments. I found that helped me a lot when it came to writing the emails. However my maths is a bit rusty so I had to put in a bit of work to bring me up to speed. Everyone else there all had financial related degrees (accounting and finance etc).

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee2 , January 14, 15:41
Hi Boru,
I wanted to ask - regarding the second part of the exercise again.
What was the length of each e-mail communication that you wrote? Approx how many paragraphs or lines? thanks
Also, was it more like a report writing or typically an e-mail communication that would be like-
Dear -,
And start with it directly?
Thanks
Gee

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 16, 12:37
Hi Boru and Eliot,
I was just wondering, have u read post in this thread from Geee2, the one before this one - because I also need help on this info, and I have my KPMG assessment tomorrow
I think it's to do with structure of the e-mails, how to start off and end off.
cheers

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Topper Harley , January 16, 13:26
I wrote my answer as a typical email ie "Dear xyz"
I then wrote down everything I could think of that I felt was relevant.
The HR lady who gave me feedback was very helpful and said that it would have been better for me to use bullet points than to write an essay style answer as I did.
Good Luck for 2moro. Let us know how it goes!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 16, 13:27
BTW..... I Topper and Eliot are the same person!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 16, 18:44
For the second part of the exercise, I wrote about 3 paragraphs on each. As for structure, I did mine as "Dear x, Many thanks for email blah blah blah. Below are my recommendations for xyz. Recommendation 1 - I make this recommendation because....Recommendation 2 - I make this recommendation because...I hope you find this information useful. If you need any clarifying please contact me etc. etc.RegardsBoru"
All you need to do is fill in the gaps. I don't think they are too worried about what recommendation you make just so long as you back it up with a logical argument.
Let us know how you get on and good luck!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by babaka , January 16, 23:16
Thank you soooooo much for Eliot and Boru's generous sharing!!
Best luck to Herdo!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 17, 18:52
Hi,
I've just come back from KPMG, and they just phoned me to offer me the job!!!!
Thankyou so much Eliot and Boru - u both r superstars and i wouldn't have got it without u !!!!
i still cant believe it
but thank you guys so much!!!!!!!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 17, 19:08
Well done!! It's a good feeling ain't it? Glad I was able to provide some help. See you in September!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 26, 05:36
Boru,
kpmg say their start dates are either August or January.
Do u know when in August they start just out of interest...
thanks

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 17, 19:41
Well done Herdo.
I wish you all the best with KPMG!!
Are you definitely taking it or are there any other prospects in the pipeline?

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee , January 17, 21:08
Hey herdo,
I need ur help for the e-tray.How was it. I have my asses day on thursday and how was the e-mail communication thing? can i mail u personally please..i really need to go it..tks...gee

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 18, 05:57
Hi,
Both Eliot and Boru gave as good as advice as possible but i'll see what i can do.
1st Part:
I spent 10 minutes reading the first part of the booklet - this gave me the opportunity to familiarise where everything was. The actual questions are not bad at all - they actually tell u where to look most of the time, and the calculations are simple. Make sure u work relatively quickly though, and I would probably suggest trying to finish maybe 5 minutes early in the first part so u can browse the second part.
2nd part - written exercise
I hardly wrote anything.I only wrote a few lines - literally exactly what was in the text. You have 50 mins. Spend 10 mins analysing the info - I did not use calcs in my answer - then 20 mins on each e-mail. I did not find the time factor an issue here. Just make sure you have 2 e-mails done - also for the first one - apologise for the lateness of the reply, and explain why it is late - it is a draft letter to the board not the e-mail sender as it may seem at first. Both Eliot and Boru gave great advice for the structure of the e-mails, but to be honest, Boru got it spot on - U should b ok, all the advice here should b enough to get u through.
My partner interview could not have been better.
If u want any other help - post ur queries here.
Best of Luck

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Geee , January 18, 08:00
thanks..
Just one more thing , did u use any information from the first exercise for the second one?
And the first part exercise, it is pretty much like deloitte, u have got a choice of three things and u need to spot the right one?Thanks again and congrats mate.
gee

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by lavistar , January 18, 22:00
Ive been reading through your notes and replies and am impressed at how you have helped each other. I noticed you have mentioned that some of you did deloitte, and i would be very grateful for more information regarding the e-tray exercise where you have to make recommendations. I failed KPMG specifically for this reason and as deloitte is my last hope, i would appreciate more information about this.I just want even a vague idea of what they might be looking for in terms of recommendations. Is it more calculations based?any help would be much appreciated. I have my assessment day on thursday!!!do email me at lavistar@hotmail.com

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 18, 22:11
hi lavistar...welcome!!
unfortunately i failed the deloitte e-tray, but i went to kpmg recently and i got the offer - but i dont know how i did in the e-tray yet, but i must have met their requirements
ur kpmg e-tray experience will certainly help u with the deloitte one...which is actually supposed to be easier.I think Eliot was in a similar situation to you, and he went to deloitte recently.
i completed the deloitte e-tray with 35 mins to spare - so i think i kinda rushed it.
but i'm afraid that i'm worried of giving u bad advice - but all u r doing is working for one client, and you only have to make one recommendation.
Both Eliot and Boru were of great help to me....and i'm sure once they read ur post.....they can provide u with more/better information
best of luck!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 18, 22:43
Hi Lavistar,
I did the deloitte etray one day after KPMG and really found the Deloitte one to be really easy in comparison.
The main reason for this was that at KPMG you have a number of companies that you are dealing with. With the deloitte etray you are only advising about one firm.... Harrison books.
I would suggest that you read all the information in the folders to get a general overview of the company and the roles within the company. Dont spend too long on this. 5 minutes should be enough.
Make plenty of notes as these could help you with the written exercise and help you defend your arguments in the presentation.
The written exercise is straightforward and you required to make a recommendation about acquiring a company.There is no right or wrong answer as each company that is under consideration has its strengths and weaknesses. Make sure that you identify the strengths and weaknesses of each, because regardless of which company you choose, you will be questioned in depth by the manager who interviews you.
I really think though, that the experience you gained at KPMG will help you. It certainly helped me and the fact that the deloitte etray is easier should give you a bit of confidence.
Good Luck!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by matt925 , February 8, 13:41
Hey and congratulations with your offer!!
i am in the same position you were, waiting to go to the assesmment center... so you can sympathsise with me! sorry to bother, just had 2 questions. the first is, have you already graduated from uni? if not, did they make you a conditional offer saying you had to get a 2.1 to join?secondly, i dont mean to pry and be indescreet: could you tell me what the renumeration package they offered you was? thanks for your time!!

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by boru , January 19, 11:34
Hi Lavistar,
Unfortunately I never did the Deloitte etray, so I can't really offer any advice. Good luck nonetheless!
Eliot, this is slightly off topic but I was just wondering what the starting salary is for Deloitte? I was also wondering if there is a difference in salary between audit and tax - Herdo you might be able help out on that one. For KPMG audit in London it is 24k.

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by herdo , January 19, 14:27
Hi boru,
I haven't received the actual contract yet so i dont know

Re: KPMG Presentation - Handouts?? by Eliot Spitzer , January 19, 16:31
I am not sure exactly how much I am going to get.
The contract said "no less than 23.5k with a £500 benefits allowance which can be taken as cash"
I dont think they have set the starting salary for autumn 2005 yet so it could be a bit more.
A friend of mine in IRM at KPMG said he is on 24k. He also said people in Transaction Services at KPMG start on 26k.

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 19, 21:28
thanks you guys! I really do appreciate the time you took to respond back to me. Its just that deloitte is my last shot and i would be completely crushed if i dont get in. WIll let you know what happens!

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 19, 21:44
Hi Eliot,
This is a last ditch effort to to put my mind at ease over the etray exercise.
If i may ask, i heard that i will be given basic figures with regards to the companies, and from there choose the best one. Any suggestions regarding what possible calculations i could do?
profit loss revenue etc is not my strongest suit unfortunately.
I am so incredibly nervous for tom! i can bear the thought of not getting in!
Although im really glad that all of you have managed to get offers! I knw you must have put in some damn hard work.
hope this reaches you before my interview!
ps: are there any recent stories that can relate in some way to the etray?
many thanks! owe you one!

Re: thank you by thegap , January 19, 22:12
havent got any kpmg or deloitte round coming up but just wanted to say that this topic is probably the most useful thing to come out of the doctorjob forum. amazing to see how all of you collaborated and together beat the system. obviously you gota be good on the day but you can feel lost without such advice.
keep up the good work guys. i think that this topic should be titled as ''the secret path into deloitte/kpmg''

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 19, 22:21
Hi Lavistar,
To tell you the truth there is very little that you can do to prepare for the etray exercise. Just stay calm and collected and you should be fine. You will need to think clearly so that you can make and defend your arguments efectively. You dont need any business knowledge to tackle the etray. It is designed to identify how you process informtion under pressure and not your understanding of financial issues.
I would say that the calculations you have to make are very basic and dont require you to be particularly proficient at arithmetic.
Unfortunately, I really cannot remember specifically what calculations I had to make.
What I would recommend is that you have a quick browse through www.accountancyage.com tonight. It will help you familiarise yourself with some key issues. I brought up some of those issues in my partner interview and he was clearly impressed.
Good Luck!
P.S If they take you to smollenskys for lunch have the icecream sundae with chocolate sauce.

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 19, 22:27
haha! thanks eliot! although im actually on a diet at the moment!
im up to my ears in sarbox liab cap ifrs and everything else inbetween!
if you remember anything else, do let me know! in the meantime im going to do more research...yumm! :P

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 19, 22:41
For liability cap, you could mention how equitable is claiming damages worth 2.1 billion from EY. You could point out that damages on that scale would cause any of the big 4 to collapse and that its therefore important to provide auditors with some protection.I mentioned that and the partner got quite excited when I said that.
Also, be careful if you say anything derogatory about Andersen. 2 of my recent partner interviews have been with former andersen partners and I know that a number of andersen staff have moved to deloitte!!
If you are on a diet, have the cous cous salad. I can personally vouch for it.

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 19, 22:41
BTW, im not sure who has gotten into KPMG and DELOITTE, but what i do want to know is...how did it feel when you got the news that you have passed????
:P

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 19, 22:33
Dont be nervous about the etray. Like I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the etray is a breeze compared to KPMG.
As long as you are able to think clearly on the day, you will be fine!!
Also, if you find that the partner appears to be uninterested dont let that put you off.
I had that problem with partner interviews at Robson Rhodes and Deloitte. In each case, they didnt seem to care what I had to say but I got offers from both. Chances are that they were just trying to gauge how I would interact with a difficult client.
Let us know how you get on!!

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 19, 22:47
am i correct in saying that the liability cap is still under debate and nothing so far has been decided?
thanks for the tip! ill look that up. Another little titbit, a friend of mine is working for pwc stategy and he was saying that toys r us is looking for a buyer since they arent doing too well. anyone up for that? and also carphone warehouse is looking to break into the landline industry, encouraged by their booming december sales.
Eliot, what are you doing nowadays? doing a temp job until sept? cous cous is vegetarian right? :P

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 19, 22:56
Dont know anything about toys r us or carphone warehouse to be honest.
I am planning a round the world trip at the moment.
Hopefully gonna set off in March and come back in july.
Yes the cous cous is vegetarian. As a carnivore, I would have rather gone for the boston fishcake but I was afraid it may have contained shell fish which I am allergic to.
Do you go to uni down the road from deloitte btw?

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 19, 23:38
I actually completed my masters in business at oxford uni and am now working, so i guess its safe to say i worked way far from deloitte.
still up trying to rehea**e why i want to join deloitte and why audit!

Re: thank you by herdo , January 19, 23:51
Lavister, I hope u get this on time:
E - Tray
For the recommendation, you will have to recommend one of three companies - I think the names were "The Bookworm", "Paper clip" and "Musica"
Each of those companies have information such as "Potential Growth" which is either high,low,or medium. Each also have last years profit, and also each have customer spend frequency.
You have to target a region for Harrisons based on information given, and recommend one of these companies.
They each have their advantages and disadvantages, Eliot might remember which one he recommended.
One of the companies has a loyalty card scheme, I think thats the one i recommended - but i dont think that was the best one - I didn't support my points very well at all
Just see why one is better than the other and make as many comparisons as possible.
Also, if u finish the e-tray early, don't waste time doing nothing, if i were u, i would make notes for that written part, as u'll need them for the e-tray interview.
Just make sure you read all the information before u start, I spent 10 mins reading the booklet for KPMG e-tray before I started, and I finished right on time.
For the first part of the e-tray, u'll have information on who works for Harrisons, and their level of expertise, and also their availability, and their charge out rate - that part should b fairly easy.
Make sure u read the E-tray breif on the website, and know what Harrisons are looking for - I think thats important.
I wanted to give u this info eariler but my computer was messed up - so i really hope someone can help u out even more.
Best of luck - we all hope u get the offer

Re: thank you by herdo , January 19, 23:58
80 posts !!!!!
This topic has already helped changed people's lives...lets keep helping more and more.......
record in sights??

Re: thank you by thegap , January 20, 18:28
lol you guys are the best. your right it is changing peoples lives. if i didnt have a job, i would definetely be applying for kpmg.
anyone who is stuck without a job, now you know what to do!

Re: thank you by BeeV , March 30, 16:09
Dear Herdo,I hope you guys are still checking this forum. Just wanted to shout out to all of you guys that have contributed to the successful forum. It was really really nice knowing that you guys are sooo willing to share. Congratulations to those who have got a job offer fr the big 4. I hope one day i be in yr position and rejoicing it. But right now, I jsut finished my test and they invited me for an interview. To Herdo:U got a position for tax in KPMG rite?Can I know whether the questions that they ask revolves ard business and audit or tax? I applied for Tax as well. And I only got 22UCAS but they invited me for the test and now interview though. My numerical skills are pretty horrible. Will I be able to make it? What is mainly in the interview? After that, it will be assessment is it? Please reply. Thanks for your time.

Re: thank you by herdo , March 30, 19:05
Hi BeeV,
Yes, i do still check this thread, and i'm pleases with the progress. I did get offered a position for Tax which I accepted. If you applied for Tax, make sure u know about sarbanes - oxley, ifrs, and any business issues u find useful. doesn't matter that u got 22 ucas points - they accepted u, which means they'll take u if u perform well. The kpmg website has a list of competencies, they're very useful. just make sure u find a business topic that interests you that u can talk about, and also ask them a couple of questions.
it also depends on who interviews you. I think the e-tray is the most challenging part of the process.
most of the questions they ask really depends on what u talk about - but i think mainly business
if u need any more help - dont hesitate to ask

Re: thank you by BeeV , March 31, 10:37
Thank you very much Herdo!!I am speechless as you guys have helped many many lost souls here. Regarding the KPMG interview, what will they ask specifically? Is it a company that we have to talk about? Or that is the later part? I am not even sure whether i'll make it to the first round so save the final round of assessment centre later!! And when do all these sarbanes-oxley, ifrs come in? First interview? or whut? Thanks for answering my question, Herdo! U da man!!!I am running around like headless chicken looking for direction and hoping that I will know what is ahead of me after my exam in May. Sigh! I really hope that I could either get into E&Y or KPMG for at least they will apply a work permit for me. Herdo, Eliot, Boru and Lavistar...i just wanna thank you guys fr the bottom of my heart.

Re: thank you by herdo , March 31, 12:33
hey,
u will do urself no harm if u talk about sarbox and ifrs in the 1st round. if ure not sure what they are, then i think it is described in this thread somewhere.
u might be asked about what companies are interesting u at the moment or something like that.
i found the first interview harder than the partner interview - but that doesn't really help u too much - but just make sure u know ur competencies and keep up with business issues.
best of luck..

Re: thank you by BeeV , April 2, 16:58
Hey Herdo!So is it the gatwick that u are applying? I am applying to Gatwick. Ive just set my interview on the 12th april 2pm. WIsh me luck !! :'( Scared. I really wanna make it!! God pls help me!! Meanwhile i am reading FT (first time since i need to noe more biz issues). And what do u mean by they will ask business issues. What business issues? Main or any business issues? BY the time i go there for interview, the news will b sorta stale already innit? Anyway im fr Reading and i hope to work in london but there are no position in london for tax in kpmg. So i chose gatwick instead :/ Still not sure whether that was wise. Dont even know how to get there! Oh boy!Well, otehr than competencies, what do i really need to watch out so i dont get some tricky questions. I have got E&Y but then they suddenly rejected me coz they said that its full by now when they promised that they will set up first interview time n date with me! So asked me to choose my second option which i am happy enuff to take it. Corporate tax! Good..ppl..i need to hear from u guys too ;)Cheers!

Re: thank you by BeeV , April 9, 23:43
Hello all! Im going for the first interview with KPMG in gatwick for tax on 12th april which is on tuesday! Any last minute advice???Im getting nervous!Arghh..

Re: thank you by BeeV , April 9, 23:44
Hello all! Im going for the first interview with KPMG in gatwick for tax on 12th april which is on tuesday! Any last minute advice???Im getting nervous!Arghh..

Re: thank you by BeeV , April 9, 23:44
Hello all! Im going for the first interview with KPMG in gatwick for tax on 12th april which is on tuesday! Any last minute advice???Im getting nervous!Arghh..

Re: thank you by BeeV , April 9, 23:44
Hello all! Im going for the first interview with KPMG in gatwick for tax on 12th april which is on tuesday! Any last minute advice???Im getting nervous!Arghh..

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 20, 18:34
Hi herdo!
thanks for the info! although i didnt really have time to check before i left and didnt see your post. i chose paperclip, which sells stationary and electronics. i think most people chose bookworm, which was the more obvious choice, or musica. but that went well i think.
the part that was most difficult was the partner interview!!! that guy made it so difficult. ( his name was tim and i was applying for audit), and beecause he didnt make me feel comfortable, i had a mental block and completely messed up my answers. to make things worse, he kept correcting me every step of the way! he even said that i should be applying for operational audit rather than financial audit, and he was a senior manager who has been there for the past 22 year....uh-oh...i have a feeling i may not get it...oh well... it was an experience anyways...and we had lunch in strata, and we only had the starter and main meal coz their order computer was busted, and orders werent going down to the kitchen, so everything came late and we were wolfing down all our food. inthat sense kpmg is more organized because they get your order before hand and call the restaurant. although with deloitte, they paid me for my expenses before the end of the day, which was nice...whats new with ya'll?

Re: thank you by sebe05 , January 21, 13:09
Contrary to what people think, candidates are assesed by their performance throughout the whole recruitment process. This means apart from your performance at test centres, your online numerical test scores, your first face-face interview and the quality of you application is also considered. Finally you are compared with other candidates. So dont sweat it. Your offer could still be on its way. The partner was just being silly!

Re: thank you by Balding Bob , January 21, 17:14
Lavistar. I get the impression you interviewed with deloitte yesterday. me too.
I way there for transfer pricing. I was wondering if you've heard anything yet?

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 23, 23:07
Hi bob! yes i was in stonecutter court on friday and i havent heard anything back yet.gosh i am so worried! do keep me posted on this thread to let me know if you got a reply and if its a yes or no. ill do the same as well.
Im keeping my fingers crossed guys! will let you know either way.
I did go to oxford, BUT what i believe i have working against me is the fact that i am not originally from the uk and would be needing a work permit. that is a definite deterant for a lot of employees.
so how is everyone doing this sunday nite?work tom? i had to fake an illness on thursday to get out of work ( tonsilitis) and when i did go in to work on friday, pretending still to be sick, they sent me home because they thought i was contageous! and im bunking work as well tom!
ciao!

Re: thank you by herdo , January 23, 21:20
lavister...
did u get an offer from deloitte?

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 26, 00:15
I GOT AN OFFER FROM DELOITTE!!!! THANKS YOU GUYS!!! SERIOUSLY I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!! I JUST GOT A CALL TODAY WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. GOD BLESS YOU ALL! AND THE DELOITTE PEPS, LETS MEET UP, AIGHT!!!!

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 26, 00:58
Well Done Lavistar!!
I'll probably see you this autumn!!
Wow... 4 people have managed to ace assessment days using the info on this thread!!!
Hopefully there will be many more.

Re: thank you by sebe05 , January 21, 13:19
How come you went to Oxford studied Business and struggling to get a job. Was that Said Business School u went to?

Re: thank you by Geee , January 24, 16:08
Thanks a lot to boru, herdo and Spitzer..
Got the job from KPMG!!!! without you this would have been impossible..
I have now two offers : one from KPMG and the EY one. Which one u think is better?ur suggestions and comments will be the most appreciated as always..thanks a lot to all of you who contritubed in making this thread one of the most successful one on doctorjob.

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 24, 16:32
Congratulations!!
This is great. Three people have managed to get jobs at KPMG using the advice on this thread!!
If I had offers from EY and KPMG, I would be more inclined to go for KPMG. This is mainly based on unbiaised testimonies of people I know who work there. The KPMG people I have met also seemed to be a lot more easy going than the people from EY.
Having said that, I am sure a lot of people would disagree with me and say that EY is better. I guess its all about where you feel you will fit in the best.

Re: thank you by Geee , January 24, 18:31
Thanks Elliot,
I was just wandering do u have an idea which exams is harder the ACA or CA?
For the CA, i dont think i will get any exemption since I am doing a Bsc Economics degree( LSE) nothing related to accounting.
I am really confused though i do like the people of KPMG too..But the partner who interviewed me at EY was so nice..Oh nooo.Grrrr
Thanks for everything and without you guys I am sure i wouldnt have these choices today :-)

Re: thank you by Eliot Spitzer , January 24, 18:55
Apparently neither the CA or ACA exams are a lot of fun!!! Both are ridiculously demanding.
But I think if you go to EY and do the CA exams the advantage is that you can get your exams out of the way relatively quickly since the exams are frontloaded.
This is completely unrelated to your question but you might be interested to know PWC, the ICAEW and Newcastle Uni have designed a 4 year undergrad degree which will cover all advanced stage exams that you would take as part of your ACA training contract.It just puts into perspective the amount of work that you need to put in for the ACA exams!!!We will be covering the same amount of material in 2 years of part time study that some people will cover by studying full-time for 3 years!!!!

Re: thank you by herdo , January 25, 10:59
there's nothing better than hearing people being successful.We look set for a record here, so far 92 posts...
The amazing thing is..is that some posts are ridiculously stupid and attract so much unnecessary attention -
Eliot - I like ur comments in some of the other threads!!!
lets just hope someone needs kpmg help!!
imagine is someone posts..........I have KPMG coming up...any help?? - look no furthur!!

Re: thank you by herdo , January 26, 05:38
Congratulations to Lavister!!!
If only this thread could be renamed from the original stupid title that i used - kpmg handouts?? to Best Advice Ever for Deloitte and KPMG!!

Re: thank you by boru , January 26, 11:26
Congrats Lavistar!! This really must be the best thread on Doctor Job.
Unfortunately it's getting a bit hard to find the new messages...I just spotted one up there from Herdo, that I missed so I thought I'd reply down here. Start dates are August -> September - it depends on what you are applying for and what stream you are allocated for. They send you out a form nearer the date with details about your start date. Have you been on your Open Day yet? They may be able to clarify for you. Open Day is great fun btw - trainees take you out to decent restaurant for 3 hours courtesy of KPMG (much better than Cafe Rouge!)

Re: thank you by lavistar , January 26, 12:19
i guess i will be seeing you definitely eliot! do email me your email address....lavistar@hotmail.com, so we can keep in touch. have you accepted the offer from deloitte yet?
as for everyone else, i think we should start a thread for the aca's or/and other qualifications. that way we can share info and hey, maybe even study together?
what do ya'll think?

Re: thank you by Alphi , January 26, 18:13
Congratulations for those of you who've landed a great job!!! Elloit, Geee, Herdo. etc.. I am so happy for all of you and really appreciated for all the brilliant suggestions. I am going for a KPMG assessment centre in 2 weeks time. could anyone help me with the following questions:1. for the 10 minutes presentation, did u all chose a small company and talked a bout a specific aspect about it? e.g. expansion plans.. I am considering to choose a big company and talk about what interested me about that company in general. would that be ok?2. with regard to the e-tray excercise, could anyone describe what the case was, what kind of choice u had to make for the company.. just to familiarise myself with the context...Thank you for the kind attention, wish u all have a wonderful career life!!

Re: thank you by Geee , January 26, 18:21
Elliot,You are perfectly right,the ACA qualification is indeed a challenging and tough task ahead of us..Finger-X everything will go well
Alffi- read the thread above they were really helpful to all of us..I am sure most of ur questions regarding the e-tray will be answered. If however u still have some,do post them here..We will all be happy to share our experience..Best Gee

KPMG Interviews

2005-07-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Some tips from interviewees
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The presentation isnt really a typical presentation. You will be sitting down at a table with the partner and talk about expansion plans. The handouts are entirely for your own reference. Of course, if you feel a graph or diagram might help you make a point more effectively it will be worth drawing a graph to show the partner.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I would describe the etray at KPMG as a combination of the business focus type questions you would have had to do as part of the original applications with numerical and verbal reasoning.The maths is pretty straightforward but becasue of the time pressure can be very difficult. Sources of information that you need to perform calculations are located in a number of different documents and this is where the difficulty lies... trying to work out where all the relevant information is!My advice to you would be to spend a couple of minutes going through all the folders that you are given at the start of the exercise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To be honest the whole thing was a blur!!!I vaguely remember that it was something to do with a recommendation for the marketing division. But I may have that mixed up with another assessment day!My advice to you would be to make notes about all the companies that you are dealing with. Its possible the assessors will ask you to make recommendations regarding another company.Most importantly, work fast.I got my feedback from the assessment day on Friday and was told that although I excelled at the group exercise, presentation and partner interview, it was my performance on the etray exercise that let me down.Good luck!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Business awareness:The partner asked me to talk about any business issues that I had been following recently. I talked about Yukos and the possible takeover of the LSE. I had to go into a considerable amount of depth.Fortunately the issues were of my choice and I had done a lot of reading in advance.I was also asked to describe what I felt were the major issues affecting the accountancy industry and issues that would drive the business forward.I talked about liability caps for auditors, sarbanes oxley legislation in the US and International accounting standards. Since I was applying for audit these issues were particularly relevant. If you are applying for a different service line you may be required to talk about something else.Competencies:This part of the interview was similar to the first round. The questions you are likely to be asked focus on identifying whether or not you possess the competencies they are looking for. These competencies are listed on the website although I cant rememberthem of the top of my head.Application Form:Expect the partner to ask you some really specific question about stuff on your application form. For instance, I was asked why I took one of my A-levels six months earlier than the others and why I performed extremely badly on some of my modules at university.Important point to note is not to be too competitive on the group exercise. Of the 10 people at my assessment day, 2 applied for tax, 2 for transaction services, 1 for corporate finance, 2 for audit and 3 for IRM. So you are not in direct competition with anyone there. They will not be assessing you in relation to the other candidates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------They wont expect you to be an expert on sarbox or IFRS. As long as you are aware of how they affect KPMG's business. You could mention how AXA is the first major european company to publicly announce that IFRS is going to affect their profits and how ITV is trying to buy back shares from its US shareholders so that it does not have to comply with sarbox. Incorporating those facts into your answers will show the partner that you have been reading up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whilst it is still fresh in my mind, here is my overview of the KPMG assessment centre.Firstly, the eTray exercise. Believe everything you hear, this is really really really tough. I don't mean to scare you, but just so that you are aware. I managed to finish it but thats only because I knew it was time pressured thanks to Eliots great advice. My tips for the eTray would be as follows....Read the booklet they give you for about 5 mins BEFORE you even look at your emails. Plan a structured approach to your replies. Make sure that you know who is a client, who is your boss, who is a prospective business etc. etc. and plan a structured approach to your emails. If you do this you will be OK.For the second part, my tip would be this...You get to a screen with instructions on the second part of the exercise. Don't begin the exercise until you have read the second part of the booklet. Get some ideas in your head of what they're going to be asking and prepare your replies accordingly. Again, I managed to finish this in the allocated time but a lot of people didn't.The group exercise you have nothing to worry about as long as you make a contribution, and the presentation should be a breeze. I had the nicest partner in the world for my interview and he was extremely easy to interview with.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whilst it is still fresh in my mind, here is my overview of the KPMG assessment centre.Firstly, the eTray exercise. Believe everything you hear, this is really really really tough. I don't mean to scare you, but just so that you are aware. I managed to finish it but thats only because I knew it was time pressured thanks to Eliots great advice. My tips for the eTray would be as follows....Read the booklet they give you for about 5 mins BEFORE you even look at your emails. Plan a structured approach to your replies. Make sure that you know who is a client, who is your boss, who is a prospective business etc. etc. and plan a structured approach to your emails. If you do this you will be OK.For the second part, my tip would be this...You get to a screen with instructions on the second part of the exercise. Don't begin the exercise until you have read the second part of the booklet. Get some ideas in your head of what they're going to be asking and prepare your replies accordingly. Again, I managed to finish this in the allocated time but a lot of people didn't.The group exercise you have nothing to worry about as long as you make a contribution, and the presentation should be a breeze. I had the nicest partner in the world for my interview and he was extremely easy to interview with.

PwC Interviews

2005-07-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Some tips from interviewees
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I actually failed PwC assessment ctr, and was told in the feedback it was due to the Partner Interview. I was told that the interviewer felt that "I was not forward enough" - when I asked for elaboration, HR said the Partner felt that I should have sold myself more boldly, and he said I was continuouslt apologising whenever I interupted him!!!More specifically, the Partner focused on changes in the industry a lot. He asked1 - my opinions on the switchover to IFRS2 - If I was concerned about the negative images the industry is currently having? Does it bother me that I'll be moving into such a Profession
With regards the Company itself, he did ask "What sets PwC apart from its competitors", and What do I feel are the factors that most heavily impacted upon PwC in the last 2 or 3 yrs.
Other than that, it was centred loosely around the standard "competency-based" questions. He doesnt't go too deep into these questions; ie he wouldnt ask too many follow up questions.
In general, from my experience of both PwC and KPMG (Who I failed to mention i have also been interviewed for), they will assume that you have an understanding of the main things related to the firm itself and the sector, and thus nnot try catching you out with specific questions testing that you know these.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group Project: As a team we were the responsible for implementing a project. We were a drinks manufacturer, and had decided to implement some "next generation" drinks into the market; they were like healthy drinks with some new ingrediaents or something along those lines. We had to make a number of decisions as to how to implement the Project, based on a big info pack we were given.The information pack contains, (amongst other things); a map of the UK, Information on the test-run in the market which was conducted in the North East region, the prices and market shares of our competitors, and some other things.We needed to decide-which areas of the country to target our marketing- where our distribution centre should be- what price we should set for the produce- a whole host of other similar decision
Of course, all decisions had to be justified, based on the info that was in the case study. For instance, geographically wise we had all agreed that Birmingham was the best place for the distribution ctr; however they had a number of HR problems (ie - staff absenteeism, staff morale, etc, so we had to consider those also.In a nutshell, each decision involved referring to a number of different sources.
Additionallt, we had to develop a marketing strategy. With the marketing strategy it involved "thinking outside the box" - one guy got a massive tick when he said we should produce a wacky slogan, and actually came up with a good slogan.
All in all, its only 30 mins, and there is no presentation at te end. Seems a little daunting, but its much easier than most other large companies Group Assessments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had my assessment day few weeks ago. The diagrammatic test is really hard and I would advise you to practise as much as you can.
The case study isn't too bad. We had to find a solution for a chemical company, which wanted to do something about its tainted "corporate social responsibility" image. You will has 20mins to read the case study and 30 mins to discuss what you have found with the other members in the team ( I had 2). There will also be some "unique" information that each member of the group is given. You HAVE to put forward the points you find in the unique information others you are likely to get marked down for not doing so. The 20mins is not enough so try read as quickly as you can, you can make notes on some paper and try and make good notes as they take this sheet of paper in. If you do not understand anything just ask the other members (but don't do this all the way through - just once). Try and make sure you input into the discussion, even if you don't understand what is going on. The other main point is to come to a conclusion!

Deloitte Interviews

2005-07-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Some tips from interviewees:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From kelly j
Competencies:- Planning- Adapting to change- Motivating someone else- Innovation / creativity- Researching - how, what sources, how did you communicate it- Persistence / hard work
Business:- Why audit- Why Deloitte- Recent business story
I think these cover all the questions I was asked at Deloitte first & second interviews. In some cases I was aksed pretty much the same question at both interviews.
Deloitte's recruitment process is smooth & user-friendly. If the interviewers sometimes seem a bit cold don't worry, they usually are, and you stll probably end up getting the job. they're just cold probably cos they want to see how you can react to a difficult client, and also cos they are maybe a bit bored of asking the same competency questions for the fiftieth time this year!!
Remember - recruiters want to fill the position. The quicker they fill the position, the less work they have to do. When you walk in, they want you to get the job offer.
When you get through to the second stage, see the extra-long, extremely helpful thread from a while ago in this site about the e-tray exercise. The thread is titiled something like 'KPMG presentation - handouts?' (it gives descriptions of bothj KPMG & deloitte final stages), so you can find it by using the search function.
I recently was happy to get the deloitte job offer, if you apply, i'm sure you will too. Coming to this site shows enthusiasm & research
I think really all the interview questions you can ever possibly be asked proabbly only amount to no more than 20, and that's wqith a lot fo voerlaps. If you can get answers rpepared to the usual questions, that'll be perfect, you'll get through.
Like Raj said, best to thin k up as many examples as possible, as the interviewer might ask for a different example now & then.
Best of luck then, I know this stuff can be painful in the run-up to it, but when you're in the interviews & assessment you'll be fine of course.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Ello there,
I've just been through the same lot of interviews. Dunno what they mean by 'informal', it's certainly *very* friendly there (I didn't wear a tie for the first one) and very much a screening interview, but how informal can a job interview be?
The whole deal is competency based - look on the website and you'll see 7 key areas you should be able to say you've demonstrated i.e. they'll probably say "When have you made someone else changed their mind/shown leadership/overcome difficulties/worked in a team". These are the same for all the big accountants - you don't need anything amazing, just make sure you are honest so you can talk about it a lot!
As for long term plans, not many people know what they're doing in 3 years - I'd say if you have such a solid plan you can't change you best be very lucky 'cos something'll come up. They'll be more interested in your qualification and future potential, and are aware many leave as soon as the ACA pops onto the end of their name. Explain why you want to do the qualification and I was honest - said didn't have any firm plans, but forensic accounting, transfer to law setting up my own firm all sounded appealing, and explained why I didn't want to make a decision so soon. Accountants should be the careful type!
Things that could help:
* Know exactly why you're applying, all ties into your question apparently not everybody does!* Know why you're good - remind yourself how great you are by rereading the application and how they tie into the competencies.* Relax. I found the D&T tests really hard in comparison to the others but they take that into account, and especially in the first round the interviewer isn't trying to pressure you, just see you're an enthusiastic candidate.
Best of luck!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think it's OK to tell them that you have ambitions to start your own business one day, but keep this vague and distant/long-term. From their point of view, they'll be aiming to keep you a few years beyond training. They'll also be glad that you have a motivation for learning about business and a fascination for how businesses work. But if you give them reasons to doubt your commitment - eg an explanation of the exact nature of this business idea or the fact that it's only student debt that's putting off the start date - then alarm bells will start ringing.
That's my view anyway! Interested to hear what your cousin thinks! (By the way, I don't think the I'll-only-be-happy-if-I-can-be-honest argument applies here, so don't use it on yourself.)

Graduate Job Websites

2005-07-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

jobs.ac.uk
milkroundonline
prospects.ac.uk
doctorjob.com

Sharing

2005-07-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

I want to share . . .