PWC Hiring Process: Job Application, Interviews, and Employment

By | August 16, 2023
PWC Hiring Process
To increase your chances of getting employed at PWC, you need to understand the company’s hiring process. Image source: simplilearn.com.

PWC Hiring Process: Job Application, Interviews, and Employment

The hiring process at PWC involves various stages, including the job application and interview processes you will need to complete to be employed by the Company.

Please, continue reading to increase your knowledge of the PWC recruitment process and improve your chances of getting employed at the company.

PWC Company Overview

PricewaterhouseCoopers, preferably addressed with the terminology – PwC, is an organization that ranks as the second largest professional services firm in the world and has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

It is a multinational professional services network offering audit and assurance services, tax services, advisory services, and private wealth services, and it is one of the Big Four along with Deloitte, EY, and KPMG.

The firm became PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1998 by a merger between Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse.

However, these firms had histories dating back to the 19th century before their coming together.

As a part of their rebranding strategy, the name PwC was adopted in September, 2010.

As at today, PwC operates in 158 countries, and 721 locations, with 250,930 professionals.

It is one of the largest privately owned companies in the United States and provides services to 420 out of 500 Fortune 500 companies.

The PwC Hiring Process

If you are looking to join the PwC workforce, you will be required to go through a structured and straight forward process which consists of the stages discussed below:

  1. Job Application

The first step in the PwC hiring process is for you to fill out an application form at the company’s website to provide information on your education, employment history, and personality.

The application form may also include stating reasons why you are interested in working at PwC, so it is important you are prepared before starting the application process and make your answers concise.

You should also read the instructions on the application form carefully and proofread everything you write, checking for spelling, grammar, and accuracy so as to make a good first impression.

2. Assessment

If your application is accepted you will be advanced to the online immersive job preview assessment or situational judgment test which PwC refers to as ‘Career Valuation’.

This stage is designed to test your suitability for the job compared to other applicants and is used to narrow down the number of qualified people from the pool of applicants.

The test consists of about 15 questions presented in a series of short videos, presenting work-like scenarios at PwC and within the role applied for.

And then the applicant is prompted to provide answers to questions based on the situations presented.

For each situation, you will be required to choose the most and least effective action from the options presented.

To excel in this stage of the hiring process, the following tips will be helpful:

  • The assessment is aimed at evaluating the core skills needed to perform the job, so it’s important you research on the core competence for the job role
  • Another goal of the test is to ascertain your response to certain workplace situations, so you should handle the test from that perspective
  • Be sure to take the test in a distraction free environment
  • Understand the details of each scenario, as well as the responses before giving your response
  • Do not make assumptions or draw conclusions based on similar situations you may have experienced, only use the information provided in the video.

3. Interview

If you succeed in the assessment stage, then you will progress to the interview stage.

The interview stage is an opportunity for the company to know more about you and your capabilities while you also learn more about PWC.

The interview questions may vary depending on the role you applied for and the office where you applied.

But here are a few PWC interview questions you can expect to meet:

  • Why would you want to be hired by PwC?
  • What are your career goals/ambitions?
  • What work experiences do you have and tells us what you gained from them?
  • How did you like?
  • Tell me about your extracurricular activities?
  • Why did you choose your major in the university and how did you choose your courses?
  • What makes you think you can thrive in this career of yours?
  • Tell us about your leadership experience?

The key to being a top performer in an interview is preparation and being positive about yourself.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for your PwC interview:

• Carry out a thorough self-assessment on your strengths, weaknesses, educational background, personal goals, experiences, career interests, and special skills to help you express your qualifications in an organized, logical, and convincing manner.
• Present your qualifications to show how it benefits the employer.
• Be prepared to answer questions designed to reveal your strong and weak points, and ensure to direct the interviewer toward your strengths, rather than your weaknesses.
• You should also prepare to tell the hiring manager why you are a unique candidate for the job.

4. Hearing from PWC after the Interview

After the interview, successful candidates do not have to wait for too long to get an offer letter. PwC will give you an offer letter to show that you have been officially invited to join the firm.

5. Orientation

Once you have accepted to work with PwC, you will spend your first few weeks undergoing training.

The training starts with general knowledge on packages, including Aura, Connect, Envoy, Talent Link, etc., and advances to in-depth training relevant to job role or market.

You may also not be booked within the first few weeks to a month period to enable you e-learn and study for any CPA exams you have.

But it is important that you check Talent Link regularly during this time because there are chances you may be included on small projects.

PwC Jobs and Careers

PwC has a broad category of jobs available and here are a few of the job roles you can apply for:

  • Financial Markets Senior Associate – Assurance Accounting Advisory: This is a career within the Financial Markets Business Advisory services that offers you an opportunity to contribute to a variety of audit, regulatory, valuation, and financial analyses services. You will be responsible for designing solutions that address client’s complex accounting and financial reporting challenges as well as broader business issues.
  • Tax Human Resource Manager (Deployment): This is a career in Resourcing and Deployment, within Internal Firm Services. The human resource manager is primarily responsible for handling staffing issues and ensuring that the network is responsive in the ever evolving markets we work with. They are responsible for ensuring that the people with the appropriate set of skills are assigned to tasks and activities as required, as well as manage the education, planning, and skills enhancement associated with resources.
  • • Solution Architect Senior Manager: This is a career within the Application and Emerging Technology services. You will be responsible for helping clients identify and prioritize emerging technologies that can help solve their business problems. You will also be responsible for the design of approaches that will enable businesses integrate new technologies, skills, and processes so they can drive business results and innovation.
  • International Tax Services – Tax Manager: This is a career within the International Tax Services, and you will be responsible for managing global tax rates, finding areas of cost reduction, and responding to inquiries from regulatory authorities on behalf of the company. You will also be responsible for supporting the PwC team with local tax laws, reporting requirements, statutory filings, corporate strategy, transfer pricing and indirect tax and other global taxation needs.
  • Assurance Senior Associate, Financial Services: This employee is responsible for providing a variety of assurance services and business advice to a variety of clients from small, fast growing clients to large entities. To work as a Senior Associate, you must be a team player, an excellent communicator, and an innovative problem solver helping clients to solve complex business issues from strategy to execution.
  • Cyber Security – Cyber Ark Senior Associate: This is a career in the PwC Identity and Access Management practice within Cyber Security and Privacy services. Employees will be responsible for implementing an effective cyber security program that protects against threats, propels transformation, and drives growth for clients. You will also be responsible for developing transformation strategies focused on security, detecting, responding, and remediating threats.

What to Expect Working at PwC

PwC is a great place to work in, with a culture that values collaboration, communication, and mutual respect for everyone regardless of job position.

The company also invests in the professional development and education of employees.

They offer off-site job-related training sessions, online tutorials, teleconference seminars, IT learning and education, and numerous other opportunities.

PwC is also great for meeting people and developing a network, but it also demand a lot of hard work and time from employees.

Conclusion

PwC is a great place to work and commits itself to the professional development, achievements, and lifelong learning of its employees.

But, PwC demands professionalism, thought leadership, innovativeness, collaborative skills, problem-solving skills, a quality orientation, and excellent communication abilities from their employees at all levels.

These core skills are assessed all through the hiring process starting with the application form.

We have provided details on the PwC hiring process on this page to increase your chances of getting employed into the firm.

To be a part of this company, you must be able to show how your experiences and strengths fit into the PwC professional framework.