Huge congratulations to Ellie who secured a graduate role at Deloitte starting in September 2018. After holidaying in Croatia, Ellie caught up with us to share her experience of the application process and to offer excellent advice for her fellow Bright Network members.
Why did you apply to Deloitte?
I went to the Bright Network Women in Leadership event and there I met people from Deloitte who actually sold me on their company. I also went to a few insight days, which I found out about through Bright Network, as well which were great and further convinced me to apply to Deloitte. Everyone I met at these events were all really sociable too and this was exactly the kind of person I wanted to work with.
What role did you apply for and why?
I applied for a graduate role in human capital management consulting. I am really excited to get involved with this role because it’s a role which heavily involves working with people. The social nature of the role was really what drove my application, I love working with people and so felt that this role was ideal for me.
What was the application process like?
Firstly, I had to submit my CV online then go through a number of different situational judgement, maths and verbal reasoning tests online. Then once I got through this first stage I had to submit an online video interview before being invited to their assessment centre. The centre was 3 hours long. There was a 1-hour group project and a partner interview. I felt that the partner interview was the most important part, if you can get on with the partner then that will really help your application!
You went to the Bright Network Festival and our Women in TEC and Women in Leadership events; how did you find these?
I found these events really useful, especially Bright Network FESTIVAL and Women in Leadership. The events helped me build a network of contacts at Deloitte which helped me massively when I went to the assessment centre and got interviews. The people already knew who I was and made my application process much more relaxed. It also gave me a lot of confidence to speak to people in business, I got to realise that these professionals are still people and that they won’t actually bite. Also, I found quite a few of the talks, especially at the Women in Leadership Event, really quite inspirational. It was great to hear success stories of women in these industries that have been typically dominated by men!
What three tips would you give to fellow Bright Network members?
1) At assessment centres, be friendly and be yourself. Don't speak over others in group exercises.
2) Tailor each application to the company. Look on the job specification and pick out key traits that they are looking for- try to think of personal examples for each.
3) Make the most of your time at University! Academics are important, however try to balance your time effectively with doing other things that you enjoy. Being members of Uni societies and having hobbies or even part time work make you stand out- and are great talking points in interviews.
