We were recently able to speak with Jade about how she secured her summer internship with PwC, her top tips for fellow members going through the application process and how she tackles tough interview questions. Here’s what she had to say.
What stood out to you about PwC?
The thing that stood out to me most about PWC was the emphasis on individuals completing extra-curricular activities outside of work. For example, PWC has six paid days for each employee to dedicate to charity work each year. This stood out to me as it shows that PWC cares about making a difference, and give employees the opportunity to do this, rather than just putting it in their mission statement. Additionally, PwC has sports teams, support networks, pantomimes and many more opportunities for employees to get involved in.
How did you build your commercial awareness before the interview?
To build my commercial awareness, I read some of PWC's insights that I found interesting and were relevant to consulting. This helped me to gain a rough understanding of the industry and gave me more confidence when I went into the assessment centre/interview.
Although, I would say that it's not worth stressing over if you have enough commercial awareness, as I focused a lot on this when preparing and at certain points, I think this hindered me. If you're truly interested in the sector, then you will already know about it and will be able to draw upon news stories that are relevant.
What would be your top tip to members going through the application process?
My top tip for members would be to go to any events/talks that the company's recruiters put on, as they tell you all the information that you need to be successful in the later rounds. PwC was really helpful in running webinars about the video interview and assessment centre, which helped to ease my nerves and gave me the opportunity to ask any questions that I had about the process. Also, it's a chance to network with recruiters which may help you in the long run!
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
Bright Network helped me to secure this role in several ways. The first was that they told me about the Black Talent in Business Insight scheme. By attending this insight, I was lucky enough to be invited back for a summer internship the following year. Additionally, Bright Network's Internship Experience UK in 2020 was the reason that I initially became interested in consulting. Before completing this, I didn't know what it was and so without this, I wouldn't have applied!
What’s been the toughest interview question you've faced and how did you tackle it?
My toughest interview question was answering how tech will affect the consulting industry in the future. This was difficult for me because most of my research had been about industry trends, not about the physical work consultants did. Therefore, it was difficult for me to answer a question about technology.
In order to tackle the question, I used what I knew about tech in a wider sense and how PwC was using tech at the moment, to provide an answer. In my feedback, they were impressed that I was able to link the tech back to the company, so I would say knowing the company inside out is very important.
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- Apply to insight schemes! If you can apply to insight schemes do this, because they can springboard you to internships
- Remain calm. I thought that I'd messed up my assessment centre halfway through, but I remained calm and didn't panic and it was fine
- In tests don't answer with what you think they want to see, just answer with what you think.
