Application Process & Interviews at KPMG Australia

I was a referral so super causal interview for me

Overall, it was good, however there was a lengthy period of time where we didn't receive any communication from the company after being hired.

The assessments and interview process the best process out of all the firms I interviewed for. I was scheduled an interview, and they were right on time, none of my time was wasted compared to other firms. They responded within a week which was again much better than all other firms.

Assessments were straightforward and well designed. Interviews were conducted well and very topical.

Straight forward hiring process

The recruitment process was quite disappointing. This is not as a result of the direct service line rather the talent acquisition team at the time. The email was missing important information such as interview date and time. It was impossible to contact anyone in relation to that.

There was an initial application, followed by an online assessment, and finally a video interview.

Online interview due to covid.

Recorded interview and then face to face interview. Receive a call to let you know you have or have not got the job

Took way too long, and lack of communication throughout it.

The interview process was conducted virtually and assessments were aimed at looking at logic, problem solving, emotional intelligence, etc.

We had about three rounds of interviews, comprising of some online assessments, prerecorded questions and then an interview over Teams. The Teams interview was quite relaxed which was welcome.

1. Online application 2. Online assessment 3. Video interview 4. Formal interview

Clear intentions and friendly interviewers

My recruitment process went very quickly and there was a lot of information available to me at the time, I really appreciate the graduate program.

Comprehensive but short

My experience, education, hobbies. General questions but topical.

What problems I had fixed/addressed in my other lines of work. Cant remember any other questions (I was interviewed as a vacationer/intern over 2 years ago)

I don't recall the exact questions, but we had to give examples of certain challenges or opportunities we have experienced in our life.

What have I implemented at a previous job? Why choose KPMG? Biggest weakness?

A lot of responded based questions which look to draw on an experience where I had showed personal traits. Were further some questions on the firm and what the team I was interviewing for did. Finally, was some questions of times I had failed and how I had responded.

Nothing technical, mainly behavioral questions - i.e. what are your strengths vs weaknesses... how would you react if...?

Most questions were based on my past working experience and interpersonal skills.

Can't quite remember - some conventional ones (i.e. give an example of a challenge etc.) and some more left-field ones in the in-person interview (if you had all the money in the world what would you do, what topic would you choose on a quiz show etc.).

"Give an example of..."

Situation based questions like describing a time when you had a challenge and how did you overcome this

A lot of "if you were in this situation what would you do" type questions

The ?rst set of interviews were speci?cally focused on experience and "why KPMG" which is what I was expecting, and the second interview felt a lot more focused on me as an individual which I thought was great. This made me con?dent that the team puts culture ?rst and it was really important to me to come into this kind of environment in my ?rst full-time job.

Why do I want to work here? Why did I choose the division I did?

Be confident and real.

A tip I would give is to be yourself during the interview and look to use your life experience whatever that may be to show why you would be suitable for the job. You don't have to fit a certain Mould and you can show resilience and time management skills in life, not just in the corporate environment. Bring yourself to the interview and let that shine through. Also goes without saying, prepare and know the job and company your interviewing for and practice your responses.

Make sure you're proficient in excel formulae and PowerPoint formatting. ALWAYS ask about KPMG's internal tools for these.

Be honest, be yourself and just know that the interview is as much for you as it is for the company. The interview is your chance to see if you will fit in the company well, so make sure to come prepared with questions, like - what are the working hours generally like?

Be their authentic self, attempt to practice the commonly asked interview questions such as 'Tell me about yourself,' in their spare time and breathe whilst answering interview questions.

Study the company's values and adapt your experiences to them.

Research the types of questions that are typically asked in these interviews. That is what I did and they happened to ask the same questions. Don't get caught up with who is interviewing you, relax and treat it like an everyday conversation and it will help settle the nerves. Get straight to the point with your answers and don't waffle/exaggerate.

I would recommend they look at KPMG website and learn about the firm.

Think about previous work experience and situations that show your skills

Practice and put in the work in terms of preparing for questions - even if you don't get asked them it will come through that you prepared which is the most important thing. Try and relax before-hand as well and be personable.

Understand the company you are applying for - what are their core values? Do those values align with yours?

Have multiple examples of your past experience ready to go

I think the best advice is to really focus on using SMART goals as much as possible so that you stay on track throughout the interview and are able to present yourself in the most professional way possible.

Do research to understand the strategic objectives of the firm. Reach out to people on LinkedIn, most people are happy to have a chat (and a coffee!).