Company Profile
PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) is one of the biggest professional services firms in the world, with 284,258 employees and 742 offices worldwide. PwC operates in 157 countries.
Its main services include audit, consulting or advisory, tax, business restructuring, deals, technology and legal.
UK Financials:
Gross revenue for the year ended 30 June 2021 increased by 2% to £4,447m.
Underlying net revenue up 5% due to fall in client-related expenses such as travel costs
Total group profit for the financial year was up 25% to £1,171m.
3,300 new joiners as the firm continued to invest in people and honour job offers (read more)
Global revenue for the year ended 30 June 2020 was US$43bn, which increased from 2019’s US$42.4bn.
Business Strategy:
Main purpose:
PwC’s purpose focuses on building trust and solving important problems. They claim that the role PwC plays in society is beyond generating profit.
PwC is a hugely diverse business, but what binds everything they do is their purpose.
PwC believes that four strategic processes create a virtuous circle of responsible, profitable growth at the heart of their business model. Those processes include:
Attracting and developing diverse talent.
Creating exceptional insight and know-how.
Understanding client needs and opportunities
Harnessing technology and delivering distinctive solutions
Graduate and Student Recruitment
PwC recruits more than 1000 graduates and interns every year, and it is one of the biggest graduate employers in the UK. It is believed that PwC currently has over 1,100 graduate vacancies available in 2022.
Areas for graduate recruitment include: Accounting (Audit & Tax) Consultancy Law
Technical Finance
PwC recruits in areas mainly in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
PwC starting salaries are competitive for graduates in these industries.
Minimum entry requirements – 2:1 Degree
Application Process
(source: PwC’sPwC’s2019’s official recruitment website)
Career Uncovered
Career uncovered is a tool that allows potential applicants and persons interested in working with the business to identify which roles/opportunities are most suited to them based on their skills and abilities and the demands and requirements of the opening. If you are not sure about which role to apply for, it is a good idea to check this section of their careers page out.
Apply Online
The online application method is essentially an easy way to apply for any openings you are interested in from the opportunities available. It’s important that you research the role you are interested in, check that your skills match the opening and complete an effective application showcasing your talents, and most importantly, how your talents and skills can benefit the business.
Career Unlocked
Career Unlocked is a series of assessments that enable the business to learn more about you than your profile. It is a game based assessment that allows the company to create a bigger picture of who you are, how you might fit in, and how you may grow with their working environment.
The assessment also includes a numerical reasoning test. Whilst it is important to be honest and genuine about your skills and abilities, you can never be too prepared for a test like this. You can improve your numerical skills through platforms like Learn and Pass.
Career Conversation
This is essentially the interview stage of your application journey. Career Conversation is not only an opportunity for PwC to learn more about you but, of course, is also a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about the business virtually and to get good insights into the role, the requirements, the company’s working standards and ethics.
You should prepare for this by thoroughly researching the company, reading the job description and picking out the skills and abilities that you possess that match up with each desirable trait they are looking for in the successful candidate.
Career Focus Day
The career focus day is a virtual immersive interview day or assessment centre. It is designed to bring together everything you know about the company, the role and yourself into a “Day in the life experience”, meaning you would get to see what it would be like to work at PwC and possibly hear some of their views and opinions about the company and their role. This part of the assessment typically includes a group exercise, a report writing exercise, a presentation and a one to one interview.
Similar to the previous section, you should be doing similar research about the company, the role, the skills and attributes they are looking for, and you should be using and expanding your business English skills. In the employability hub, you could also complete their “Assessment day E-learning”, which would give you a better understanding of what to do.
Offer
After the Career Focus Day stage, the company can usually make an offer. An offer of employment means you have met the company’s requirements for the role, and they have chosen you based on the hard work and effort you put into not only yourself but also their organisation.
It is a time to be excited, but the offer also needs to suit your needs. Look at all aspects of the offer, does the salary meet your needs? Can you pay all your bills with the salary and have some money left over for luxuries? Can you have a night/day out with your friends? Can you put some money away into a savings pot for unexpected occurrences? Can you sustain any travel required for work with the money? Do the hours suit you? Do you believe the Holiday package and Pension offerings are worthy of the work you are expected to do?
These are all important things to consider when looking at and considering any offer of employment, it’s easy to agree straight away, and yes, you should be excited and proud of yourself, BUT you must take the practicalities into account also.
Career Launch
Career launch is a day to celebrate your success in achieving the role of your dreams and a way for the company to welcome you on board. This is an in-person event held at one of the regional office hubs. It will give you a chance to meet new people, do some networking, and learn even more about the company and their values. You can also speak to other staff members to get an idea of what it’s like to work with the company and how they feel in their roles. Even though you may be nervous and shy, it’s really important that you throw yourself into these events feet first. It’s an excellent opportunity to find out so much information and make connections that could assist you in your future career. Plus, there will be other new starters there too! So you wouldn’t be alone!
Checks
So, you have accepted your offer, and the company are starting to carry out checks on you. Have you lied in your application? Have you been dishonest about how long you worked for a company? If the answer is yes, then, unfortunately, the company will find out, which could result in your offer being revoked.
Onboarding
Gone are the days where companies offer you the job, and you get to work the same day. Now, companies are all about onboarding their people. This benefits the business because candidates who feel part of the company and included are more likely to stay with them, which in turn reduces their staff turnover and their overall recruitment costs.
That’s it! Congratulations, you have completed all of the steps and are now starting your new career. Read on for a list of important things to remember. Important things to remember
Always take networking opportunities
Always be kind, courteous, and helpful
Be on time
Be reliable
Don’t take things personally
Be available
Complete everything asked of you
Always provide updates
Always do more than expected
Spend your time wisely
Do not misuse company resources
Be honest, with good integrity
IT’S OK TO MAKE FRIENDS
Always attend team days/nights out etc
remember, it’s not always about what they can do for you, but what you can do for them. Additionally, if you would need to gain qualifications or study for this role, it’s important to be fully aware of how much time this could potentially consume and whether it will impact your ability to do the job.