Application Process

The Online Assessment

This is your first assessment with us and helps us assess the kind of skills you'll need in your chosen role.

Our online test was created with Cappfinity (specialists in strengths, potential based recruitment) and combines situational judgement and cognitive (numerical reasoning and critical thinking) testing into an assessment that gives a realistic preview into life here at Grant Thornton.

The test works by judging your typical reactions, feelings or behaviours against a realistic scenario-based set of questions. You will also complete technical questions based on a case study of information, testing your verbal and numerical skills.

At the end of your assessment, you’ll get a personalised report of your strengths and the areas you need to work on. If you have any questions about the assessment, your recruiter will be able to answer them.

Technical skills we look for

Situational Judgement

This section presents you with realistic scenarios. You’ll be asked to give us the most appropriate response or rank a choice of responses in the order you think is most effective.

Critical Reasoning

This section measures your ability to reason and make objective decisions. It helps us assess your problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Numerical Reasoning

This is about your ability to deal with numbers quickly and accurately. Questions assess your knowledge of ratios, percentages, number sequences, data interpretation, financial analysis, and currency conversion.

Verbal Reasoning

This looks at your ability to understand written information. Questions will measure your verbal comprehension, reasoning, and logic, as well as your understanding of language.

TIPS FOR A TOP ONLINE ASSESSMENT

Practice as much as you can.
Ask questions, your recruiter is there to help.
Find a quiet place to complete your assessment, away from distractions.
Read and reread the instructions to make sure you understand them.
Concentrate on the quality rather than the quantity of your answers.
Be confident and stay focused. Try not to overthink it.
Be aware of time.

Digital Interview

This is the second stage of our assessment process. You'll record yourself answering a series of video questions.

If you’re invited to complete a digital interview, your recruiter will tell you exactly what you need to do and what’s involved.

We use a system called HireVue for digital interviews. It puts questions on screen, then asks you to record yourself responding to them. It might sound daunting, but it isn’t. It’s not a test of how you speak or what you look like, we just want to get to know you better. And we’ll give you clear instructions to help you do it well.

Why a digital interview?

We do digital interviews because they’re better for us and for you.

You get to do them at a time when you feel ready and at your best. Not at a time we have decided for you.
It allows for us to connect and engage with more candidates without the restrictions that telephone interviews can sometimes bring
It gives you a chance to be yourself. It’s much easier to get a sense of your energy and impact on video vs over the phone.

What it involves

In the interview, you’ll respond to a series of questions. These are linked to the competencies we look for in our trainees. You’ll have up to 1 minute of preparation time and then between 2-3 minutes of speaking time to answer it.

If you’re a school leaver, you’ll start the interview by answering a few video recorded strengths-based questions. You’ll then complete a written case study where you’ll type your response.

HOW TO DO GREAT IN YOUR DIGITAL INTERVIEW

We strongly recommend you use a computer or laptop to complete your digital interview if you can. You will need a computer or laptop to complete the written case study.
Think about your background and what you’re going to wear. This is still an interview, so dress smart.
Go somewhere quiet, where you won’t be distracted.
Keep your answers short and don’t go off topic. You don’t have much time to get your message across.
Look at the competencies we’ll be asking for. Prepare examples that demonstrate these skills.
Believe in yourself. Confidence always shows in an interview, even a digital one. Remember, we want to see your personality, so don’t hide it.
In the case study exercise, keep your answers clear and concise, so it’s easy to understand your thought process. And don’t forget to check your spelling and grammar.

When completing any of our interviews during the assessment process we recommend using the STARE technique when answering interview questions:

S - set the scene, scenario, situation
T - the task at hand
A - the action you took
R - the result
E - evaluation, critically assess whether you would do it differently if you could

Written Case Study

The third stage of our assessment process is the written case study. Although, school leavers will complete this as part of their digital interview.

If you are applying for an apprentice, graduate or undergraduate programme, you will be asked to complete this assessment if you pass the earlier assessment stages.

The written case study is a great opportunity to find out more about the type of work you’d be doing at Grant Thornton and the different clients we can work with. This assessment is assessing your ability to understand and interpret written content and data. We are looking at how you read and understand the question, how you use the data and the way in which you provide your written response. We are assessing your analytical skills, critical reasoning, and written language.

We understand this is a different type of assessment from what you may be familiar with, and have created a ‘top tips’ guide and a practice assessment so you can prepare ahead of this stage. We would strongly encourage you to read the guide and have a practice ahead of this stage and if you are an apprentice, ahead of completing the digital interview.

This stage will take twenty-two minutes to complete. You will need to use a computer or laptop to complete this assessment due to the data you’ll be reviewing and to help you write your mini report.

Top Tips for completing the written case study

Preparing for the exercise:

Read any information shared about the exercise in advance: Make sure you know how long you will need and be clear about what the exercise involves – you may not receive a lot of detail, but the information you do receive will help you to mentally prepare.
Make sure you have enough time: Set aside some time before you start the exercise so you can focus. Also make sure you have some free time afterwards – some people become distracted if they feel that they need to rush to their next appointment.
Find a quiet space: Although we all have different preferences, being somewhere quiet will give you greater chance to focus on the task.
Remove distractions: Turn off mobile phones. It you are somewhere where people may come and disturb you, it may be worth letting them know you are completing the exercise.

When completing the exercise:

Be clear on the task: Make sure you read the introductory information so that you know what you need to do, then once the timer starts you can focus on doing it.
Focus on the time: There are several elements to the task. Managing your time will give you the best opportunity to complete the exercise. For example, you may want to allocate time to review the information and make notes, and time for writing, as well as time for a final review at the end.
Answer the question(s): Work to make your response as specific to the question(s) as possible. Be clear about any decisions you that you make and provide explanations for these decisions.
Consider the audience: When writing your response think about who you are sending the document to and use appropriate language and structure for this audience.

Reviewing and analysing the information:

Think about your approach to reviewing the information: There is a balance between taking time to read all the information and having time to write the response.
Conduct some analysis: Think about what the overall information is showing, and what you can conclude from this.
Consider the information: For example, what types of information is included? What information is most relevant to the task? Are there any links between the information?

Group Exercise

The penultimate stage of our assessment process if group exercise, looking at how you work as part of a team and within a professional environment.

The penultimate stage of the application process is a group exercise, which will take place virtually and be led by a member of our recruitment team.

The group exercise allows to get an insight into how you would work in a professional environment and how you collaborate and work as part of a team. It’s a chance to share your ideas but also show you can listen and understand requirements. Encourage your teammates and bounce off their suggestions to get to the best result. Time management is also at play here, so keeping everyone on track will be key.

Tips for your group exercise

Act as you would in a professional environment, just because its virtual doesn't mean you shouldn't be professional
Think about where you will do the exercise, try to limit any possible distractions
Listen to others, we're not just looking at how you perform individually we're also looking at how you interact with others

Final Interview

The final stage of our assessment process is a 1-2-1 virtual interview with a member of the service line you have applied to.

If you are successful in the group exercise stage, you will be invited to the final round of the application process, an individual interview.

The interview will take place virtually, and will be with one, or two, of the managers from the service line you have applied for. We try to make this a relaxed conversation. Nothing too formal. Questions will range from the usual ‘Why Grant Thornton?’ or ‘Why audit?’ to some centred on our values and what interests you.

Here’s how to bring your best to the interview.

Read our Gradcracker Hub and be up to date with industry news
Write a list of your strengths along with examples of when you’ve shown them
Consider your development areas and your personal learning curves
Think about what excites you about our firm and its values
Write a list of questions to ask the interviewer. This is a chance for you to learn about us too

Before your interview it's a good idea to take a look at the skills we look for, and think about how you can demonstrate these skills throughout the application process. When completing any of our interviews during the assessment process we recommend using the STARE technique when answering interview questions:

S - set the scene, scenario, situation
T - the task at hand
A - the action you took
R - the result
E - evaluation, critically assess whether you would do it differently if you could