Folke Werner, Head of Recruiting at PwC, will tell you how to make the leap into the consulting business.
Why is PwC the ideal first employer?
Auditing and consulting always offer new challenges. Whether it's optimal advice for customers on new topics, forward-looking thinking or the innovation of new services - it's extremely exciting to be able to help shape our customers' business and to develop and learn in the process. As a consulting company, we are already working today on solutions to the challenges our clients will face tomorrow. Our experts are measured by their clients on this basis every day.
What career entry opportunities are available at PwC?
Most graduates join us straight away. We also offer trainee programs. Anyone who begins their career at PwC takes on responsibility very early on. It often happens that beginners are on site with our client on the second day and take on their first tasks there. We are convinced that “on-the-job training” still offers the quickest and most attractive way to get started.
Most of our clients operate globally. We therefore offer our employees the opportunity to work abroad for a longer period of time at an early stage. The international PwC network in 157 countries offers the best prospects for making contacts with international colleagues and gaining professional and cultural experience abroad for a while.
We offer internships abroad during your studies to offer students exciting international career opportunities. Through our “Stairway” internship program, over 30 students will once again have the opportunity to work at our German desks in NY, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Paris during the “busy season”, i.e. the time with the highest workload support.
How do you get support as a new employee at the beginning?
All new colleagues have a personal mentor at his or her side who accompanies him or her in the first few years of professional development. We are convinced that our young professionals can learn from our experienced colleagues and vice versa. This means that knowledge is continuously passed on to the next generation. To ensure a perfect and smooth start, a buddy will look after the new colleague and help with any questions in everyday working life.
“Cold numbers people”, “stuffy”, “poor work-life balance” – these are some of the clichés regarding the profession of auditor. What do you say about such prejudices?
Auditors are often assumed to be tick-box makers, gray mice who are only interested in numbers. The opposite is the case. It's more about understanding the numbers of a company and looking beyond the numbers. To do this, you have to talk a lot to the company's employees and think almost like a detective. An accountant deals with many different industries; No matter whether the automotive industry, chemical companies, food manufacturers or banks - he has the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes everywhere.
Auditing a company also means understanding what the client does and whether this is reflected in its annual financial statements. To do this, an auditor deals with a variety of questions: This starts with the company structure and extends to the client's internal processes. This is one of the reasons why the annual financial statement audit usually takes place directly on site at the client's premises. Not only are the company's books checked here, but important employee discussions are also held. Because companies and customers are never the same, communication skills and flexibility in dealing with employees are required. The ability to work in a team, willingness to help and a good network are therefore essential for the successful completion of a project.
Auditors ensure trust in the economy. At the end of the day, it is their certificates that form the basis for decision-making by the supervisory board, the shareholders of a company and society. In order to do justice to this task, auditors must constantly keep themselves up to date. He or she must be aware of constantly changing market conditions as well as newly adapted laws or guidelines in order to achieve high-quality work results for the customer.
The “Consulting” area is also one of your business areas. Will this be expanded further in the coming years?
We are the only company worldwide to offer consulting from a single source, from strategy development to implementation. With PwC Strategy& and the acquisition of the business analytics expert cundus, we have already significantly expanded our consulting business. We want to continue to grow in the consulting area in the coming years. In this respect, there are also very good career opportunities and exciting jobs in this area.
What qualities and skills should a young applicant have? What impresses you?
Of course, we first look at the relevant subjects. However, a good degree alone is not enough. We are looking for candidates who are real team players. Before we make a decision, we always want to get to know the person behind the CV. She has to be communicative, think outside the box and should also have experience abroad that goes beyond a vacation. Anyone who is committed beyond their studies will stand out from the crowd. We are very happy to see initial professionally relevant experience, for example during a relevant internship or in a student management consultancy.
We are looking for candidates who get things done and provide our clients with optimal support and advice on the issues of tomorrow. Consulting skills and the ability to work in a team, flexibility and a high level of commitment and performance as well as an analytical, conceptual and independent way of working are also important characteristics.
Anyone who prefers to work in silence rather than work in a team with colleagues is not in good hands with us. Especially during the busy season, i.e. in the months from October to April, auditors have their hands full. To ensure a better exchange with clients, our employees often work on site in the respective companies. Mobility and flexibility are simply part of it.
Students and graduates in which disciplines are you looking for?
We are looking for economists with a focus on accounting, auditing, controlling, taxes and finance, lawyers, industrial engineers, business IT specialists and mathematicians, among others. We are also looking for good graduates in the natural sciences and humanities in all subject areas. A candidate impresses us not only with theoretical specialist knowledge, but also, above all, with targeted internships. IT and English skills as well as extracurricular involvement and stays abroad are also advantageous. We employ graduates as well as bachelors and masters. Occasionally we also look for so-called “exotics”, i.e. graduates who have not studied the typical economics subjects - this often happens with young professionals who strengthen a team with their expert knowledge. Many examples of this can be found in the advisory area, where very specialized services are offered. For example, we are looking for a doctor or an architect to support our consulting teams.
What does the selection process consist of? What tasks do applicants have to face?
In the Assurance and Tax divisions, selection is usually carried out via individual interviews. At Advisory, applicant days largely take place, during which case studies are carried out in addition to individual interviews.
How many new employees do you hire per year?
Last year we welcomed around 1,500 new employees. I assume that this number will remain stable this year. We also employ around 2,000 interns per year.
What advice would you like to give to students and graduates?
Take the time and listen to yourself: What are my interests? Where are my strengths? And what are my skills? Once you have answered these questions and have a clear idea of what you want to do professionally, then start applying. My tip for and during the application is: stay authentic!
Folke Werner, Head of Recruiting at PwC, will tell you how to make the leap into the consulting business.
