Along with many consulting firms, EY is adding video interview questions and pre-screening tests to their application process. These questions aren’t necessarily difficult but you must prepare for them to pass.
But don’t worry! We’ve got the scoop to help you ace your EY video interview questions!
In this article, we’ll discuss:
- The EY video interview format,
- Typical EY video interview questions,
- The best way to prepare answers to consulting behavioral questions, and
- Do’s and Don’ts for passing the EY video interview.
Let’s get started!
The EY Video Interview Format
The EY video interview focuses on behavioral questions.
Firms use behavioral interviewing because they believe that how you’ve acted in the past is a strong indicator of how you’ll behave in the future.
Behavioral questions often start with, “Tell me about a time when” or “Give me an example of.”
The EY video interview has 5 questions. For each question, you’re given 60 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to complete your recorded answer.
There’s an opportunity to re-record your answer, if you feel you’ve answered it particularly poorly. You are only able to re-record each answer once.
Typical EY Video Interview Questions
Several questions come up in the majority of EY video interviews. Let’s have a look at some of the most common and how you might approach answering them.
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Why Do You Want to Work For EY?
Many applicants apply for more than one consulting firm. In asking this question, EY wants to be sure that you’ve researched the type of work they do and their specific culture and can articulate how you could contribute to it.
Tackle this question by having a few good reasons why EY is the company for you. That could be their global presence and or the fact that they’ve worked with 84% of Fortune 500 companies.
Perhaps their innovative approach to technological and social disruption excites you. Or maybe the people you’ve met in the recruiting process have been fantastic and reinforced that EY is the company for you.
The best answers are personal to you. Think about what makes you a great match for EY, and vice-versa.
You may also be asked why you’re applying to the department you’ve chosen to apply to. Again, make sure you’re ready with good reasons that are personal to you and your situation.
Describe a Time You Contributed to a High-Performing Team
EY is full of competent, highly-skilled people. They come together as high-performing teams to solve client problems. They need consultants to feel confident contributing to the team from early on in their career.
This question is asked because EY is interested in how you work within a team. They want to understand how you’ll contribute should you join them and how you’ll stand out among the other team members.
To answer this question:
- Start by describing the context. What was the team working on? How was the team organized? What made them high-performing?
- Next, describe your role. Were you assigned work or did you take the initiative to break the work up between various team members? What was your specific contribution to the team?
- Finally, describe how your specific contribution helped move the team forward. How did it fit with other team members’ contributions? What was the impact of the action you took? How did the rest of the team feel about your contribution?
Tell Me About a Time You Disagreed With Someone’s Point of View And How You Managed That
EY is interested in how you solve disagreements with others. In real-life consulting situations, there are likely to be numerous occasions where your view conflicts with those of other team members (or the client!) EY needs you to be able to present your viewpoint confidently and be persuasive.
Share how you convinced someone to adopt your point of view by using data, logic, authority, proof of concept, or other means of persuasion. Include negotiations that brought your point of view and the other person’s closer together.
To answer this question:
- Begin by describing the situation. Who was involved and what was being worked on?
- Explain what your viewpoint was and why it was in conflict with the other person’s.
- Outline the steps you took to resolve the conflict, including what was finally agreed.
- Summarize the impact the final decision had and what you learned from the situation.
Tell Me About a Skill You Have That You Haven’t Yet Talked About
This question offers an opportunity for you to share any of your key skills that the interview hasn’t covered. Consider the skills EY looks for in their consultants and make sure you talk about one that you haven’t yet demonstrated.
Don’t just blurt out a list of skills you have. That kind of response can sound generic. Instead, focus on one key skill and share a story that shows how you’ve used that skill to benefit a situation and what the impact of that was.
One of EY’s core values centers around energy and enthusiasm. When you’re describing your strengths and how they allow you to contribute, make sure you convey your passion for using your skills to make a positive difference.
Other Questions
Feedback from clients also indicates these questions are sometimes asked in the EY video interview:
- Tell me about a time when you stepped up as a leader.
- Tell me how you approach explaining complex things in simple terms.
- Describe how you approach learning and applying a new skill.
- Describe what you think are your top 3 strengths and why.
- Tell me about a time when you successfully managed conflicting deadlines.
- Tell me about a time you faced uncertainty and how you handled it.
- Describe how you see your career path over the next 5 years.
The Best Way to Answer Consulting Behavioral Interview Questions
The video interview is an opportunity to share more about your strengths. The best approach to tackling behavioral questions is to tell stories. Framing your answer as a story makes it more engaging and helps you stand out from other candidates.
Be clear on the key things you want to get across during the video interview and use the questions that come up as tools to help that happen.
EY measures your answers to the questions against 3 criteria:
- Did you offer a relevant example that answers the question asked?
- Did you describe what action you took and the logic behind it?
- Did you explain the result of the action you took?
So, you need to make sure that you meet each of those requirements in every answer.
Structure Your Answers
Tackle each answer of the EY video interview using a framework. This gives you confidence as you have a way to tackle each question in a structured manner, and it makes sure you’re giving the EY recruiting team what they need to score you highly.
When answering each question, use the A STAR(E) framework which focuses on 6 key steps:
- Answer. Provide a 1-sentence answer to the interview question.
- Situation. Give some brief context to your story.
- Tension. What caused the friction or challenge in the situation?
- Action. Briefly describe what action you took in response to the situation and tension.
- Result. Explain the impact of you taking those specific actions.
- (Effect.) Briefly reflect on what you’ve learned from the result. (This step may not apply to all stories.)
This framework is useful for all behavioral questions, even those that require a list response.
For example, if you’re asked to list your top strengths, don’t just answer, “Communication skills, Leadership, and Teamwork”.
Instead, share a story of when you exhibited those strengths and how it helped you fix a situation or achieve a goal.
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Sample Answer to an EY Video Interview Question
Answer: “I believe my top strengths to be communication, leadership, and teamwork. This is because of a particularly positive outcome I experienced while working on a challenging school project.
Situation: One team member wasn’t pulling his weight and we needed his data to finish the project on time.
Tension: Everyone else in the team was fed-up because we were falling behind but I knew he was also juggling competing deadlines.
Action: We went out for a coffee and he said he was aware that he was letting the team down but didn’t know how to communicate that he was struggling. By listening to him and gaining a deeper understanding of his competing workload, I was able to provide suggestions that would allow him to still contribute to the team without losing focus of his other commitments. With a plan in place, I then helped him plan out how to communicate his current situation to the rest of the team, which included apologies for his lack of contribution and a proposed way forward so that these issues won’t occur again.
Result: With my support, he was able to share the issue with our team and we worked together to reorganize his workload so that we could successfully complete the project on time.”
In this example, the candidate offered a relevant example that answered the question. They described the action they took, and the positive outcome that occurred as a result of their action.
But, just because you’re telling a story doesn’t mean you should ramble aimlessly. Use a framework to make sure your story is impactful and covers all the main points. For more information on using the A STAR(E) framework, see the linked article.
While facing the EY video interview can feel daunting, approach it with a positive mindset. Like all consulting firms, EY is looking for brilliant new consultants to join their firm.
Visualizing yourself as one of those consultants can help you feel more positive and seem more confident during the interview.
For a detailed guide to tackling behavioral interviews, see our article on Consulting Behavioral Interviews.
Do’s and Don’ts for Passing the Ernst and Young Video Interview
Here are our top Do’s and Don’ts for passing the EY video interview:
Do: Read and Follow Instructions
It’s easy to rush through the instructions for a video interview, especially if you’ve done several others previously.
However, each firm may do things slightly differently so take the time to read the information carefully to get clear on what you need to do.
Do: Check Your Technology
Before you start the video interview, make sure your tech is working properly. Check that your PC or laptop is charged and that you have a good internet connection.
Consider doing an audio test to make sure your microphone is working correctly. Plus, using earphones or a headset can help reduce background noise.
Do: Present Yourself Appropriately
Even though you’re likely taking the interview in your bedroom, do dress as you would if it were face-to-face in an EY office.
Maintain appropriate eye contact with the camera and speak clearly so nothing is missed from your answers. Don’t forget to smile!
Do: Minimize Distractions
Give family and roommates the heads up that you’re taking the EY video interview in advance. This reduces the likelihood of them popping in to offer you a cup of tea and disturbing your flow!
Also, make sure you’re in a quiet workspace and that your desk and surroundings are free from clutter or other distractions.
Do: Prepare Answers Ahead of Time
In this article, we’ve given you a heads up as to some common questions asked during the EY video interview.
Make sure you’re clear on what answer you’d give to each of the questions above, using a strong example based on your personal experience. Use a framework to make sure you meet all the points the recruiting team is looking for.
Listen carefully to the questions EY asks in the video interview to ensure you aren’t just sharing a random story you’ve prepared but one that addresses the question.
Don’t: Worry About Interruptions
Despite your best planning, interruptions do happen. If the dog barks or the doorbell rings, don’t worry!
You won’t be marked down for unforeseen interruptions so take a moment to compose yourself and carry on.
Don’t: Be Too Rehearsed
While it’s sensible to think about what questions you might face — and how you might answer them in advance, don’t try and memorize what you’re going to say.
Firstly, it’ll sound unnatural and wooden and secondly, you’re less likely to respond to what’s actually been asked.
If you’ve memorized your exact answer word for word, it’s more difficult to flex your response if the question asked is slightly different from what you were expecting. It’s critical that you address the question asked.
Don’t: Forget About Your Tone of Voice & Body Language
We all know how important tone of voice and body language is when engaging with others and video interviewing is no different.
Make sure you enunciate and don’t speak too fast. Project excitement so they can see how much you want the position.
Sit up straight and look directly into the camera as if it were another person. If it helps, stick a photo of a friend or family member on the screen and pretend that you’re talking to them.
And try not to fidget!
If you prepare well and follow our hints and tips above, we’re confident you’ll do a great job during the EY video interview and get one step closer to joining the firm.
In this article, we’ve covered:
- The format of the EY video interview,
- Some common EY video interview questions,
- How to approach answering consulting behavioral questions, and
- Our Do’s and Don’ts for the Ernst and Young video interview.
Still have questions?
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If you have more questions about the EY video interview questions, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s case coaches will answer them.
Other people prepping for Ernst and Young video interview found the following pages helpful:
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9 thoughts on “EY Video Interview Questions – What to Expect & How to Prep”
Thank you so much. I have sent through my applications and currently waiting for my interview….in my preps and trying to calm my nerves and this article is God sent!! Thank you so much guys. Couldn’t be more grateful
We’re so glad the article helped! Best of luck!
How did it go?
I would like to know if this stage is applicable for every role in EY or just for an entry level position. Also, what will be the next stage after the video interview?
EY says: “Video or ‘virtual’ interviews are increasingly part of our video process.”
Based on this, I would highly suggest being prepared for them at the experienced hire level as well. Preparing answers for these types of questions in advance will improve your shot at landing an offer whether your interviews are video or one-on-one.
I appreciate the thorough guide you’ve provided on EY video interview preparation. The article is well-organized and offers valuable insights, particularly the A STAR(E) framework and the do’s and don’ts. These tips will undoubtedly help candidates feel more confident.
One suggestion for improvement is to include more examples of strong responses to common questions, which better demonstrate how to apply the advice provided.
Overall, this is an excellent resource, and it will be helpful to many applicants in the consulting industry. Great job!
We’re glad this was helpful! Thanks for the suggestion of more examples of strong answers to common questions!
Good luck in your interviews,
MCO
Hi! I have some questions about the two attempts we have to record the interview.
1- Is the two attempts for each question, or is it for the complete interview?
2- If I consider that the first is not good enough and take a chance to record again, and at the end, I realize the first one was better, can I keep and send the first one and discharge the second one, or don’t I have the option to recover the first attempt?
Hey, Monica,
The opportunity to re-record is for each question. If you re-record, your first answer is deleted. You need to stick with the second recording.
Good luck on your EY video interview!