Landing an Internship at EY: Your Guide to Success

EY consulting internships are a launchpad for students eager to enter the competitive consulting landscape. As one of the "Big Four" professional services firms, alongside Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG, EY offers invaluable opportunities for growth and learning. While historically recognized for accounting and audit services, EY's consulting division has undergone significant expansion and evolution.

Understanding EY's Structure

To target your application effectively, it's important to understand the different facets of EY's consulting services:

EY Accounting (Assurance): This branch focuses on financial audits, regulatory compliance, and ensuring the accuracy of financial reporting.
EY-Parthenon: As EY’s dedicated strategy consulting arm, EY-Parthenon specializes in corporate strategy, growth opportunities, and private equity. EY-Parthenon is often regarded as the boutique, high-impact strategy-focused team within the larger EY organization.
Technology Consulting: This area leverages digital transformation tools to optimize business operations.
Risk Consulting: This division assists businesses in identifying and mitigating operational and financial risks.
Supply Chain & Operations: This focus area is dedicated to streamlining processes and enhancing overall efficiency.
Human Capital Consulting: This segment helps organizations align their workforce strategies with their overarching business objectives.

Exploring EY Internship Programs

EY offers a range of internships tailored to various interests and career aspirations. These programs provide hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to the consulting industry.

General Consulting Internships: These internships allow students to work directly with clients on a variety of projects, from operational improvements to organizational transformation. Interns collaborate within teams to solve complex business problems and deliver actionable insights.
Focused Consulting Internships: These programs focus on specific areas like supply chain, finance transformation, and enterprise risk management.
EY-Parthenon Internships: For students with a passion for strategy, EY-Parthenon offers internships centered on high-level strategic projects, including market entry strategies, growth plans, and private equity portfolio management.
Human Capital Consulting Internships: These programs focus on human capital consulting, helping organizations align their workforce strategies with business goals.
International Internships: EY also offers internships in specific regions, focusing on areas such as sustainability consulting, government and public sector advisory, and financial services consulting.

When determining which program aligns with your goals, consider:

Your Interests: Are you drawn to technical solutions or high-level strategic development?
Career Goals: Do you want to specialize in a particular area, like technology or human capital?
Regional Preferences: Are you open to internships in global locations for a broader perspective?

The Daily Life of an EY Consulting Intern

As an EY Consulting intern, you'll have the chance to actively contribute to meaningful projects, collaborate with skilled professionals, and develop skills that are essential for a successful consulting career. For example, imagine being part of a team working on a digital transformation project for a major bank.

Your day might begin with a team meeting to discuss progress, challenges, and priorities. You might have lunch with your mentor, a senior consultant, who can provide guidance and support. You'll collaborate with teammates, shadowing experienced consultants as they build frameworks and prepare client-facing deliverables. You might even participate in client calls to discuss design and features, contributing insights from your data analysis. At the end of the day, you'll document key takeaways and identify areas for further development.

Keys to a Successful Application

EY Consulting internships are highly competitive, so understanding the firm's expectations can give you a significant advantage.

Key Skills and Qualities

Problem-Solving and Analytical Thinking: The ability to deconstruct complex problems, analyze data, and propose actionable solutions is crucial.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset are essential for building trust and delivering results within a consulting team.
Communication and Client Management: Clear and professional communication is a must for presenting ideas effectively in both team discussions and client interactions.
Technology Skills: In today’s consulting environment, digital transformation is a key focus, making technology skills highly valuable.

Application Steps

Step 1: Submit a Strong Resume: Your resume should highlight relevant experiences, including internships, leadership roles, and technical skills. Tailor it to showcase achievements aligned with EY’s values.
Step 2: Take the Online Assessment: The EY online assessment allows the firm to prescreen your capabilities and may include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning and situational strengths.
Step 3: Complete a Video Interview: EY often uses video interviews to assess candidates’ problem-solving skills and cultural fit. Be prepared to answer behavioral questions and discuss your experiences confidently.
Step 4: Tackle a Case Interview: For many consulting roles, case interviews are a critical part of the process.

Tips for Securing an Internship

Proactive Engagement

Don’t wait for tasks to be assigned. Actively seek opportunities to contribute to your team. Volunteer to tackle new challenges, suggest process improvements, or dive into research for ongoing projects. Showing initiative demonstrates your commitment to adding value.

Networking

EY provides an excellent platform for building relationships with professionals at all levels. Take advantage of networking events, team meetings, and informal chats to connect with colleagues. Get to know your manager, mentor, and peers, as well as team members in other practices or offices. Show curiosity about their experiences and seek their advice for navigating a consulting career.

Document Your Achievements

Throughout the internship, keep a detailed record of your contributions and accomplishments. This will not only help with end-of-internship evaluations but also provide material for your resume and future interviews. When applying for full-time roles, these records will help you articulate the value you brought to EY.

Researching EY

The secret to standing out in any interview is passion. Research the company to demonstrate your interest and preparedness.

What is the company's culture, vision, values and missions?

Phone Interview Tips

Get the technical things right! Simple things like remembering that you could be in a different time zone or just what lectures you have on, by keeping this information in mind you’ll be sure to accept a time for your interview that won’t be somewhere inconvenient for you and the interviewer when they call. It may seem also obvious, but make sure to remember to include your area code before your phone number.
Prepare like the interview is in person! Write down your answers to the basic questions like 'Why EY?' and ‘Why did you choose the service line you applied for?.’ Also remember to write down the times you displayed your strengths, like leadership skills. One thing I learnt is that it is not just good enough just to write down your answers, practice speaking them out loud!
Practice, practice, practice! I would highly recommend doing a practice run before the interview. Decide on where you want to be when you will take the phone interview from EY and get a friend to call you or even someone from home before it happens.
So make sure your connection is strong and you check your volume is turned up too.

Video Interview Tips

If interviewing from far away, agree on a suitable time. Doing an interview at 5am because it suits your interviewer isn’t exactly fair. Try to negotiate a time that suits both parties.
Prepare some popular interview questions beforehand and have your CV at hand for when the interviewer refers to it.
Make sure your laptop is in full working order with functioning Wi-Fi. These points are obvious but mustn’t be underestimated. Skype calls can turn into a cacophonous mess when internet is weak. If your connection weakens, don’t be too polite to tell the interviewer.
In a video interview, you don’t get to wholeheartedly express your body language and your presence so you’ll have to work harder to ensure the interviewer is getting an accurate picture of your personality.
Enunciate your speech and don’t rush. A clear voice and controlled speed are important aspects of a successful video interview. Take your time when responding to questions as this will convey confidence and command over your speech.
Dress and groom appropriately.
Have a backup plan. If Skype malfunctions (this happened to me), be prepared to complete a phone interview.
Ensure your surroundings are reasonably quiet. Bin trucks and car horns are your worst nightmare. Ask your roommates or family to remain quiet.
Tidy the area within camera view. Ensure the area behind you is clean and that nothing undignified is visible.
Ideally use a room with lots of natural light.

Real-World Experiences: Insights from a Successful Intern

One successful candidate shared their experience, emphasizing that no CV or cover letter was needed for their application. They advised against over-preparation, noting that each stage tests fit as much as skill.

The EY Launch Internship: A Transformative Journey

One intern's summer at EY was a transformative journey of discovering, developing, and defining who they wanted to be as a professional. The relationships they built, the skills they sharpened, and the exposure to new technologies made this experience unforgettable.

This intern's path to EY began with involvement in their school's Computer Science & Cyber Security club. As they gained leadership experience, they developed collaboration, communication, and project management skills. These skills proved invaluable when they attended an EY resume workshop.

During the workshop, EY recruiters offered tips for enhancing resumes and provided insights into working at EY. They highlighted the supportive work culture, growth prospects, and commitment to employee development. The intern applied for the EY Launch Internship, a program that ultimately redefined their career path.

Read also: Internship Salaries at EY

The Application and Interview Process

After refining their resume, the intern submitted their application and was invited to behavioral interviews. Despite procrastinating on interview prep, the first interview went very well, evolving into a dynamic conversation about technology and opportunities at EY. The second interview was more straightforward, but the intern received an offer as a Launch Intern for the summer.

The Internship Experience

The intern's first week included virtual orientation sessions covering EY's service lines, resources, and industry terminology. They also attended a welcome social, connecting with fellow interns. National Launch Training (NLT) in Baltimore was a transformative experience, providing opportunities to network with hundreds of interns and professionals nationwide.

The Launch Internship's rotational structure allowed the intern to work on diverse projects within Technology Consulting. In AI & Data, they worked with a pharmaceutical company developing a web-based data marketplace. They learned about various technologies and tools but couldn't access client code due to security measures. They contributed to an Organizational Change Management (OCM) plan, gaining exposure to the business side of technology consulting.

In the Cybersecurity arm, the intern collaborated with others to support a critical alliance for EY. They gained insight into the cybersecurity industry and learned about Microsoft Azure's cybersecurity solutions.

Key Lessons Learned

The intern shared three valuable lessons from their experience:

Network = Net Worth: Networking is crucial for gaining insights and broadening understanding of the industry.
Be a 'Jack-of-All-Trades': Adaptability is key, requiring the ability to speak the client’s language and meet their needs.
Average is the Enemy, and Complacency Will Kill You: In the rapidly evolving tech industry, continuous improvement is essential.

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