Has anyone done a PwC Selection Day recently? I will soon be sitting one for experienced hire (Operations).All I know is it entails a written exercise, group discussion and an interview. But that is it. Great if someone having done the SD can tell what the written exercise was about and the type of issue discussed in GD. Also is this the last stage of recruitment?Thank you for the help!

IDK. YW. HAND.

OK so....1. Written exercise gives you a time limit to read and write a short report based upon selecting the best example from a scenario given. It is irrelevant me telling you what this is, as you are told to only use information within the booklet, not your own knowledge of the situation externally. My biggest tip would be to watch your time, plan carefully and sift what information is needed and what is irrelevant.2. Group discussion is based around a scenario given to the group and each individual has a unique piece of information. You are given some time to digest and then a discussion ensues, where you share and discuss your own ideas/perspectives. [b]REMEMBER[/b] that you are not in competition with other people...it amazes me how many people forget this. Be inclusive, polite and attentive. Take on board criticism if given and acknowledge other people's ideas. 3. Partner interview...pretty explanatory - its an interview surprisingly. Competency based so not technical. Why do you want to be here? Biggest failure/success? etc. Takes about an hour.Should be the last step unless they are unsure of your performance, i.e. you are boundary or there is disagreement. In which case, you will be asked back for a further interview. Good luck!

Group discussion - Make sure you don't do anything controversial. You objective here is to blend into the background, not to stand out. Make sure you make a contribution, but nothing anybody can disagree with. This is a tick-box exercise and all you have to do is not fail it... just make sure the HR bods can say that you made a contribution, were active in the group, and didn't get into an argument with anyone.

Guys,Thank you very VERY much for your help!Freezing - I got the gist of it. And I *will* remember your advice on competition. How exactly did you structure your written exercise?BEP - Thank you for your words of wisdom. By the way, I really enjoy your posts, specifically, your brand of sarcasm. :) This, ofcourse, is trumped only by your insight!One more question. Will the salary negotiation take place on the same day, with the Partner? What should I expect for the Consultant or Senior Consultant grades (seems I could be offered either)?Thank you again!!

No worries. My advice is to structure your report by summarising briefly with a problem statement, going through the possible choices one by one and then selecting the optimal, highlighting the positives and negatives of your choice. Whichever option you select will have a drawback, so it is important to recognise this.Salary is very unlikely to be brought up...it is a hr thing in most large firms. General rule is don't discuss money till they do.Hope it goes well...let us know how you get on!!

Freezing,Yes, most definitely I will inform whichever way it goes. Hopefully north - fingers crossed! And thank you once again for your advice. Great structure to the report! Basically, a consulting approach to it - start at the top and drill down narrower. Great!Do you, or any Forumer, have any idea what salary I can expect at the Consultant/Senior Consultant level at PwC? I won't be too fussy but good to have an idea in mind, whenever we get to discuss money.Thank you once again!

No worries :) yeah the top down approach works well...just remember the wrap up at the end!Mgr starts high 40s to 60 I think, snr mgr...no idea...hopefully someone else will know.Best not bringing up salary at all at interview on the day...it will be discussed by hr at offer stage.

Freezing,Thanks so much, yet again, for your wisdom!At the expense of coming across as being greedy, any last, experiential advice on the Partner interview?Thank you in advance and I will inform you guys when I get informed myself.

Bushy,Where are you? Shouldn't have written, I reckon, that I enjoy your posts. You provided consistent input to EVERY poster except, it seems, me.Please... :)

Optimist456!Why so many, of these apostrophes, in sentences? It makes me, read aloud, very slowly!In other news, very best of luck with your interview. :)

hi optimist, I don't know any specifics about PWC but as a rule of thumb I think you can assume the following:- the salary they offer you will be in line with market rates and there probably won't be huge scope for negotiation- make sure you don't get brought in at too low a grade. do your checks thoroughly.. who will you be reporting into? if the person you will be reporting into comes across as someone who should be reporting into YOU, then think long and hard about whether you want that. make sure you meet your future boss.- for the partner interview, just be yourself. if they don't like that, then you probably wouldn't have enjoyed working there anyway.- check whether it's a "rapidly growing team" or is led by "somebody who is hoping to make partner soon". if it is, then personally I would run a mile (i'm very averse to being burnt out just to further someone else's career). stable teams with low staff turnover are usually the best - check out the culture. is it friendly and supportive, or back-stabbing and competitive? sensible hours or a permanent death-march? Make sure it's right for you.- in the partner interview, try to come across as someone who is a safe pair of hands, who would get on with the team, and who will deliver. also, indicating a willingness to be supportive and to adapt to their own ways of working will probably be well-received. if the partner does start asking industry-specific questions, then try to demonstrate deep understanding of the issues he mentions. if he/she doesn't, then try not to dwell on it. match his/her level of depth in each questionAnd that's it really.... good luck :)

Bushy. Epic! Period. (Smile)

Bushy. Epic! Period. (Smile)

Patrick,Thank you for your wishes! My aggressive use of commas has to do with the way I was trained to write. Unfortunately. I agree it does become an eye-sore at times even for me.However the good news is that I am an extremely flexible bloke who has neither used commas here or in his previous post. Whether or not I use it in future will be determined by what news I will be breaking about my PwC interview next week. ;)Thanks all!

Another quick one as it nears.The written exercise - will it just be a state-the-pros-and-cons-of-all-available-options-and-then-select-the-best-one type or analysis or the usual consulting ones involving market entry, pricing strategy and costing analysis?I understand that either has to be attempted using a top-down approach (as preached by Freezing), but still would be great to get a head start on what to expect!Patrick - comma-check please.. ;)

Freezing, BEP & other interested folks,I got through the Selection Day but still have to have a final word with the Partner.BEP, please stand up...

Excellent...congrats! Was my/our advice helpful? If so, would be good to direct people to the thread in the future. Frz.

Freezing,You're kidding me, mate?! :) The case was dissected using YOUR blueprint - summarise the problem, debate every option & then conclude with the best option. Right? :)In group discussion, I didn't COMPETE with anyone - fed my ideas to the group & encouraged others to speak (& unselfishly eliminated my option first up, in the interest of the better decision-making). And no controversy either, BEP! ;)The Partner Interview was handled along BEP's words of wisdom!Thanks again you guys & will post after the 121 with Mr. P!

Well done, you've done the difficult bit... now just repeat it at the partner interview.I imagine the partner will just want to check that you'll fit in and be a safe pair of hands... so main thing is to be well-presented, polite, and show that they could put you in front of a client. Again, if the partner doesn't get technical, then don't get technical either... if he/she does, then match the level of detail...And, as before, be yourself :)

I agree with BEP, the Partners are very unlikely to go down a very technical route. They just want someone who is capable for their grade and presume the process has taken care of their relevance to comp/sector.Look forward to seeing you in ops.

Imperial,How is your merger with Booz supposed to affect hiring? I think it should...and it must! Personally, I feel I won't be taken through (YES, i AM hoping for the best!).

Ah! How rude of me! In a moment of worry I forgot what solid advice BEP and Imperial had provided.BEP...your experience screams man (or woman!). I'll stick to your guidelines, IF I get to see the Partner (chances of which seem slim now)... ;)