Deloitte Motivational Qs

Why Deloitte?

1. Training programme

• 12 out of 14 exams in year one alongside internal training and a 9 week work placement

• chance to build strong technical foundations early and then apply that learning more fully in years 2 and 3

• also have dedicated deloitte support like people leaders (quarterly reviews) and exam managers (manages enrolment and qualification process)

• deloitte student advisory services

• learning alongside a large cohort gives opportunity for extensive peer support

• a challenging graduate programme but also with clear people to go to for support.

2. The future-thinking values and focus of Deloitte

• ‘Lead the way’

• As a graduate it is really important for me that I join a firm that is focused on the future, developing new tech, integrating AI etc.

• Can link this back to the new training programme

2. Broad client exposure

• working at Deloitte would give me the opportunity to work with some of the biggest companies in the UK as well as with exciting start ups

• The variety of clients I work with would offer me constant challenges and allow me to build broader experience - important at the start of my degree

• Emphasis is also placed upon building relationships with clients even as a graduate - would be allowed to build important skills of client interaction and professional judgement on audit projects.

What makes Deloitte different from other big 4 companies?

Early Careers Catalyst

• dedicated periods for professional qualification learning

• strong technical foundations and a structured start to my career

PairD

• own gen AI tool

• can help analyse, summarise, explain and translate confidential data within a secure environment

• ‘human-led, AI powered’

• other big 4 firms also have this - evidence of deloitte’s approach, not something completely unique

Very large early careers intake

• 1,500+ in 2026 across the UK

• Substantial graduate community and peer network

Ambition for growth in the North West (acknowledge other big 4 locations also have substantial offices in Manchester)

Why Manchester? And why Deloitte here versus other big 4 companies in Manchester?

• Looking to relocate to Manchester as it has the advantages of a big city and major business centre without the living costs of London.

• Manchester has had strong growth in recent years across areas like technology and real estate.

• Deloitte is investing into their Manchester office which opened in 2024 with a new focus on sustainability. Around 1,400 staff members in their North West offices (2024 number)

• An open plan office so it is designed for collaborative working.

• Combine Deloitte’s general approach to audit and grad development with their substantial and well-established Manchester presence.

Why Deloitte audit specifically?

• The breadth of clients and sectors that Deloitte works with. Early in career is important to build a broad understanding of different businesses and not specialise too quickly.

• Deloitte’s use of AI and new technology in audit: they specifically say that by introducing AI in automation and admin tasks opens the way for junior staff to engage in more complex and judgemental work earlier in their careers. Accelerated development possible.

  • PairD: Deloitte’s own genAI tool

What do you think you could bring to Deloitte?

1. Adaptability

• Studying and working abroad has made me comfortable thinking on my feet, learning from people with different perspectives, and adapting to unfamiliar situations.

2. Strong communication and relationship-building

• Work as a receptionist has helped me develop confidence building trust and relationships with customers over longer periods of time.

• Volunteering for my university’s nightline has also allowed me to be trained in active listening, which is essential to being a good communicator.

• Food and Beverage assistant taught me to communicate calmly and professionally even when placed under pressure.

3. Curiosity and willingness to learn

• Enjoy getting to grips with unfamiliar information and asking questions until I understand it.

• Attending ESG event at EY in Madrid which was optional (not related to my course or required by my internship) but was a topic I thought would be interesting to learn more about.

• Relevant to audit, where every client and sector would require you to learn something new.

Which of Deloitte’s values resonates most with you and can you tell me about a time you demonstrated this?

Serving with integrity

• Trust is fundamental in any professional relationship

• Especially in audit where clients and the public rely on you to handle information responsibly and be honest in your judgements.

EXAMPLE: Receptionist role at retirement village

• Regularly handle confidential information regarding residents and so I have to be careful about what information is shared with whom, particularly when dealing with visitors or telephone enquiries.

• An example is a time when a resident was taken to hospital for a serious medical emergency.

• Other residents who lived there were asking me lots of questions about where they were and what was wrong with them.

• I had to remain calm and not give in to their pressures as I had had not been given authorisation to disclose information about the situation.

• Had to follow procedure despite them getting frustrated with me.

• Reinforced that integrity means maintaining professional standards even when there is pressure to do otherwise.

• This same willingness to follow the right process under pressure would translate to Deloitte, where trust is central to audit work.

When have you heard about Deloitte in the news recently? What Deloitte development, initiative or piece of work has interested you?

I read about Deloitte appointing their first chief AI officer in June 2026

• Hayley McKelvey

• Deloitte putting AI into senior leadership and developing strategies for the future

Launch of new EMEA firm in 2026 (announced feb, effective june)

• europe, middle east and africa

• 16 firms across more than 80 countries, strategic cross-border collaboration

• links to my experience living and working abroad / spanish degree - international collaboration important to me

What interests you about Deloitte’s approach to technology and AI in audit?

• PairD (paired)- Deloitte’s own GenAI tool

  • Launched in October 2023

  • Access to AI technology in a secure Deloitte environment

  • Help colleagues with a range of daily tasks like summarising content, carrying out research, writing code.

• New graduate programme places AI-literacy at the centre.

• Emphasis on AI supporting not replacing professional judgement with their ‘Human led, AI powered’ philosophy.

• Omnia - global audit platform

  • AI being incorporated and directly embedded.

  • Deloitte are already using AI in the actual audit process particularly for risk assessment, document analysis and anomaly identification.

What do you know about Deloitte’s audit and assurance business?

Focused on building trust in corporate reporting

Substantial part of Deloitte UK - £998 million revenue generated in the 2026 financial year

Audit

• works with large multinationals and start-ups

• independently examines financial information and understands the risks of those businesses

Assurance

• broader, provides confidence of other forms of reporting and underlying processes.

Business is changing

• ‘human led, AI powered’

• AI is increasingly being used to support areas like risk assessment and data analysis

What have you learnt about Deloitte’s graduate programme that appeals to you?

• Deloitte has recently been reshaping its graduate programme based on advances in AI which change the way that junior accountants are expected to perform

• 12/14 exams done in first year, combined with newly developed audit simulations (where both traditional and AI-assisted auditing is done). Then years 2 and 3 focus on practical-work as they are equipped with the skills to do more interesting work. The final 2 exams are done in the third year.

• New programme builds on skills of communication, teamwork and problem-solving as well as core skills of curiosity, professional judgement and scepticism.

• Collaboration in groups on a mock audit.

• Total of 135 study leave days (22 more than in the past).

• Means that in second and third year there are longer stints of uninterrupted work time which allows you to work on audits from start to finish and develop as professionals in the workplace.

What differentiates Deloitte from its competitors?

1. The graduate programme (early careers catalyst pathway)

• Has dedicated periods of professional qualification learning alongside structured work placements

• Rather than being a constant mix of study and client work

• Designed to build confidence earlier and help graduates focus on the right thing at the right time

• Allow me to build a proper technical foundation before applying it in practice.

2. ‘Human led, AI powered’ audit transformation

• Embedding AI into its global audit platform

• AI to support risk assessment, data analysis, and obtaining audit evidence

• But still keeping the judgement of the auditors

• While AI adoption is increasing across the profession, Deloitte seems to be further along is embedding it into day-to-day work and training. Deloitte is already investing in AI-focused training and simulations with their own platform PairD widely used by auditors.

Why do you think you would be a good fit at Deloitte? How does Deloitte fit with what you want from your early career?

GOOD FIT

1. Team mindset - I enjoy learning from others and would like the collaborative environment at Deloitte.

2. Repeatedly have put myself in unfamiliar situations, such as moving abroad to both Spain and Chile during my degree and enjoy getting to grips with things I don’t understand yet / showing determination and resilience.

3. Experience communicating with a wide range of people and building strong relationships

• Communicating under pressure F&B

• Nightline - active listening, confidential information

• Receptionist - professional relationships over sustained periods of time, communicating expectations regarding multiple demands and priorities.

EARLY CAREER

1. Strong technical foundations through the ACA and the structured training that Deloitte’s Early Careers Catalyst programme offers.

2. Exposure to different clients and sectors - from start-ups to multinational firms. Would offer me the type of exposure that not many other firms could.

3. Joining audit at a point where tech and AI are changing the profession, as I would be taught the traditional audit judgement still required while being given the opportunity to experiment with and use new tools.

4. Manchester - somewhere I could see myself building my career long term, especially given how Deloitte is investing in their Manchester office.

What is Deloitte

• one of the leading professional services organisations, a member of the ‘big 4’

• work across 150+ countries

• service lines include: audit and assurance, risk advisory, actuarial, consulting, legal, human capital, real estate, tax and legal

• stated purpose: ‘to make an impact that matters’

• deloitte uk - part of the broader deloitte emea structure

What are Deloitte’s values?

1. Lead the way

• reinventing the profession for the future

2. Serve with integrity

• upholding trust of clients, regulators and the public

3. Take care of eachother

• prioritise respect, fairness, development and well-being

4. Foster inclusion

• embrace diversity in all forms - enables innovation, attracts top talent, delivers well-rounded client solutions

5. Collaborate for measurable impact

• work across businesses, geographies and skill sets

What would you expect to do in a day-to-day role here? And what would you find most challenging / most enjoyable?

Day to Day:

• reviewing financial records and transactions to see if figures are supported by evidence

• testing the internal controls of a company (e.g. were the transactions actually reviewed by the manager)

• documenting findings, raising questions over anything that doesn’t seem right

• communicating with clients to request information and ask them Qs

• working within a team on specific audit projects, attending meetings, discussing findings

Enjoyable

• client interaction

• variety and learning from different industries/sectors

Challenging

• technical knowledge and terminology due to not having an accounting related degree

• balancing work with ACA exams