Talk about a time when you succeeded despite being under intense pressure.
The hiring managers at EY want assurance that you can handle the pressure that comes from working at a Big 4 firm. The goal of your response is to provide evidence that you have the mindset and tenacity to behave professionally and appropriately while working under pressure.
This question presents the opportunity for you to be a storyteller. Using the STAR method, form an engaging story-based response that showcases your ability to operate under pressure. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Use a solid and compelling example of your poise under pressure. Be as specific as you can while remaining concise and on topic. If possible, provide a story of a time when you were under a type of pressure related to this position's duties. Your response should come from a recent scenario.
The expectations placed on you at EY might feel overwhelming at times, and you may not know how to prioritize your work. For this reason, the interviewers are looking for evidence of your ability to prioritize numerous tasks while still ensuring that you deliver high-quality work.
Talk about a specific time when you were under a lot of pressure at work yet you succeeded. Outline the situation, explain why you felt under pressure, and describe your actions. Spotlight that you made well-calculated decisions even though you felt some strain or conflict. If your actions made a measurable impact, discuss the results you generated.
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by EY, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.
"Throughout my career in the professional services sector, I have gained the skills required to constructively deal with stress. (Situation) Last year, one of our Investment Managers retired, and she passed me one of her most important legacy accounts. I was thrilled to have the opportunity; however, this account was notorious for being high-pressure. (Task) I knew that onboarding this client would be challenging. It would take a great deal of diligence, research, and time on my end. I felt overwhelmed, but I knew that serving this account to the best of my ability would speak volumes about my firm and be a valuable addition to my portfolio. (Action) During this time, I sought out a mentor with more industry experience. This individual taught me incredibly beneficial approaches and tools for managing my time, controlling stress, and regulating my mindset under pressure. (Result) As a result, I successfully onboarded this new account and even received accolades from the client, which reached my leadership team. Now, when I feel immense pressure on the job and in my personal life, I lean on these mechanisms and techniques to get me to the finish line with focus and poise."