What are your greatest strengths, and how will they be a fit for EY?
The hiring managers at EY want to know about your most significant strengths, and they want to identify if you have the skills required to do the job successfully. The goal of your response is to highlight your belief that EY's needs and your skills are a match. You also want to showcase your readiness to make a specific contribution to the team when they hire you.
Avoid overused generic responses such as, "I am an excellent communicator," or "I am a hard worker." The decision-makers want to see how you stand out from other candidates. Considering the incredible opportunity ahead, they also want to know which strengths you are most excited to contribute.
Your strengths can be skills or qualities that help you overcome difficult circumstances or accomplish challenging tasks. Consider including:
- Hard skills such as technical expertise or project management skills
- Soft skills such as time management and critical thinking
- Personality traits such as being adaptable, kind, and self-sufficient
- Knowledge-based skills such as speaking multiple languages
Instead of giving a generic response, speak about the strengths that will make you good at this specific role with EY. When deciding which strengths to mention, it's essential to carefully review the job posting to uncover the firm/department's greatest needs. Then, you can talk about which strengths you possess that align with those needs.
Here is a 4-step approach to help you prepare a response:
1) Look through EY's job posting, website, social media posts, and other online resources.
2) As you comb through these resources, write down which strengths you believe the team at EY needs most in a new member.
3) Go through your list and consider which of those strengths you possess. Pick out 3-5 strengths that will ensure your success in the job and with EY.
4) Draft a response highlighting the strengths you chose from your list. Tie these strengths into the firm/department's needs and support your answer with an example from your life or work history.
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.
"My greatest strengths include my ability to build strong relationships. I am also self-aware and a mindful listener, which helps me gain the trust of my team, clients, and other stakeholders. I make sure to relate to others and get to know them and their needs. My client retention rates are the second-highest in my company due to these interpersonal strengths. I understand that EY is seeking a leader who can nurture excellent client relationships, and I am confident that my interpersonal skills match the firm's high standards."
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