Why are you looking for a job?
This question is aimed at learning more about the context of why you are switching employers. Whatever your reasons, keep in mind that their ideal candidates are career-driven, eager to learn and develop their skills, and specifically want to take their career further with them. As EY advertises, "We're interested in your strengths, what you want to learn, and how far you want to go." So demonstrate your drive for success by discussing the lessons you learned from your previous employers, how they were able to advance you as a professional, and where you hope to take your career next.
EY's global recruiters advise their candidates to do their research on EY's company purpose and values and identify the effective keywords they use and incorporate them into their answers where they can. "Do your research on the company and what they have to say specifically about their values. Review their purpose statement and key values. Note down the key values and the most important keywords from the purpose statement. Now, try to think how to incorporate them, but remember to stay true to yourself."
"Just a few weeks ago, I learned the company I am working for was making some cutbacks, and they are eliminating another department and absorbing that department's staff into other departments, including mine. As glad as I am that no one was going to be let go amongst these cutbacks, the path we'd set forward to advance my career was no longer viable. Several other employees were re-titled into those positions and the growth opportunities I was promised were no longer there for me to advance into within acceptable timeframes, according to my goals. As grateful as I am for all the company has given me, this was basically a breach of our contract, and my priority is my career. So I informed my boss of my plan to seek opportunities elsewhere that could accommodate my career goals and gave them as much notice as it would take for me to find a good fit. My boss was very grateful and took advantage of this opportunity for me to train my successor. Looking back, what made this the most difficult for me was seeing how much of an impact I had on the company and our teams, and it is going to be hard to say goodbye."
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