Accenture Interview Questions & Answers

My initial telephone interview was on October 2012, Time: 14:30 (UK time)

Interviewer called me on my number at 14: 30 the day, October 2012 to carry out the interview. The interview lasted up to 60 minutes and was recorded for coaching purposes. This had no influence on the selection process. However, if I had any objections to this, they would not do that.


About my Interview

My interview consisted of three separate sections:

1. Understanding of our business and the role.
2. Competency based questions.
3. General administration questions

Preparing for the Interview

· Specific reasons why I would like to work for Accenture.
· Gain a clear understanding of what Accenture does, sectors and services, clients, and case studies.
· The role of an Software Engineer or Java Software Engineer
· How Accenture uses Technology.


To ensure that you are interviewed in the best possible conditions, I suggest you:

· Go to a meeting room/quiet place, to limit the number of possible distractions e.g. background noise, interruptions, etc.
· If using a mobile phone, ensure you have a strong signal in your chosen location.
· Have a copy of your CV in front of you for reference, and a pad to take notes if necessary.
· Keep track of time.



I passed my initial telephone interview and the second round assessment was then arranged within a month.

Date: November 2012

Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

This interview lasted approximately 2 hours and consisted of a skills based interview and a HR interview.

The Interview was one hour HR / competency based interview and 1 hour technical interview.

HR Interview went really good but technical interview was difficult.

What is the latest in Technology Sector?

What is the most difficult task you have done most efficiently?

If you have 2 managers and both asked to do tasks at the same time equally important, what would you do?

Detailed description of final year project?

Good knowledge of the Company
Good knowledge of the industry
Commercial awareness, personal branding and an idea of the ethos/values of the company are integral to stand a chance of joining a company like this

I reported to the reception and the interviewer came down. She gave us cup of tea and explained everything in a really pleasant manner.There were 2 of us.While one did HR interview, other was done technical interview. And while we spoke, the interviewer wrote the answers in paper to review later.

First of all was the phone interview. It lasted roughly half an hour including my questions on the end. They were the typical competency based questions along the lines of 'Why do you want to work for Accenture' etc...

I was told that i would find out the results of my intervew within 5-10 days but i was actually called the morning after which was fantastic.

The face-to-face interview was scheduled for the following week in the London offices. It was a 2 hour interview which consisted of 1 hour with an HR representative and one hour with a Technical representative.

The HR interview was a development of the phone interview with more questions on my knowledge of Accenture such as: What Accenture does, What does the role entail and who are their main competitors.

The Technical interview comprised of questions that asked me to describe situations that demonstrate i have the technical skills to fit in with Accenture.

Both interviewers were very calm and made me feel so comfortable. Overall from the point of me applying online to hearing my final result was less 3 weeks!

The most difficult questions were definitely for the technical interview such as: 'Describe a recent experience in which i had to use problem solving skills to solve a problem within a team task'

Make sure you are well equipped to answer questions about your past experince as that is key.

But also make sure you dont get caught out on small questions such as: 'Who are Accenture's main competitors?'

No Assesment centre for technical role

Online Application
Fill out form online. Read about Accenture case studies to help you structure the answers. Contact people on Linkedin who work for Accenture to get some idea about what type of things work. Main thing is to show an interest in technology and understand how Accenture helps firms.

Online Situational Judgement Test
Consider what capabilities are liked by Accenture. Look at all the information on the Accenture recruitment website and try to make those qualities stand out. This is more based on your determination to work long hours, work independently, work collaboratively. Getting the balance right between leadership and team work is vital.

Phone Interview
Few competency questions and then case study. For competency questions just be sure about Why accenture? Why consulting? Why you? Have your answers planned according to S.T.A.R - Situation - Task - Action - Result. The Case Study is all about showing you can think analytically and systematically. Analyse wider issues etc.

1. Describe a situation you found difficult to work in a team?
2. Describe the toughest decision you have made in the last year?

1. Know Accenture and name drop Case studies

2. Connect with employees to get inside knowledge

3. Be confident and prepare well

4. Even if it says "informal" conversation - you are being interviewed at all times - remember that

1. Meet and Greet
Be friendly and confident

2. Case Study Group Exercise
Show leadership and teamwork

3. Individual Exercise
Be friendly and professional - answer specific questions

The interview consisted of 3 parts:
1) Knowledge about Accenture, recent client stories and its competitors.
2) Competency-based questions. (the usual things)
3) Mini case study.
Overall, it lasted for 50min and it was pretty simple.

The mini case study was basically about a water supplier that had customer complaints about leaking pipes. The problem was that it was hard for the company to identify which fieldworker is closest to the problematic pipe. After that the company would call the worker to assign the task of fixing the pipe. Then, the workers had to call back to inform about the work that was undertaken at the site. All this information was written down on paper and sometimes documents would go missing.

Questions:
-Identify the 3 main problems of this company.
-Suggest solutions to the problems.
-How could the company fix the problem quickly (ie. quicker that the suggestions you already made)
-What will the result be after the problem is fixed.

What was your greatest achievement?

This question is a bit tricky because on one hand you want to answer it on the other you don't want them to think that you're showing off.

Find out as much as possible about the company, what they offer, their structure, client stories etc.
It is especially important to know how Accenture can help clients with technology!

Also, when replying to competency-based questions try to use various examples from different parts of your life rather than just focusing on the academic side. Examples are internships, volunteer work, sports, societies, trips etc. They like to hear variety otherwise they feel that you don't have enough experience.

I was invited to the assessment centre but it will be tomorrow!

The good thing is that you are given the contact details of an analyst that is assigned as your "Recruitment Buddy" and you can ask for tips and advice.

The first stage was a one to one telephone interview which lasted an 40 minutes. It was a normal consulting telephone interview in the format:

- Motivations. (Why do you want to work at Accenture/be a consultant..)
- competency questions (describe a time you worked well in a team...)
- case study (just a short one. They read the case twice and you have to name 3 problems and give a solution and the whole thing doesn't take longer than ten minutes)

After this was the assessment centre so they make you jump through a lot fewer hoops than some of the graduate schemes.

They really grill you about your project plan and add complications in the one to one interview at assessment centre.

- Learn a lot about the company
- Be one of the main speakers in the group exercise
- Be able to talk about what you did right and wrong
- Be able to talk about what you did right and wrong
- Learn about the industry

There were 5 people in my assessment centre. We were first given a presentation by a senior member of staff about his career. Then we were presented with a video which described a case study. We had to as a team find the best solution in each of four different categories and it had to come under budget. It shouldn't be too hard to find a solution to this. The hr people ask you some questions at the end. My feedback said that I didn't defend my opinions enough during the exercise so if you disagree with someone do say something but just don't let it turn into an argument.

We were next given a project planning exercise based on the solution youve cone up with and you have to list risks and dependencies. You then have a one on one interview which is mainly focussed on defending your project plan and then they go on to ask about your knowledge of Accenture. They also ask you about how you performed on the exercise, it's important to go into a bit of detail here and I think they want to know that you're aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

Application started with competency questions, very typical: describe a time when you have: team work, leadership, overcome fear etc. Following this was a numeracy test and logical reasoning test (the sequence type you do in IQ tests). Once you have successfully completed this stage, it's the telephone interview. Naturally I swatted up on the company, however this was not necessary. It was entirely competency based with one question regarding the ACA exams, (just 'what do you know?'). The rest of the questions were what I had answered in the application process, however they had my answers in front of me so I had to have different examples.

My feedback was that she liked my honesty, if I said I didn't know or asked for more information on the type of answer she required, she saw that as a positive.

Through this stage, was an assessment centre, which contained a group task (to see team work), a numeracy test, logical reasoning test and written exam, all lasting 20 minutes. The written was the hardest as you are pushed for time. Just ensure it is in the form of a report as that is what they are looking for, content wasn't too important.

Final interview is with a partner or senior director. Mine was surprisingly informal, chatting about secondments and opportunities within the firm. This was to see how easily I held a conversation with a senior member. Again, I was asked very typical questions: what do you expect from Accenture, where do you want to be in 5 years etc. Lasted around 40 minutes, 20 minutes of questions, 20 minutes of informal chat. Not a strict interview.

One on one interview was hard. It was completely theory based.

Google typical competency questions as through the process you will be asked them all! Ensure you know what the role you are applying for does and read up on Accenture clients (they may ask). I also know someone who got asked about a recent news story they were interested in, so be prepared to answer that (if it is about one of their clients they are even more impressed). Be confident and don't be afraid to say that you don't know. At the end of the day, every graduate they take on is there to be trained. You don't need an accounting background, in fact the more diverse the better, gives you more to talk about.

The assessment centre contained a group task (to see team work), a numeracy test, logical reasoning test and written exam, all lasting 20 minutes. The written was the hardest as you are pushed for time since you also have to read a 16 page booklet in this time. Just ensure it is in the form of a report as that is what they are looking for, content wasn't too important.

The group task (for me there were 6 people) was how to make a company more sustainable. We were all given a sheet to read to the group and we had to decide how we would invest the company's money to bring the highest publicity with the best economic options. They were not really interested in what we picked, it was how we came to the decision and the balance of listening and giving our opinions that they were interested in.

We then had lunch (where they say you are not assessed). While you are not assessed, still be on your best behavior and ask insightful questions as I have since sat in as an employee and once the candidates have left, I have been asked by management who I thought was good enough for the job.

If you score highly enough on the exams (you get the results through the post) and impress in the group presentation, you get through to the final interview. It is rare if you get to this stage to then no be offered a job.

We had three different stages in the day, the first was a group activity of about six of us. We were handed a pile of about twenty solutions to go through with a budget of 4.5 million and to agree as a group which ones to implement. We split them between us and fed back. There is a time limit on this as well.

After that, there is a project planning exercise which is basically a gantt chart of when you would implement aspects of a project like when you do plan to plot strategy, when on a 12 month plan do you plot what tech you're going to use. They have allotted blocks of time.

After that is a one to one with senior manager who will re-ask competency questions, ask how you think you've done through the day and also to defend your project plan.

Evaluating your own contribution is difficult but don't make you were awesome if you weren't And if your plan gets pulled apart, at least come up with reasons why its still not the worst thing in the world.

Work as a team, make sure you're heard, stick to time constraints, don't talk over people, make a note of what your contribution was, what solutions you wanted to implement because you'll need the numbers later, really sell why you'll be a great addition to Accenture.

Group exercise, one to one interview, project plan.

There are two interviews, the first one is more of a discussion about your skills on the CV along with some competency questions and a case study and lasts for 45 minutes. The second round interview is however, includes an in-depth interview of your skills, a presentation on a technical problem.

For the first round interview the team lead himself came to interview me (as the other person wasn't feeling well) and went through the skills that were relevant to his team.

In the second round interview, there were two people one was a senior consultant and the other one being an ex-graduate. This time they were delving deeper into technical questions to see if I was the best fit for the role. This was then followed by a 20 minutes presentation including 5 minutes for Q&A. I was also given a vague idea on what the team does and how I would fit in it if I were to get this role. Towards the end, they left it open for me to ask any questions that I had.

Make sure you know what you have on your CV and sell it as much as you can. There will be questions about the skills you put on your CV and in the second round interview, the interviewers do go into a lot of details. So don't put something on your CV that you are not entirely sure about. They look for certain skills to see if you will fit their team.

You are given a training which depends on what team you join, so don't worry if you are not a master. They don't expect you to know everything as a graduate, but you should show that you are passionate enough and eager to learn.

Make sure ato network with members of staff

The assessment centre was very friendly. I was given a tour of the office and introduced to staff in the department where I was applying to.
I then had a panel interview with three members of staff that lasted about an hour; and was then given 30 minutes to prepare a presentation .
I then had a 1-on-1 interview with the recruiting manager which was very informal and lasted about 45 minutes before spending 30 minutes delivering the presentation I prepared early.