Vault’s Verdict

Part of the prestigious Big 4 and one of the most recognizable brands on the planet, Deloitte is ideally looking for positive, hardworking, smart, inquisitive, driven, well-rounded candidates with strong academic records. Deloitte’s valuable internship programs provide students with hands-on experience, giving them a clear understanding of the day-to-day life of working in public accounting. Interns also get access to many training and networking opportunities. For its full-time personnel, Deloitte provides extensive career growth opportunities, as training and development is one of the organization’s greatest strengths. Personnel have access to formal coaching and mentoring relationships, informal mentoring opportunities, on-demand virtual raining, in-person trainings, and more.

Although the busy tax seasons mean long hours and stressful deadlines, once busy season ends it’s relatively easy to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Deloitte offers remote work options and a lot of schedule flexibility, and encourages personnel to use their PTO. Deloitte also offers generous salaries, benefits, and perks. The organization’s family leave program and CPA exam bonus and reimbursements get especially rave reviews, and Deloitte offers a pension program for eligible professionals. However, insiders say the organization’s 401(k) offerings could be better. Meanwhile, its wellness offerings are extensive, and include well-being reimbursements, mental health counseling, wellness guest speakers, organization-wide disconnect days, and more.

Deloitte is an industry leader in both ESG and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The organization is very diverse, and continues to focus on increasing representation with respect to women, racial and ethnic minorities, and veterans. In addition, Deloitte has concrete goals in place around ESG and serves as an advisor to numerous clients on their ESG strategies. As for Deloitte’s overall business outlook, it is very bright. The organization continues to grow significantly year after year, its transparent leadership team has positioned Deloitte for long-term success in all economic climates, and employee morale is strong.

Hiring Process

“Deloitte is devoted to ensuring that all candidates have a fair and transparent recruitment and selection experience and are processed timely and in a consistent manner. From the initial screening to the actual offer, the selection process at Deloitte gives the candidates the opportunity to learn about the firm and how they can contribute to its growth, and helps the firm understand the candidate as well. What is sought in an ideal candidate by Deloitte is uniqueness of individuality and the value that the candidate can bring to the firm.”

“We identify strong campus candidates via a mix of criteria, including strength in academics, involvement in activities (student organizations, sports, work) outside of college classes, demonstrated ability to manage a mix of activities and appropriately prioritize and manage their time, strong oral and written communication skills, and the ability to build relationships. We decide quickly on fit/qualifications and communicate back to the candidates on their status. We are trying to do more in person interviews again when possible.”

“We are seeking smart, inquisitive, driven individuals who are eager to learn and grow their careers, those who strive to work with others in a collaborative, forward-focused work environment and with great clients. Our interview/callback process varies depending on whether it is entry-level or experienced hires. For experienced hires, we would normally start with a phone interview and then bring that person in for a lunch or office interview to talk to various people in the department. We want to get to know you and your experience.”

“Multiple steps. They reach out via phone to do a screening if they're interested in you and will schedule a first interview. Depending on the team, there are usually a total of three interviews (initial, second with manager of team, and third with a managing director or partner). The ideal candidate is willing to jump in and learn with a positive attitude.”

Interview Questions

“Please describe a time when you had to resolve a difficult situation where an innovative solution was required. Have you worked in a team environment where you had to work with teammates to help achieve a goal? How did you convince a teammate to contribute to the team's common goal?”

“How do you incorporate technology into your daily life? How are you able to prioritize competing commitments? In a group setting, give me an example when you were able to work with and resolve a difficult situation?”

“What drives you? What are your true convictions in life? Share an experience when you made a mistake; how did you deal with it and how did you respond? Please describe your best strength and weakness, and how you will use both to bring value to the firm.”

“We ask for examples of experiences that interviewees have had. I like to understand tough situations they've encountered, how they addressed them, and what they learned from those experiences. It is fine to make mistakes. We all do. The important thing is being honest about that, including what you learned and would do better the next time.”

Internship Experience

“The best aspects of my internship experience were the overall networking and having the opportunity to better understand the work that I would be doing during my full-time employment, ultimately gaining more technical ability in the process.”

“I had a winter internship in tax. The best aspects were that I got a lot of actual work experience, working with multiple clients, and I got a small taste of what busy season is like. Because it was during the busy tax season, I was less able to network with my peers and superiors.”

“The internship provided an opportunity to see the realistic, day-to-day experience of working in public accounting, including building relationships with future colleagues. Since interns often don't have the tax technical background, some projects can have substantial learning curves, but are still great learning opportunities.”

“The firm had great training opportunities/programming during the internship that allowed interns to network with other interns across the country. Great ability to work on different types of engagements. I worked on three engagements in an eight-week period, which gave me an opportunity to work with different people and see different type of work that we do. Eight weeks goes by fast, so it can be hard to truly understand the work in that short time period.”

Career Development

“There are an unlimited number of career development opportunities, from trainings at Deloitte University and formal coaching relationships to the informal mentoring received on engagements each day. If you capitalize on these opportunities, I believe career development is one of the strengths of working at a firm like Deloitte.”

“Tons of available on-demand virtual and virtual instructor-led training, with a good amount of in-person training for milestones. Excellent live training facility (Deloitte University). The best aspect of Deloitte's overall career development opportunities is the vast network of resources we have. No matter what you want your career path to be, there is almost guaranteed to be someone at the firm who has already walked that path who is willing to talk with you and give you advice. The worst aspect is the fact that there are a lot of mandatory trainings that can take a lot of time to complete.”

“When you want to make an impact, Deloitte helps you make it. Deloitte provides you the right culture, training, resources, and opportunities to help you succeed. Deloitte’s culture is designed to encourage its people to speak openly, support each other by respecting each other’s opinions and acting boldly (learning from failures and giving leeway to other members to do the same). At Deloitte, everyone is constantly learning. With the dedication to consistently developing themselves, tuition reimbursement by Deloitte acts as motivation for Deloitte members to enroll in formal learning courses. Through internal transfers, Deloitte professionals garner experience in its various service offerings and learn from people with diverse backgrounds. Coaches at Deloitte are crucial for having consistent and transparent conversations with professionals to identify their areas of growth and provide them with honest insight into their performance to help them achieve their career goals.”

“One of the best aspects of the career development opportunities at my firm is that they provide us with a coach, whose role is to support us through our career path. This coach meets with us on a regular basis to discuss how our work is going, how I am getting involved with the firm, and how I can develop my career at the firm.”

Quality of Life

“There is significant flexibility at Deloitte, which allows me to adjust when, where, and how I work. While I may work a lot of hours compared to other jobs, this flexibility allows me to get my job done in a way that works for me and my family. In addition, I have built strong relationships with subordinates, peers, and bosses over the course of my time at the firm, which has resulted in a happier, more fulfilled work life. Of course, it is a competitive and demanding industry, which can sometimes create stress due to deadlines, challenging clients, etc. This is not specific to my firm and is an industry-wide problem.”

“Although the firm is very supportive of work/life balance issues and provides more than adequate vacation time available to its people, the nature of the business makes it difficult to take full advantage of the time off afforded to all.”

“Deloitte gives us 15 firm holidays along with 20+ days of PTO annually for most professionals. It is extremely easy to balance work/life. Occasionally, I will have to work late into the night, but this has been minimal in my time working here. Upper management really cares about your wellbeing, and they encourage you to take additional time off when needed.”

“Busy seasons can be difficult in public accounting. This is the worst aspect of working in this field, but it is very cyclical and one can prepare/anticipate for these busier times. Once busy season ends, work reverts back to a very manageable schedule with ample opportunity for PTO. During summers (non-busy season), I have been able to take off two to three weeks at a time to travel internationally and really disconnect. The firm encourages the use of our PTO to support our well-being.”

Salary and Benefits

“The firm is very generous regarding salary, benefits, and perks. The firm's maternity and leave policies for family matters are excellent.”

“Salary is fair, PTO is excellent, CPA bonus and reimbursement are great, food and parking are nice reimbursements. The 401(k)matching is not fantastic, but overall the other benefits make up for it.”

“Salary is great, but annual raises in our inflation crazy economy are not so great. Benefits are really good. The family leave is great: 16 weeks off with full pay for those eligible. Annual wellness stipend is unmatched. Perks of working remotely with ad hoc vacation capabilities are also unmatched.”

“The firm tries to remain competitive with salary ranges. The benefits and perks offered excellent compared to similar companies.”

Wellness Efforts

“We have an annual well-being week in which there were many engaging sessions you could sign up for. They actually have many learning opportunities throughout the year. You also have access to resources, and there is a well-being subsidy.”

“The programs are extensive, and include well-being activities and purchases to well-being and mental health counselling, fitness subsidies and guest speaker series, and additional time off (around holidays, Well-being Day, Community Service Day, etc.).”

“Deloitte has an annual $1,000 well-being subsidy on a wide range of activities (massage, scuba diving, composting, fitness classes and equipment, walking/trail passes, etc.) We also have integrated mental health support/consultations for individuals and groups. We have well-being development courses, pathways to well-being micro habits, including how to draw boundaries, how to eat well, etc.”

“Well-being subsidy is great. I bought a snowboarding season pass for the first time in five years (the only expense to me was counting it as taxable income). There are regular zoom calls to promote wellbeing that are available for those that want it.”

Diversity, Philanthropy, and Green Initiatives

“The firm has made diversity a strategic imperative and has successful communities and programs that benefit and educate all of the Deloitte professionals. The focus on diversity carries through to the leadership representation as well as client service delivery teams. In ESG we are leaders globally in this area and have made commitments to reduce our own environment footprint substantially through programs of thoughtful spending, travel, and behavior.”

“There is definitely a movement to increase diversity across the firm. I've seen these efforts firsthand within the practice I am aligned to. Furthermore, the firm provides opportunities to military veterans and those on active duty. I have worked with several professionals who are still on active duty and will leave for mandatory training (for up to 2 months) and return.”

“Deloitte is a thought leader in DEI and climate change, with commitments both in professional hours as well as monetarily to these initiatives. We have a DEI app where professionals can subscribe to our various diverse communities as a community member or an ally. We host various community events celebrating the history and diversity of the community and welcome all to join and learn and be a part of it. As for climate, we have concrete goals to decarbonize ourselves as well as our providers, and are working with many of clients to advise them on their ESG strategies and operations.”

“When I go to trainings or events around the country, I see a diverse set of people around me, which proves to me that Deloitte truly does hire a diverse workforce, and that it is not just all talk. But there is still more that Deloitte offers than many other companies. From an environmental standpoint, we have dramatically reduced unnecessary travel since Covid, and I would like to see us to keep improving on that.”

Business Outlook

“Business outlook looks very strong, and I feel very good about where we are. Our leadership did a phenomenal job in the initial Covid years to position us for long-term success, irrespective of what direction the economy would go. The firm frequently provides insight into the firm's growth, projections, and goals. I believe this maintains high employee morale to continue to give best efforts and quality work.”

“The firm has consistent revenue streams from many of its practices (audit and tax) while consulting and advisory services are likely more dependent on the going market conditions. I believe the diversification of its offerings offer employees a sense of comfort and assurance.”

“Deloitte's growth potential is strong, growing double digits yearly. This is a great strength compared to some of our peers that are struggling with spin-offs, litigation, etc. Employee morale is always a struggle in public accounting, but Deloitte is agile with trying new things and implementing benefits that make employees’ lives easier.”

“Deloitte sets high goals but plans in a relatively conservative manner. It also attracts and retains quality talent, which helps to maintain the company's reputation and ability to charge premium prices. For the most part, morale is good. Most people tend to work very hard during busy seasons, but I believe most of my colleagues enjoy working with each other. There are a variety of company events and other initiatives that boost morale. I participate in many of them, but I have never felt pressured to do so (compared to a prior employer of mine where participation in company events was very strongly encouraged).”