Top tips when applying to our Summer Internship
Advice for a stand-out application
For many university students, it can be a real challenge to decide what you want to do after your studies. The best way to figure this out is to get some practical experience, and the Deloitte Summer Internship Programme is a great stepping stone to get your foot in the door of the #1 professional services firm in the world! The first step in this journey is putting together a stand-out application.
The most common question I’m asked when meeting with university students is “What is the one most important thing I can put on my application that will get me an interview?” There is no single answer to this question! However I have some recruiter top tips for students to consider when applying to an internship.
1. Do your research
It is really important that you do your research on the role you are applying for. At Deloitte we offer a number of internship opportunities across our five different business areas (Audit & Assurance, Consulting, Tax, Risk Advisory and Financial Advisory). You only have the opportunity to apply to one of these areas so it is important that you review the area you are most interested in.
Once you’ve done your research, make sure your application reflects your interest in the area you have applied for. It is tempting to “mass apply” for internships, but the applicants who take the time to tailor their applications are more likely to be successful through the recruitment process. Also, the research you do at the beginning will support you if you get to the interview and offer stage of the process.
2. Leverage your experiences
When building your application, take your time to identify key skills or experiences you can bring to the internship. We do not expect you to have a wealth of experience in restructuring services or cloud engineering to apply to these areas – we are looking for transferrable skills you can bring to the role and we will teach you all the technical stuff!
No matter what internship you apply for, teamwork, communication, customer service and problem solving are some crucial skills to consider when applying to any professional services firm. Highlight these skills in your application through your experiences, and don’t panic if you don’t have previous internship experience.
You can draw on examples from your academic studies, part-time jobs, sporting teams, volunteer work and any interests or hobbies you might have.
3. Prepare for interview
If you’re successful through the screening process, you will be contacted by a member of our Early Careers team with an invitation to interview. There is a lot of conversation about virtual interviews now, but my advice: the same rules apply no matter whether the interview is in person or online. At Deloitte, you’ll be interviewed by two people from the business area you’ve applied for.
Our interviews are competency-based, so you will need to be prepared to talk about your transferrable skills. Remember to do your homework on Deloitte, know your CV (you could be asked about anything on your application), be confident, ask questions and get clarification on any aspects of the role you’re not sure of.
My recruiter top tip for interviewing is that practice makes perfect. Recording your practice answers on your phone or laptop and listening back can help you prepare and will give you more confidence with speaking about your experience. For virtual interviews, remember to test your technology in advance and reach out to a member of the Early Careers team if you have any questions - we are always on hand to support.
4. Make an impact
At Deloitte, we are all about making an impact that matters for our clients, people and society. Think about what impact you’d make at Deloitte and have examples prepared to demonstrate this. We want to understand who you are and what makes you tick, so don’t be afraid to be yourself.
The final, biggest piece of advice I can provide is to give the process everything you’ve got. We are looking for candidates who are hard-working, driven and self-motivated. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your abilities, so take the challenge head on and give it your all. Good luck!
