Start your career  |  Schools  |  Undergraduates  |  Graduates  |  EY in Northern Ireland  |  How to apply  |  Strengths  |  Events  |  FAQs

    Strengths

    We’re interested in your strengths, what you want to learn, and how far you want to go. Be yourself and let’s explore how we can make a bigger impact, together.

    2024 Applications are open

    Applications to our 2024 programmes are now open.

    Search and apply

    Virtual career experience - NEW!

    Our exciting new experience has launched for students and parents. From career insights to activities supporting mental health and wellbeing, our interactive zones will help you to learn about EY and have fun in the process!

    Begin your career journey

    Focusing on your strengths

    Woman wearing a pink jacket holding a phone

    Why strengths are important

    Throughout our recruitment process, we assess your key strengths. This allows us to see what you do well, how you adapt and what you find energising. Individually, they play an even broader role as when we use our strengths, we are happier with positive emotions which enables us to perform better and be more engaged.
    Student writing in a notebook at an event

    Your strengths

    Strengths help us to provide a level playing field for all candidates, as they are individual to each person, and everyone has strengths. Our strengths-based online assessment will help to identify your strengths and understand if they align with ours. Including our values. We'll also see how you will apply these to the world of work.
    Sujani taking notes

    Applying strengths in the process

    Whether you come through our leading EY One recruitment process (with one unique experience personalised for each business area), or through our new streamlined approach, you’ll be able to show us your key strengths as well as be shown inspiring content to learn about EY, thrive and gain skills for the future.

    EY Core strengths framework

    Our framework plays a significant role in outlining the EY capabilities needed for you to learn, flourish, and develop as leaders. We'll support your future growth, career progression, and help you to meet the expectations of our clients, colleagues, and communities in today’s changing global marketplace.
    We look for several core strengths throughout our recruitment process: Adaptability, Curiosity, Collaboration, Learning Agility, Resilience and Relationship Builder. We also look at Integrity, Personal Ownership and Motivation, alongside written communication, and numerical skills. Whilst these are EY’s core strengths, we’re seeing new strengths emerge in Technology and Tax, owing to the adapting world that we operate in that demands agility, problem-solving, proactivity and client centricity.
    Below are examples of strengths and how you can prepare. And remember, there's no right or wrong answer to strengths. They are natural to each person, and we're simply looking for you to be yourself. Knowing what you can do well will help you to find the right role for you – always go with the answer that feels right for you.

    • Adaptability

      A constantly changing world of work means that we need people who can adapt to new situations and use their creativity to find innovative solutions to problems.

      These people are usually highly motivated and don’t let obstacles stand in the way of doing a job well. To help you bring this strength to life: 

      • Think of an example of a challenging situation that you helped solve. Don’t forget to highlight some of the obstacles and what you did to overcome them.
      • Show positivity. Frequently, a positive attitude is the best tool you have when facing multiple obstacles.
       

    • Curiosity

      The importance of continuous innovation and creativity are key for the future of work. New approaches to complex problems are what sets us apart from the crowd and differentiates us as one of the top global professional services firms. It allows us to remain at the cutting edge of delivering solutions for all our clients. To demonstrate this strength, you will:

      • Be interested in everything. Constantly seek out new information and learn new things at every opportunity.
      • Apply thinking to problems and seek out answers to complex problems.
       

    • Collaboration

      This goes beyond being a strong verbal and written communicator. It’s the ability to adapt your communication style based on your audience and communicate complex information into simple terms. This strength is highly valued by us because it means you’re able to work with a variety of people and projects.

      On top of this, we look for people who also can inspire confidence and build trust in others. This is usually seen in people who make a point of delivering on their promises in a clear and professional way.

      • Think about times you’ve had to navigate a variety of situations at work or school, and the ways clear communication helped you overcome obstacles.
      • Think about a work or school experience where you’ve positively worked as a team. Identify the goal, how the team achieved the goal and what role you played.
      • If you’re taking part in a team assessment, listen so that you clearly understand the task and what your teammates can offer. Then make sure that you contribute positively – without dominating the conversation – and consider your teammates' expertise.
       

    • Integrity

      Making decisions based on doing the right thing is very important to us. We expect all of our people to be honest and have ethics day-to-day and beyond. Things to consider:

      • Do you always strive to make the right moral decisions even when under pressure?
      • Do you lead by example?

    • Learning Agility

      The ability to grasp new concepts quickly and apply this learning immediately ensures the best possible outcomes for our people and our clients.

      • Think about situations where you have been agile and responsive to change. How did you develop new skills and knowledge quickly?
      • Talk about your passions and interests and the ways you go above and beyond to continue learning, whether that means through education or hobbies. Discuss how these interests have helped develop you.
       

    • Resilience

      Everyone faces challenges in their lives.  How we tackle these challenges is important and having a positive attitude in overcoming obstacles.

      • Try to frame difficulties in a constructive manner and remain focused on achieving results.
      • When you are under pressure or facing change, stay committed to reaching your goals through a positive outlook. This determination will help you to overcome your obstacles.
       

    • Motivation

      Find out about EY and more about the role that you’ve applied for and what motivates you. 

      • Read about news stories or events that relate to the role, our business and the business area that interests you.
      • Look beyond our website and do some secondary research to try to understand how global events affect our work, or, how our work can affect global change.
      • Find out as much as you can about EY and the positive contribution you can bring and your overall impact on us.
       

    • Relationship Building

      No one works alone at EY and you will always been meeting new people both internally at EY and externally. Your ability to build a rapport with people from all walks of life is important to be able to best serve our clients.

      • Do you enjoy working with other people?
      • Think about the way that you build relationships with people outside of your immediate family and friends

    Adjustments

    All candidates should be given the opportunity to be their best selves throughout the process. We have adjustments in place to make all individual applications accessible.

    Find out more

    FAQs

    Do you have questions about applying to and working at EY? From choosing a programme to visa requirements, technical help to joining, you're likely to find the answers here.

    Find the answer

    Edmund sitting on an orange chair with a flower background

    Chat to us online

    Speak to EY people who are currently on our student programmes, and our recruiters. Hear their insights, advice and experiences.

    Ask your question

     

    2024 Applications are open

     

    Applications to our 2024 programmes are now open.

    Search and apply

    Start your career

    Featured
    People stories

    Previous

    Start your career

    Next

    Events

    Connect with us

    Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Instagram