Head of Regions, Stephanie Hyde

What attracted you to join PwC as a graduate?

I did a BA in Maths and Management at Brunel University, and initially I’d considered going into engineering. Then I met some people from PwC at a careers fair, and it was clear from the beginning that the firm wanted to invest in me as a person. I was interested in a career in finance, so the work sounded interesting to me: visiting lots of companies, understanding what drives their business, and getting exposure to many different situations. I also felt that joining the firm would give me a fantastic qualification foundation for life. PwC supports you through taking exams and earning professional qualifications, and also encourages your personal development, for example through coaching in negotiation and management skills.

How has your career progressed since joining the firm?

In 1995, I joined the Uxbridge office in audit and assurance, focusing on owner-managed businesses, but I also spent some time in tax and consultancy during the first few years. As I developed my qualifications and my role progressed, I began to work with larger overseas-owned and private equity-backed companies. Soon after, I moved to London for a few years and worked with one of the top FTSE 100 companies, a very large and complex multinational business. I then returned to Uxbridge and, still focusing primarily on audit, I worked with mid-tier pharmaceutical and bio-tech clients. I was promoted to partner in 2006, and took on a leadership role in PwC’s assurance practice in Reading. Recently, I was appointed Head of Regions on the Executive Board.

What does your role as Head of Regions involve?

The role involves determining regional strategy and visiting the regional offices both to implement the strategy, and to get feedback on how they’re getting on. Half of PwC’s people are based across the regions and our business here is very diverse, so engaging with everyone is important to make sure they feel included and understand how they fit into the business.

Why is having a network of regional offices important to PwC?

Two thirds of our business in the UK involves the 26 regional offices and 40 per cent of our revenue comes from outside of London, so they’re a very important part of our firm. One of the great strengths of PwC is that we have a national presence and a strong global footprint, but we’re also able to service our clients locally. Many of our clients are spread across the UK, and it’s essential for us that we’re accessible to them, and that we have local knowledge as well. 

Having our network of offices also means that people here have the opportunity to move around the UK if they wish to do so. 

What is PwC’s regional strategy for the future?

We’re focusing on regional growth and aiming to expand our regional practice by working with businesses across the UK.  One area of focus for us is working with more privately owned companies, which currently make up around 20 percent of our business. 

We’ve worked closely with a number of regional companies as they’ve gone from their initial starting phase, through expanding, exporting, buying other companies, and in some cases listing on the stock exchange as well, which is always very exciting! We’re also seeing particular pockets of regional growth. In Aberdeen, for example, we have a strong business servicing oil and gas companies there, while in Edinburgh, the financial services sector is growing significantly. Cambridge is  a particular hub for technology and innovation companies, and we’re experiencing more general growth in London, the South East and the Midlands.

We’re also growing in terms of market share, because increasing numbers of clients want to work with us, and we want to work with them too!

What are the benefits of working in a regional office?

You don’t need to go to London to get broad experience. You can do a huge variety of types of work in the regions. In our regional offices, we look after smaller local clients through to listed multinationals. Owner-managed businesses moving through their growth cycle have very different challenges and considerations to top-tier clients who may operate in 80 countries globally. This variety gives our people a significant opportunity to challenge themselves personally through their work. And, if you’re working with smaller clients, you have the chance to see the whole of their business, rather than focusing on just one aspect of it as you might do when working with larger ones – so the exposure offered in the regions is a fantastic way to learn, and boost your career potential.

In addition, many of our regional offices are smaller than those in London, which means you get to know everybody and feel part of a very close team. 

Head of Student Recruitment, Richard Irwin

Why is PwC a good place for a graduate to start their career?

We’re the UK’s largest private sector graduate employer and we have a variety of opportunities for graduates across the business, from financial audit to management consulting, which can be undertaken in offices across the UK. Our graduate programme involves a combination of professional training, personal development, and practical experience, so people emerge from the programme as very capable and flexible business advisors, which is a strong foundation for their future career at the firm, or elsewhere. 

At PwC, ambitious graduates can expect rapid career progression and there’s a very structured path to help high performers move upwards within the firm. Depending on the area of business you go into, the graduate programme will last for two to three years, and then you’ll become a senior associate, which involves more project management and client relationship responsibilities. Employees who we think have high potential can be promoted to manager around five years into their career, and, through our leadership development programmes, you can become a partner 12 to 13 years after joining as a graduate.

What does PwC look for in graduates?

In our business, our “product” is our people, so the knowledge and capabilities that our employees can bring to clients are paramount. 

We’re looking for driven, motivated and resilient people with intellectual agility and curiosity, who can stay focused and get things done. It’s also important that candidates have a high degree of self-awareness, that is, they understand their own strengths, weaknesses and development needs. As a firm we invest heavily in developing our employees’ skills, so we’re looking for people who are passionate about learning, improving their abilities and progressing in their career.

To demonstrate these attributes, it’s important that candidates go through an honest process of self-analysis and think about what they’ve achieved in the context of the skills we’re asking for. For example, a candidate may demonstrate their drive and motivation through having sought out a valuable internship and gained skills from the experience. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been involved in voluntary work, academics, sporting activities or work experience – we’re interested in what you’ve learnt, rather than the context in which you did it.

What is the typical route into a graduate programme at PwC?

The first stage is an online application, which involves an application form, some numerical and logical reasoning tests, and some questions about PwC and the role you’re applying for. If you’re successful at the first stage, we’ll then conduct a first interview, either over the phone or face-to-face.

If your application is taken further, you’ll be invited to an assessment day, which involves a group exercise, a written assessment, and an opportunity to meet people currently on the graduate programme. All being well, you’ll then be invited to a final-stage interview with a partner, who’ll make a final decision about whether to make you an offer.

Taking part in a penultimate year internship is also an excellent way in to the graduate programme at PwC. The application process follows the same structure, and it’s an opportunity for students to gain experience working in the area of the business that interests them, and to make sure it’s right for them before committing to the graduate programme. Last year, 90 per cent of our interns received an offer for the graduate programme based on their performance during their internship.

Are there any other ways in to the firm?

Last year, we introduced our Inspired Talent application route for students who are highly motivated and intellectually capable, but haven’t met our academic benchmarks because they’ve been excelling at something else. So that might be a candidate who achieved great A-Levels, but failed to get a 2:1 because they were creating a new volunteering initiative, setting up a business on campus, or excelling in sport. Through Inspired Talent, we’re recognising that some candidates can demonstrate the attributes we’re looking for in a different way. Beyond the academic requirements, the application and assessment process is the same as the mainstream route.

We also offer Insight opportunities to students at every stage of their academic career and decision-making process. Insight days are essentially open days at PwC offices, where you can come and find out more about the firm, see a series of simulations of the type of work we do, and learn about the career opportunities available to you. They’re open to everyone, so whether you’re a first year student, a finalist, or a graduate still looking for your first job, it’s never too late. 

What are your tips for making a successful application?

None of our processes are designed to trip students up! They’re there to give you a fair and open opportunity to demonstrate your skills to us. The online testing is designed to assess your reasoning skills, and whether you’ve got the type of intelligence that leads to successful performance in our business. You can’t really study for the tests – it’s all about whether you have the ability in the first place. Having said that, we’ll give you access to practice questions, so it’s important to familiarise yourself with the format and do some preparation so you know what to expect. It’s also important to take the test in a calm environment where you won’t be disturbed and can focus. 

For the interview stage, the most important thing is to reflect on your skills, and think about how you’re going to demonstrate to us that you have them. If, for example, you’re asked about your team-working abilities, you should have your best example at your fingertips and know how you’re going to communicate it to your interviewer.

What makes an outstanding candidate?

An outstanding candidate is someone who doesn’t just grasp an opportunity when it comes along, but who goes out and creates opportunities for themselves. They could also be someone who’s been passionate about developing their skills while studying, because it gives us confidence that they’re going to make an impact in the workplace. Finally, an outstanding candidate is someone who is focused not just on doing what is needed to get the job, but also on developing the skills they’ll need to be successful in the role if they’re made an offer.