What PwC Seeks In An MBA Hire

Conference Room in the San Jose office

Conference Room in the San Jose office

What are your expectations for entry level MBAs? What are your most successful new hires doing to hit the ground running and quickly add value?

It’s being able to understand what you know and how your experience is going to best help the clients with their situation. The heart of it is that we are a team-oriented culture. And the most successful people are good team players. They come in and understand where they can add value and where they can learn from others. Ultimately, they are the type of person who gets input and values everyone on the team.

Our successful interns are the ones who exhibit that type of behavior. They know when to add input and when they need to defer to others. It’s a balance. That is the type of culture we’ve built and that’s what’s going to bring success to them when they join PwC. We think their background experience is very useful to us. That’s why we recruited them.  We know they can add value. I think once they get here, it’s about knowing how best to do that.

Give me an example of a student who really impressed you in the process. (i.e. What is the most creative or memorable thing someone has done to stand out and impress you?)

I think one of the coolest things involved a former intern who joined us. There is a time in between the end of their MBA program and when they start with us (typically late summer or early fall). Normally, some use the time to travel or just spend some downtime before coming into work. And I completely agree with that. This particular student took the time to gain experience in the group he was coming into. So he worked with a couple of startups in a venture capital capacity to really understand that side of the business and what a startup’s needs are.

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He really looked at this as, ‘I want to gain more knowledge before coming in.’ He had done an internship and had the job all locked up and it was very impressive. He just went above-and-beyond in really building his knowledge of the industry that he was coming into. And I think that reflects the thirst for knowledge and that strive for excellence that our best people have. He really just made us feel like we definitely hired the right person. Before he started full-time here, he was already exhibiting the behaviors we know were going to make him successful at PwC…It was great for him coming in.

What excites you personally about working for PwC?

I think it is the network and the opportunity that a place like PwC affords. I have an incredible network of people that I get to work with every day…Just as an MBA or someone coming into our client practice, I have an incredible network of people where I can draw off their experience and expertise. That, in itself, is what makes PwC a great place to work.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I would highlight the growth and entrepreneurial nature of our Advisory practice. It provides a great start for a post-MBA career. There is a lot of opportunity at PwC.

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