Business Services Hiring Process Prep

Top business services companies in the UK utilize a rigorous hiring process to ensure that they choose the best candidates. If you want to work in a business services company such as Deloitte or KPMG, you will need to impress hiring managers with your CV and pass aptitude tests and interviews. Learn about the application process and how to ace your psychometric tests and interviews.

Whether you are applying for a job in sales, marketing, human resources, administration, accounting, or finance, the hiring process at business services firms includes the following stages:

Apply: Apply on the careers section of the company's website or through a recruiter. Review the job requirements closely to make sure that you have the right qualifications. Craft a unique cover letter for each job that you apply to, and go over your CV to make sure that it is professional and polished. Check your documents for spelling and grammar errors before submitting them.

Phone Interview: This is the second part of the screening process. The phone interview usually lasts between 15-20 minutes and you will be asked about your relevant experience and qualifications, motivation for applying for this position, and well as your availability.

Assessments: Many business services companies ask candidates to take psychometric tests so that they can better evaluate how suitable they are for the job. Below you can find details on the most popular pre-employment assessments: situational judgment tests, numerical reasoning tests, and verbal reasoning tests. These are online exams with a time limit and they provide a detailed picture of your ability to perform the basic tasks involved in the job.

Case Interview: If you are applying for a consulting or analyst position, you will be invited to a case interview. At this interview, you will be presented with a problem or situation which you must solve. You should group the information provided to you into strategy, opportunities, and challenges. Carefully explain every step of your decision-making process to your interviewer. 

Behavioural Interview: The purpose of this interview is to determine if you would be a good fit for the culture of the company and the team you would be joining. You can expect to be asked questions that are situational in nature—questions about how you would act in a variety of work-related scenarios. Be ready for challenging questions involving dilemmas or sensitive situations, such as what you would do if you disagreed with your manager. You will also be asked about why you want to work for that specific company, so you should spend time on the company website before your interview so that you can show that you have done your research.

Situational Judgment Tests: These tests evaluate your decision-making abilities. The test is comprised of questions that describe a situation and several possible responses. You must choose the response that will result in the best possible outcome. Some of the questions in this test relate to your personal ethics, such as a situation in which you witnessed a coworker stealing from the company.

Numerical Reasoning Tests: Numerical reasoning tests are multiple-choice tests comprised of questions that evaluate your ability to comprehend and use information in the form of tables and graphs, as well as your ability to perform basic operations (multiplication, division, subtraction, and addition).

Verbal Reasoning Tests: Verbal reasoning tests measure your ability to process written information and analyze texts. You will be presented with a short passage and need to draw conclusions and answer questions about the information presented to you.

The best way to prepare for aptitude tests and interviews that you will encounter at business services companies is to familiarise yourself with the content of your assessments. Practise using JobTestPrep' s online practice tests and study guides, and learn about how to ace your interview with our interview guide. Get started on your way to a new job today. 

Follow the links in the table below to learn more about the application and selection process of some of the best known business services employers: