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Common Interview Questions for a Fresher Job at a Big 4 Firm in India

Deep Ballu

Subject Matter Expert
Working at Big4 firms is a dream for many Indian freshers because apart from being a huge career boost, it comes with other benefits. However, getting the job won't be easy because the interview questions won't be a cakewalk.

At first glance, you may ask, "what are the Big Four companies in India?" Well, the Big Four companies are the four largest accounting and advisory organizations in India. In no particular order, these four companies include Deloitte India, KPMG India, Ernst & Young India, and PWC India. As expected, these companies receive thousands of job applications from fresh Indian graduates for a minimal number of slots. In fact, if you manage to land an interview offer from one of them, you may be competing with over a hundred applicants for a single slot. 

These organizations usually adopt a thorough recruiting process that's designed to streamline the flood of applicants and select the best. Interview questions are a core part of the hiring process, and your knowledge or ignorance of them can be the difference between getting a job offer and not. Your knowledge of these interview questions begins with the acknowledgment that there are different kinds of interview questions. Let's get to them.

Types of Interview Questions Asked in Big Four Companies

There are three major types of interview companies that you should expect:

  • Skill & knowledge-oriented interview questions
  • Behaviour-oriented interview questions
  • Situation-oriented interview questions

Skill & Knowledge-Oriented Interview Questions

These are the most technical kind of interview questions in the hiring process. Here, the skillset and technical expertise of the applicant are assessed. As a fresher, it's pretty apparent that you lack employment experience. So we will tailor these interview questions differently from what these companies will ask experienced professionals.

In the case of a fresher, these interview questions don't assess your employment experience but the skills and knowledge you've gained during your time in college or from internship opportunities. That's for the theoretical aspect. Skills and knowledge-oriented questions also have their practical aspect, which includes a case study. The case study is an assessment designed to evaluate your understanding level, skills, knowledge of the company, and familiarity with industry standards. Some examples of these interview questions are listed below:

  • Why did you choose this profession?
  • What value can you add to this organization?
  • What do you make of the current tax policy in India?
  • What's your opinion of our organizational values
  • Why did you apply here?

Behaviour-oriented Interview Questions

These types of interview questions are used to determine what kind of employee you'll be if hired. The Big Four companies ask these questions to know how you'll handle a particular situation and how you'll approach the problem. These questions will also assess your work ethic. Every big company needs employees who are problem-solvers and can cope well under much pressure. These kinds of questions also evaluate how productive you'll be if hired.

A beautiful resume won't help you in this situation if you can't give practical examples or create scenarios that make your case. In several cases, the interviewer may describe a problem, highlighting all the challenges it may pose to the organization and how you will deal with them. Some examples of behavioural interview questions include:

  • Tell us about some of the challenges you've encountered and how you solved them.
  • Describe a situation where you showed leadership.
  • What are your career goals?
  • How do you handle feedback?
  • Have you made any hard decisions before? If yes, how did you arrive at those decisions?

Situation-Oriented Interview Questions

While the other two interview questions may focus on results and productivity, situational questions are process-centric. These questions are designed to get information on your adopted process to solve a particular challenge. Situational interviews are usually interactive and engaging. So when asked these kinds of questions, please don't rush into your achievements because you want to impress them. They already have your CV. Instead, take your time to explain the process you went through to achieve the result. Some examples of these questions include:

  • How has your past employment experience prepared you for the position you're applying for?
  • How can you make your colleagues more productive?
  • Have you worked in a team before? If yes, what was it like?
  • How do you handle failures?