Overall, my experience with Deloitte’s interview process was one of increasing frustration and disappointment.
The initial recruiter screening was a high point. The recruiter was knowledgeable about the technical skills needed for the role, personable, and thorough. I felt they were better than most in understanding the role’s requirements and got me genuinely excited to go through the process.
The next steps, however, introduced some vagueness. They asked me to complete a HireVue one-way video interview as soon as possible, without much clarity on what it would entail. I practiced potential questions, trying to get my responses within the 3-minute window, only to find the questions themselves somewhat broad and rushed:
• Question 1: “What makes you a good fit for this role at Deloitte?”—I felt rushed, trying to cram my bio and my skills into 3 minutes, which left my “good fit” response hurried in the last 30 seconds.
• Question 2: “Tell us about yourself”—this was surprisingly repetitive, and I left it feeling that I didn’t fully hit the mark. In a typical interview, you get this question first, and the followed by the "fit" question, or they're just one question.
To my surprise, just 10 minutes after submitting, the recruiter was ready to schedule a technical interview, which unfortunately was the low point.
The technical interview felt arbitrary. They assigned an engineer who was supposed to be my level or higher but who didn’t seem particularly experienced or engaging. With a difficult-to-understand accent and robotic manner, he read through a list of vague questions that weren’t among the 30+ questions I had practiced.
The questions seemed random and more like a memory test than an evaluation of real-world skills or potential. My background in databases and 20+ years of experience were irrelevant to him. It felt impersonal and ineffective at gauging my real qualifications.
Despite the recruiter initially describing a two-week process with a quick behavioral interview after the technical round, I heard nothing for almost two weeks. My application status remained “in progress” on Deloitte’s portal. Eventually, I followed up with the recruiter, and only then received a templated rejection email, thanking me for my interest and suggesting I reapply in the future.
For such a well-oiled machine, Deloitte missed the mark by not sending this update sooner. For a firm with a reputation for high standards, the arbitrary nature of the technical interview left me questioning their process for evaluating talent. I may not have passed the behavioral interview, but I certainly wasted a lot of time and effort on their vague technical screening.
Advice for Mid-Career Candidates:
For experienced professionals contacted by Deloitte, I now feel validated in my long-standing decision to ignore their outreach. While Deloitte undoubtedly has much to offer, this interview process felt flawed and out of sync with how skilled, mid-career candidates should be evaluated.
