Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC together hire several thousand interns, apprentices, and recent graduates in France for their audit practices every year. The process is broadly standardized across firms, but each stage has its own conventions. Here's how it actually unfolds, and how to prepare for it.
The Big Four recruitment calendar
Audit recruitment follows a largely anticipated calendar, aligned with the academic year and with firms' staffing needs, which peak during the financial statement certification season (September to March).
The main recruitment windows:
- End-of-studies internships and apprenticeships: campaigns open as early as September-October for a start the following year
- Graduate programs and junior permanent positions: continuous recruitment, with peaks in spring and autumn
- Summer and gap-year internships: applications need to go in several months ahead, starting early in the calendar year
The four firms together hire several thousand people a year in France, making them among the largest employers of recent graduates from business and engineering schools. Applying early in the window meaningfully improves your odds, since firms largely operate on a rolling basis rather than a single deadline.
💡 To learn more: if you're targeting a program dedicated to recent graduates, our guide on graduate programs details how they work and how to stand out among hundreds of applications.
Application screening and selection criteria
The first step is still résumé and cover letter screening, often partly handled by an applicant tracking system (ATS) before any human review.
What audit recruiters prioritize:
- Coherence between your academic background and finance/accounting-related fields (accounting, finance, management)
- Experience already connected to audit, accounting, or management control, even brief
- English proficiency, often essential from the very first assignments on international groups
- Command of Excel and office tools, regularly tested from the earliest stages
A poorly structured résumé that doesn't clearly surface these elements can be screened out before a recruiter even reads it in detail, especially during high-volume back-to-school campaigns.
Tests used ahead of interviews
Before interviews, most firms run a series of online tests designed to objectively filter applications.
The most common test types:
- Logical and numerical reasoning tests: the ability to interpret numerical data and reason quickly under time pressure
- Personality tests: questionnaires meant to assess fit with the firm's culture rather than judge a "good" or "bad" profile
- English test: often required for assignments involving international clients
- Situational judgment or case exercise: a simplified simulation of a professional scenario, especially for candidates targeting technical roles
📊 Go further: our guide on personality and aptitude tests in interviews explains how these assessments are interpreted and how to prepare for them without unnecessary stress.
These tests primarily serve to filter a high volume of applications before the human stage: an average score doesn't systematically eliminate an otherwise strong candidate, but a very low score can end the process without an interview.
Technical and motivational interviews
Once tests are completed, the process generally continues with one or two HR interviews, then an interview with a manager or partner from the target department.
What's assessed at each stage:
- HR interview: motivation for the firm and the audit profession, coherence of your background, soft skills (teamwork, stress management, rigor)
- Technical interview: general accounting concepts, understanding of financial statements, sometimes questions on current economic and regulatory news relevant to the audited sector
- Manager or partner interview: ability to picture yourself in the firm's actual assignments, questions on availability and geographic mobility
Firms are primarily looking for profiles who can learn fast and integrate into project teams whose composition and clients change regularly. Preparation limited to technical knowledge, without working on motivation and personal narrative, is often not enough.
⚠️ Watch out: never underestimate the question "why audit, and why this firm specifically" - a generic answer that would apply to any firm is immediately spotted by recruiters who run dozens of interviews a week.
What sets the four major firms apart
While the recruitment process is broadly similar, each firm has its own culture and specifics worth knowing before applying:
- Deloitte 🔗: one of the largest employers of recent graduates in France, with a strong focus on international mobility and internal training paths
- EY 🔗: a strong presence in transformation and consulting activities, with frequent bridges between audit and consulting over the course of a career
- KPMG 🔗: strong regional presence, with local offices offering varied assignments for both SMEs and large groups
- PwC 🔗: organized around clearly identified service lines (audit, consulting, legal, tax), with early specialization paths
Beyond the firm's name, it's worth choosing based on the type of clients targeted (SMEs, mid-caps, listed groups), the sector specialization available locally, and the team atmosphere, which is often noticeable from the very first exchanges with recruiters.
Such a selective and standardized process leaves little room for approximation from the very first step: a clear, well-structured résumé that's readable by automated screening systems avoids being eliminated before you even get to take the tests. A builder that guarantees ATS-compatible formatting lets you focus on the substance of your file rather than its layout.
Ready to apply to a Big Four firm? Create your professional, ATS-compatible résumé for free in a few minutes at /cv.