Question: What responsibilities do you have in your current position? What skillsets from your current job are relevant to Financial Due Diligence?

Answer: Be prepared to discuss your current role and responsibilities. Financial due diligence is a client-based job, so be sure to include details about your experience working with clients and management teams. Explain how you can work independently (i.e., without a lot of oversight) in your current role. As for the skillsets that are relevant to FDD, discuss how you have developed an understanding of accounting, improved your excel skills and ability to cleanse/analyze large data sets, ability to analyze financial data from multiple different perspectives to draw conclusions, ability to critically think through issues/problem solve, and ability to draw on and learn from past experiences. 

Question: Provide an example of a time when you identified a financial issue in a company. How did you mitigate that risk?

Answer: During my work in my current position, I noticed that our company’s salaries and wages were increasing as a percentage of revenue. After looking into the issue, I discovered that we had hired several new employees at a higher rate due to turnover. I presented my findings to my supervisor, who then asked me to find a solution to the problem. I suggested implementing retention bonuses for the current employees to prevent future turnover. 

Question: Why Financial Due Diligence or Transaction Advisory? What interests you about financial due diligence?

Answer: I’m interested in financial due diligence because I want to develop my ability to analyze a business and quickly identify key revenue and expense drivers. I’m also interested in financial due diligence because I like the idea of providing value to clients, getting the opportunity to see so many different businesses and business models, and working directly with private equity clients and management teams. 

Question: Why are you interested in working at Deloitte [or another financial due diligence firm]?

Answer: This question aims to ensure that you have done adequate research on the firm. Essentially, the interviewer just wants to know that you put in the effort to research the firm. You would be surprised at the number of candidates that do not take the time to research the firm they are interviewing for. To show that you have done your research, try incorporating a few of the firm’s core values into your response. Additionally, if you have a personal tie to the firm then be sure to explain that as well. 

Question: Tell me about a time when you have experienced a difficult situation and how did you overcome that problem?

Answer: The point of this question is to understand your work ethic and how you handle difficult situations. If possible, try to use a prior work or school example. A good response would clearly explain the issue at hand and the steps you took to mitigate the problem. For example, maybe one of your previous coworkers quit the firm and you had to step into a leadership role.