Ernst & Young Looks to Hire 167,000 Worldwide

By Michael Foster, Big4.com Blogger

Ernst & Young has announced plans to hire over 167,000 people in entry-level and more experienced positions. In the United States, 10,000 people will be hired by the Big4 firm.

eFinancialCareers reports that the company is looking to expand its advisory business at a “record pace,” according to Ernst & Young financial services unit Recruiting Director Tom Lardner. The site also reported that consulting practice will account for almost 40 per cent of the 4,100 experienced hires that the firm is planning for the United States in 2013.

The company is also looking at hiring over 6,000 recent graduates in the United States, with 3,400 of those hires being offered full-time positions and 2,600 will be paid interns.

When looking at whom to hire, “grades are extremely important,” said Dan Black, Director of Campus Recruiting for the Americas. Ernst & Young is also hoping to hire between 100 and 150 MBAs before July 2013.

While grades are important, Black notes that there are alternative metrics that they will consider. “The lower your grades, the more we want to see other things on your resume,” Black said. Work experience, extracurricular activities in a leadership position, and proven analytic skills were cited as alternatives that recruiters will look at.

“We look for candidates with the social and intellectual capability to work outside of their comfort zone with a diverse mix of people and an alternative way of looking at things,” Black told eFinancialCareers. Black also said that Ernst & Young provides much greater job security than big banks, although competing in terms of pay with Wall Street banks is not easy. “But we’re going to be in the conversation in terms of compensation,” he said.