Deloitte has resumed face-to-face interviews for its UK graduate scheme, following advice from the accounting regulator to mitigate potential cheating in online assessments. As of September, those looking to join their graduate and apprenticeship programmes will now experience the traditional interview process, due to concerns raised about completely online hiring procedures.
The shift is a response to the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) review of Deloitte’s audit quality, when potential “risks” regarding the company’s recruitment process came to light. Interestingly, the FRC commended the other Big Four firms – EY, KPMG and PwC – as they had already incorporated measures like in-person interviews to minimise the chance of cheating.
The FRC has, over recent years, voiced unease over the susceptibility of online tests to fraudulent practices. The lack of integrity in such misconduct affects the reputation of the profession as a whole, they explained in their July report. The regulator also found ongoing instances of cheating in the past year, however, they chose not to disclose the firms involved.
In response, Deloitte will reintroduce physical interviews for the final stages in all sectors of their graduate and apprenticeship programmes. In the previous year, the company facilitated a few in-person interviews for applications to its financial and risk advisory business. While the early stages of the application will remain online, face-to-face interviews afford applicants a chance to experience the real working environment at Deloitte and form connections with potential colleagues.
Deloitte chose not to comment on any instances of cheating found in their online recruitment procedures by the FRC. However, there have been suggestions that the firm would conduct an internal investigation if their employees are not upholding the highest professional standards.
The Big Four are some of the UK’s largest employers for apprentices and new graduates. Each firm recruits more than a thousand fresh workers annually and receives applications from tens of thousands of national and international candidates. Sarah Rapson, the executive director of supervision at the FRC, emphasised that “A well-functioning audit market is underpinned by honesty and integrity.”
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has heightened concerns over examination dishonesty. Rapson has noted that auditors are collaborating with the regulatory body to establish systems to identify, track and counteract any possible cheating instances which may impair audit quality, encompassing new technological developments.
Globally, accounting firms have consistently faced issues with internal and professional exam cheating, with the Big Four companies all receiving penalties for such behaviours. In 2022, EY had to settle a $100 million (€90.2 million) fine for fraudulent exam practices by numerous staff members in the United States. Meanwhile, in April, a fine of $25 million was levied against the Dutch division of KPMG. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024.