[Anonymous]

I’m a bit of an odd duck in applying for Big 4, as I’m a JD/LLM (planning on taking classes this spring to become CPA-eiigible), but am specifically interested in a fairly niche field (transfer pricing). I’m aware my situation is a bit unique, but I’m curious if others who have had similar interview experiences (as described below) can share their thoughts, and whether my phone interview was a formality and I have no chance to make it to the office interview stage, or if it was positive.

I applied to EY through on-campus recruiting (law school’s Tax LLM program), and had a phone interview with a manager from the transfer pricing group, as it does direct hiring as a specialty group. It was very different from any interview I’ve had before: the first 20-25 minutes were a pitch, I got to ask questions for 10-15 minutes, and then the interviewer asked me questions almost as a formality.

I had a very positive vibe about the interview, especially given the extended pitch (choice bits included “You don’t have to travel! But you can! If you want!”; emphasis on how transfer pricing is expanding; letting me know that after a half-year to a year of learning the field, there is work location mobility, etc.), but it almost felt too easy. I’m probably sweating it out unreasonably, and will figure out if I make it to the next interview round soon enough (interview was on Friday), just need to vent nerves out instead of trying too hard to read tea leaves.