How to make your application to PwC stand out

Recruiting season has officially begun! This is probably one of the most exciting times of the year for PwC and obviously for students and recent grads. Many students have asked me over the past several weeks how to stand out amongst the competition. My answer is simple. Invest in your personal brand. Sounds complicated? Not really! Your cover letter and resume is a representation of your brand printed on paper. The more effort you put into your resume and cover letter now will pay great dividends in the long run! Trust me, I used to detest spending endless hours scrutinizing each and every word on my resume, but I managed to get through and here I am doing what I do best, helping you! Read on for my personal set of tips and tricks to help make your application to PwC this fall stand out from the rest of the competition!

The Cover Letter

The cover letter, in my opinion, is as important as your resume, if not more. Students tend to downplay the cover letter, but believe me, a powerful cover letter can propel you to land numerous interviews. What make a powerful cover letter?  I am glad you asked!

Make your prospective workplace want you by talking like “one of them”

Simply put, you want your cover letter to make the company you are applying to want you. The easiest way to do this is by using words that makes it seem like you already work there. What I used to do when applying to firms was that I used key words and phrases to make it seem like I did more than just online research about the organization I was applying to. I strongly recommend that you speak to any contacts you have within the firms you are applying to get an inside scoop of what the firm is all about and any keywords that employees use at the firm to help make you stand out! With their permission, it is also a smart idea to mention their names in your cover letter as this shows that you already have a personal network within the firm!

What are some keywords and phrases that you can potentially include in your cover letter when applying to PwC? Flexbility, work-life balance, non-specialization, PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada Foundation, “teach don’t tell,etc. These are just a few. There is no point just listing these down in your cover letter unless you understand the true meaning behind them and how it ties in with you so that you can exercise the words/phrases on your cover letter! 

Address the organization’s needs, wants and desires

An elaborate and illustrative job description is going to be your best friend in any job application. If you have checked out any of PwC’s latest postings on the Brilliant Futures website for positions in Audit, Tax and/or Consulting, you may have noticed that the words used are unique and inviting. Not only does it mention what you may be doing at the firm, but it also goes over on a very high-level as to what the firm values. Use this information in your cover letter by tying it back to your personal experiences and how your values and the firm’s values align.

Every great novel has an impeccable theme

If you want your cover letter to be an interesting read, make sure it has a unique theme. I usually like to tie the theme of my cover letter to an organization’s core values. For example, PwC’s core values are teamwork, leadership and excellence. Why not discuss these three topics in your cover letter to further demonstrate why PwC is the right fit for you?

Writing a strong cover letter is like playing a tricky game

A common mistake students make in their cover letters is making it sound like a wordier version of their resumes. Your cover letter is not your resume. Think of it like a table of contents. You want to captivate the reader’s attention by highlighting key areas of interest in your resume that is unique to you and the firm.

If you are absolutely confused as to how to start writing a cover letter, use the following approach. Think of writing the cover letter as a game. There are two main players: you and the recruiter reading your application. The aim of this game is that you have to try to answer the million dollar question that the recruiter has in his/her mind: “What is in it for me/the firm?” If you can demonstrate, via your cover letter, how the firm will benefit from hiring you in the long-run, you are well on your way to winning the game!

The Resume

Reading an applicant’s resume can be smooth sailing for the recruiter, or it can be his/her worst nightmare. The best resumes are those that are easy to follow and organized. You want to do the hiring manager a favour by ensuring that your resume is formatted correctly (clean headings, right and left justified, etc.). Similar to laws of attraction between humans, the best looking resumes are a catch in the recruiter’s eyes!  Let me help you get the hiring manager to notice your resume.

Shine like a “STAR”

You have probably been told this numerous times by now, but you want to ensure that your bullet points follow the “STAR” format (situation, task, action, result). This will not only help you structure your answers, but it will make the recruiter’s life a lot easier in understanding what you exactly did on the job and what key skill you extracted from it. If possible, always quantify any results of certain tasks you performed and share success stories!

Gardner? Cashier? Painter? No problem!

Many students are afraid to include certain positions they have held in their careers because they feel like it will downplay their chances of getting selected by top accounting firms. Speaking in behalf of PwC, we do not care about the “title” of your job. We care more about what you got out of it!

I know several students who have landed interviews at PwC that have only held jobs as city landscapers, cashiers and even bartenders. Think about these three positions for a moment. What do they all have in common? I will give you a hint, it is the main driver of PwC’s business. Clients! People! Whenever possible, always tie your experience to how you catered to client needs and how you worked with people! Did you increase the efficiency of serving drinks to your customers as a bartender, which resulted in greater profits for the restaurant? Or did you work with your team members on a daily basis to ensure that the city’s landscaping objectives were met ahead of schedule?

So remember, include any related work experience on your resume that can attest to the fact that you have dealt with either working in teams, leading a team or catering to client’s/customer’s needs. If you have no work experience, no problem! As long as you have extra-curricular experience that can support to any of the three characteristics above, you are good to go!

Resumes are boring without a personality

In my opinion, a resume is probably the more boring document when compared to the cover letter. How can you add a little bit of “umph” to yours? Try these tricks:

- Use illustrative/captivating vocabulary in your resume (ie- instead of saying “dealt with customers on a daily basis”... write “passionately dealt with customers on a daily basis”)

- Have an “interests” section as this showcases a bit of personality

- Sell yourself. Through your experience, demonstrate what makes you unique! 

 

As always, I wish you the best of luck during the recruiting process. Remember, confidence is key. If you don't believe in yourself, you cannot expect anyone else to. So believe in yourself and keep in mind that whatever happens this recruiting season is for the better! Feel free to post any comments below and/or ask any questions, comments and/or concerns that you might have!

Comments

[Kathleen]

Hello Fahad,

Thank you so much for your post again! I've always feel so pumped after your blogs. I especially like your tip on incorporating the key words into our cover letters.

I am just wondering if you could please provide some quick advice on my resume and cover letter, if you have the time? I would love to connect with you personally too!

Thank you

[Ujala Mahmood]

Hi Fahad,

Thank you so much for posting this! I think it is interesting that you mentioned, for the cover letter, to make the prospective workplace want you by talking like "one of them". That's really good advice on tailoring the cover letter by making it more personal for the company.

I agree with you, about adding some personality on the resume such as interests, and so what do you think about adding a link to linkedin profiles on the resume?

You made many helpful points, for both cover letter and resume, and I will definitely be applying them!

Kind Regards,

Ujala

[Syed Tabish Bukhari]

Wow, this is one of the amazing guide to the cover letter and resume. I really like how to explained the cover letter as a game to answer the recruiter's most important question. The explanation on how to write resume is also wonderful.

[Rafay Us]

Hi Fahad,

Thanks for the post. This is definitely a stressful time for most of the students and I wanted to get my Resume and Cover Letter edited by as many people as possible before applying. Your post included some excellent tips which I can add to my Resume/Cover Letter.
Thanks Again,
Muhammad Rafay Usmani

[Fahad]

Thank you very much everyone for such positive and encouraging comments!

Ujala, I have not seen anyone actually do this and personally, I do not think it really adds any value because your profile on LinkedIn is probably just a summary of what you have on your resume. However, if you have something that stands out on your LinkedIn profile that you cannot include on your resume, it would then might make sense to add it in there.

Kathleen/Rafay, add me either on LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Twitter and let's keep in touch :)

[Farhad]

Hi Fahad,

Can you confirm that the application deadline for Ryerson University is indeed tomorrow at 11:59pm ? It says on our school's website that it is at 9am.

and thanks for your great post, very helpful as always.

Regards,

[Hibbah Khan]

Hey Fahad!

Like always, your blog is very inspiring and useful. I actually just submitted my PwC application and ensured that my resume and cover letter were the best portrayal of my personality, by using the tips you highlighted above :)

Thanks a lot!

[Nouman Jabbar]

Thanks very much for the post I shall be very thank full if sir you , provides a dummy kind of Cover letter ( a more practical way how to start and finish where to write what...)
and if possible dummy style of CV please.
and secondly if I may have no practical work experience how it may possible to demonstrate team work.

[Ambreen Lalani]

Hi Fahad,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your blogs! Targeting a resume and cover letter is challenging and your blog provides all the necessary tips to make this process smooth and easy for students like myself.

If you had some time, would you be able to take a quick look at my resume and cover letter? I would really appreciate any advice or tips you may have for improvement.

Kind regards,

Ambreen Lalani

[Fahad]

Hello Farhad,

To be safe, I would apply by 9am!

Good luck!