The Purpose
To make an impact that matters for clients, people and society.
- Deloitte's words
- The lens for which our global strategy is set
- Scale
- Over 470,000 people
Why Deloitte? how to answer it
Deloitte's own interview tips say interviewers appreciate candidates who have learned about its values, culture and recent projects. A strong why Deloitte answer starts from what you want, ties it to one thing Deloitte says it stands for, such as its Purpose to make an impact that matters or one of its five Shared Values, and backs it with a real example. To rehearse it out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting and finance candidates, has a free why this firm question page with what a strong answer covers, no sign-up needed.
Updated
- Deloitte's own advice
- Know its values and recent work
- From its US recruiting tips
- Its Purpose
- An impact that matters
- For clients, people and society
- Shared Values
- Five
- Each in Deloitte's own words below
- AI in interviews
- Not unless told
- Fine for research and practice
What does Deloitte say it stands for?
Deloitte's global Purpose and Shared Values page sets out one Purpose and five values. Its recruiting tips tell candidates to learn about the organization's values, culture and recent projects. Use one of these in your answer, not all of them.
The people
A culture of apprenticeship, in Deloitte's words.
- Learning
- Teach and learn at every level
- Training
- $673M+ invested, per its report
Deloitte's five Shared Values, in its own wordsFrom Purpose and values
Lead the way
Reinvent the profession
Deloitte says it is not only leading the profession but reinventing it for the future, and leading the way to a more sustainable world.
Serve with integrity
Trust as the first responsibility
By acting ethically and with integrity, Deloitte says, it has earned the trust of clients, regulators and the public, and upholding that trust is its single most important responsibility.
Take care of each other
Respect and well-being
Looking out for one another and prioritizing respect, fairness, development and well-being.
Foster inclusion
Diversity in all forms
Deloitte says it is at its best when it fosters an inclusive culture and embraces diversity in all forms.
Collaborate for measurable impact
Teaming across businesses
A collaborative mindset, teaming across businesses, geographies and skills to deliver tangible, measurable, attributable impact.
Deloitte by its own numbers2025 Global Impact Report
People
473,050
Total headcount in the people highlights of Deloitte's Global Impact Report.
Applications
7.71 million+
Applications received across the organization, per the same report.
Training
$673 million+
Direct training investment, per the same report.
Worked example: one answer, built step by step (ours)4 parts
An invented candidate: an engineering student who led a campus sustainability project. Every detail is made up by Soreno for practice. Swap in your own.
What you want
Start with you
"I want to work on problems where the answer has to work across a whole organization, not just in one team. Running our campus energy project showed me how much of the work is getting different groups to move together."
One thing Deloitte stands for
Pick one, in Deloitte's words
"That's why Deloitte's value of collaborating for measurable impact stands out to me: teaming across businesses and skills to deliver impact you can measure."
Proof it's real
A conversation or project
"When I talked with a consultant at your info session, she described a project where people from strategy and technology worked on one client team. That's the kind of team I want to learn from."
What you bring
Close on fit
"I've had to measure results to keep funding for our project, so I'd bring the habit of tying work to a number." About a minute, and every line is specific to Deloitte.
From Deloitte: Purpose and Shared Values, Deloitte Global Impact Report: people and Deloitte: growth and development.
What interviewers listen for in why Deloitte
From Deloitte's US recruiting tips, then what we've seen work in practice.
You did your homework
Deloitte says interviewers appreciate candidates who have learned about the organization's values, culture and recent projects, and suggests its website, latest news and the services it provides.
A reason only Deloitte fits
If your answer works for any Big 4 firm with the name swapped, it isn't why Deloitte. Tie it to one value or the Purpose, in Deloitte's words.
A story with a result
Deloitte's behavioral tips suggest the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to keep answers clear and concise.
Your own words
Deloitte's AI policy says your interview answers and work must be your own. A rehearsed AI script sounds like one.
From Deloitte: tips to prepare for an interview, Deloitte: behavioral interview tips and Deloitte: using AI in the recruitment process.
Build your why Deloitte answer
Our four steps, in about a minute. The facts come from Deloitte's own pages.
Step 1
What you want to do
One or two sentences about the work you want, drawn from something you've done.
Step 2
One thing Deloitte stands for
The Purpose or one Shared Value, quoted in Deloitte's words, and why it matters to you.
Step 3
Proof you looked
A person you spoke with or a recent Deloitte project. Its tips suggest asking for the list of people you'll meet and looking them up.
Step 4
What you'd bring
Close on the skill or experience that fits the role, with one result.
12 follow-ups to why Deloitte
Soreno's own questions, the kind an interviewer asks after your first answer. Under each is what a strong answer covers.
Pushing on your answer
The interviewer checks it's real.
Why Deloitte and not another Big 4 firm?
Names one thing Deloitte says about itself that matters to you, without criticizing the others. Practice it, see a model answer
Which of our Shared Values matters most to you?
Picks one value and backs it with a time you lived it.
What recent Deloitte work caught your attention?
Names a real project or publication and what it taught you about the firm.
Who have you spoken to at Deloitte?
Names a real conversation and one thing it changed in your view.
Why consulting at all
Before why Deloitte comes why this job.
Why consulting?
Ties the work to what you enjoy and want to learn, with one concrete reason. Practice it, see a model answer
Walk me through your background.
Two minutes in order, each move with its reason, ending on this role. Practice it, see a model answer
Where do you see yourself in five years?
A direction the role helps, without promising to stay or leave. Practice it, see a model answer
Why should we hire you?
One or two strengths with proof, tied to the role. Practice it, see a model answer
Stories behind the values
Use STAR, as Deloitte's tips suggest.
Tell me about a time you faced an ethical choice.
Fits Serve with integrity. The pressure, what you did and what it cost you.
Tell me about a time you worked with people from very different backgrounds.
Fits Foster inclusion. What you did to bring everyone in and what changed. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a result you could measure.
Fits Collaborate for measurable impact. The goal, the measure and the number.
Tell me about a time you looked out for a teammate.
Fits Take care of each other. What you noticed and what you did.
Mistakes in why Deloitte answers
The first comes from Deloitte's own AI policy. The rest are mistakes we hear in practice.
Reading an AI-written answer
Deloitte says AI can help you research and practice, but it doesn't condone using AI to generate answers or talking points for an interview, or to replace your own examples.
Size as the only reason
Being big isn't a reason you'd join. If you mention scale, say what it lets you do.
Naming every value
Five values in a row sound memorized. One, with a story, sounds real.
A Big 4 answer, not a Deloitte one
Swap the name for another firm. If the answer still works, it isn't specific enough.
No real contact
Deloitte's tips suggest looking up your interviewers. A real conversation makes the answer believable.
Say why Deloitte out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks why Deloitte and the follow-ups by voice, presses on vague reasons and scores your answer. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
How do I answer why Deloitte?
Start with what you want to do, tie it to one thing Deloitte says it stands for, prove it with a real conversation or project, and close on what you'd bring. Keep it to about a minute.
What are Deloitte's Shared Values?
Lead the way, Serve with integrity, Take care of each other, Foster inclusion, and Collaborate for measurable impact.
What is Deloitte's Purpose?
Deloitte says its Purpose is to make an impact that matters for its clients, its people and society.
How should I prepare for a Deloitte interview?
Deloitte's tips say to research its values, culture and recent projects, look up your interviewers, practice with mock interviews, know your resume in detail and use the STAR method for stories.
Can I use AI to prepare for a Deloitte interview?
Yes, to research Deloitte, brainstorm, refine your resume and generate practice questions. Deloitte says that, unless it tells you otherwise, you should complete the interview yourself, without AI or help from others.
How big is Deloitte?
Its Global Impact Report lists a total headcount of 473,050, and its values page says over 470,000 people in more than 150 countries and territories.
Is why Deloitte different from why consulting?
Yes. Why consulting is about the job. Why Deloitte is about this firm. Answer both, and keep them separate.