The purpose
Build trust in society, solve important problems.
- PwC's words
- Our purpose grounds our existence
- Reach
- 86% of the Global Fortune 500 in FY24
Why PwC? how to answer it
PwC says it seeks people who are curious, great at what they do and who bring its behaviors to life, and that its purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. A strong why PwC answer starts with the work you want, ties it to that purpose or one of PwC's five values, and proves it with a real conversation or experience, so it couldn't be said about another Big 4 firm. To rehearse your answer, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting and finance candidates, has a free why this firm question page listing what a strong answer covers, no sign-up needed.
Updated
- PwC's purpose
- Build trust in society and solve important problems
- From its purpose and values page
- Five values
- Integrity, make a difference, care, work together, reimagine the possible
- PwC's own names, shortened
- Who it hires
- Curious people who live its behaviors
- From What we look for
- Revenue
- US$55.4 billion
- Year ending June 30, 2024
- Length
- About a minute
- Our advice
What does PwC say it stands for?
PwC's global page frames it in three layers: a purpose, five values and behaviors. Its hiring page adds the PwC Professional, its framework for how people behave. A why PwC answer only needs one of them, used precisely.
The people
Learning built into the work.
- PwC US
- 55,000 people
- Volunteering
- 40 paid hours a year
PwC's five values, one line eachFrom PwC Indonesia's careers page
PwC's global page names the five values. Its Indonesia careers page gives each a one-line description, summarized here.
Act with integrity
Speak up for what's right
Even when that's the harder option.
Make a difference
Stay informed
Proactively look for ways to better the world.
Care
For each other and for clients
And about empowering everyone to do their best.
Work together
Feedback and diverse perspectives
PwC says feedback, collaboration and diverse perspectives make its work stronger.
Reimagine the possible
Innovate, test, iterate
And learn along the way.
Behaviors
From PwC's global page
Its list includes speaking the truth even when it's hard, being curious and encouraging curiosity, and raising a bold point of view to advance the team's thinking.
What PwC says about its work and its peopleFrom pwc.com
Network
149 countries
PwC's US careers site says the network has offices in 149 countries and more than 370,000 people, and that in FY24 PwC firms served 86% of the Global Fortune 500, with gross revenues of US$55.4 billion for the year ending June 30, 2024.
The work
Assurance, Tax and Advisory
PwC US says it brings together capabilities in Assurance, Tax and Advisory, and that its professionals work across disciplines.
Learning
The Learning Collective
PwC US announced the Learning Collective in a February 5, 2026 press release. It says learning is built into everyday client work, with a curriculum of 30 skills, 15 AI technical and 15 human.
Service
Skills for Society
PwC US gives each person 40 hours of paid time a year to volunteer with nonprofits through its pro bono program, Skills for Society.
Where you work
Half in person
PwC US says its people spend an average of 50% of their time at a client site or a PwC office.
Worked example: one answer built in four steps (ours)4 steps and a generic version
Our made-up candidate is an accounting senior applying to PwC's audit practice. Soreno invented all of it. Put your own story in each slot.
What you want
Begin with the work
"I worked part-time in my university's finance office, and the part that stuck with me was how much people relied on numbers being right. I want a career where that's the job."
One PwC idea
The purpose
"PwC says its purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. In audit, that isn't a slogan, it's the work itself, and that's what draws me."
Proof
Someone you talked to
"At your campus night, a senior associate told me about finding a revenue error on her second engagement and how her manager backed her when she raised it. That's the team I want."
What you bring
A value you've shown
"PwC lists speaking the truth even when it's hard as a behavior. I flagged a reconciliation gap to my supervisor last year that others had let slide."
The generic version
Why it fails
"PwC is a Big 4 firm with great clients and training, and I'd get great exposure." Swap in Deloitte, EY or KPMG and nothing changes.
From PwC: purpose, values and behaviors, PwC Indonesia: values and behaviors, PwC US: why PwC, PwC US: what we do, PwC US: the Learning Collective and PwC US press release, February 5, 2026.
What PwC says it looks for
PwC's What we look for page describes the PwC Professional in two parts, Trusted Leadership and Distinctive Outcomes, and asks candidates questions about each. The four checks below are ours, built on those questions.
Your effect on others
PwC asks: do you understand your impact on others and how it influences whether people want to work with you? Show one moment where it mattered.
You keep growing
PwC asks whether you actively seek experiences and skills with an eye to the future. Name what you're learning now.
Quality and integrity
PwC asks whether you commit to quality, integrity and inclusive behaviors. A small, true example works better than a claim.
A business mindset
PwC asks whether you apply a business mindset and understand the market around you. Show you know what PwC's clients are dealing with.
From PwC: what we look for.
Build your why PwC answer in four steps
Our structure, roughly a minute. Each fact you pick should come from PwC's own pages.
Step 1
Start with the work
Audit, tax, deals, technology or consulting. Say which and why, from something you've done.
Step 2
Link one PwC idea
The purpose, one of the five values, the Learning Collective or Skills for Society. Quote it accurately.
Step 3
Back it with a person
A campus event, a coffee chat or a project you read about. One real detail is enough.
Step 4
Show a behavior
Pick one of PwC's self-check questions and answer it with a short story.
From PwC: what we look for.
12 follow-ups to why PwC
The first two groups are our own questions. The third rewords PwC's self-check questions as interview prompts. Notes are what we'd listen for.
Why PwC, really
The interviewer tests the reason.
Why PwC and not Deloitte, EY or KPMG?
One thing PwC says about itself that you care about, with no criticism of the others. Practice it, see a model answer
Which of our values means most to you?
One value by PwC's name for it, and a time you acted on it.
Why this practice and not another part of PwC?
A reason tied to the work itself, and what you'd want to learn there.
What do you know about how we train people?
Something accurate, such as learning built into client work, and why it suits you.
Fit and background
Standard questions that sit next to why PwC.
Walk me through your resume.
In order, with a reason for each step, landing on PwC. Practice it, see a model answer
What is your biggest weakness?
A real one, what you're doing about it and proof it's improving. Practice it, see a model answer
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Growth inside the work you're applying for, said honestly. Practice it, see a model answer
PwC's own self-check, as questions
Adapted from the questions on What we look for.
Tell me about a time your impact on others changed how a team worked.
Trusted Leadership. What you noticed about yourself and what you changed.
Tell me about a time you coached someone or worked side by side with them.
Trusted Leadership. What they learned and how you know.
Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly.
Trusted Leadership. How you grew, what you learned and what it let you do. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you held a high standard when it would have been easier not to.
Distinctive Outcomes. The shortcut you didn't take and why it mattered.
Tell me about a time you worked with someone who saw it differently.
Distinctive Outcomes. How you worked across the difference to deliver. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes in why PwC answers
The ones we hear most when candidates practice.
A Big 4 answer
Size, brand and exposure apply to four firms. Give one reason that only PwC's own words support.
Salary or perks first
Benefits are real, but leading with them suggests the work doesn't interest you.
Mixing up the values
PwC's five values are act with integrity, make a difference, care, work together and reimagine the possible. Read the page before you quote it.
Not naming the practice
PwC is assurance, tax and advisory. Say which one you're applying to and why.
No contact at all
One conversation or event makes the answer believable.
Say why PwC out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks why PwC and the follow-ups by voice, presses on answers that would fit any Big 4 firm and scores what you said. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
How do I answer why PwC?
Start with the work you want, link it to PwC's purpose or one of its values, back it with a real conversation, and close with a behavior you've shown. About a minute.
What is PwC's purpose?
PwC's purpose and values page says its purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems.
What are PwC's values?
Five: act with integrity, make a difference, care, work together and reimagine the possible. PwC says they set the framework for all its work with clients and colleagues.
What is the PwC Professional?
PwC's framework for how its people behave, in two parts: Trusted Leadership, which prioritizes inspiring, collaborating with and developing others, and Distinctive Outcomes, which means delivering quality, expertise and differentiated experiences.
How do I answer why PwC over the other Big 4?
Name one thing PwC says about itself that matters to you, such as its purpose or the Learning Collective, and leave the other firms out of it.
What is the Learning Collective?
PwC US's approach to learning, announced in a February 5, 2026 press release. PwC says learning is embedded in client work, and its curriculum covers 30 skills, 15 AI technical and 15 human.
How big is PwC?
PwC's US careers site says the network has offices in 149 countries and more than 370,000 people. PwC US says it has 55,000 people.