The Deloitte Discovery Internship is an 8 to 10-week program for first-year and second-year undergraduate students to gain exposure working in Deloitte’s different client service lines, including Audit, Tax, Advisory, and Consulting.

 

If you’re looking to apply to the Deloitte Discovery Internship and want to know how to give yourself the best chance of landing an offer, then this article is for you.

 

In this comprehensive article, we’ll cover what is the Deloitte Discovery Internship, program requirements and deadlines, and tips for the application and interview.

 

What is the Deloitte Discovery Internship Program?

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship is an 8 to 10-week program for freshmen and sophomores to explore Deloitte’s professional service lines of Audit, Tax, Advisory, or Consulting. Interns will complete comprehensive training, work on client projects, receive mentorship, and create connections with others.

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship program is highly competitive to get into. There are significantly more applications than there are available spots. Internships for the “Consulting” service line are even more selective. Only a selective group will have this option for their internship.

 

Participants in the Deloitte Discovery Internship can expect to:

 

• Attend Deloitte University to develop the hard and soft skills needed to succeed in professional services

 

• Work on one or more impactful, real-world projects

 

• Receive mentorship through a coach and onboarding advisor

 

• Gain firsthand experience on what a career at Deloitte looks like

 

• Accelerate their professional development and learning through lunch and learns, industry and service line spotlights, and regularly scheduled training

 

• Attend social and networking events to develop lasting relationships with colleagues and other interns

 

Participants that complete the Deloitte Discovery Internship program may be eligible for full-time job opportunities after graduation.

 

Deloitte Discovery Internship Requirements

 

To be eligible for the Deloitte Discovery Internship, candidates must be a first-year or second-year student enrolled at a four-year undergraduate university or institution.

 

Additionally, Deloitte prefers candidates that have the following attributes:

 

• Pursuing a degree in business, accountings, economics, STEM, or a related field

 

• Strong academic credentials

 

• Effective communication skills

 

• Strong problem solving skills

 

• Leadership and teamwork capabilities

 

• Willingness to travel

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship is open to all eligible candidates, though students from minority groups are especially encouraged to apply. These minority groups include Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.

 

Deloitte Discovery Internship Deadline

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship deadline is typically April 18. However, students should check the Deloitte Discovery Internship website to get the official deadline for the upcoming year.

 

Applications to the Deloitte Discovery Internship program are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we highly recommend that candidates apply as early as possible.

 

Deloitte Discovery Internship Application

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship application consists of background information, resume, cover letter, and additional questions.

 

Background Information

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship application will ask for personal information, such as your name, email address, phone number, and home address.

 

In addition, you’ll need to submit some basic educational information, such as the name of the school you are attending and your intended major or degree. You’ll also be asked to submit your test scores for the SAT or ACT.

 

Resume

 

The resume that you submit for the Deloitte Discovery Internship program is the most important component of the application process.

 

Especially for the “Consulting” service line, it’s important that you spend sufficient time crafting your consulting resume so that it best highlights your qualities and accomplishments.

 

Application reviewers will spend most of their time looking at your resume when making decisions on who to interview.

 

Cover Letter

 

Although the Deloitte Discovery Internship program has a spot for you to submit a Deloitte cover letter, it will most likely not be read. The majority of application decisions are made based on your resume and background information.

 

However, if you are a borderline candidate for the “Consulting” service line, a well-written consulting cover letter could push your application over the edge and help you get an interview.

 

Given how competitive the Deloitte Discovery Internship program is for the “Consulting” service line, we recommend all candidates interested in consulting to submit a tailored cover letter.

 

Additional Questions

 

The application will ask for your office preferences. You will select up to three Deloitte offices that you have a preference for. You will be asked to weigh each of your office preferences such that the sum of all weights adds up to 100%.

 

The application will also ask for your interests. If you are a freshmen and are interested in consulting, you’ll need to declare the “Consulting” service line as your first choice interest. If you are a sophomore, you’ll need to apply to the Deloitte Discovery Internship job posting that is specific to the “Consulting” service line.

 

Deloitte Discovery Internship Interview

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship interview consists of two 30-minute interviews. These interviews consist of behavioral and motivational questions. If you are applying to the “Consulting” service line, one of these interviews will be focused on a case interview.

 

Behavioral Questions

 

Behavioral questions ask you to draw upon a time or experience in the past in which you demonstrated a particular quality or trait. For example, you may be asked common behavioral interview questions such as:

 

• Tell me about a time when you led a team

 

• Give an example of a time when you went above and beyond

 

• Tell me about a time when you failed

 

• Describe a problem that you solved using data

 

• Tell me about a time when you resolved conflict while working on a team

 

Deloitte asks behavioral questions because how you’ve handled situations in the past is a predictor of how you will handle problems and challenges in the future.

 

Additionally, these questions also give Deloitte interviewers a glimpse into who you are as a person. Your answers will show what qualities you demonstrate and what values you hold important to you.

 

Lastly, these questions give the opportunity for the interviewer to go deeper into your resume. They’ll be able to dive deeper into the details behind your accomplishments and achievements to see if you actually accomplished what was on your resume.

 

Motivational Questions

 

Deloitte asks motivational questions to assess your genuine passion for professional services, such as consulting, and to see if you are actually interested in working at the firm.

 

The Deloitte Discovery Internship program has an extremely limited number of spots. Therefore, Deloitte wants to ensure that the applicants that they accept will have a high likelihood of wanting to work at Deloitte full-time as a consultant after graduation.

 

There are two common motivational questions that you should prepare for:

 

• Why are you interested in consulting? (for those applying to the “Consulting” service line)

 

• Why do you want to work at Deloitte?

 

The first question evaluates whether you know what you are getting into. Do you actually have an idea of what consultants do and what you should expect on the job?

 

The reasons you provide for why you are interested in consulting will also help interviewers determine if you are interested in consulting for the right reasons. Are you motivated by the challenging, fulfilling business problems that you will solve? Or, are you motivated by the wrong reasons, such as the money or prestige.

 

The second question evaluates whether you’ve done your research on Deloitte. Do you know what makes Deloitte special among all the other professional services firms? Are you interested in Deloitte for the right reasons?

 

Case interview

 

Case interviews are only asked for candidates applying to the highly competitive “Consulting” service line.

 

A case interview is a 20 to 40-minute interview in which you are placed in a hypothetical business situation and asked to develop a recommendation to solve a business problem. Case interviews are a special type of interview that all consulting firms use in their interview process.

 

Examples of common types of case interview questions you could get asked include:

 

• What is causing profitability to decline and what can we do about it?

 

• How can we increase revenues?

 

• Should we enter a new market?

 

• Should we launch this new product?

 

• Should we acquire this company?

 

• How should we respond to this competitor?

 

The business problem that you will be asked to solve can be from any industry or function. Expect to see case interviews in industries ranging from retail to pharmaceuticals to financial services. However, know that no prior knowledge or experience in the industry is required to successfully solve the case interview.

 

Case interviews are used because they closely simulate what the consulting job will be like. In a case interview, you’ll need to use problem solving, quantitative skills, business judgment, and communication to work through the business problem, uncover insights, and make a firm recommendation.

 

Consulting firms, such as Deloitte, like to use case interviews in their recruiting process because they can assess a variety of skills and traits that are required to be a successful management consultant.

 

Tips For Getting Into the Deloitte Discovery Internship Program

 

To give yourself the best chance of landing a Deloitte Discovery Internship offer, we recommend that you perfect your resume, practice answering behavioral questions, prepare your answer to “why Deloitte,” and practice solving case interviews for those interested in the “Consulting” service line.

 

1. Perfect your resume

 

Your resume is the single most important component that will determine whether or not you are extended an interview for the Deloitte Discovery Internship program.

 

Therefore, you’ll want to dedicate at least a few days perfecting your resume while also getting feedback from peers, your school’s career center, or even consultants that you know.

 

Make sure to follow the tips below to perfect your resume.

 

• Keep your resume to one page only. If it is longer, you’ll need to make your resume more concise and less wordy

 

• Every bullet on your resume should start with a verb in the past tense to show that you have completed or achieved something

 

• Every bullet should have some kind of number or metric in them so that you can quantify your accomplishments and make them sound more impressive

 

• Your resume’s bullets should show a mix of quantitative skill accomplishments (e.g., analyzing data) and qualitative skill accomplishments (e.g., managing or working with others)

 

• Avoid using technical jargon, unfamiliar abbreviations or acronyms, and buzzwords with unclear meanings

 

• Your resume should prioritize showcasing your work experiences, particularly if you have worked at a brand name company

 

• Include personal interests at the end of the resume to give resume reviewers something interesting to read about

 

If you need professional help crafting the perfect resume that will land you interviews, check out our resume review and editing service.

 

2. Practice answering behavioral questions

 

If you receive a Deloitte Discovery Internship interview, expect to be asked a few behavioral questions.

 

To answer behavioral or fit interview questions well, follow these guidelines:

 

• Prepare 6-8 different stories in advance that draw upon your professional and personal work experiences. This ensures that you have prepared answers and stories that you can draw upon no matter what behavioral question is asked

 

• Only select and share experiences that are the most impressive, impactful, or unique. You want to showcase the highlights of your experiences, not just any experience that is relevant

 

• Make sure that you the stories you prepare are collectively diverse. You’ll want to have at least one story that is relevant to leadership, teamwork, problem solving, resilience, integrity, decision making, communication, and interpersonal skills

 

• Structure your answer to help keep your answer clear and easy to follow. Most candidates use the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result

 

• When giving your answer, cover the Situation and Task sections quickly and spend most of your time focusing on the Action and Result

 

If you want to learn how to answer 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours, check out our behavioral interview course.

 

3. Prepare your answer to “Why Deloitte?” 

 

In addition to behavioral questions, you should expect to be asked “why Deloitte?” at some point during your Deloitte Discovery Internship interview.

 

There are a variety of different reasons you could give for why you’re interested in Deloitte:

 

• Deloitte works with an impressive roster of prestigious clients, working on solving their most important and difficult problems

 

• Deloitte has ambitious, intelligent people that fosters a dynamic environment where ideas are constantly challenged and elevated

 

• Deloitte has a strong commitment to professional development, including mentorship programs, Deloitte University, and peer-to-peer learning

 

• Deloitte has a strong global presence, providing you with opportunities for international exposure and travel

 

• Deloitte has a broad portfolio of professional service line offerings, giving you broad exposure to Audit, Tax, Advisory, and Consulting

 

4. Practice solving case interviews

 

Case interviews are difficult and require a lot of time and practice to do well in them. Unlike behavioral or motivational questions, it is extremely unlikely you will nail your Deloitte case interview unless you have practiced at least 5 to 20+ cases.

 

Below, we’ve put together a 30-minute video giving you a solid introduction to case interviews.

 

 

If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to learn case interviews quickly and save yourself hundreds of hours, make sure to check out our comprehensive case interview course. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, learn the most effective case interview strategies and become a top 1% caser.

 

The course also includes plenty of practice cases that you can do without a case partner. This will significantly speed up how quickly you can master case interviews.

 

Recommended Resources to Get Into the Deloitte Discovery Internship Program

 

To give yourself the best chance to get into the highly competitive Deloitte Discovery Internship program, look into the resources listed below.

 

You don’t have to prepare your application and prepare for interviews by yourself. Getting professional help can significantly increase your chances of getting into the program and giving yourself a head start on your career.

 

For help landing consulting interviews

 

• Resume Review & Editing: Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

 

For help passing behavioral and fit interviews

 

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course: Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.

 

For help passing case interviews

 

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.

 

• Hacking the Case Interview Book (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.

 

• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

 

• Case Interview Coaching: Personalized, one-on-one coaching with former consulting interviewers.