EY consulting manager / senior manager interview.

Question

Hi, hope to get some advice.

I left MBB at pre-PL/EM level to go to industry. Now an opportunity with EY has come up - at the manager/senior manager level.

1. Is it a stretch if I try to push for senior manager? Not sure about the mapping of levels across firms.

2. What does the interview process look like at this level? Case interviews?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello ! here my thoughts :

1. Can you push for Senior Manager at EY?

Yes, it’s reasonable to aim for Senior Manager, especially if you left MBB at the cusp of PL/EM. EY tends to map MBB EMs to Senior Manager level, depending on years of experience and scope of prior projects. If you led teams, managed clients directly, or owned workstreams, you likely qualify. Just be ready to back that up with strong examples.

2. What’s the interview process like at that level?

At Manager/Senior Manager level, EY’s process typically includes:

Behavioral interviews (focus on leadership, problem-solving, and client management)
Case interviews (less technical than MBB—often operations or market-entry focused, sometimes tailored to your background)
Sometimes a presentation or role play, especially if the role involves client-facing leadership.

Answer 2

Hi there!

Discuss this directly with the recruiter from EY. Typically you can go one level up vs MBB. So if you left before manager at MBB, you could join as manager in Big4 (though it's more of a rule of thumb, not an actual rule, needless to say).

Ask the recruiter to also explain the differences between a manager and a senior manager at EY. At the end of the day, it's not only about 'convincing them to give you' the more senior role, but knowing whether you can actually deliver in that role.

In terms of the interview process, that's pretty similar to MBB - high-level it's case + personal fit, though the format might vary slightly.

Best,
Cristian