Windes Interview Questions
& Process

I saw that they were hiring audit interns and I looked on their website, found the HR manager's email to email her. She got back to me within a week for an interview. Interview was supposed to last 2 hours but it didn't. She gave me a tour of the office in Long Beach and interviewed me after. I had two other 1:1 interviews with the partner and senior manager. Partner was a little more professional (more serious) but nothing scary. The senior manager was absolutely fun to interview with, very welcoming and friendly. Partner was the one that made the final decision but she was the second person I had to interview with, so all the weight was off when I interviewed with the Senior Manager. This was really a personality test. Show them that you are personable and hardworking. Everyone in the office is very friendly. I followed up two weeks after the interview and they said they only extended two internship offers, but they told me that if either of them rejects it, I would be the first one to be considered. Next day (today actually), the HR manager woke me up with her call to offer me the internship. Always follow up!

I got contacted on LinkedIn out of the blue, which was surprising since I hadn't applied yet. The process was quick, and within a week I had an interview at the main headquarters in Long Beach. I was getting called or emailed daily, which made me really interested. The office was beautiful and a great place to work. HR gave me a tour and highlighted the water view. My first interview was with the head of HR, where we talked about my education, qualifications, availability, and other HR-related stuff. The second interview was with a Tax partner who seemed like a great mentor. Her questions were broad and behavioral, focusing on my education and how my MST compared to hers. She even seemed unsure why I was being interviewed for the tax internship. I asked her a lot about her specialty and for thesis advice. I liked her a lot. The third interview was with the Tax Partner who originally contacted me. He explained why he chose me and clarified that the company usually doesn't have tax interns during the fall busy season, and summer interns were still around. I found this odd and probed why I was called in, inferring I might be a 'test pilot' for a fall intern. I really liked this partner too; he was motivated and client-focused. The fourth interview was with the senior manager. He seemed confrontational and asked standard behavioral questions, sometimes with sarcasm. He even admitted to making up a question on the spot. He interrupted me several times, and his phone rang during our conversation, which he answered for a personal call, then lied about it. I left feeling humiliated and disrespected. Less than 24 hours later, the head of HR called to say I didn't get the position because they chose a more qualified candidate. The tax personnel said I was the only one interviewed for the position. I was relieved I didn't get an offer because of the interaction with the last manager. If not for him, I would have applied for a full-time tax staff position after graduation, but now I won't if he still works there.

The interview process was really well-structured. It started with a quick phone call, followed by three one-on-one interviews with the head of HR and two partners. This was after getting a tour of the office and facilities. The company location and people are very nice. You can tell by talking to the employees that even if they are serious hard-workers, they have a great balanced and genuine personality and take time to bond with each other. They are truly caring about the future of their company. Show them that you are like them. Fun to work with but smart, curious and full of potential to unlock. The company was founded a long time ago and has a great number of loyal customers. Also, their employee turnover is very low as they care about them and provide them additional training, education and seminars along with organizing outside social firm sponsored events. I am very pleased with the offer. It was my first choice !

I went through three one-on-one interviews. The first was with a manager who talked about the firm's background, how it's set up, the perks, and how things work. Then, he asked me some questions to check my technical knowledge. Next, a senior manager looked over my resume and asked questions to get a general sense of what I can do. Finally, the tax partner asked me more in-depth questions about my commitment to further education, what I'm interested in, my aspirations, and my career goals. All in all, it was a well-organized and good experience.