11/8/2017 4 Key Consulting Fit Interview Questions You Must Prepare For

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4 KEY CONSULTING FIT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS YOU MUST

PREPARE FOR

4 Key Consulting Fit Interview Questions You Must

Prepare For
During an interview, it is common to be asked Tell me about yourself. Even though youre mentally prepared for the question to be asked, suddenly
your heart starts racing, your mind goes blank, and you just plain forget how to talk like a normal human being.
In thousands of hours of interview preparation every year, we nd similar themes with EVERY client: you love breaking your brain for the case
interview, and assume that for the the t interviews being more predictable by comparison you can wing it.
Au contraire, peeps. The t interview is where magic happens, where your true self comes out, and where the interview is ultimately decided. True,
you cant get through the process without being good at cases but amongst those that rock the cases, how do they decide? The t interview is the
tiebreaker, so you best be on your game.
The t interview preparation process is critical to success, and requires tremendous self-re ection why you are unique, what makes you valuable to
an employer, and what your goals are (especially as they line up with the rms).
Now, no one wants to work with a robot were not trying to point you to perfect answers here. Firms hire humans who are intelligent but also have
vocal in ections, facial expressions, emotions and, hopefully, humor. Your goal, when practicing for the t interview, is not memorizing to recite
answers.

There are no trick questions in t interviews but you can still go in horribly unprepared. You must practice and the rst step toward practice is
understanding. Today, well help by laying out 4 key types of consulting t questions. Enjoy!
1. Why Consulting? Why Now?
Whether you are transitioning into consulting from a different industry or are heading there straight from the classroom, the interviewer is looking to
see if you are really serious about this career move that you have researched this industry, and will want to know why you chose this industry over
where you have been and all of the other choices on your plate.
Firms know youll probably leave in 2-3 years, if youre normal and they are comfortable with that payback cycle. However, the rm loses money on
you in the rst 6-12 months on the job they invest heavily in training, and you are contributing very little. Its a risk to take someone on if they are not
committed to the job so when you answer the questions the interviewer should feel con dent that you know about the industry and the company
you are applying for.
Make sure you are ready to share how your experience positions you well for this industry its important that you dont sound like a consulting-
worshipper or share how you hate what youre currently doing. Consultants want workers who are going from strength to strength.
Make sure you have honestly taken the time to weigh all bene ts, sacri ces and reasons for making this transition. Although over time consultants are
paid well, an industry transition from a senior exec role or a eld like i-banking can mean decreased pay, title and seniority, etc. and you need to share
what bene ts of consulting will outweigh these costs.
An example version of this question might beYou have received numerous promotions and your compensation is far greater than that of a
consultant at your level. Why the transition?The interviewer is clearly trying to see if there is a convincing reason for the switch. Communicate your
thought process, research and some areas you like about your current work that youll get to do more of as a consultant make sure you highlight the
skills youll develop, higher job satisfaction, and long-term career aspirations.
2. Industry/Firm Interest and Knowledge
Why do you want to work for XXX?You can guarantee this question will be asked. The rm is trying to assess where else you are applying, where their
rm ts in, and how much work youve done to prepare. You have 2 ways to handle this kind of question.
First, you can give them a few reasons 3 reasons why you want to work for McKinsey, or 4 reasons why Deloitte is your rst-choice rm. You need to
explain each reason, and let them know at the beginning that youve thought about this question a lot to reduce the risk of sounding totally
memorized.

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11/8/2017 4 Key Consulting Fit Interview Questions You Must Prepare For
Second, you can tell a story. Stories are the best they are believable, personal and very memorable. The story might sound like this: I used to think
investment banking was for meand then I met this guy from McKinsey. Take insights from your networking conversations, and get speci c.
No matter which option you choose here, make sure you address the question with enthusiasm be excited about what the rm has to offer.
What do you think makes a good management consultant?If you do not have business or economics background, take heed! Interviewers are
searching out whether you are interested enough in the job to do your own research and were not talking web research here (although thats a good
foundation). Do you understand what skills are required for success and do you honestly feel prepared to take those on?
Firms want to be assured you have a clear understanding of why you are entering into this industry and what you plan to accomplish during your time
as a consultant.The interviewer is trying to nd out what you haveheardmakes a good management consultant from other management consultants,
not some vague online article. Structure your response and make sure you include skills like analytical capabilities, hard work, and great communication
skills.
3. Strength and Weaknesses
Are you aware of what you are good at and what areas needs improving? Now, dont get us wrong if it were possible to be perfect, rms would be
pumped and you would be hired. However, in the absence of possible perfection, its critical to make sure you have a healthy understanding of where
youre strong and where you need work without displaying extremes like arrogance or insecurity.
Whats your greatest strength? (Variations can include Tell me about your 3 greatest strengths. or If I put you on a team with 6 people, what
strengths of yours would be displayed?, etc.) The interviewer really wants to make sure you understand what a few of your strengths are and how to
best apply them to all types of situations. Be prepared to share some examples of those amazing qualities, with brief explanations, but without sounding
arrogant. Select strengths (you should have many) that demonstrate well-roundedness for example, one on data/analysis/problem solving, one on
leadership/motivation/work ethic, one on communication/con ict resolution.
Whats your greatest weakness?This is such a hated question, but its not hard to answer. Dont do what so many try to do share about a not very
weak weakness, such as I have an issue with coming up with too many great ideas. Ummmyeah lame!
Your interviewer is trying to see not if you have weaknesses, but how you handle them and what are you doing to manage a negative effect so its
not THEIR problem. Do you have a plan in place whereby you are improving in your weak area? How do you receive constructive criticism? As a
consultant, youll receive excessive feedback from peers, managers, those that report to you and frequently (3-6 mini-reviews per year, 2 formal
reviews). You should be eating weaknesses for lunch not trying to hide them. After all, thats how you will grow.
There are always-scary weaknesses like being error-prone or resistant to feedback. There are also always-safe weaknesses like learning how to
speak your mind and becoming a more clear communicator. In one of our 8-hour Bootcamp modules, we go around the room and share weaknesses
were the ultimate spin doctors, and its fun to watch the room transform as attendees break off fear of exposure and get bold about planning to
improve.
For weaknesses, dont be surprised if they ask for more than one so be prepared to share boldly about at least 2 weaknesses.
4. General Business and Current Events
In this industry, consultants make it a point to be remain constantly aware of some basic business news and current events. Why? Its important for you
to stay on top of recent insights but its also important that youre always ready to engage in a business conversation with a client. This question is a
proxy for both are you genuinely interested in business? Are you client ready?
Be prepared to make business insight review a part of your daily schedule, if it is not already starting today.Some suggestions are to start reading the
Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/home-page), The Economist (http://www.economist.com/), and Fortune
(http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/). You dont need to memorize each and every detail, but you do need to form opinions and have a basic
understanding on what is happening and why that might be important. Start with focusing on some leading companies and business issues of that day.
Tell me about a company you admire. Heres an example question and when youre building the answer, remember: you are trying to convey passion
for business and insights as well.You will want to structure your answer and give 2 or 3 well-developed topics. Dont ramble on-and-on 1 minute max
is suf cient and be succinct and genuine. As a bonus, you might want to share some ideas on what will make the company stronger/more admired.
This shows the interviewer that youre growth oriented and you believe you can do great things.
As youre thinking about this, as always its important to prepare so you dont pick a generic choice like Google or Apple! Be more creative in your
selection show that you really study business, not only as a consumer, but as an informed advisor.
Interested in taking the next step toward t interview domination? Book a 1:1 coaching session (https://managementconsulted.com/consulting-
products-and-services/) with one of our 6 handpicked MBB coaches today.
Want more? Check out our other articles surrounding the consulting interview:
Case Interview Questions (https://managementconsulted.com/case-interviews/6-types-of-case-interviews/)
Consulting Fit Interview Questions and Their Fatal Mistakes (https://managementconsulted.com/consulting-interviews/8- t-interview-
questions-and-their-fatal-mistakes/)
Management Consulting Interviews: 10 Key Preparation Tips (https://managementconsulted.com/consulting-interviews/management-
consulting-interview-questions-preparation/)
Management Consulting Interview Preparation: The New and Improved Guide (https://managementconsulted.com/consulting-
interviews/management-consulting-interview-guide/)
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