Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, but with proper preparation, you can significantly increase your chances of success. Whether you’re a fresh graduate or an experienced professional, thorough interview preparation is key to showcasing your skills, qualifications, and personality. In this blog post, we’ll discuss five essential steps that you can take to help you prepare […]
Category: Interviews
Acing the Fit Interview: Strategy and Approach Motivation Questions Effective Storytelling Finessing Negative Stories In the last article of this series, you will learn about complex questions designed to trip up even the best of candidates. Negative Stories Questions that enquire about a weakness or failure can be a point of discomfort. After all, who […]
Acing the Fit Interview: Strategy and Approach Motivation Questions Effective Storytelling Finessing Negative Stories In the third article of this series, you will learn about personal experience questions that demand a different approach from motivation questions. The START Framework Many interviewing guides out there espouse the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that purportedly outlines […]
Acing the Fit Interview: Strategy and Approach Motivation Questions Effective Storytelling Finessing Negative Stories In the second article of this series, you will learn about the often-underestimated motivation questions like “why consulting?” and “why this firm?”. “Why” Questions Innocuous as they might seem, it’s important to answer them well because they contribute significantly to your […]
Interviews at consulting firms are often broken down into 3 segments: Fit Interview (~10 mins) Case Interview (~30 mins) Questions and Answers (~5 mins) While the vast majority of content out there focuses on the case interview, it is worth pointing out that the fit interview should not be overlooked. Anecdotally, some candidates with poor […]
There are many steps to take in preparing to apply and interview for a consulting position. If you are just starting out, you will find yourself editing your resume, preparing answers for experiential questions, and practicing business frameworks to use in the case interview. However, there is another hurdle that you must keep in mind […]
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How to Get an Economic Consulting Job
Economic consulting is the more analytical but lesser-known sibling of management and strategy consulting. The industry comprises global players like Analysis Group, Cornerstone Research, and Charles River Associates that help hundreds of clients each year with complex economic problems that often require a lot of expert-level testimony and data analysis. This space provides a perfect […]
Frameworks. Experiential Questions. Case Studies. Presentations. Questions. Resumes. There is a lot to think about when preparing for consulting interviews, and you may want to check out some of our other blog posts and guides for preparing your resume, creating your cover letter, and improving your network. This post will focus on the main similarities […]
Congratulations! You received an interview with a consulting firm! Management consulting interviews generally have two types of assessments, behavioral and casing. This blog will help shed some light on what to expect and how to prepare for behavioral assessments. Behavioral interview questions help shed significant light on you as a candidate. Recruiters are assessing your […]
If you are interested in consulting roles, case interviews are an integral part of that process. Your heartbeat will pulse with excitement when you receive an e-mail letting you know that you made it to the interview stage. Yet, this is also where the challenge begins. The interview is a nerve-wracking experience. No matter how […]
Almost every case interview across all consulting industries includes one specific section devoted to evaluating the interviewee’s ability to handle a mathematical problem. Even though it does not include any advanced mathematical equations and it simply relies on basic algebra, this section also tends to be the most dreaded part by applicants without a math […]
Case interviews can seem like a daunting task. You’re being asked to solve a business challenge, while being assessed for an internship you really want … I feel the nerves already. Thankfully, by taking tangible steps you can be well prepared for your case interviews. 1. Get familiar with the format If you are just […]
Flying leg break during a black belt test in 2016 I stood facing a wall of black plastic boards, faintly hearing “U-S-A, U-S-A” chanting from the rest of our team in the stands. I measured the distance from the board with my leg, took a deep breath, and then performed a kick that I had […]
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Tips for Case Prepping Alone
As fall recruiting season is on the horizon, it’s inevitably a busy time for many students looking to recruit into consulting. On top of regular life commitments, you also must spend time on preparing applications, practicing for interviews, and partaking in the interviews themselves. With such a busy schedule, it can be tough to find […]
Cracking a case can be a daunting task. For a career in consulting, you should strive to be ambitious, passionate and determined. The case study interview is a common way for consulting firms to screen candidates because it allows them to evaluate multiple inter-related consulting skills including data analysis, analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, active listening […]
There is a good chance that you have a formidable LinkedIn profile, unmatched experience, and a dream to become the best in the consulting industry – so what’s next? As a young and aspiring professional, you will be launching your consulting career in an uncertain environment. Already, there is immense competition for internships, graduate positions, […]
Many candidates spend numerous hours perfecting their resumes, preparing for case and technical interviews, and crafting their fit story. However, they often forget to research the company itself. Conducting due diligence on the company you are interviewing for will help you build rapport with the interviewer, learn the firm’s culture and values, and showcase that […]
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Alternative Case Interview Tips
When conducting a search for case interview tips on the internet, you will quickly find yourself drowning in information. There are articles giving tips on how to speak, what to say, how to say it, what to wear, and so on. This post is not intended to be just another one of those articles. Instead, […]
Case coaching is an industry of its own. It seems like coaching is a necessary part of the consulting interview prep process and without it you don’t have a chance of getting an offer. It can be a tough decision as the price point for case coaching can be very high (10x more than the […]
Consulting case interviews require lots of preparation. On average probably 1-2 months. Although you will hear of some geniuses who aced their cases after only one week of preparation, this is probably not true for us mere mortals. Consequently, if you want to be well prepared for your case interview, you will probably have to […]
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How to Approach Experiential Questions
“Tell me a time where you…” Inevitably in any job, internship, or graduate school interview, you will hear these words. You are sitting in a chair facing a recruiter, manager, or professor asking you to share an experience where you displayed a particular emotion, dealt with a problem, or overcame a challenge. Consequently, these types […]
If you are interested in consulting you have probably heard of the case interview. It is a key component of the consulting interview to test how you approach problems. Practicing cases can teach you how to think like a consultant, yet they can also be a large source of stress and anxiety for candidates. It’s […]
As most aspiring consultants know, one of the major hurdles in landing a job offer is the case interview. Given a strict time limit and a small amount of information, applicants are expected to ask poignant questions to steer the interview in a direction where they can provide a clear and concise recommendation. Whether it […]
One of the most difficult tasks in a case interview is to ask the right questions at the beginning of the case. Many candidates ask questions that are too generic. As a result, this don’t really help them to solve the case. Sometimes candidates even ask questions just for the sake of asking questions to […]
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Market Sizing Case Interview Questions
Market sizing is the test of a consultant’s mettle. It is a classic case interview question, in which a candidate is asked to make an estimate. A market sizing question literally asks a candidate to estimate the volume or the value of a something. This could be the size of a market or something from […]
You can generally tell whether you did well in an interview based on the connection you built with the interviewer. You have probably been in situations where an interview felt uneasy and awkward because of a lack of chemistry with the interviewer. Have you ever thought, “I just couldn’t click with the interviewer” following a […]
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Do’s and Don’ts of Case Interviewing
Interviews are difficult – they involve researching the company, preparing for informational interviews, and practicing behavioral questions. If you are aiming for a consulting internship or full-time job, there is also an unavoidable hurdle you will need to jump – case interviews. These evaluate a candidate’s thought process, business acumen, familiarity with frameworks, communication skills, […]
According to Business Insider, the odds of getting hired by McKinsey & Company are less than 1%, although this is not unique to McKinsey. To secure a final round interview at Bain, you would have to be in the top 3% of applicants for that office. No one enjoys being turned down, especially in the […]
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How to prepare for case interviews
Case interviews can be a hurdle or stepping stone at the beginning of your consulting career. The difference lies in your preparation and ambition for a consulting career. The interview tests your problem solving ability, communication skills, composure and interpersonal skills. Many resources exist to prepare for the case interview, which can make it overwhelming, […]
A vast portion of a management consultant’s career is spent analyzing data, summarizing information, extracting insights, and helping to convert knowledge to action. So, a few minutes into your case interview, the recruiter slides a chart across the table and asks what you can tell from that particular exhibit. The objective of the chart is […]
Consulting-style case interviews are highly effective, and the same format is being adopted more and more widely. The major consultancies have converged on a largely identical interview style, precisely because it excels in picking out the most genuinely capable candidates from the huge pools of applications received. However, consultancies are not the only oversubscribed employers […]
Many consulting, corporate strategy, and corporate development roles require the interviewee to go through an M&A case study. Depending on the firm and specific role this case could be very strategic and operational like doing a market entry/growth-type case or very technical (i.e. building financial models like DCF, accretion/dilution, LBO, etc.). But before we dive […]
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Breaking down the M&A Case Study
M&A case framework Now that you have a high-level understanding of why companies buy each other in the first place (refer to M&A deals – benefits and drawbacks), let’s discuss the framework you should use to analyze the transaction. Firms typically look at four areas when working on M&A cases. Let’s step through them one […]
Properly preparing for strategy consulting interviews doesn’t just mean learning the process, memorizing frameworks, and casing all-out; in order to ensure success it’s also critically important that a mindset shift occurs. Good candidates get to the right answer. Excellent candidates do so in a very particular way – and this is the best way to […]
Like a consulting interview, a product manager (PM) interview consists of multiple parts, including a case study and a behavioral portion, which looks for communication, management, and prioritization skills. But what’s different is that it adds a twist by having product-related questions as well. Unsurprisingly, PMs should love products. They should be able to recognize […]
Question “Give me an example of a good product and not so good product. Why is one better than the other?” What is this question about? This product management (PM) interview question tests whether you understand product design principles. Is your evaluation of products guided by principles of good design? Are you able to articulate […]
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Introduction to Case Interviews
If you’re applying to a consulting firm, be ready to get acquainted with case interviews. Almost all consulting firms include the case interview as part of their recruitment process. In fact, it can play a huge role in deciding if you get the job. Even non-consulting firms are utilizing case interviews as part of their […]
Let’s face it. A major portion of the consulting case interview tests your quantitative skills. Why? Consultants work with a lot of data and can spend a significant amount of time crunching numbers. So your interviewers want to know that you’re comfortable with math and have strong analytic reasoning skills. Here is a play-by-play of how you […]
In my last blog post I wrote about how new grads can navigate interview season when they finally receive a consulting interview they’re excited about. You can find the full article here. After this post was published, students reached out to me asking for examples of ‘fit’ questions. Interview questions are commonly split up into […]
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Tackling the Case Interview
“Case study interviews put you in the driver’s seat: you’re given a real business problem to work through and solve. The logical reasoning you use to work through the case is just as important as the conclusions you reach” (The University of Sydney, 2019) Every year, consulting firms get hundreds of applications and the human […]
So maybe you’ve gotten to the second round, maybe you’re still waiting to hear back, or maybe you’re hoping to interview again in the next recruitment cycle. Regardless of whichever bucket you fall into, it always helps to see things from the interviewers’ perspective. Here are the top three things they’re looking for: 1. Intellectual […]
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Interview Season for New Grads
It is easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself during interview season, especially when your classmates are receiving interviews for firms you’re interested in. Have patience though, your time will come and the wait will be worth it. This blog post is mostly about what to do when you receive an interview at […]
The fundamentals of doing well in a case interview are pretty well known and accessible. It is essentially everything that is in the case interview bibles of Case In Point or Hacking the Case Interview. As an aside, as someone who did not have prior consulting experience, I personally found the lesser known, Crack the […]
This article focuses on how to conclude well in your case interview. It is part 2 of a 3 part series. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, what I would do is pause reading and look at the following link, which covers four great tips on how to improve your conclusion. What I’m going […]
This article looks at concluding your case interview well. It is the last part of the three part series. I truly hope these articles help you succeed in case interviews and win the job you truly hope for. Before you read this article, you might want to read Part 1 and Part 2. Compare and […]
Today I’m going to talk about a very important aspect of the case interview, which is your conclusion to the case problem. The conclusion is often the aspect that doesn’t get the attention it really deserves, just like the introduction. There’s a Nobel prize-winning economist named Daniel Kahneman who has done a ton of research […]
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So you want to be a consultant …
It’s now January, and as the MBA internship recruitment season shifts into full gear, here are some tips from someone who went through the consulting recruitment process last year. (Note: These tips are geared towards MBA1s, but are applicable to anyone interviewing with consulting firms.) Rule #1: Have a solid pitch By now, you already […]
Most consulting firms are wrapping up their recruitment process for this year and offers have been sent out. The hard skills help you do the analysis, but once you’ve got an answer, you need client buy in. To get client buy in, you almost always need exceptional soft skills. As a result, the consulting firms […]
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Getting the Rest Right for Interviews
After mastering both fit and case interviews, the remaining parts of your consulting interview are the Intro and Q&A. They are not as critical as the fit or case interview parts, but still can make a big difference regarding leaving a good impression on the interviewers or even giving you the little push you need […]
Sometimes interviewees find it hard to differentiate themselves by simply using common frameworks. The problem with common frameworks is that they are too board to allow you to give an insightful synthesis. And as more and more candidates start to use them frequently, it is harder to impress the interviewers. Hence, I would like to […]