The Art of the Consulting Fit Interview

Preparing for Your Consulting Interview:The Art of the Fit Interview

featuring:

Darren LafrenierePresident & Founder of

Hosted by: Caitlin QuanEvisors Marketing & Operations Associate

Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand..com/webinars

http://www.evisors.com/webinars/webinar/60



1. Introduction

2. What is a Consulting Fit Interview?

3. Key Takeaways from recruiters at top Consulting firms

4. What key skills are the firms looking for?

5. Common Fit questions and suggested approaches

6. Q&A

Agenda





Background


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Owner of Final Round Prep (2009 – Present)

Final Round Prep (FRP) helps students and working professionals

obtain jobs in the Management Consulting industry

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What is a Consulting “Fit” Interview?

The ApplicationThe Interview

Fit / Behavioural Interview Case Interview

•Assess personality•Determine applicants:–Personal qualifications–Communication skills–Problem-solving abilities–Teamwork–Client impact potential–Academic and work

experience–Interest in the firm–Overall fit with the firm

“Tell me about a time when…”





Your “Fit” evaluation actually extends beyond the “Fit” portion of the interview

2 Minutes 8 Minutes 30 Minutes 5 Minutes

FitInterview

CaseInterview

Candidate Questions

WelcomingIce Breaker

“FIT”





Key takeaways from top Consulting recruiters on the Fit portion of the interview

“It surprizes me how often candidates can underestimate the fit interview”

“The candidates who did not advance in the interview process this cycle did not demonstrate a passion for the job, and for our firm”

“The fit interview is not evaluated in a vacuum; it is just one part of the overall evaluation process”

“My evaluation begins as soon as I greet the candidate; it doesn’t start after we sit down and begin the interview”





The firms are looking for you to demonstrate a specific set of Consulting based skillsSkill-set Description

Leadership / Initiative • Taking initiative; supporting and motivating team; defining project direction; developing and achieving goals

Analytics • Analyzing data; identifying issues; structuring the problem; conducting complex analyses; drawing conclusions and formulating sound recommendations

Creativity / “Entrepreneurial Thinking”

• Developing unique solutions and insights using new and existing data; “Thinking outside the box”

Communication • Interviewing clients; developing written communications (powerpoint); speaking and presenting to clients

Team and Engagement Management

• Contributing to the team; managing internal and client stakeholders (managing expectations); planning and controlling the project; managing project risks

Client Relationship • Knowing the client; managing client communications; building rapport and relationships with the client; broadening relationships; gaining client acceptance

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There are 5 different fit question areas that you should be preparing for

Behavioral Interview Area Description

Work Experience • Focused on gaining an understanding of your educational and work related experience to date in order to determine your “consulting readiness”

Education • Focused on understanding why you chose to do your degree(s)• Looking to identify the alignment between your pre- degree experiences

and your post degree goals

Goals • Focused on your short and long-term goals after you complete your degree (HINT: you want to be a consultant for at least 3-5 years!)

Consulting(Industry and Firm)

• Test your understanding of the Consulting industry, and Consulting as a career

• Determine your specific areas of interest – i.e. industry, function• Gauge your knowledge of the firm, and test your potential “fit”

General Business • Test your knowledge of current business issues• Determine your ability to “think on your feet”




Some common behavioral interview questions; you should be prepared to “nail” these

Walk me through your resume

Tell me about yourself

Why do you want to do consulting?

Why do you want to work for our firm?

What is your greatest accomplishment? Failure?

Tell me about a time when… leadership / teamwork

Tell me about a time when… challenge (client, team, individual)

Tell me about a time when… problem solving




Some interesting fit questions asked by top firms in the last few recruiting cycles Tell me about a time when you had to improvise on a project

Tell me about a time when you had to get buy-in from your team on your idea(s) – and about a time when you had to get buy-in from someone senior to you on your idea(s)

Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline

Tell me about a time when you had difficulty getting information / data from a team mate (client, etc.)

There were also some real doosies…

Tell me about a time you lead a project (spent 30 minutes talking about 1 example)

– What was motivating the people on your team? What was motivating you?

– What were the names of your team mates?

Phone rings – “go ahead, pick it up, it’s a voicemail from the client” (!!)




Keep your responses to ~2 minutes in length, and utilize a “C-A-R” or “C-A-R-L” structure

Tell me about a time when you led a team….

On a successful project

And you missed a deadline

+

-

C-A-R

C-A-R-L




To prepare for behavioral questions, build a “Work Experience Matrix”

Context

Job / Role 1 Job / Role 2 MBA Extra Curricular

Key Skill

s

Leadership

Analytics

Creativity

…..




For the “Candidate Question” part of the interview, prepare a “Reverse Interview”1. Come up with 2 or 3 categories for discussion

– Your journey from MBA to Consulting

– Projects you are working on currently

– Growth areas of the firm

2. Write 2 to 3 leading questions per category

The “Reverse Interview” then goes something like this…

“There are 3 areas I would like to touch on – 1, 2, and 3… so let me ask you, <first leading question for category 1>…

• After the leading question, your objective is to “probe”

• Demonstrate client control by “moving” the conversation to the next category




Questions & Answers




Questions & Answers

Question 1:

Do different consulting firms have different fit standards?

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Questions & Answers

Question 2:

When preparing answers for fit interview questions, how should you integrate different firms’ cultures?




Questions & Answers

Question 3:

How would you convince the interviewer you are the right candidate for the position given an unconventional background?




Questions & Answers

Question 4:

Do you have any suggestions for candidates who don’t have a great GPA?




Questions & Answers

Question 5:

Is it okay if you check out a consultant’s LinkedIn profile?




Connect

Book your session with Darren at:www.evisors.com/expert/292

He can help you with any consulting service including:• Informational Interview

• Resume & Cover Letters• Interview Practice

…and more!

Darren LafrenierePresident & Founder of


http://www.evisors.com/expert/292

