I want to ace this consulting interview--where do I start?

November 30, 2022 5:08 AM

I was contacted out of the blue last week by a major consulting firm (in the McKinsey/Bain/BCG vein) for a role related to my current job in industry, and following an intake call they have invited me to interview--in 7 days. I never attended business school, so I am starting from zero on the elaborate interview-prep process that seems necessary for these sorts of companies. Current consultants, former consultants, former consulting-firm candidates: what do you wish you'd known before your interviews? Do you have any tips on optimising the preparation process?

Again, I'm a little disoriented because I had never thought seriously about "Big-3" style consulting as a career possibility; this is partly because I always assumed you needed to go to a top business school to be eligible, and mainly because my interests lay elsewhere when I finished grad school 8+ years ago. (FWIW I am currently a "consultant", but in a specialised firm--think an urban planning consultancy or similar.) I'm actually not 100% sure about potentially leaving my current profession for this sort of role, but the opportunity is so exceptional that I really want to set myself up to succeed in the interview(s) so that I at least have the option available if it seems like the right fit.

I think I have a grasp of the basic process: 2 to 3 rounds of back-to-back behavioural + case interviews, possibly with supplemental interviews at the end of the cycle. (I don't know whether the process for recent graduates is different to the one that's used for "experienced hires", though?) The firm's website contains pretty good information on interview prep, including business case prep, and I am in the process of working through it. Since I have been in a form of consulting for some time now, I'm comfortable with formulating problems, identifying issues, proposing analyses, etc., so I dont feel totally at sea re: the case studies, though my approach is more process-driven than framework-oriented (we don't have a proprietary "in-house" methodology, for example: each project is built according to the client request and available resources).

However, what I'm reading online, including these AskMes from several years ago, seems to indicate that candidates need to go way, way further in order to be adequately prepared: drilling at least 10 or so test cases, having a partner interview you/vice-versa, working through pricey prep guidebooks like this one...the issue being that since I never planned to apply for this position and the interview is so soon, I won't have time to execute a super in-depth prep strategy. (Maybe this is the first test of whether I could hack it in consulting: fit three months of preparation into one week!)

While I know I need to focus hard on preparing as much as possible, I feel like driving myself nuts by cramming test case exercises day and night (while also, y'know, doing my current job) is not the way to go. So, my main questions are:

- If I absolutely have to prioritise 2-3 things as I prepare, what should they be? Hunting up test cases relevant to the practice for which I'm interviewing? Hammering down a flawless presentation/narrative of my career so far? Having my spouse time me on sample cases? Familiarising myself with different analytical frameworks? (Though the website says clearly that candidates SHOULD NOT rely heavily on, or force cases into, pre-existing analytical frameworks like Porter's 5 forces etc., which is good news for me since I have zero idea what most of those are. #humanities)

- Are the case-prep books worth the cash, especially with so little time available? If so, which ones do you recommend?

- I know that they're essentially looking for proof that you can think logically and express your ideas clearly: break down a situation into its relevant components and build a logical scaffolding for arriving at a recommendation which you can justify using the facts presented + reasonable assumptions. But beyond that, if I have to focus on demonstrating a few major traits during the interview (if, say, I struggle with the quant portion or realise my presentation of my background was lackluster), what should they be?

Any other input on the process outside these questions, or on this style of consulting in general, is also welcome.

Thank you in advance to anyone who might care to answer!

posted by blessmycottonsocks to Work & Money (10 answers total)

Case interviews are a bit like standardized testing. In some ways, it's more about knowing how to approach the test rather than your actual abilities/experiences. And, it's also about the "flavor" of what the case giver is trying to probe from you -- some are definitely, ask me lots of questions; others are definitely go wild and as far as you can on your own; others are, you need to figure out the math assumptions etc. Each firm has its own style; you can try asking your recruiter if there are any public examples, e.g., McK and Bain would have their own practice cases online.

It's been a looong time since I've been in the case interview prep realm, but I would recommend picking up 1-2 books. I've used Case in Point, but I would also recommend trying to find one where you can see a "dialogue" of how a case actually works.

I would also really prioritize finding a friend or even friendly acquaintance to give you a practice case. Basically anyone who has some type of consulting background can whip up a basic case on the fly either b/c of their prep or the interviews they have either given/received.

Also, always take the time to think. It's not just at the start of the case, but likely there are some open ended questions later. Take notes, categorize and be "structured", give a bit of flavor -- oh yes, I'd look into cost cutting, such as running analysis X or Y b/c in these situations I've seen at my previous company, Z is often the issue -- but don't go too deep. It is important to be able to give a quick overview! This is what client execs will digest. And then, you can ask the interviewer, is there anything you'd like me to explain more?

Also, generally, the case interviewer WANTS you to succeed. B/c case interviews take a lot of time to give, take notes on and then usually end up justifying when they compare notes w/ others. So, that means, when they point you down a path or toss you a carrot, take it! "Cost cutting is interesting, but the focus here is on growing revenue." >> Stop talking about cost cutting, and start talking about growing revenue.

Companies who prioritize case interviews generally weigh behavioral questions less at this stage. You can be OK at behavioral and have a great case; but it's really hard to recover from a bad case with great behavioral. Behavioral is likely already tested in your first screening and/or will be something people in later rounds will probe. Be prepped on some basics -- your story; something about problem solving w/ sufficient socialization; something about client/stakeholder management/changing people's minds in challenging contentious situations.
posted by ellerhodes at 5:46 AM on November 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

First off, as a business school graduate...it doesn't really mean much for being an actually good consultant :) There are many business school graduates that are horrible at their jobs, and vice versa. You have no disadvantage compared to us in terms of skills and competency.

Second, read Case in Point and do those exercises! It was how I landed my B3 consulting job. I would do one or two mocks with friends, because it's also about rolling with the punches and learning new information. The most important things are asking questions upfront and taking the time to think through your answers and explaining how you came up with the answer. They don't care about the numbers, but more about how you approached the problem.
posted by treetop89 at 5:58 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Case in Point is good, but if you only choose one book, I'd recommend Embrace the Case Interview by Brad Schiller.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:32 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Can you reschedule the interview? You will be in a stronger position if you are 1) better prepared for this interview 2) have interviews at other companies scheduled around the same time.
posted by caek at 9:27 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Are you sure that your interview process will follow this model or are you gleaning that from information geared towards people who haven't been consultants before, e.g., recent business school graduates? As another data point, I went from an urban planning consulting firm to what sounds like a similar organization. They found me via a headhunter "for a role related to my current job in industry," albeit slightly earlier in my career than where you are now at 8 years out of grad school. I didn't have to do all the case stuff, because I was deemed to already have proven myself able to do all those consultant-y things by virtue of my current employment at a successful firm and rapid advancement there. My interviews were much more about how I would fit in culturally, what I offered that would help them address current knowledge gaps and client needs, and how I thought about growing that part of their practice.
posted by carmicha at 9:43 AM on November 30, 2022 [7 favorites]

Building on my previous comment, if most of your work has been for municipalities, they will be interested in your interaction with developers and other private sector organizations. The case study framework will still be useful to you as a template for presenting whatever war stories you offer up in response to their questions, especially if most of your work has been for public sector clients. It’s unfortunate, but a lot of folks think public sector clients are less demanding and the work less rigorous than equivalent private sector engagements. You may need to dispel this perception. You are a mid-career professional: walk tall.
posted by carmicha at 10:04 AM on November 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

Adding to what carmicha said above... I've been approached by strategy consulting firms over the years, and I've had friends and colleagues go down that route. It is not typical for a mid-career experienced hire to go through cases in the interview process, though I reckon it can happen. I think the case model is common for the b-school interviews because b-school students are already well familiar with the protocol.
posted by sockshaveholes at 10:35 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

You should speak with the recruiter about the specific role. In additional to a general strategy consultant role, perhaps focused on specific vertical, they might be looking at you as a dedicated subject matter expert, a business development person, or research department person. Pretty much all the internet content and interview aids are focused on only the general strategy consultant role ... but you need to make sure you're preparing for the role for which they are considering you.
posted by MattD at 11:47 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I can tell you I made it to the final interview as an experienced but non-consultant professional with a Big Name like this and flunked it big time. The last interview was quite obviously the interviewer messing with me (contradicting my statements, trying to bully me around, minimizing my experience and knowledge, agreeing then disagreeing) and it was clearly them trying to get me off my game and see how I’d handle it. Because let’s face it if you are consulting you don’t always have a willing participant and need to build rapport, get past resistance and skepticism so they buy into your ideas and plan which I’m sure you have a ton of experience in but that’s only half the battle. I wasn’t prepared for that amount of in the moment “show your people skills” and folded like a deck of cards. Let my pain be your learning point! Good luck
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:58 PM on November 30, 2022 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Hi all--just wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to share advice (NotMyselfRightNow, I grabbed the Embrace the Case book and I'm finding it really helpful!).

Quick update: my interview did wind up being rescheduled due to the holidays, and will now apparently be a 100% behavioural interview with a Partner/Managing Director for the relevant practice. Which I'm kind of surprised/intrigued/confused by, since Glassdoor reviews for this firm seem to indicate that this is normally the final round? But while reading up on interview prep I've also seen that B3 firms regularly switch up their interview processes + experienced hires can be their own ball game (as some of you already pointed out), so right now I'm focusing hard on behavioural question prep whilst starting to look more heavily into case practice, in case (har har) I make it to the next round.

Thanks again!!
posted by blessmycottonsocks at 3:43 AM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]