You're about to interview for a consulting position. What are the best ways to prepare?

Start by delving into the firm's website to understand its services, clients, and recent projects. Scrutinize employee LinkedIn profiles to understand the company culture and gain insights into the backgrounds of potential colleagues. Understanding the organization's core values and mission is crucial for aligning your responses with their ethos. This preparation not only demonstrates your interest but also ensures you can articulate how your skills and experiences align with the firm's objectives.

First steps first. It's a no brainer, you need to know enough about the place you are getting interviewed. Apart from searching what is available on the internet, check with common connections who might be working there to get an idea of culture and finer nuances at that organization.

Good news, there is a lot information about firms out there especially if you apply to major ones. For example; Accenture is public traded company you can find many interviews with our CEO, CTO and other C-level people, you can listen to Earnings Calls (for example on Seeking Alpha), you can follow people at Accenture on Linkeidn, you may reach us by Inmail on LinkedIn and ask questions. With BiG4 (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG) it’s bit different because these are private partnerships so many information are not public, Accenture is public traded company we must publish our results, while Deloitte is private firm that has many restrictions because of Audit so again follow people on LinkedIn, send Inmail, follow public profiles. Good luck.

Understand the consulting firm's history, values, mission, and recent projects. Familiarize yourself with their clients and industry focus. Research the company culture, leadership team, and any recent news or developments.

It’s very important, Before heading into the interview, it’s essential to thoroughly research the company. Understanding what the firm does, who their clients are, and their culture and values gives you valuable insights into how you can contribute and fit within the organization. It allows you to ask informed questions during the interview and tailor your responses to showcase how your skills and experiences align with their specific needs and expectations. Ultimately, this research demonstrates your genuine interest and enthusiasm for the opportunity, setting a positive impression from the start.

Yes, your CV will open or close doors. Understand this. Large consulting firms can recieve thousands of CVs for hundreds of jobs. For example I recall 2013 statistic in unnamed BiG4. We received 14,000 CVs / year we hired 350. This is why you have to be exceptional. Also we live in era (and many especially Gen-Z forget this) social media presence is important. If you don’t have LinkedIn or your profile look incomplete you are limiting your chances. Of course, if you post drunken videos or videos you doing crazy things onTikTok again it can get flagged. Be careful, your resume is not only thing checked.

Make this part impactful. No one cares to read a lot. Make is precise, clear and pointed to what is being asked for. Show outcomes and the impact along with how you achieved them.

Be ready to discuss your resume in detail. Highlight key accomplishments, experiences, and skills relevant to the consulting role. Connect your past achievements with how they have prepared you for success in consulting.

Crafting a polished resume is crucial as it serves as your first introduction to the interviewer. Ensure that it's clear, concise, and tailored to the consulting role and the firm's focus areas. Emphasize your achievements, skills, and experiences relevant to the position, using quantifiable metrics and action verbs to highlight your impact and results effectively. Additionally, be ready to discuss any career gaps, transitions, or challenges, illustrating how you overcame them and the lessons learned along the way. A well-crafted resume coupled with compelling narratives can greatly enhance your candidacy during the interview process.

I wrote about it previously. Yes, case studies are common way we test your abilities to solve problems. If your Uni didn’t feature class case studies which is common at places like MIT and Oxford, you should seek consulting preparation training. There are multiple ways most common are: 1. Seek internships - all big firms partner with many universities and internships is common start place, 2. Join consulting bootcamps - many big firms offers free classes where you apply with your resume and if approved you join class usually few weeks where you experience what is like to be consultant.

Practice solving case studies, either alone or with a partner. This is a common element in consulting interviews. Familiarize yourself with different types of cases, such as market sizing, profitability analysis, and business strategy.

Mastering the case study portion of a consulting interview is pivotal and requires honing various skills. It's about tackling real or hypothetical business problems methodically. To excel, dedicate time to practicing problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills. Utilize online resources, books, or engage in mock interviews with peers or mentors. Employing a structured approach, including asking pertinent questions, making logical assumptions, leveraging data, and articulating recommendations clearly and confidently, is paramount. Through consistent practice and refinement, you can bolster your readiness to ace the case study component of consulting interviews.

This one may surprise people, especially young ones. Yes, we ask many questions some will be behavioural tests. Each top firm trains interviewer to ask right questions, remember consulting is not just about hard-skills (e.g. you can write python code) it’s also about soft-skills (e.g. we can put you in front of the client). Also, be aware large firms, especially top ones like Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG has very strict Code of Conduct, these are special guidelines you must adhere to and it will influence even what you can do in your personal life. BiG4 (audit firms) is more stricter. Hence we also test if you has tendency that could lead to breach of our code of conduct. Hence you should at minimum read website of firm you apply to.

Anticipate questions about your past experiences, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses.

Preparing for behavioral questions in consulting interviews is essential for showcasing your skills and experiences effectively. Begin by identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and the competencies the firm values. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses, providing concrete examples and outcomes. Additionally, crafting thoughtful questions for the interviewer demonstrates your engagement and interest in the role and the company. This approach not only helps you navigate behavioral questions with confidence but also fosters meaningful dialogue during the interview process.

Okay, this one is tricky because it changed. There are three things that can help you: 1. If your interview is in person - first research culture of the firm and see how people in the firm are dressed, you can usually see part of typical attire on LinkedIn, if you see suits arrive in suit not in jeans, 2. If you have video interview (very common these days) - make sure you have quality camera, good microphone and your background in the room is looking good (avoid showing messy rooms etc) or use background wallpaper (Teams, Zoom, Google all offers it), bad video call can make or break your chances, don’t underestimate it, 3. LinkedIn - go online follow people in your target firm like their posts, this help you familiarise with the culture.

Stay Calm Under Pressure: Consulting interviews can be challenging. Practice maintaining composure and clear thinking under pressure. If you don't know the answer to a question, it's okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts before responding.

Carefully review the job description and requirements for the consulting position you are interviewing for. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and experiences align with the specific responsibilities of the role.