Interview prep with former MBB interviewers

Question

Mega-thread: Consulting advice from Beyond Case Prep (beyondcaseprep.com)  
Hi everyone, and welcome to the consulting forum.   We at beyondcaseprep.com are exclusively recent alums of the top consulting firms, with experience interviewing hundreds of candidates. We are here to answer any questions that you may hav e , and we also offer a full range of general and firm-specific prep services at beyondcaseprep.com for those who want to be as prepared as possible to perform in the interviews and get the offer.
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BeyondCasePrep · Answer

The most common question we receive from people who are interested in consulting is "How does the consulting recruiting process work?"

The answer is that it is essentially a four step process, with three filters along the way, where candidates get screened out before an offer is made.

Today we will explain Step One - "Application":

The keys at this stage are to tailor your resume, do basic research, network, and start your case and behavioral interview practice.

Tailor your resume

Consultants love to see quantified impact on resumes. If your prior experience is in real estate, and you managed a portfolio of 100 units, focus on your impact as opposed to your responsibility. For example, "managed 100 units" focuses on responsibility; "increased rent roll 8%" focuses on impact. Focus on impact.

Once this is complete, focus on the highlighting the skills that consultants use in their day to day. For example, communication, influencing, problem solving, and more. Many of the firm websites describe these particular skills - make sure to highlight them in your own experiences.

Do some research

Make sure that you know enough about each firm to have a basic conversation. This shouldn't take more than a few hours - for example, know that McKinsey has offices around the globe and operates as one firm, and that an MBA will be applying for an Associate role, while at BCG an MBA would be applying for a Consultant role. Bain tends to staff more regionally, and Deloitte has its own learning facilities for training and events.

Network

Make sure that you will have enough touchpoints with the firms to allow yourself to make a memorable positive impression. If you attend a program where the firms don't come to campus, you will need to network proactively to create these opportunities for yourself.

Networking is an opportunity to present your best foot
forward with the firms, before you apply. This means making sure your resume is at its best, you've taken the time to research the
differences between the firms, and you have practiced your elevator pitch and your ability to make small talk with the recruiters from the firms.

During networking, focus on quality over quantity. Good networking should motivate someone on the recruiting team to remember and speak positively about you. Keep in mind that each member of the recruiting team will likely meet 20 or 30 people with an hour, so it is very difficult for them to remember you. Be prepared, and focus as opposed to trying to just say hello to everyone there.

Interview practice

Begin to do some very basic case practice. This will help adopt the consulting mindset, and can help narrow your potential post-school career interests. This can entail attending some workshops, reading the first half of Case in point, or looking at online materials.

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It's important to note that the firms are collecting data about you even before you apply. They may have access to your resume through your school's resume book, they collect observations from their recruiting team when they meet you, and they keep track of how well you perform in any "mock cases" they may give you. All of these "data points" are used by the firm (in addition to your actual application) to determine who they want to extend interview invites to.

Our next step will explain the first filter - how the firms decide who to interview. Check out our facebook page next week to learn more:

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondCasePrep .

Feel free to reply or message us with any questions!

BeyondCasePrep · Answer

Today we are discussing the next step in the consulting interview process:   the first filter, the interview invite

The top firms use both a quantitative resume scoring system combined with qualitative observations from all of their interactions with
candidates.

The quantitative resume reviews looks at the type of school and work experience, and for specific qualities that are evidenced on the resume.

On the school and work side, one can imagine hierarchies of schools and employers, where someone who went to Princeton and/ or worked at Google would get some form of extra consideration beyond someone who went to a smaller school and worked at a lesser known employer. This is not to say that attending a smaller school or working for a small company is a negative; this is just one possible opportunity of many that can contribute to a good application. If you did attend a smaller school, or worked for a lesser-known employer, then make sure to really polish up your resume and prepare to network effectively. In regards to test scores and GPA, the firms are looking for evidence of quantitative ability. Most people won't be helped or hurt by this, but a low GPA or standardized score can hurt you, and an exceptionally high GPA or score will get you noticed.

The firms then review the content of the resume to identify specific skills or personality traits that are important in a successful consulting career. For example, let's say computer proficiency is important. The firms may have a scale where someone who has no demonstrated proficiency is at the bottom, someone with demonstrated proficiency with MS Office is in the middle, and someone with proficiency with a more advanced program like SPSS would get the highest grade. The takeaway here is to do some research and identify what is important to consulting, and highlight those capabilities to the extent that they exist on the resume.

On the qualitative side, the firms keep detailed notes on all their interactions with you whether that's at their company presentation,
cocktail events, or mock interviews. The are trying to evaluate your communication ability (e.g. can you speak well?) as well as how well
you'd fit in as a member of the team or in front of clients (are you outgoing? are you arrogant?). It is important to have an advocate at the firm. When networking, think about connecting with someone who is a vocal part of the recruiting team, and make a good impression so that they will speak up on your behalf.

Additionally, the interview lists are shaped by both the on-campus "specialists" as well as the specific offices. Behind the scenes,
offices have certain numbers of interview "slots" for each school, so there is a lot of give-and-take behind the scenes. (For example, a firm's Boston office might be really high on a candidate so they push hard to proceed with the interview, even if the school-specific recruiting team was lukewarm on the candidate).

Once you get to the interview, everyone has an equal chance regardless of whether you were the first one on the interview list, or
the last one who barely made it on. It all comes down to executing during the interviews.

Feel free to pose any questions, and check back again soon for some tips on how to prepare for the first round interview.

Like us on fb for additional tips:  https://www.facebook.com/beyondcaseprep

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AustinBaker · Answer

Excellent post

vansy · Answer

Thank for this update mate ! amazing post !

GeorgiaBailey · Answer

Thanks for such great thoughts

Ross2018 · Answer

Hey thank you too

pitroncoso · Answer

Hi, how can I contact you guys?

bettpeter · Answer

The unltimate tipof an interview is preparation. Conduct thorough research about MBB it is very vital to your success in the interview. i believe you have a bit of history of the organization and growth objectives. 
Ensure have information on the company’s activities together with its growth throughout the years it has been operational and its prospects. You should understand the employer's, job requirements, and their background. With this information, you show a sincere interest in the company that you have acquired knowledge about it on your initiative. This will create a favorable impression on the interviewer. Wishing all the best.

Jenny1982 · Answer

The best case prep resource I found on the web is called consultingcase101

It offers case questions from Mckinsey, BCG, Bain and other top firms.
btw, I have a 1-year membership account on consultingcase101 that I don’t use any more (secured an offer with a top firm already). If anyone is interested in sharing, let me know by msg. Thanks.

nymba20 · Answer

very helpful, thanks!

asimov · Answer

Here are some other good resources for various types of interviews.

Consulting

Case in Point  – this was the consulting prep bible when I was in school. Great case breakdown. However, nothing beats casing with a friend for real world practice with time pressure, and added ambiguity.

Navigating A Bain Interview  – directly from the horse's mouth. There are tons of videos on YouTube on how to appropriately run through a case. However, don't let the videos intimidate you, no one is as smooth as the "candidates" in these videos.

Marketing

5-Hour Prep for Marketing Interview  – skips all the fluff, and tell you exactly what you need to know to prepare for marketing interview. Many of the principles apply for MBA interviews.

Technology/Product Management

Cracking the PM Interview  – helpful even for non-technology PM interviews to get the general structure of thinking needed. Break down how to “correctly” answer various PM interview questions such as market sizing, product enhancement, etc. I wish this was around when I was in school.

zimou13 · Answer

In answering I'm going to assume that you've separately asked how to prepare to get MBB interviews, as that is a big challenge in itself with a lot of effort required for networking and resume tailoring. I'm also going to speak from the McKinsey perspective, though I believe Bain and BCG are mostly the same. You should first understand the format of the interviews: each will be an hour long and will consist of 5-10 minutes of intro, 10-20 minutes of experiential questioning, and 30-40 minutes of case interview. Of the three, you should spend a few minutes thinking about being natural for your intro and the rest of your time preparing for the experiential portion and case interview with about a 20/80 split, respectively.  Bluestacks   TextNow   Photomath

tillcoll · Answer

there are many useful things in this post, thank you guys a lot!

rohanwan · Answer

It is important to distinguish the interview style based on the level of the interviewer. Junior interviewers (consultant/associate and engagement/project manager) will be more structured and stick closer to a script. They're looking for the "right" answer. Partners, on the other hand, may make up a case on the spot based on a real engagement they've done recently. They will be looking more for creativity and intellectual curiosity than "cracking the case". However, keep in mind that these are rules of thumb and don't apply universally.

neehasingh · Answer

In noting I will accept that you've independently requested that how plan to get MBB interviews, as that is a major test in itself with a great deal of exertion required for systems administration and resume fitting. I'm likewise going to talk from the McKinsey point of view, however I trust Bain and BCG are generally the equivalent.

You should initially comprehend the arrangement of the meetings: each will be a hour long and will comprise of 5-10 minutes of introduction, 10-20 minutes of experiential addressing, and 30-40 minutes of case meet. Of the three, you ought to put in almost no time considering being normal for your introduction and whatever is left of your time planning for the experiential segment and case meet with around a 20/80 split, individually.

The experiential segment is genuinely regular: the questioner will request you to discuss a period from your past encounters that you exhibited some quality. You ought to have a choice of strong encounters arranged and prepared to go. You should rattle off the 25 most basic minor departure from experiential inquiries and make a point to have a story or two arranged for every one of them (this will be a sum of around 10 stories, as most stories will apply to a few inquiries).

Fittingly, the case meet is the thing that competitors invest the dominant part of their energy planning for. The case meet is genuinely remarkable to the board counseling interviews. The questioner will spread out a business situation and after that you will be in charge of strolling through the situation and diagnosing the root issue and potential arrangements. The cases can run over a wide assortment of subjects and businesses and take a lot of training to end up OK with. One of the best assets for case talk with arrangement is Case in Point by Mark Cosentino. There are likewise a ton of incredible assets on the web.

It is vital to recognize the meeting style dependent on the dimension of the questioner. Junior questioners (expert/partner and commitment/venture chief) will be increasingly organized and stick more like a content. They're searching for the "right" answer. Accomplices, then again, may put forth up a defense on the spot dependent on a genuine commitment they've done as of late. They will search more for inventiveness and scholarly interest than "splitting the case". Notwithstanding, remember that these are dependable guidelines and don't have any significant bearing all around.

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