A Concise Introduction To Logic Answer Key
Jules Altier
Hi. This may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things when it comes to a case interview - but I wonder what are interviewers' expectations of answers to the "Why consulting" & "Why McKinsey/BCG/Bain" questions?
I would recommend spending about 1 - 2 minutes on each question. You have a lot to get to in the interview. Less than a minute will make you seem rehearsed and shallow and more than 2 minutes for each will take up too much of the interview time.
This is one of the most frequently asked questions. The response to this question is quite generic, but it works all the time. When I interviewed with MBB, this is how I answered the question and you can follow a similar logic:
I focused on the fact that I was a recent graduate who did not know what to specialize in, in terms of industries (e.g. healthcare, consumer goods, retail, etc.) or functional topics (e.g., finance, HR, strategy, digital, etc.). Thus I emphasized that I wanted to get into consulting to better understand what I am passionate about by working on a different set of projects.
Lastly, I also highlighted the opportunity to take up significant responsibilities in the early stages of my career, as it is rare to find someone who is in his/her mid-20s sit on the same table with key industry leaders and make recommendations to them.
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
There are two main reasons why consulting is the way that I want to start my career. I studied Architecture since I loved the multi-multidisciplinary approach: from Math to History, from Construction to Aesthetics. However, I realized that, when it comes to working as an architect, the scope narrows down a lot. Hence, the 1st reason why I want to transition to consulting is to keep the multi-discipline and multi-industry focus. Furthermore, I love being constantly challenged and learning at high speed, and I know that consulting has one of the steepest learning curves. In a nutshell, the 2 reasons why I would like to join consulting are the multi-disciplinary focus and the constant challenge that drives exponential growth
In concrete, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB". It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
It's really hard to say without hearing your story. Unfortunately, I keep hearing a lot of myths about consulting from the applicants, and pls be aware that the story may reveal the lack of knowledge about consulting. Let me give a couple of examples:
- Be specific. E.g., it is okay to say I want to learn about more industries, it is better to say that during my time at xx and yy internships, I realized that the part of the job that excited me most was problem solving or looking at things from a strategic perspectives and presenting those findings to senior leaders
- For example, McKinsey almost always works at the client site because they think it is critical to build sustainable long term relationships in order to be the best consultant, Bain on the other hand typically works from their home office. Similarly McKinsey has a global staffing model and BCG does not etc.
- Go to events and informations sessions to learn more. Firms will tell you what they want to hear, they also want to know you have made the effort to go to events when possible and are genuinely interested. If you do go - make sure you refernce that you went and how it helped you learn about the firm in your answer
Variety is okay as an entry point but variery in and of itself is not sufficient. Just having different experiences is okay what you want is to say why that matters. For example you can talk about how the ability to learn from different situations will accelerate your learning. Or how working across different industries can improve your ability to solve problems by helping you focus on both your approach and the industry specificities.
Dear A,
It doesn't matter in fact what you would tell in your motivation. It should be authentic. Everyone has his own motivation to join consulting firms. Just take some time before the day of your interview and this question to yourself, why consulting? And think about your internal and external motivation, also try to think why you choose this specific company. By thinking about this in advance you can pick 2-3-4 points for your future interview.
Also, to shape your thoughts into structure I would recommend you the following structure to shape your thoughts and ideas properly:
1. Situation (background)
2. Problem (Complication)
3. Your approach (how did you manage this problem)
4. Results (Outcomes of your approach)
5. Your learnings (what you take from this situation)
If you can apply this framework to every of your PEI stories and communicate in a top-down way, you would definitely leave great impression. For more details, feel free to approach me.
Good luck,
Andr
Dear Yan ,
Absolutely! It's the best way to be very authentic and share your story within an interview. It will also help you to be very convincing. So, go for it. But, please, structure it properly during your communication.
Good luck,
Andr
3. Consulting offers unlimited career possibilities as a great launchboard, the analytical skills and sector insights might get updated one day, but the problem solving approach, once mastered, is highly transferrable.
My immediate thoughts: these answers are condescending (1), lecturing (2) and selfish (3). I understand what you're going towards but try rewording in the context of the employer's values or job description req's, then put in some examples.
When it comes to the answer length, from my talks with different consultants I have learned that the ideal answer is about 2-3 minutes. More than that and you risk that interviewer will lose focus and won't remember what you have said.
This is a great question, although it seems trivial and boring at first. If I may draw the analogy to the movie Karate Kid. Mr Miagi asks the karate kid to clean his house with the "wax on and wax off" movements. Only after it became a habit and after he mastered the movements did the karate kid understand why he was doing it in the first place. Similarly, if you've (1) done sufficient research about consulting as a sector/career, the firms you are applying to, the skill sets you gain, the experiences and exposures you gain, and the people you meet; (2) defined your objectives by working in this field; (3) networked enough with current and ex-consultants, your answer to this question will come very naturally. If you are struggling with responding to this, it is a sign that there is still a knowledge gap against what you know about consulting, your career objectives and your knowledge of the firms and what it really is like.
Limit your response to under 3 minute. In interviews, you are expected to be able to deliver the message when asked and to do so directly. The response should be personalized although may overlap with general responses. Be specific on how you arrived to that "why". For instance, spoke to 50 people in the firm and loved XYZ about it.
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