From Interview to Offer
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Govindan Sendhuran writes the Last part of his 3 part series on "Finding Jobs in the Consulting Industry"
[ For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links to Part1 & Part 2 ]
From Interview to Offer
General Interview Preparation
The first thing to do when you get an interview call (and preferably you should start before that), is to find out everything you can about the firm’s interviews. This applies to pretty much every industry, not just consulting. The things to find include (but aren’t limited to):
- Format of the interviews: How long is it? How many will there be? Is it going to be case interview? Group discussion? Etc.
- What the firm/interviewers are looking for: Relevant experience, knowledge of finance, analytical skills, etc.
- Frequently asked questions: Tell me about a time when you lead a team? What are you strengths & weaknesses?, etc.
The best sources for this kind of information are people who have recently interviewed with the firm and the alumni/friends who work there. The recruiter can also be approached regarding the format of the interviews, and what the firm is looking for. But it would be inappropriate to ask about frequently asked questions.
This information will help you better prepare for the interview. Prior to the interview, you should prepare answers for the frequently asked questions. This will help you feel more relaxed in the actual interview. Additionally, if there is some special interview method used at the firm, you can get ready for that too.
Consulting Firm Interviews
Most top management consulting firms will have interviews that are a mix of behavioral interviews and case interviews. Each is used to assess different aspects of your candidature:
1. Behavioral Interviews: These are used to assess your experiences, attitudes, leadership skills and other relevant skills. Additionally these interviews check for fit with the firm.
To prepare for these, check with others who’ve interviewed with the firm recently, or alums who work at the firm, to get the inside scoop on the frequently asked question. Also, ensure that you prepare your answers to these questions beforehand and practice them with others.
2. Case Interviews: These are used to assess your analytical skills, your creativity, and your general business judgment.
The only way to prepare for this is to practice, practice, and practice some more, at least 50 – 100 cases before you interview. This means you have to start practicing long before you even get your interview call. Also practice with different people, practice with different types of cases (investments, market entry, operations, etc.) Quantity and variety are key! “Crack the Case” (www.mbacase.com), by David Ohrvall is the best resource I’ve seen for case interview practice. In my opinion it’s a MUST.
A few consulting firms will also use other methods to evaluate your candidature, including group discussions, presentation, etc. So make sure you investigate this before the interview.
The Actual Interview
Be confident and SMILE!
By the time you go for the interview, you should have prepared enough to be confident of getting the job. And if it helps, realize that the firm has invited you to interview because they think you are a good candidate. They already believe that you are smart enough and have the right background and experiences to succeed as a consultant!
Be relaxed and SMILE. When you are tensed up or nervous, your brain starts wasting mental cycles. You’re slower to respond, you’ll forget things, and you’ll do poorly, especially in the case interview. So relax, take a deep breath if you need and SMILE. Smiling can actually make you feel more relaxed! Smiling will also help you be more personable. If you’re stiff and don’t smile, it could harm your chances. Remember, consulting is hard work, and the interviewer is also looking for a new colleague who can be fun to work with through those long days. So relax, SMILE and be personable.
MBA Class of 2009
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School
NUS Business School (exchange)
Getting the Interview Call
Friday, March 13, 2009
[ For those who missed the first part, here is the link ]
Getting the Interview Call
In my opinion, getting an interview call from a top tier consulting firm is probably the hardest part of getting the job for many people. If you have a 750 GMAT, great undergraduate GPA, and go to a high-ranked business school, it gets a bit easier, but still there is lot more involved. The way I see it, there are two ways to get the interview call, one is through the formal application process, and the other is through informal networking.
Formal Process: All the top consulting firms, and many smaller firms too, have a formal application process (normally online application). Most top firms look for four things in the application:
1. High undergraduate/graduate GPA
2. High GMAT Score (at least 700, preferably in the 750 range)
3. Reputed MBA program
4. ‘Killer’ Resume
Not having one of the first three mentioned above does not mean, you can’t get an interview call, it just gets much harder. So if you need to, re – write the GMAT. And put your GMAT score if it’s a good one on your resume.
Now on to the resume. Your resume has to highlight several important key characteristics:
1. Impact/Achievement
Eg. Each of your achievements/accomplishments needs to be clearly quantified. How much business did you generate? How much did you save? How big was the project, in $$ terms, were you responsible for?
2. Leadership Experiences
Eg. how did you work across cross-functional teams? In international teams? Etc.
“Shot down 3 enemy aircrafts in dogfights over Iraq”
“Directed documentary about robotic camel jockeys in the Middle East”
“Authored, ‘Running with the Buffalos’, book about the Colorado Men’s Cross Country Team”
-Sendhuran Govindan
MBA Class of 2009
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School
NUS Business School (exchange)
First Step in getting a management consulting job?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Second Year exchange student Govindan Sendhuran shares his strategy for finding jobs in the Consulting Industry....
First Step in getting a management consulting job?
Find the jobs that are out there!
The way I see it, there are basically 3 steps in getting a management consulting job.
1. Finding the jobs that are out there
2. Applying for the jobs you like and getting interview calls for those
3. Converting the interviews into offers
In this blog entry, I’ll discuss the first step, finding the jobs that are out there. Many people, when they think of management consulting, think it’s just McKinsey, BCG and Bain. However, there are many other firms as well. And in this economic climate, it’s important to cast your net wide. Below are three good references you can use to find other management consulting firms.
1. Wetfeet and Vault Guides to the Consulting Industry
This is a great start. Your university’s career management center will normally have hard copies or access to the soft copies of these. Theses guides usually have a list of top 50 consulting firms ranked in terms of reputation, functional area expertise, quality of work/life balance, etc.
http://www.vault.com/nr/consulting_rankings/consulting_rankings.jsp?consulting2009=2&ch_id=252
http://shop.wetfeet.com/Browse/Consulting-Careers/25-Top-Consulting-Firms.aspx
2. LinkedIn
Vault and Wetfeet will only get you information on the top 50 consulting firms. But what about the rest? The smaller boutique firms? There are thousands out there! LinkedIn is a great source for this. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account yet, get one now! It’s an essential tool for all MBAs!
If you browse “Management Consulting”, you will find thousands of results for management consulting firms across the world. Just click on the names to learn more and find if you are connected to any of the firms’ employees.
3. Google
And let’s not forget good ol’ trusty google. If you have a background in a particular industry, just google for consulting firms in those industries. It can be quite powerful, but you’d need to filter out the noise. Just searching “Management Consulting – Telecom”, lead me to the following firms:
a) Consequi Group:
http://www.consequi.com/pages/1/index.htm
http://www.greenwich-consulting.com/templates/home.php?NodId=57
http://www.teleconvergence.com/en/Strategic_Telecommunications_Marketing
d) Dao2:
http://www.dao2.com/
I suggest you create an excel file to store the information you collect about the companies. Be sure to capture, their names, their industry focus, their website address, recruiter contact, application process, and very importantly, the resume/application deadlines. This will allow you to plan your application process in order to give yourself enough time to prepare the applications and also to ensure you don’t miss any deadlines.
Sendhuran Govindan
MBA Class of 2009
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School
NUS Business School (exchange)
