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If you’re getting ready for a consulting interview, you already know the reputation: rigorous, high-pressure, analytical, and unpredictable. The truth is, consulting interviews aren’t trying to trick you; they’re trying to see whether you think the way consultants think. Today we’re going to show you how to master that mindset and use it to your advantage during an interview. Let’s begin.
Understanding the Consulting Mission
Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or a fledgling startup, a consultant’s work typically begins with a client saying: “We’re not sure what’s wrong, but something is.” Consultants are trained to untangle messy, unclear situations and turn them into structured, actionable insights. When it comes to your interview, this translates into demonstrating your “structured thinking” ability.
The truth is, the hiring manager isn’t necessarily looking for the right answer, but rather how you’ll dive into a messy situation, break it up into manageable pieces, and move logically through the problem (or problems). On an interview, behavioral questions test just this sort of thing.
Think Hypothetically
Consultants don’t wander their way through problems. Instead, they gain perspective through putting together a data-informed hypothesis. If you want to distinguish yourself as a prime candidate, you’ll have to demonstrate understanding of the consulting workflow. Here is a breakdown:
- Develop a hypothesis
- Gather data
- Test the hypothesis
- Refine or pivot
Let’s say the interviewer asks you to solve a hypothetical problem where the client is experiencing a decline in sales. Using the workflow described above, you might answer with something like this:
- “My initial hypothesis is that the client’s declining sales are drive by increased competition rather than pricing issues. To test that, I’d start by analyzing market share data and customer switching behavior.”
If you’re able to demonstrate this pattern of thought effectively, you’ll show the interviewer that you’re already operating at an associate-level mindset.
Communicate with Clarity and Confidence
One of the biggest mistakes some candidates make is thinking like a consultant but talking like someone taking an exam. Communication is extremely important in the world of consulting, so learning how to think and speak like a consultant is key. The goal here is to provide structure, speak concisely, and show confidence. For example, you might say something like this when answering a question about how you’d approach a complex problem:
- “To solve this, I’d break the problem into three categories. [First… second… third…] We can then evaluate which offers the biggest opportunity.”
When in doubt, imagine you’re pitching an idea to someone who doesn’t have a lot of time, similar to an elevator pitch. In other words, lead with impact, and avoid unnecessary details.
Know the Interview Types
Consulting interviews typically fall into three categories: Case interviews, behavioral interviews, and fit interviews. To better understand these different types of interviews, let’s break down the hallmarks of each one, starting with case interviews.
Case interviews are designed to simulate real client problems and evaluate the following:
- Structured thinking
- Ability to build a hypothesis
- Analytical reasoning
- Mental math
- Communication skills
It is incredibly important to practice cases when preparing for a career in consulting. If you’d like to learn more about what it takes to excel at these types of interviews, check out our previous advice. For those who are super serious about learning everything they possibly can about case interviews, the Vault Guide to Case Interviews is an excellent resource.
Next, we have behavioral interviews, or as they’re sometimes called in the consulting world, “Personal Experience Interviews (PEI).” These types of interviews look at:
- Leadership skills
- Resilience
- Collaborative skills
- Self-awareness
The questions that are asked during a behavioral interview aren’t of the simple “Tell me about yourself” variety—consulting firms are looking for a certain degree of depth, specific examples from your experience, and the impact your actions have had.
The third type of interview consulting firms often use is the fit interview. In addition to your skills and experiences, firms want to know what motivates you—fit interviews examine:
- Your understanding of the firm
- Why you chose a career in consulting
- Why you want to work at the firm you’re interviewing with
- Whether you can communicate like someone who could sit in front of a client tomorrow
Fit interviews check whether you’re someone who will gel with the rest of the firm. In other words: Are you a good fit for the culture? Are you ready to handle the workload?
Treat the Interview Like a Client Meeting
Consultants are evaluated on two major things: “Do they solve the client’s problem?” and “Do clients enjoy working with them?” During your interview, imagine the interviewer is a client and listen carefully, ask clarifying questions (when necessary), and summarize often—remember, if you were speaking with a client, you’d want them to know that you understand them.
This approach will build rapport, demonstrate emotional intelligence, and show the interviewer that you’re ready to communicate with clients. When done effectively, this will automatically set you apart from many other candidates and make you more memorable in the mind of the interviewer.
Show Curiosity
Consultants are lifelong learners. Firms don’t expect you to know everything, but they do expect you to be curious, adaptable, and willing to ask smart questions. Let’s say you’re on a case interview. Here, you might ask questions like “Do we have any data on customer demographics?” or “Are we considering both fixed and variable costs?”
The importance of curiosity cannot be overstated, and this goes for pretty much anything in your life and career. For those who are interviewing for a job in the world of consulting, curiosity signals that you’ll be easy to train, which is a great quality for a candidate to have.
When it comes to consulting interviews, the goal is to show the hiring manager you’re already thinking like a consultant with structured thinking, clear communication, and genuine curiosity. Next time, we’ll go over some common interview questions you might encounter when interviewing with consulting firms, so be sure to check back soon.
Rob Porter is an editor at Vault.
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