#fit interview

While candidates practice extensively for the case portion of an interview, many neglect the preparation needed to perform in the non-case portions.  While every firm asks different types of questions and is assessing different traits, a few general points can lead to success.

Translate your experience into the world of a consultant 

We interviewed a former captain of his college’s Division I lacrosse team at a Top Five business school.  He clearly had had a storied career on and off the field.  He was a great candidate by every definition. 

When asked to discuss a time he led a team through adversity, he immediately discussed a challenge his team faced his senior year when the head coach left midway through the season.  He discussed his role as the Captain and how he stepped into the leadership void.  He helped guide the team through the playoffs and an ultimate conference title and trip to the National Tournament.    

Had we been hiring a lacrosse team captain, he would have gotten the job on the spot.  The challenge for us as the interviewer (remember we flew in that morning, had other deliverables on our mind, had asked the same question half a dozen times that day already) was to translate his amazing team leading into the world of management consulting.  How would convincing young players to commit to after-hours practices relate to coaching a client through a challenging interaction with their boss?  How would the success he had on the field translate to success leading a team of three analysts?  These "translation" challenges we typically see with candidates who use examples from their sporting careers and former military officers who use examples from their military lives.  

Mind you, we are not discouraging varsity athletes and former Lieutenants from using examples from their careers.  In fact, these are usually the most interesting and relevant.  Give thought, though, to how your example can be translated into what is asked of management consultants every day.  When one is the Captain of the team or the commanding officer, typically they motivate people as those people have to follow their orders.  They have leadership authority simply by the position they are in.  As a consultant the inverse is often true as you are asked to "lead from behind." 

Structure your personal experience 

This is often some of the hardest advice we have to give.  We tell candidates they have to approach these interviews naturally and "as if they were having a business conversation over a drink."  By its very nature, structuring conversation tends to not sound natural.  If misinterpreted it can sound forced or, worse still, rehearsed.    

With any interview, however, you need to get the most impactful information across to your interviewer as clearly as possible in as little time as possible.  Long-winded stories about developing people that worked on your teams can often fail to deliver the impactful points you are attempting to make about your leadership style.  While we recommend structuring your personal experience, we do suggest you do so with caution in the hope it does not come across negatively. 

With any example from your personal or professional life, you should think about that story’s headline.  In two sentences or less, describe what will the story be about and show about you ("I’d like to share a story about a time that I led a group of classmates through our first year project by finding a client, recruiting my classmates to be on the team, developing workstreams collaboratively with them, and managing the workplan to deliver a recommendation to that client").  

Your headline should be crisp but not too flowery.  Like a newspaper headline, the interviewer should be left wanting to learn more about the story and your role in it. 

Support your headline with three to four key points.  These points should be about the impact that you had on the project or what wouldn’t have happened had you not been there.  Too often, candidates speak in the collective "we" in an attempt to be modest.  Unfortunately, consultants are not asked to interview a team but rather you.  Be firm about your role and what you did. 

Typically candidates mention the result of the story or its ultimate ending.  Be sure to include what you took away as well.  Did the experience teach you something you did not already know?  Has it helped to shape you as a leader today?  If it was not successful, this is even more important to include. 

Photo cred here

The Airport Test

Consultants often describe the fit interview as "the airport test." Your interviewer asks herself:

How would I feel stuck in an airport with this person?

Would hours in your company delight her or drive her mad? Are you fun? Are you social? Dutiful applicants spend a few minutes brainstorming ways to express both qualities and thus their great fit.

For some jobs, fun and social might do it, but consultants work so intimately with one another that fit goes beyond the airport gate. Here are three reasons why fit matters more than you think for management consulting interviews.

1. Every waking hour with your team

It's not just the airport. You may literally (at least according to the new definition) spend every waking moment together. Let's take an inventory of things a team might do together:

Fly to client city

Stay at same hotel

Drive to client site every day

Spend every day in team room

Eat meals

Work late at hotels

Bond at the bar (occasionally)

The stakes are high. Your new team member could either be a ball and chain, painful to lug around, or a shining light, a breath of fresh air, that keeps the team going. It's your interviewer's job to guess which one you are.

2. Different project, different team

You might get along fabulously with one team, but after the project is over, you might work with a brand new set of people. In my two years, I worked on nearly ten teams, all with different leaders and team members. In fact, I don't know if I ever worked with the same team twice. To minimize team switching costs, firms invest heavily in training, shared resources, and consistent processes. But it starts with hiring people that they think will be quick on the uptake and fit in on all teams.

3. Client expectations

Clients come first and firms are typically very careful about the interactions their teams have with clients. Everything needs to come in stellar form, people need to be prepared, and it just needs that polished elite sparkle that comes with the price-tag.

So your interviewer isn't just asking herself would I want to spend time with you in an airport or team room, she's asking whether she'd want the client to spend time with you.

It goes both ways

Fit matters more for consulting companies because of the intensely interpersonal nature of the business. Your interviewer needs to decide whether they, other teams, and clients will want to work and spend time with you.

But remember, it goes both ways. You're choosing a firm to join for at least two years of your life. I've dated some stellar girls, but none of my relationships have lasted that long. It's a freaking commitment. So as they assess your fit, you should assess their fit with your personality and goals.