Guide to a future in consulting
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- Navigate this page:
- What Interviewers Are Looking For
- Your Timeline
- Preparing Your Story
ContentsWhat Interviewers Are Looking For 10 Your Timeline 12 Preparing Your Story 13 Finding Where You Belong 13 Why Prepare Your Story? 16 The Experience Matrix 16 The Consulting Resume 18 Writing your resume 18 What Consulting Firms Are Looking For 18 Sample Requirements from McKinsey’s Website 22 Writing Accomplishment Statements 23 Resume Format 29 Sample Resume 31 Preparing for Behavioral Questions 33 Sample Behavioral Questions from Firms 35 The Case Interview 36 Oral Cases: 90% of case interviews will be oral 36 Written Cases 36
Why use a framework? 38 How to Start Your Case Framework 39 The Wharton Consulting Club Framework 39 Business Problem Archetypes 43 What are Case Archetypes? 43 The 12 Archetypes 43
Porter’s Five Forces 44 The 4 Ps 47 The 3 Cs 50 The Profit Equation 51 Value Chain Analysis 51 Financial Footprint 52
Economics 54 Finance 56 Accounting 57 Recommended Resources 59 Books 59
Courses 59 Case Questions 61 Improving Case Performance 61 61
What Interviewers Are Looking ForConsulting firms use a number of methods including careful review of resumes, behavioral interviews, and case interviews to gauge how well a candidate will perform on the job. As you practice cases, keep in mind what skills and attributes the recruiters are looking for and take it upon yourself to demonstrate them. The following are the three questions most recruiters are probably trying to answer while considering a candidate:
Can this candidate solve problems for a client? Use the case interview to demonstrate your analytical skills, logical reasoning, business savvy, and creativity. Show the interviewer that you can listen closely to the question being asked of you, break the problem down into components, formulate meaningful questions, proceed logically through an investigation, and draw reasonable conclusions. Can I put this candidate in front of a client? Too often, candidates are only concerned with demonstrating problem-solving skills and forget that consulting is a service industry which values communication and presentation skills. Use the interview to demonstrate composure, maturity, and confidence. Show that you are tactful and friendly and that you can present your thoughts using clear, concise language. Will I want to work with this candidate? Candidates should remember to be themselves so the interviewer can get to know them. The “airport rule,” often quoted by consultants during interviews, refers to the test of whether they believe a candidate is someone they would not mind being stuck in an airport with for a few hours during a layover. While it may sound hard to believe at this point, case interviews can and should be a fun experience. Successful candidates will show the interviewer that they are interested in the case, empathetic to the client, and have a lot of enthusiasm and energy. Your Timeline
Preparing Your StoryFinding Where You BelongThere are many types of consulting, and finding the right match for you is an essential part of targeting your career search. The business consulting landscape contains a variety of consulting needs and firms that service them. Figure 1 gives a broad overview of the consulting landscape, and as a Babson MBA student you have access to the guides at www.vault.com and the Recommended Resources section of this guide for more information on how to decide where you belong. 
Figure 1: Source Vault Career Guide to Consulting |