Here’s How to Secure Your Aspired Job as a New Consultant
McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, three of the world’s most important strategy consultancies are looking for new talent and plan to create many new jobs this year. Of course, they are looking for consultants who are both competent and willing to perform. But if you want to secure one of the coveted job offers from one of these top firms, you first have to pass through a highly selective interview process.
Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus know how challenging this selection process can be. They worked for years as senior consultants and interviewers for McKinsey and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). They know precisely how applicants should present themselves to ultimately land the aspired job.
General information about the interview
If you manage to proceed past the first hurdles and receive an invitation to an interview day, you should expect roughly three to five one-hour meetings. Two aspects are in focus here. First and foremost, your competence is evaluated. What combination of skills, and what experience have you acquired throughout previous professional and education stages? And how could these be helpful in advising clients? Where do you see yourself in the near and more distant future – and how can the consultancy support you in this objective? These are questions that require honest answers. Memorized phrases are a recipe for failure.
Preparing for the interview
However, applicants should not only think about their objectives. They must also ask themselves what skills the consulting firm wants to see in them. An applicant must show that they understand the client’s problems and respond to them with an analytical solution and customer-oriented communication. Therefore, what is required is a comprehensive understanding of problems that can be applied in a wide variety of situations. A skill that cannot be acquired by mere memorization but requires real problem solving competency.
In addition, a methodically clean and quantitative analysis of all data is key. And the applicant must also be able to present these analyses understandably. After all, the interview simulates an everyday situation. So, if you don’t manage to convince the interviewer, chances are high that you would also have considerable problems in the real world of consulting. Renowned consulting firms are looking for competent consultants who can attack major client challenges.
About Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus:
Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus were active as senior consultants and interviewers at BCG and McKinsey for many years. They know the entire recruiting process with its challenges. Therefore, they decided to prepare applicants interviewing at renowned strategy consultancies such as McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. They have developed a special program, “The MBB Offer Machine“, which significantly increases applicants’ chances of being hired by these firms.
