It is easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself during interview season, especially when your classmates are receiving interviews for firms you’re interested in.
Have patience though, your time will come and the wait will be worth it.
This blog post is mostly about what to do when you receive an interview at that firm you’ve been eyeing for some time. So, if this is you, congrats! You’re well on your way.
Two pieces of advice.
One of the best pieces of advice I received during interview season is to remember that your interviewers are, in fact, regular people. People with interests, hobbies, friends and families outside of their day to day job. So, try to treat this experience as a conversation with someone you’re trying to get to know, or an opportunity to share your excitement in the field of work and some actions you’ve taken to learning more about it.
Another great piece of advice I’ve received is that being invited to an interview means that the team has a positive feeling about you – they are impressed with what you have accomplished and believe you have potential! This should help level the playing field in your head. Please remember that the final decision will be made by both the interviewers and yourself, so be sure to use the interview as a way to gauge if they will be compatible with how you work or aspire to work – because if successful, you will be spending many hours with these people.
Ultimately, the interview has two big aims:
- To allow the team to learn more about your experience and expertise, so they can determine how suitable you are for a career at their firm; and
- To allow you to learn more about the team and what they do, so you are sure that this is the career path you want to pursue.
As you probably know, firms are looking for certain distinctive qualities, so you need to showcase your outstanding potential in several areas. So, prior to meeting with the hiring team, you should make note of some relevant past experiences that highlight you in the five key areas found below:
1. Problem Solving
As you know, consultants help clients solve tough business problems. So, you will need to show that you have strong intellectual ability and toughness. You can show this in many ways, but at a minimum they will be interested in your approach to solving a business problem (the infamous case interview). Regardless of which industry interests you most, any business case chosen by those interviewing you is fair game. This means that you need to be prepared and arrive at the interview well practiced. You can do this by reviewing a popular book called Case in Point, and finding a buddy (preferably someone with consulting experience) to run you through practice cases before your interview. Your best friends during this process will be structure, thoughtfulness and a bit of humour.
2. Determination
Consultants are often faced with having to manage many stakeholders, tight deadlines and multiple deliverables. Having determination, lots of energy and commitment is essential. You can show this in the behavioral portion of the interview. Try to think of 2 or 3 moments where you have shown a great level of determination in challenging times. Do your best to think of examples outside a regular exam period, because all students face the stress of this challenge and it will not help you stand out. It is also good practice to communicate what you learned from these experiences so you can ensure success when you are faced with a similar challenge in future.
3. Soft Skills
Consultants work with many people in their day to day schedule. Being able to establish rapport and communicating a plan effectively and succinctly will be essential in gaining support for your ideas. Soft skills will be evaluated based on how you introduce yourself, how you handled conflict and how you present yourself in the interview.
4. Leadership
Consultants need to work well in teams and have the leadership ability to drive change in complex organizations. It is common for people to mix up the terms management and leadership since they are not mutually exclusive. It will be best for you to think of past examples where you were not solely focused on the tasks but also the vision, and how you led your team or clients to believe in that vision. My favorite leadership quote is, “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.”
5. Positive Attitude
Consultants work long hours, 10 – 12 hour days during a critical sprint is not uncommon. When looking for a teammate, consultants will be looking for someone who will be fun to be around during those long hours on the project.
On the day of the interview…
Try to think about the interview as if you’re meeting a new friend. You’re interested in them, they’re interested in you, now you’re both seeing if you want to hang out with each other more. Have you ever hung out with someone who was super scatter brained, stressed, tried too hard to be something they weren’t, or were strangely too into what you do? That didn’t go so well, did it? So, don’t do that!
Instead:
- Approach with a level head
- Take your time
- Be yourself
- And, ask good questions!
Good luck! :)
Aneta Kosinska is a Polish-Canadian and soon to be dual master degree Ivey MSc + CEMS MIM alumni. Having worked on consulting projects in North America, Asia and Europe she has developed an international mindset with an edge in technology and culture management.
Image: Pexels
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