Management Consultants – Worst Mistake in Fit Interviews
The worst thing you can do is give bland, generic answers to the interview questions.
If you do not give unique answers that impart a bit of your personality, the interviewer will simply think you are the kind of person who is not willing to put forth an effort.
To begin with, let's talk about anecdotes. If you are not a very good consulting interviewer, you will not give anecdotes. Look at this example:
Why do you want to be a management consultant?
I like to work with smart people and face difficult business and intellectual challenges.
That is a very flat response. There is nothing special or personal about it. Where is the story? Where is the anecdote?
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Can you see why this answer is really a problem?
When you tell a story, you stand out. If you just give a generic response, your answer will be just like all the rest. Then you won't get an offer, and neither will anyone else.
At the end of the day, the consultants usually have a meeting to discuss all the applicants. If you said something that really stuck with your interviewer, you are likely to be discussed favorably. If you just gave a dull, unimaginative answer, your interviewer probably won't even think to mention you.
So what would that answer look like with an anecdote?
A takeaway is a conclusion. It is a lesson learned or a 20/20 hindsight. Call it what you may.
In the example answer, there was no anecdote. Nothing was experienced, and nothing was learned.
Here is what that answer would look like with an anecdote. Remember, when you personalize your answers, they become stronger. They convey an experience and draw a conclusion. And they make your interviewer remember you.
What interests you about management consulting?
Ever since I did my internship in asset management, I have realized that it is important to me to work with a top-of-the-line team facing difficult business challenges. The people I worked with then really knew what they were doing, and I admired that. The work I did every day was a little dull, but I liked watching them. Now I know that if I want to get ahead in the business world, I will need to have work that challenges me and become a key member of a top-notch team like that.
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