Behavioral Consulting Questns

7/23/2019 Behavioral Consulting Questns

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26 Interview Questions the Top 10 Consulting

Firms Ask

byPhil Stott| November 21, 2013

My Vault

The key to any good interview is preparationand there's no better preparation than

knowing the kinds of questions that you're likely to face. With that in mind, I took a look

through the thousands of responses from our 2013 consulting survey and selected some of

the most representative questions that successful candidates had to navigate. For this post,I limited my research to questions from firms that made the top 10 in theVault Consulting

50this yearin a follow-up, I'll focus on questions from different types of firms: boutiques,

firms with particular practice area specialties, and so on. In the meantime, feel free to test

out your answers to any of the belowor to provide feedback on others' answersin the

comments.

Situational & Personal Questions

These are the standard questions that almost every professional in any walk of life will have

to negotiate successfully if they're to find themselves getting a job offer. However, just

because they're not specific to the consulting industry doesn't mean that you should take

them lightlytripping up on a question about your long-term career goals can do your

application just as much harm as blowing the case interview portion. Some examples:
http://www.vault.com/contributors-network/phil-stott/http://__dopostback%28%27ctl00%24ctl00%24ctl00%24contentplaceholderdefault%24sectioncontent%24pagetools_1%24addtovault%27%2C%27%27%29/http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/consulting/vault-consulting-50/http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/consulting/vault-consulting-50/http://__dopostback%28%27ctl00%24ctl00%24ctl00%24contentplaceholderdefault%24sectioncontent%24pagetools_1%24addtovault%27%2C%27%27%29/http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/consulting/vault-consulting-50/http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/consulting/vault-consulting-50/http://www.vault.com/contributors-network/phil-stott/


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1. "Please describe your most important leadership experience and the impact that you

had as a leader."

2. "Describe a problem that you would like to tackle at [this firm], why and how would

you pursue it."

3. "If I were to speak to your colleagues from your most recent internship (or friends in

school), what would they say about you? What are the strengths and weaknesses they

would share?"

4. "Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn about yourself and how

did you change as a result?"

5. "Why our firm instead of your current firm? What do you know about us compared to

your firm?"

6. "Tell me about a project that didn't go well and why and what you would do differently

next time?"

7. "How do you quantify a lead?"

8. "Can you describe your brand?"

9. "How have you dealt with low team morale in the past? Provide an example of when

you had to give a bad performance review."

10. "Describe a project which challenged you. Describe a client relationship which was

challenging."

Market Sizing/ Estimates

Market sizing and estimation is a crucial skill in the consulting world, and is also something

that is conveniently easy to test for in interviews. In fact, every single firm in the top 10anda clear majority of the firms we survey every yearask candidates to estimate the size of

something, whether it's ice cream cones sold in Beijing in a day, or the potential market for

electric cars in the United States. Regardless of what you're asked to figure out, you should

always start by explaining your assumptionspopulation size, percentage of the population

likely to use said product (and why you've settled on that percentage), and any other factors

that are likely to have a significant effect on the estimate. Indeed, showing that you can


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logically approach the problem is far more important than whatever number you might

eventually arrive at, so be sure to do the bulk of your reasoning out loud, and make the

process a conversation with the interviewer, so that they can follow your thought process.

Here are some sample market sizing questions from this year's survey:

1. "How many airplanes leave from Boston's Logan Airport on Monday?"

2. "How many lightbulbs are there in Manhattan?"

3. "What is the market size for a cancer diagnostic technology in the U.S.?"

4. "How many passengers fly through LAX in a calendar year?"

Case Questions

No consulting interview would be complete without case interview questions that test a

candidate's ability to think strategically about problems. Answering them is all about

preparation (that's why you're at business schooland why there's no shortage of guides to

help prepare) as well as a continuation of the approach for market sizing questionsmake it

a conversation, and explain every step of your thinking/process along the way. Again:

showing that you can arrive at a solution after thoughtful questioning and analysis is far

more important in these questions than being able to throw out a brilliant new strategy on

the fly, so focus on the process, and allow it to lead you to a solution. Some examples:

1. "Client X is deciding how best to enter a new market. They have a choice of buying

an existing company, or developing the technology in-house. How would you think about

advising them to make the best decision?"

2. "How should a nuclear plant deal with waste products?"(Hint: the same person who

submitted this question told us that the answer "involves heavy analytic calculation aboutthe recycling of plutonium, various storage option with different cost structures, and

recommendations taking into account various green initiatives and business risks.")

3. "An online brokerage is growing well but can't seem to reach their profitability goals;

what could be going on?"


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4. "You're discussing a contemplated divestiture with the CFO of a large corporation.

What are some of the points you'd want to make in considering how our firm can potentially

assist him or her? What key themes would you want to hit on?"

5. "Your client is a Fortune 50 aerospace and defense company interested in entering

adjacent markets through organic or inorganic expansion. Which markets should she enter

and how?"

6. "How would you go about advising a hypothetical client on commercializing a

teleportation device that they have invented?"

7. "Should I open Chick-Fil-A on Sunday?"

8. "Should I put Wi-Fi on my airline?"

9. "Our client is thinking of acquiring a company that makes a certain type of medical

device; what do they need to consider in making their decision?"

10. "Our client wants to enter the wine market; how should they go about doing so?"

Brainteasers/ Random Knowledge

While it's now rare for consulting firms to ask the "golf balls in a 747"-type questions that

were in vogue a few years ago, there are occasional interviewers who like to stretch

candidates to see how they perform under pressure. Here are a couple of questions that

stood out in this category.

1. "You are sitting on a camel on the edge of the Sahara desert. How far can you see?"

2. "Who is Sancho Panza?"

Related:

For examples of interview questions from specific consulting firms, check out the profiles of

the firms in ourconsulting rankingsby clicking the firm's name in the rankings.
http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/consulting/http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/consulting/


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BCG Behavioral & Fit Interview Questions (2)

Interview Type: Behavioral and Fit Interviews.

Consulting Firm: Boston Consulting Group (BCG)first round job interview.

Industry Coverage: one

Number of Questions: 2!"

2#$. If %our best friend had to use three adjetives to desribe %ou' whih would the% be

2#2. In one word desribe %ourself.

2#*. In one word what is the best thing about life

2#". Initiall% no support during the ase stud%. the intention was to wath us figuring it out b% ourselves

2#+. Insurane o,pan% strateg%

2#-. Interview uestion / lient offers pensions plans. firstl% wor0 out fro, data presented whether the%1re

,a0ing a profit or loss eah %ear. seondl%' what should the C3 do

2#!. Interviewer $ basiall% wanted a histor% of ,% wor0ing life sine undergrad' and then he as0ed a few

follow up uestions. he wanted to 0now wh% i wanted to go into onsulting and wh% i wanted to wor0 forBCG. 4is ase started as a basi profit 5 revenue / ost ase with so,e deeper issues that involved

further alulations and poorl% ,ade graphs. Interviewer 2 as0ed when i led people and had an i,pat

and what that i,pat was. I answered that' though it was i,possible to gauge if it was suffiient. she also

as0ed about a ti,e when i had to redo wor0 or ta0e another approah beause ,% first approah didn1t

wor0 (or so,ething li0e that)6 whih was sort of odd beause she also as0ed about a ,ajor setba0 whih

is in a si,ilar real, of uestioning.

2#7. Interviews were ui0 ("+ ,in)' a short fit interview (8tell ,e about a ti,e when9: or 8wal0 ,e

through %our resu,e:)' but the fous was a ase interview. hardest uestion was a o,pliated

,athe,atial brainteaser.

2#;. It fir, e


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a lot of ,aths.

"-;. ?h% ,ove fro, a onsulting o,pan% to another onsulting fir,.

"!#. ?h% real estate

"!$. ?h% should we hire %ou

"!2. ?h% this partiular position

"!*. ?or0 out o,ple< revenues@osts.

"!". ?rite a QA plan.

Answers to behavioral questions in

consulting interviewsDisclaimer:All answers posted below are based on my personalexperiences. Feel free to use them but it in no way implies thatthese are the correct answers. Also, I have not had any formaltraining on how to answer these types of questions. here areother sites that teach!coach aspirants on how to answer thesequestions. "#hec$ outmanagementconsulted.com % a blog writtenby ex&'c(insey consultants on how to crac$ behavioral as well ascase questions in consulting interviews)

I hate these questions because I mostly feel fake and insincereanswering these types of questions. Also I am totally scared of giving

generic (eye roll yeaa.. like I havent heard that one before) orstupid (really thats the best you can come up with!) answers. Acombination of both has often led me into nervous panic attacks.

Also feel free to comment if you have opinions"questions or feelthat I should have answered these questions differently.

Tell me about yourself?

#he simplest and yet the most dangerous of them all. $%&' likelyhood of getting this question in every interview round. I dread thisquestion mostly because I never know how to answer it. I mostlycombine with a brief personal resume based history leading to

why I want to go into consulting.

ex.


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I grew up all over the world.

*id an +ngineering undergrad.

,orked for a year.

,anted to go into business.

*id a masters in -perations esearch.

,anted to go into a field which combines thorough research

analytical skills (from engineering) management communication skills (from my work e/perience) and interest

in business 01 A2A 01CONSULTING!!!

And nowadays it always helps if you have had some global e/posure.+specially in consulting since you will probably work with brilliantpeople from all over the world. -r you may have to work acrosscontinents for the same client.

Wy o you "a#t for $c%i#sey&'CG&'oo(&'ai# etc.?

,hat I really "isI could say 3ecause it is4c5insey"367"3oo8"3ain etc. *92::

,hat I end up saying (and I honestly personally sincerely do meanall of my points below)

I know I want to work in the consulting industry and ; is one of the best management consulting firms in theworld today.

I personally thrive in an environment which promotes

intellectual curiosity and a 8est for success.

; international presence gives me a chance to work in a

global environment and scope.


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; has 6lients in every field"sector"industry which can

provide me with the learning and e/posure that no other firmcan.

; has come up with so many ground breakingmanagement theories"solutions"articles (read up companycase studies white papers etc. to learn the new ideas floatingaround) I would like to be a part of this innovation andcreative thinking.

I will get to work with some of the best minds in the industry

Wy o you "a#t to "or) "it us as o**ose to +Oter

,irm-?

3ecause ;-ther isnt hiring me:: 0) 7enerally I believe its thesmaller firms that ask this question. I would like to take it as acompliment. ?ou are so good that this small firm cant believe you

would think of @oining them as opposed to a 4c5insey::

I personally work in a small consulting firm. *efinitely not my firstchoice but now that I am here I can see why someone would want

to work in a small firm as opposed to a large firm. ome reasons are

I have an entrepreneurial streak. I want to work in an

environment where I can e/perience all aspects of a businessoperations.

In a smaller company you often have to go over and beyond andtake on greater responsibility than whats specified in your @obdescription. Bust as an e/ample you might start recruiting andinterviewing people a lot earlier in a smaller firm than in a4c5insey.

I want to be a part of the companys growth.


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maller firms normally have the fervor passion to provethemselves. ?ou also move up faster within a small firm especially ifits growing and hiring aggressively.

#he relatively flat organi8ational structure.

?ou will have a better chance of interacting learning from seniormanagement in smaller firms.


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De*t 0+very new pro@ect provokes a different thought processnew ideas and innovation.

Im*act 04illions of dollars of savings for clients is quite an

impact. Also you get to build strategies to assist organi8ationsimprove their performance and attain new levels of productivityfrom their business processes

I#ter#al 04ost consultants love their @obs and lifestyle. If you candeal with it 6onsulting is a profession which provides @obsatisfaction like none other.

Wy soul "e ire you?

Te cy#ic 0*i$e seriously, wtf+++ oesn-t my resume ratify myawesomeness already

Te braart 0/et ready to be blown away with myawesomeness+++

Te oubter 0In shoc$ that I am giving this interview0.

#o answer this question right you first have to know what are thequalities that make a good consultant. And second why you will be agood fit for the company.

;6ompany =ame> should hire me because I have great

Analytical"Euantitative"Interpersonal(#eamwork)"6ommunication skills. +laborate with a shorte/ample.

Its easy to be led away with this question and one can keep harpinghow great they are. #he thing to remember is that this will only formyour first point so keep it simple and succinct.


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I have a keen desire and determination to succeed in every

endeavor. If you hire me I promise you will receive nothingshort of a stellar performance from me.

-r something to that effect. 3asically show enthusiasm for the @ob.?ou can probably couple this with the first point.

I will be a good fit for the company. +laborate on how"why.

ead up the @ob posting. ,hat qualities is the company looking for!(#hey are mostly generic you can turn anything into a skill set thatthe company is looking for)

Wat is your efi#itio# of success?

#otally not e/pecting this because it isnt one of the more genericquestions. I didnt hesitate at this one though because I know whatmakes me happy and the things that tick me me off. 3asically knowthyself:: 0)

#o me success is honestly when I feel like I have made an impact.+ven the smallest of all impacts. In fact my favorite success story is

one during my undergrad years. I was a #eaching Assistant for anAdvanced 6alculus class. =ow I love math especially calculus and Iput in a great deal of effort into my lectures drawing and visuali8ingconcepts so that other students could understand it as naturally as Icould. At the end of one semester a bunch of students came up tome and told me that I was the best #A they had ever had and thatthey got an FA in the class because of me. *espite the millions ofdollars of savings that I have achieved for my clients that has beenthe most rewarding e/perience of my life and I truly felt successfulat that moment.

#his case success 1 im*act.

Another success story that I use is one where I overcame mypersonal fears. I hate talking on the phone calling up clients etc.


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(#his can be deadly if you are in consulting because there is can be alot of cold calling and phone interaction with random people) Iinterned at a plastics manufacturing company one summer and my

boss wanted me to call up potential clients and sell our

product. "1ow I am an awful sales person, I can-t even mar$etmyself well during interviews).,ith the help and encouragementof my boss I did finally manage to get over my fear and hesitationand managed to rope in a client which could lead to a G%&kprofit "o$ay so it was a small client)

#his case success 1 o2ercomi# *erso#al obstacles

Wats your reatest stre#t&"ea)#ess?

#hank 7od I never got this question. I have way too many strengthsand no weaknesses. I truly believe that I am 7ods gift to mankind.-nly wish others could see that too. 0)

3ut I have thought about these questions and here is how I wouldanswer them if they are thrown at me.

Stre#ts 0honestly my greatest strength would be the ability to

adapt. Adapt to different philosophies ideologies culturesatmospheres and be able to mingle with and relate to people fromall over the world.

I would li$e to emphasi2e a strength that would differentiate mefrom the rest. 1ot that having no international exposure is adrawbac$. 3ut I thin$ one should set themselves apart byhighlighting the 4cool factor- in their personality arsenal. I

personally li$e the whole 4international outloo$- thing and believe

that this is especially important in today-s world as businesses getmore globally interlin$ed.

Wea)#ess 0(even tough I admittedly have none 0) my habit ofspreading myself too thin. I have a variety of interests and love totake on additional responsibilities. #his has often led me to lose


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focus and burning out prematurely. 2owever I am learning to eatone spoon at a time and not bite off more than I can chew. I havelearned that it is not worthwhile to be a @ack of all trades yet masterof none. +laborate (again) with a story.

5ow, that was pretty cheesy, filled with metaphors and idioms. Iwould also advise against excessive use of these, unless spewing

philosophy comes to you naturally. Also note that most otherinterview experts would advise against using my example aboveas a wea$ness. It seemingly comes across as a strength portrayedas a wea$ness. 6ersonally, I feel its a ma7or wea$ness if you ta$eon way too much and lose sight of the big picture. "hin$ of a timewhen you did intramural sport, were president of the debate team,volunteered to help out mentally challenged $ids and screwed upyour loaded 89 credit semester) I $inda did that. And I don-t haveany other flaws. :)

Tell me of a time "e# you i#flue#ce&*ersuae a rou*.

*- you know how hard it is to convince a group! And what are yousupposed to say if your persuasion skills are worse than arahHalins and you have failed to influence anyone in your life!

?ou sort of embellish the truth. 4aybe you influenced a smallgroup (like maybe %) to do something your way. It doesnt reallymatter. #he point is firms are looking at your approach. Are youdictatorial! -r do you @ust let brilliant ideas go by @ust because youare too timid to voice out your opinion! 6onsulting firmsunfortunately want intellectual barbies geniuses with high +Esand leadership abilities.

So o" o you i#flue#ce a rou*? 2ere is what I usually saybased on my undergrad e/periences and anecdotes.

2ad a brilliant idea (could be anything from changing cafeteria

food vendors to implementing a mentorship or studentcounseling program)


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7overning body and other higher ups didnt like my idea

because of stretched resources"no solid plans"plain pigheaded

I came up with a detailed plan to implement my idea using

minimal resources and highlighting its benefits

7athered support of student body

,as persistent

+ventually 7overning body saw my way and approved my idea

after minor modifications

-r something to that effect. It could be as simple as you persuadingyour pro@ect team to work on another topic. #he point is to seeapproach a situation where your ideas are not easily accepted.3asically a plan (highlighting the advantages of your idea) and alittle persistence. ,ithout shoving your idea into everyones faces.

Tell me of a time "e# you lea a team.

I love telling people this story mostly because I really did step up to

the occasion on this one.I also love being team leader:: It comesfrom my time in high school when I was the head of my house. (


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#he hardest part of leading a team is motivating people to work.Also it is e/tremely difficult to inspire a bunch of volunteers whohave little incentive to work. In this case it is best to use subtletactics hand out responsibilities reward people with appreciation

and admiration when they get the work done. ?ou also cant get madat people who dont perform because you arent running a firm

where you can kick out a shoddy worker. ?ou have to shake sluggishpeople into being more productive by giving them only as much asthey can handle and letting them know that you believe that theyare the best for the @ob and that you trust them to get it done ontime.

Hoint is a leader stays calm during stressful times especially whenapproaching deadlines or when team members start to play the

blame game. #he interviewer wants to see how you manage thesetypes of situations.

Tell me of a time "e# you resol2e a team co#flict.

Again a personal story.

,as set up in a team of four for a course pro@ect.

Hro@ect was broken into % modules so we decided to split the

team into %.

=obody wanted to work with one of the team members

because her programming skills were e/tremely weak.

#eam was on the verge of splitting up because of this.

I reali8ed that she had better writing skills than any of us could help out ma@orly by writing out the report (was %&' ofour grade)

I decided to work with her on the simpler module and split the

work so that I could program and she could test debug it.


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6ame to a compromise where everyone was happy::

#eam friction happens often due to differing schedules skill setsand mostly because of unequal motivation levels amongst members.

+very group has the ;know it all genius> ;slacker> ;person whotalks a lot but brings nothing to the table> 5eep in mind one of thetimes when you had to deal with such a person in a group andelaborate on how you resolved the issue. 6onsulting firms arelooking for leadership abilities as well and they certainly wont hiresomeone who sits in a corner while other team members resolveissues.

Important 6onsultants often work in teams and human

interaction is a huge part of the @ob::

Tell me of a time "e# you a a co#flict "it your 'oss.

I have never had a conflict with my boss. +ven they get mybrilliance. 0) 3ut I have had some tiffs with a Hh* student who Iwas helping out with a research pro@ect during my undergraduateyears.

I was given a lot of work during peak mid term season

Hh* student had his thesis deadline and had promised to end

my life if I did not deliver

I told him to give me weeks I would give him his results

2e threatened to tell the supervising professor because he

thought I was slacking off

I decided to talk to him in front of my professor. I agreed to

allocate at least an hour everyday towards his research update him every other day on my progress


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In return the grad student agreed to be less overbearing and

demanding. 2e was a lot more helpful once he reali8ed that Iam putting in the effort despite my hectic workload.

In the end everything worked out @ust fine::

Imai#e tat you are marrie. 3ou are a co#sulta#t at+some firm-. 4fter "ee)s of ar "or)5 you fi#ally ta)e aay off a# *la# a# a##i2ersary i##er "it your s*ouse. 6ours before your i##er5 your clie#t calls you a# tellsyou tat e "a#ts a re*ort by to#it. Wat are you oi#to o?

#his was a creative one.4y immediate response to this one was Ihope my future husband is very understanding0)

After some smiles I thought about the question completelybewildered. I tried to go towards ;lets make a compromise> route.

5ell, I would try to negotiate with the client. *et him $now that Iam busy tonight but that I will get him the report as soon as

possible.

Te clie#t is #ot a**y to ear tis5 #ot reay tocom*romise a# ema#s tat e "a#ts te re*ortto#it.

In that case, I would as$ my team members if they can help meout. If the client-s demands are too unreasonable, then I could

perhaps tal$ to my manager to resolve this issue.

#he interviewer smiles:: Backpot::

And yea that is the correct answer. ,hen in a tough spotespecially with your client (


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be more e/perienced to handle such issues.?ou may be a greatmediator amongst your friends but never try to resolve a clientsensitive issue all on your own:: -r at least tell the interviewer that0)

4#s"eri# 'ea2ioral 7uestio#s

I think the best way to come up with a sincere and meaningfulanswer would be to research the company more than what you readon the website. each out to current employees perhaps some gradsfrom your university. I feel that Analysts will be more than happy togive their views and perspectives. Also recruiters like to see that youhave taken the e/tra effort to meet with people from the firm and

warm up more quickly.

Another thing it is important to prepare for these behavioral"fitinterview questions. All the big firms want you to come prepared

with answers for these questions and then pretend that you heardthese questions for the first time in the interview. Also try to comeup with stories"anecdotes for each type of question. ometimesinterviewers keep pressing you on for specific details. Its importantthat you highlight 4your capabilities-and 4what exactly you did-inthe story.

Oter bea2ioral i#ter2ie" 8uestio#s:

#ell me of a time when you were part of a team working on a

pro@ect and the pro@ect did not go as well as you would havehoped for it to have gone.

#ell me of a time when you client gave you a very high level

strategy and not much direction with respect to the pro@ect.

#ell me of a time when you faced high pressure and tight

deadlines.

Cec) out te li#)s belo" for more bea2ioral 8uestio#s!


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httpJ""[email protected]"candidate"questions.htm

httpJ""www.graduateCconsulting.com"interview"competencyCquestions
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Behavioral Consulting Questns

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