Commerce Career Services Rouss & Robertson Halls, Suite

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1 Commerce Career Services Rouss & Robertson Halls, Suite Consulting Interviewing Tips & Strategies from Fourth-Year COMM Students w This information was gathered by Commerce Career Services from seasoned fourth-year students with consulting interview experience. The fourth-years interviewed for consulting positions in management/strategy, economic, litigation, federal practice, global business services, and information technology at such firms as McKinsey, Deloitte, Bain, The Boston Consulting Group, Accenture, APT, Dean & Company, Kurt Salmon Associates, BrightHouse Consulting, Navigant, Capital One, and FTI Consulting, among others. The content of this handout includes specific recommendations from fourth-year students regarding consulting internships; however, most of the information is very relevant for students seeking full-time consulting positions as well. Networking and Information Sessions Attend every event! Collect business cards, keep notes on what you discussed with recruiters, and send follow-up s to reiterate your interest. Information sessions aren t always fun to attend, and some of the companies will start to sound the same after a few sessions. Making initial contacts and establishing a presence with your company of interest, however, are too important to pass up. Information session attendance won t get you a job; creating positive networking relationships will. Reach out to McIntire and UVA alumni to engage in informational interviewing about the consulting profession. This will help you to navigate the landscape of consulting much more easily. Talk to fourth-years who interned in the consulting industry; get their perspectives on what they did to prepare for interviews. Preparing for Interviews Use CCS and UCS resources for case interviewing. Practice behavioral interview questions as well, as some interviews will be a hybrid of the two types. Have

2 examples of your best qualities and accomplishments prepared well in advance, and be prepared to nail the essential tell me about yourself question. Read Case in Point and other resources (see below), but develop your own style and framework for answering questions. Show that you understand the process, not that you can memorize a book s suggestions. Many companies, including Bain, BCG, Deloitte, McKinsey, and Accenture, publish case interviewing preparation materials on their websites. Utilize these resources. Practice with students and classmates who have gone through or are currently going through the process. Having a case buddy can help keep you accountable in preparing for case interviews. Practice with people you don t know as well to elicit more honest feedback. Practice is the operative word; alumni in the consulting industry recommend that you attempt at least 12 practice case interviews. Practice thinking out loud. You will need to share your insights and thought process with your interviewer. Ideally, you should be comfortable doing mental math without the help of a calculator. Practice if your skills are rusty! Be sure to focus on the question asked, and remember that demonstration of analytical, creative, communication, and interpersonal skills is key. Poise and presence count a great deal! Take up to a full minute to develop your structure before you start thinking out loud. It will feel like a long time for silence, but take your time and don t rush! Put your structure/equation in the context of the case and work with what you do know (don t get hung up on what you don t). Avoid repeating information presented verbatim; ask clarifying or probing questions if necessary. If possible, review your interviewer s LinkedIn profile so that you re familiar with his/her background prior to the interview. During and After the Interview Most first-round case interviews last minutes. If the interview lasts more than 30 minutes, be prepared to answer behavioral questions and/or discuss your reasons for choosing a career in consulting. Final-round interviews will most certainly include both case and behavioral interviews.

3 The interviewer typically asks a warm-up question such as Tell me about yourself or asks you to discuss something from your resume. Use this opportunity to address fit within the company and fit for the job. Know why you want to go into consulting. You should know this before you ever start applying for consulting opportunities. Know why you want to work for a particular company. Give examples of what you know, but be genuine with your interest. Ask for business cards at the end of the interview. Always send a thank-you note to your interviewer. Include something specific about the interview itself to reiterate your desire to work there. If you aren t invited to the next round of interviews, ask your interviewer for feedback about what you can improve on for the next interview. Questions to Prepare for Profitability study based on a set of numbers. An interviewer may tack on a different question about a topic such as expanding into a new market. Creative questions. You have a friend who has a Hula Hoop invention. How would you advise them to make money? You have a friend who is thinking about opening or who already has a business on the Corner. What would you advise? Walk through the monthly profit. Market-sizing questions. They are extremely popular! Behavioral questions. CCS has handouts and books on behavioral questions. Search all resources below for consulting interview questions to help you practice/prepare. Handling Interviewing Outcomes You don t need to share all of the details about your interviews and offers with peers. Once you get to fourth-year recruiting, you can still utilize contacts you made during third-year internship recruiting; maintaining relationships is an essential part of good networking. When employers say, Keep in touch, they mean it. Sometimes you will get calls about offers at inconvenient or odd hours. If you re not in a location suitable for having this conversation, let the call go to voic .

4 Be open to different locations and working outside of the top, more prestigious firms. Experience gained is the most important thing to consider coming straight out of college. Focus on the cultural fit and the people you will be working with. Always be gracious with employers who don t give you an offer. They are possible future employers. If you don t get an internship, don t be discouraged. This doesn t mean you re not cut out for a career in consulting. Look for other avenues to gain professional experience that can be valuable in the consulting world. Some companies specialize in marketing, technology, and financial consulting; having industry expertise in those areas may lead to future consulting opportunities with those firms. On the Job Have a good attitude toward supervisors and peers. You re not too good for menial tasks, and you re more prepared than you think for difficult tasks. Act professionally at all times. Especially as an intern, you represent UVA and McIntire; make sure your behavior and performance leave a positive impression for future interns and full-time hires. Be careful about happy hours and dinners. Don t drink if you re underage. If you are of age, drink responsibly. You are always being evaluated even outside of the office. Be mindful of your colleagues and supervisors schedules. Avoid constant interruptions, and make independent decisions whenever feasible. Ask questions at appropriate times, and consider asking your coworkers or fellow interns for assistance before reaching out to your supervisors. Take notes to avoid asking the same question more than once! Participate in organized social activities. You don t want to be known as the intern who doesn t want to engage with everyone else. It could ruin your shot at getting a full-time offer from the firm. Suggested Resources Case Interviewing handout from Commerce Career Services. Former McKinsey consultant Victor Cheng created this website to serve as a resource for anyone interested in consulting.

5 You can find practice cases, mental math exercises, and other great resources here. This website has a series of helpful articles written by former and current employees of major consulting firms. Top business schools (e.g., Wharton, Harvard) have consulting clubs that publish case interview guides. A quick web search will uncover these resources. Books (e.g., Case in Point; WetFeet Ace Your Case series) Vault Guide books are available in CCS and through the CCS-protected online resources website. Also, break open brainteaser and/or mental math books. When you get an interview, reach out to alumni and employees you have met during information sessions for guidance. Schedule these conversations well ahead of your interviews alumni are usually happy to help. Online Several consulting companies have practices cases in the recruiting section of their websites. Seek out fourth-years, alumni, career services, and everyone you know who may be able to provide assistance! Practice case questions with someone who has experience going through case interviews.