Fit Question

Question

Prepping for an MBB first round next week. In coming up with stories for the FIT part, trying to talk about experiences that were clearly significant.

I notice that most of my projects are very similar: a team came to me/our team for advice and I used the available tech (95% the same program for a similar solution) to improve and redo their processes to increase efficiency. How do I make the case that I can do a variety of things, that my contribution was significant (hard to convey as the process feels monotonous to me by now), and that I'm not a one-trick pony (I'm not, but have gotten expertise in using the one program available to the company for the last 3 years because I'm a quick learner so I picked it up very quickly and became the expert…one by one, everyone wanted the same type of solution from me)? Please help as I'm really struggling because I have no multi-national projects to boast about - I work at a relatively small/regional corporation. How do I compete with candidates who have international project management experience at big consulting firms?

Thanks!

Answer 1

No no! What you have is great. Please don't try to emulate others or sound exactly like others. Your story in unique. Be proud of it and make sure the passion comes out when you explain it.

Sounds like you have picked up expertise in a certain tool/domain. So, explain this well and say you have become the “go-to” person, you act like a trusted advisor to clients & colleagues. Explain that you enjoy what you and this has had a tangible impact on colleagues, clients etc.

Even with this repetition, am sure not every client situation is exactly the same. While the core problem is similar, there will be be different cultures, attitudes, personalities, expectations and business ways of working. Talk about this subtle differences to draw attention to variety. Acknowledge humbly that while you may not have plenty of international exposure or variety of industries, you have picked up transferrable skills (problem solving, communication, relationship building etc) and have the mind set to learn quickly. This will set the scene for growth and future career aspirations.

Combine all this with powerful story telling techniques and you will nail it.

Check out some tips for storytelling here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/do-you-think-you-influence-the-people-around-you-if-yes-give-an-example-8465

Answer 2

Hello!

You need to approach this differently. You have one really good story here on how you became an expert. But this is one story. You need more.

Your stories should not be about how you manage a process or apply some technical expertise or problem solving. They should be about how you personally deal with differnt situations. It's about how you overcome challenges, how you deal with conflict, how you lead other people, how you take initiative. For all of this, it is irrelevant if you were in multi-national projects or not. And it is irrelevant if you were using XYZ program or not.

You see, the stories are not about the multi-national nor about the program you use. That is just background / context. The stories have to be about YOU.

Please note that this is very hard to evaluate without actually having a real conversation. Consider a coach if you are struggling with this as it can be very helpful. I've been helping several candidates to overcome these kind of apparent limitations, so feel free to reach out.

Answer 3

Hello!

If you want to deep dive on the topic, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find a Expert Article on PreLounge fully dedicated to Behavioural questions, one of the key building blocks of FIT:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/behavioral-interview-questions

In adition to that, you can find 2 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation (motivational quesitons and Intro & CV questions:

Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200

Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch

Answer 4

Hi there,

This is really really hard to provide advice on in writing - ultimately I'd best bet able to help if I could hear you speak, hear your stories, etc.

That said, what you need to do is flag at the beginning the variety of problems/experiences you've had.

I worked in IT for 4 years building large-scale enterprise systems. When I intro'd my experience I would generally say “during this time I worked across a range of projects (acquisition, hiring, land approvals, etc.) and across a range of industries (from the military, to insurance, to retirement funds). I also worked around the world (East Coast US, Southern US, Australia, and NZ) and with incredibly diverse teams and clients”

This establishes that I faced a lot of problems across an array of topics. Make sense?