MBB Experienced Hire

Hi there,

Yes, while the core structure of MBB interviews tends to be consistent across profiles — particularly the focus on problem-solving and structured communication — there are some nuances for experienced hires, even with less than 5 years of experience.

On the fit or personal experience side, you can generally expect questions to be more tailored to your professional background. Interviewers may delve deeper into topics such as:

• Your previous roles and responsibilities
• Examples of leadership, impact, and teamwork in a professional setting
• How you’ve handled challenges, driven results, or received promotions
• Your motivations for transitioning into consulting at this stage

In short, yes — your former job performance, growth trajectory, and professional maturity will likely be areas of interest. That said, the core dimensions remain the same: leadership, problem-solving, drive, and collaboration.

Hope that helps, and happy to answer any follow-up questions!

Best,

Evelina

It depends a bit on firm and whether you're being hired as expert track vs. generalist, but yes you are expected to talk a little more about your previous work.

That being said, the characteristics and criteria for a successful fit interview will not be that different. They will still look for examples of courageous change, resolution of conflict, etc, but with somewhat of a higher bar given your experience to date.

There are also lots of experienced hires that talk about non-work topics in their fit interviews (e.g., not-for-profit or charity work, high-level competitive sports) so if you have impressive areas outside of work, those can also be relevant.

Hi there,

Yes, they are. 

Specifically, because you have work experience, they try to get a sense of what your value proposition is - in short, what is it that you are bringing into the firm? The more senior the role, the more this matters. 

So I would put a lot of effort into sharpening my value proposition before going in and ideally testing it and getting some feedback on it before the formal interviews. 

Nevertheless, it's still good to confirm the format of the interviews with the recruiters right at the beginning.

Best,
Cristian

No. They are not. Test same things 

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, it depends on the consulting firm and the role for which you are applying. For example, at McKinsey, you will most likely still need to do the PEI, even if you may have to answer one or two questions about your current role. Similarly, at Bain, you will most likely still need to conduct the Behavioral Interview, which has a rather rigid structure. Conversely, at BCG, interviewers may have greater degrees of freedom regarding their personal fit questions.
• Moreover, to be on the safe side, I would strongly advise you to prepare answers to a few questions about your current role, projects, leadership experiences, and other relevant topics.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Great question - and one that reveals a big misconception most experienced hires carry into their interviews.

Let me break it down for you:

Yes, the fit interview is different when you have professional experience.

No, that doesn’t mean it’s less structured, or less intense.

In fact, it’s often more demanding - because they now expect to see actual leadership behavior under pressure.

Let’s get specific.

When you have several years of work experience, an MBB interviewer isn’t just screening for “potential.”

They’re screening for:

• Ownership: Did you drive outcomes or just support them?
• Trajectory: Were you on a fast track (promotions, early responsibility)?
• Professional maturity: How do you manage conflict, align stakeholders, and navigate ambiguity?
• Influence: Did people trust you with decisions?
• Self-awareness: Do you know how you show up in high-stakes settings?

So yes - expect questions about:

• Promotions (earned or missed)
• Feedback loops you received
• Projects where you took the lead
• Moments where you had to deliver without perfect authority
• And how you handled tough dynamics with managers, clients, or teams

But here’s the trap most experienced hires fall into:

They tell job descriptions, not stories.
They describe responsibilities, not decisions.
They share what happened, not how they made it happen.

That’s what gets them rejected.

At McKinsey, BCG, and Bain - they don’t want to know what role you had.

They want to know how you thought.
How you handled pressure.
How you created clarity.
How you led when no one gave you permission.

If you can do that?

You’re not just "an experienced hire."

You're the future of the firm.

Hope this helps!
Sidi

___________________

Dr. Sidi S. Koné

Former Senior Engagement Manager & Interviewer at McKinsey | Former Senior Consultant at BCG | Co-Founder of The MBB Offer Machine™