Once invited to interviews, are candidates evaluated only on interview performance?

Question

I’m wondering, once a candidate reaches the interview stage at consulting firms, are they evaluated purely based on interview performance, or do factors like past academic grades, achievements, and prior work experience still influence the final decision?

Answer 1

Technically, once a candidate reaches the interview stage, the decision should be based only on interview performance. The purpose of the interviews is precisely to evaluate whether the candidate meets the bar in problem solving, communication, and fit.

However, in practice things can be a bit more nuanced.

Even if interviewers are instructed to judge only what happens in the interview, they are sometimes subconsciously influenced by the resume. Seeing a very strong or unusual background can create positive expectations; conversely, a weaker or less familiar background can sometimes have the opposite effect.

For this reason, some firms or offices run “blind” interviews, where the interviewer cannot see the candidate’s resume in advance. This helps reduce bias, although it is not the standard practice.

Another factor that can sometimes have an indirect influence is referrals from very senior people. When I was interviewing candidates, referrals were marked in the interview system, so interviewers could see if someone had been referred by a senior partner. In those situations there can be some subconscious pressure, because you know the candidate is connected to someone senior in the firm.

That said, referrals or resume strength do not replace interview performance. If a candidate performs poorly in the interviews, they will not receive an offer. Ultimately, the interview evaluation remains the decisive factor.

Answer 2

Hi there

Great question - if you're interviewing then all of those other elements have already been taken into account in the screening process.

Once interviewing, you're evaluated on that performance: technical, communications, presence etc. They may ask about the elements you mentioned in interview questions and evaluate your responses, but not the pure data - that was already considered.

Hope that helps!
Annika

Answer 3

Interview performance.

After you pass the screening, they don't care about your grades or other elements.

With some firms, the interviewer doesn't even receive your CV before the interview, so they can evaluate you solely on your performance.

Best,
Cristian