OW Interview - London office

Here my answers. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have further questions regarding this

1 - Should I expect only PE cases or mix cases in the interview?

Please prep for mixed because anyone has the right to give you any case and you do not want to leave it to chance, but of course you should be fit in PE.

2 - Does OW provide any buddy with whom I can practice cases or who can guide me? Should I ask recruiter for the case buddy?

It is already great to find case budies yourself- you can find so many for free on PrepLounge for eample.

3 - What is the compensation for the Senior Consultant role. HR asked me for the salary expectation and I told her 65K to 70K base pay. Does it fit with the current pay band? I believe they have increased the salary along with MBB last year. I have checked Glassdoor but it seems they have not updated the salary after the raise the last year. Can I negotiate in the interview?

You can. I always recommend securing the offer as much as possible before negotiating too much, whilst being honest with your expectations. But you can ask open questions during negotiations to help you without putting yourself in one corner.

4 - Is it possible to do one case apart from PE once in a while to avoid burnout?

Depends really on your situation whether it makes sense for you or not. I would wait a bit with this, for example many firms offer the chance to build up a second leg after some time if you discover you truly have another interest. (you don't need to tell them it is because of lifestyle factors). But it only makes sense in your particular case if that gives you a chance to breathe, so if the people are great, the project is for example long enough to have not too many tight deadlines, the topic is easy to get into etc.

5 - Is there anything I should keep in mind regarding the interview? I believe they do not focus much on the fit part.

Always prepare the best you can, be ready for fit interviews, sound truly convincing when it comes to the fact that you know you want to be in consulting and why. Even if many people stay only for a while, it is great for the firm to know you have long-term potential and motivations. (Of course there are many other factors, too to consider)

6 - Can I ask for the signing bonus and relocation compensation? Or should I ask after I have got the offer.  

Simply decide. I would play safe first, but that is me, but you can always say sth like “I would appreciate it in case there is sign on bonus or a relocation compensation” or simply ask if there is. 

Hi there,

Congrats on the interview and good luck!

1 - Should I expect only PE cases or mix cases in the interview?

Never “expect” anything with interviews. Anything happens and you need to be ready. You should practice generalist cases, but also dedicate time to knowing PE intimately.

2 - Does OW provide any buddy with whom I can practice cases or who can guide me? Should I ask recruiter for the case buddy?

They might - it doesn't hurt to ask the recruiter! That said, this buddy will only do 1-2 cases with you so you do still need to find other partners.

3 - What is the compensation for the Senior Consultant role. HR asked me for the salary expectation and I told her 65K to 70K base pay. Does it fit with the current pay band? I believe they have increased the salary along with MBB last year. I have checked Glassdoor but it seems they have not updated the salary after the raise the last year. Can I negotiate in the interview?

Eek, you've undersold yourself. Even just a Consultant (MBA hire) gets 90k base salary in the UK at most consulting firms. You've unfortunately probably locked yourself into a difficult negotiating position. They will probably still give you the same base as others (most consultancies have a set band), but you'll have trouble either getting a signing bonus and/or getting into the higher part of the band. Be careful next time!

4 - Is it possible to do one case apart from PE once in a while to avoid burnout?

Yes. You need to talk to them about the specifics here (every company has multiple options and calls them different things)

5 - Is there anything I should keep in mind regarding the interview? I believe they do not focus much on the fit part.

Be ready for anything! Here are some articles to help:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

6 - Can I ask for the signing bonus and relocation compensation? Or should I ask after I have got the offer.  

Please only ask once you have the offer! Once you get the offer you can then negotiate.