Questions after case: What to ask the interviewer

Hello!

This part of the interview is a good opportunity to (1) assess if the firm is a good fit for you, and (2) showcase that you're a good fit for the firm. Usually, I would look up the interviewer's LinkedIn profile to understand their background and craft my questions based on their own experience. This ensures that the questions I ask are not answers that can be easily found online. Several themes of questions you can think about:

1. Role - e.g., In your experience, what does success look like 6-12 months into this role
2. Company - e.g., What do you like most about the company in the last xx years you were here?
3. Culture - e.g., What was the expectation vs reality of working in xxx, that you found interesting, or people outside the firm/ industry don't know?

Through your research, if you find the interviewer's career journey interesting or if you are going through a similar career journey, you can also ask them about how they navigated it. 

There are many ways to use this time, but definitely take the opportunity to ask 2-3 questions. If you don't, you may risk being perceived as not interested. Use this to also build rapport and show that you fit into the firm's culture - as this is the final part of the interview, you want to end strong and give the interviewer a good impression (passing the "airport test")

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

It's best to be curious about the firm and the interviewer, so think of a few questions ahead of time of what you'd like to know either about what the firm has done, or focusing on, or what the interviewer has done. Personally, I was always more curious about the interviewer, trying to understand their perspective in deciding to join the firm and how their experience has been so far, the good and the bad.

That 5–10 minute window is actually your final closing argument—and often more critical than people realize. It’s your last opportunity to demonstrate maturity, cultural fit, and that you view the interviewer as a future colleague, not just an obstacle.

The key mistake most candidates make is asking questions easily answered on the website ("What's the typical travel schedule?") or questions that require the interviewer to simply repeat firm messaging. The interviewer is listening to see if you can think strategically, personalized to them.

The highest-value questions are those that reference their specific career or the firm's future strategy:

1. The Pivotal Moment: Ask them about a specific moment in their tenure when they faced a major decision (e.g., leaving for industry, changing office, pivoting focus) and what specific criteria made them commit to their current path at the firm. This signals that you value mentorship and are planning a long-term career.

2. The IP Deep Dive: If you know their specialty (e.g., Healthcare, Private Equity), reference a specific, current trend—like the impact of the latest AI capabilities on operational efficiency—and ask how their team is advising clients to structure staffing models in response. This shows you’ve read the latest firm white papers and can think like a Principal.

Focus on genuine curiosity about them, not just the job description. Hope it helps!

Hi!

I always recommend to ask about the interviewer: in general people like to talk about themselves (and this creates a stronger bond), so if you can ask about their experience they will "enjoy" answering it. Ideally, if you have their CV, you can find something in common or interesting.

Having said that, and just to be prepared, always have in your back pocket a couple of "generic" questions that you can use in case you don't find anything interesting to ask or you are just blank (e.g., what are the most relevant industries in this office? What kind of training do you provide?, etc.)

A good question is one that is authentic and something that you really want to know. 

That and also think about what you cant easily find out by doing a google search.  Those also make for good questions :)

Hey there,

The questions at the end are really your chance to figure out whether the firm and the role are right for you. I’d use the time to better understand what the job actually looks like beyond the recruiting pitch.

You can ask about the day-to-day reality of the role, what tends to be hard in the first year, and how people typically grow and develop over time.

What often works best, though, is making it personal: asking the interviewer why they joined, what’s kept them at the firm, or what surprised them most. Those questions usually lead to the most honest and helpful answers.

Overall, a couple of genuine, well-chosen questions are much more impactful than trying to sound impressive.

Hi there,

This is a great place to make a strong impression. The best questions are thoughtful and specific, and they show curiosity rather than trying to impress.

Good options include asking about the interviewer’s own experience, for example what surprised them most when they joined the firm or what differentiates strong performers at your level. You can also ask about the office or practice, such as how the team has evolved recently or what types of projects junior consultants get early exposure to. Another strong angle is learning and development, for instance what skills they think matter most to succeed in the first year.

Avoid questions that are easily answered online or that focus too much on perks or hours. One or two well chosen questions is better than many. The goal is to sound genuinely interested and reflective, not rehearsed.

Best,
Evelina

hey there :)

Keep it simple and genuine, ask questions that show real curiosity rather than trying to impress, for example asking what differentiates top performers in their office, how their role has evolved since joining, or what they personally enjoy most and find most challenging about the job. Questions that build on something said during the interview work especially well and make it feel like a natural conversation. Happy to help more if you want to tailor questions to a specific firm or interviewer.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there, 

It is most natural and easy to ask about the interviewer's personal experience. Why did they choose the firm, what do they like about working in the firm, etc.

Don't try to "impress" they too hard by asking very specific / niche industry or topic questions, they might not be the right person to answer and it would be awkward. 

Best,

Emily

First of all, prepare but don't overthink it. 

Ideally the questions you ask are either sparked naturally by the discussion you had with them (for instance, based on the intro they provided in the beginning) OR they are something you are curious about regarding the actual job and which a consultant can answer but not HR. 

If you're at a loss, you can always ask a mentee-positioned question: 'If you were in my shoes, at the start of my career in consulting, what would you focus on? What do you wish you knew when you were in my situation?'

Best,

Cristian