Simon-Kucher Generalist Consulting Internship

Hi,

For commercial curiosity, given SK’s core focus, they want to see whether you naturally think in terms of pricing, value and what customers are willing to pay, rather than general consulting motivation. The best way to show it is with one real example of a pricing decision you found interesting, a discount that changed your behaviour, a product priced surprisingly high or low, and what it made you think about value and willingness to pay.

At HR stage the other questions are usually standard (tell me about yourself, why consulting, why SK), but they will look at your answers through the same commercial angle, so build your “why SK” around pricing and monetisation specifically.

Hope it helps, and feel free to DM if you want to go through this more in depth or run a pricing case.

Federico

I worked at Simon-Kucher for four years and was also involved in recruiting there.

For an HR interview, I would focus primarily on your motivation and whether you understand what differentiates Simon-Kucher from other consulting firms.

For the “commercial curiosity” part, don't expect a full case. They want to see whether you naturally think about businesses from a commercial perspective. You could get questions around a company or product you find interesting, how a company makes money, why a particular pricing model works, what drives customer willingness to pay, or what commercial trends you've been following.

Given SK's positioning, I would definitely be comfortable discussing pricing, growth, commercial strategy and customer behavior. You don't need sophisticated pricing theory at this stage, but you should show genuine interest in how companies grow revenues rather than only in cost reduction or operational improvement.

Also prepare a very convincing answer to “Why Simon-Kucher rather than another consulting firm?” That's likely to be important.

I've prepared several candidates for Simon-Kucher interviews, so feel free to DM me if you want some more specific guidance.

That's really interesting. 

It sounds like they want to test your industry knowledge and whether you are aware of relevant developments. 

However, I suggest you reach out to the recruiter and try to clarify this further with them. It's totally fine to ask additional questions in order to understand how to prepare better.

Best,

Cristian

hey there :)

For the Simon Kucher HR round, I’d prepare very clearly for “Why Simon Kucher?” and be ready to explain why you’re interested in commercial strategy, pricing and growth.

For commercial curiosity, I’d expect questions around a recent company, product, industry or business trend that you find interesting, followed by questions testing whether you can think commercially. For example, why a company is growing, how it makes money, what could affect its profitability, or how you would increase willingness to pay.

I’d pick 2 or 3 recent business stories and practise going beyond the headline: what happened, why it matters, who benefits, and what you would do next.

Since it’s an HR interview, I wouldn’t overprepare frameworks. They’ll mainly want to see genuine curiosity and whether you naturally think about businesses and customers.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out if you want to practise a few commercial questions. Best, Alessa :)

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from Simon-Kucher!

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

• First of all, "commercial curiosity" at Simon-Kucher means one thing: do you notice pricing and how companies make money when you walk around in normal life. Expect questions like why a coffee chain charges what it charges, why streaming services keep changing their tiers, why an airline sells the same seat at ten different prices, or simply "tell me about a company you find commercially interesting and why". Contrary to what other coaches have said, they are not testing knowledge (because you won't be hired as an industry/topic expert), they want to see whether you can look at a business and ask the right questions on your own.
• Moreover, I would advise you to prepare two or three examples properly instead of reading about many. Take companies you actually use, and for each one be able to say who the customer is, how the company charges, why that model makes sense, and what you would test if you were advising them. Bring in the basic pricing logic in simple words, for example the difference between cost-based, competitor-based and value-based pricing, plus subscription and freemium models. This is exactly the language Simon-Kucher works in, so using it naturally already puts you ahead.
• Lastly, on the motivation part, be specific about why this consulting firm and not a generalist one. Mention that pricing and commercial growth is a topic you find interesting, connect it to something concrete you did or read, and be ready for "why not another consulting firm".

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming Simon-Kucher interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

good to see that you are thinking this through as the personal fit part of the interview process is oftentimes overlooked and underrated! 

Do not get too caught up on the description they use, this is the classic personal fit interview where they want to understand why you want to move into Consulting, why S&K, what you bring to the table and what you still need to learn. 

S&K of course has a strong pricing focus so you will have a compelling line of argumentation why that is of interest to you. Pricing will then also play a big role when it comes to the casing part of the interview process. 

Reach out anytime for preparing the personal fit. I have a dedicated list of personal fit questions that prepare you for all eventualities when prepared well. 

Best, 
Sebastian

Simon-Kucher’s HR screen tests whether you genuinely understand their core niche in pricing and monetization.

For motivation, link your interest directly to top-line growth over generic strategy. For commercial curiosity, prepare to critique a recent commercial news story or explain the pricing model of a company you use. Focus on customer value and willingness-to-pay.

Feel free to reach out if you want to prep further.