Switching consulting firms - how different will interview questions be?

Question

Hi! I will be interviewing with one of the MBBs in about 2 weeks. I am seeking to join them from a Tier2 firm (ATK, Strategy&, Oliver Wyman) in a Senior Consultant position (pre Project Leader).

So I wonder if the interview will differ rom the established standard? Will I still need to discuss case studies "as normal"? Or will there be a focus on my actual project experience and sectoral/functional expertise? Any experience here?

Answer 1

Hi Anonymous!

When I switched from BCG to McKinsey (Consultant (BCG) / Associate (McK) level) in 2013, I was basically facing the identical interview process (apart from the fact that I did not have to do the PST anymore). The difference was rather the standard against which I was rated: there were higher expectations regarding seniority in demeanor, structuring abilty, prioritization, and contextual intuition regarding how to implement certain measures. But the general structure of the interviews was identical.

Hope this helps!

Cheers, Sidi

Answer 2

Hi,

I see here two factors that are important:

You are switching from Tier 2 to MBB company
It's still a consultant level (not manager). Also, take into account that they might downgrade you to a standard Associate (McK), Consultant (Bain, BCG) position.

Thus the interview process will be standard for MBB companies, however absolutely different from the Tier2 companies. The major differences:

FIT part will be even more important, and consultants will challenge your stories
Case standards are in general much more demanding at MBB. I recommend solving 30-50 cases with great partners to be on a safe side

Best

Answer 3

Hi Anonymous,

in terms of interview structure, the process will be equivalent to the standard one (fit + case + your questions at the end). The interviewer may ask more questions on your recent experiences as consultant and on your motivation to move to a competitor in the fit part, but as Sidi said the general structure of the process wont’ be different.

Best,

Francesco