Top tier 2 interview

Question

Hello Everyone,

Last year (Ocotober 2023) I postponed a top tier 2 interview fo a junior position because I wasn't ready.

I have called them 6 months ago ( February 2023) to do the interview even though I wasn't very ready. They told me that they have complteted their batch of recrutement for this year and told me to contact them this month Spetember 2023 to shcedule the interview for an entry date either in January 2024 or March 2024.

However I am still not ready and I didn't practice the cases since I have started a new job in February 2023

. I am planning to start practicing again starting this week while having a full time job ( I am a junior consultant at a boutique and I am soon finishing a project so I will have more time..)

Your help and guidance is very appreciated !

What do you suggest to tell them on the phone and do you think they can accept to postpone again the interview for maybe January 2024 and then I can start on march

Answer 1

Hello,

If you want to work at this firm, I think it's best not to keep putting it off over and over again. It's definitely harder to prepare for interviews when you're already working a full-time job, but it is possible, and you would only need a couple of months to be fully interview-ready.

You could ask to postpone the interview again, but you might risk the same outcome where they are done with hiring for that year. My suggestion would be to reach out to them, let them know you'd be interested in a March 2024 start date, and ask what the latest interview times would be that would work for them for that date (explaining that you have a lot going on with work if needed). Plus, ramp up your prep asap.

Answer 2

Hi there!

First of all, if you're not ready, I wouldn't reach to them just yet. Only do so when you feel like you could have the interview in the coming period.

Second, it sounds like you need a bit of fire behind you to get going. If you're struggling to stay motivated, consider getting a coach to help you navigate the process and stick to your goals, while also figuring out where you should be spending your time most effectively.

It's totally ok to postpone interviews, but just don't do so more than it's absolutely necessary.

Best,
Cristian

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Answer 3

Hi there,

First, I highly highly recommend coaching. It sounds like you might be someone who keeps “meaning to go to the gym” but doesn't. And when you do go to the gym, you kind of just look around at the weights.

Give you currently have a job, this means you are time poor but money enabled: This is the perfect scenario to get a coach so that you don't keep coming into this situation unprepared.

In term of what you can tell them on the phone….well, to be honest, why did you reach out to them in February if you weren't ready? And why is prep taking you so long? (It should only take 2-3 months if you're doing it right). I think you need to reflect on whether these trends/habits will continue!

On this call, given they said before that you can do March 2024, then absolutely you can request that date.

Here's some reading on common case prep pitfalls…which you might be committing!

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

Answer 4

Hi there,

Q: What do you suggest to tell them on the phone and do you think they can accept to postpone again the interview for maybe January 2024 and then I can start on march

From what you shared, they asked to contact them in September but not necessarily to schedule the interview that month. Therefore it is totally fine to contact them and propose January as a possible month for the interviews.

Worst case, they will recommend to schedule the interview now, but most likely there won't be issues as consulting companies are usually flexible with their hiring.

Good luck!

Francesco