ATK Phone screening questions and process

Hi,

I had my phone screen last week and it's pretty much just having an informal chat about yourself and Kearney. They asked me to go through my CV briefly and then explained what they are currently doing in terms of projects and where the need is for the hiring.

Towards the end the Partner mentioned he would be happy to put me through to the interview process.

Hi Anonymous,

usually these calls only involve fit questions (you may clarify with HR though); standard questions you can expect are:

• Tell me about yourself
• Why consulting
• Why ATK
• Why Dubai
• Give me an example when you led a team
• Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone not agreeing with you
• What has been your major achievement so far
• Why should we hire you

Below you can find some tips for a phone interview:

1. Prepare the place for the call. A quiet environment is a must-have
2. Prepare on the wall in front of you the material you need (structures, tips for fit part, etc) so you won't have to look for it during the interview
3. Prepare your own questions. Relevant questions at the end are a great way to show your interest in the company and get additional points. This is particularly important in a phone/video interview, as the interviewer will naturally connect less with you. In the first reply at the link below you can find some tips on the ideal questions to ask at the end of your call: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311
4. Smile during the call. Even if they cannot see you it's a good way to show energy and enthusiasm
5. Use numbers when communicating your structure/thoughts. This will make easier for the interviewer to follow you, since he/she cannot see you. As an example: “In order to help our client, I would like to focus on three main areas. First, I would like to focus on [FIRST TOPIC], secondly on [SECOND TOPIC], finally on [THIRD TOPIC]. Let me start with the first one."

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi, it will only be a motivational call with HR to schedule the interview. I strongly recommend preparing structured answers to "why ATK" and "why consulting".

Best,
Antonello 

Hi,

10 min calls are used to assess whether you are the right candidate and briefly tell you about the company. Thus you should prepare the following answers:

• Tell me about yourself / walk me through your resume
• Why consulting
• Why ATK
• Your questions to the interviewer

In "Tell me about yourself" you should be talking about your career path till now. You can finish this story with an argument about why consulting is the next logical career step.

I would recommend the following structure:

1. Start with a 1 sentence summary of your background, why you are relevant for McKinsey and what's your unique selling point
2. Talk about 3-4 of your roles (may be professional, education, extracurricular), 3 sentences each. The more experienced you are the more you should speak about professional roles. It can be also the distinct roles within the same organization. Typical structure: 1) What was the company 2) What you were responsible for 3) Greatest achievement in that role, that will stay in the memory of the interviewer (E.g. While working at Adidas supply chain I was personally responsible for the delivery of soccer balls to the Worldcup in Africa)
3. The main reason why consulting (or McKinsey if you were a consultant before) is the next logical career step for you

“Why consulting?”, “Why Company” questions are used to assess your motivation to be a consultant in general and to work in that particular firm. They will check how you have done your homework and what you’ve learned about them. They also want to make sure that you have a clear intention to work in consulting.

• The answers to these questions are supposed to be short and take no more than 30 seconds each.
• For each question, you should provide three bullets points with different reasons.
• Make sure that you guide the interviewer through your reasoning. Words like “The first reason”, “Moreover”, “Finally” will help you.

When answering “Why consulting” questions, provide three reasons why you want to pursue a career in a consulting firm. A general rule is to find the reasons that are important for you and logically fit everything you have done before (e.g. you want to grow further in financial services and get exposure to these clients). You can always use some personal rationale like your experience of working with consultants on a client side.

"Why this company" is a more specific question and can include the following arguments:

• The general marketing story the company is trying to sell (e.g. Bain is a small "Family" company)
• Brand / positioning / market share in the region
• More clients / projects / expertise in the industry you are interested in
• More well-known stories of success in your city
• Your friends working there
• Your interactions with the other consultants before the interview
• Your prior experience of working with the Firm on a client side
• Office traditions
• Work experience with firm alumni
• etc

Best!

Hey A,

I’ve helped couple of people to get offers from Kearney and I have good friends working there as partners and managers.

The questions will typically include

• CV screening
• Motivation for consulting
• Motivation for Dubai / Middle East reagion
• Motivation for Kearney
• …

You need to show your integrity with the company’s values!

If you need more insights or help to convert your interview to the offer, just let me know ;)

Best,

André

Hello,

Being a 10-min call it will be just a call of introduction. Prepare a short storytelling about yourself and answers to the most common and general questions (why consulting?, why AtKearney? ecc..).

Best,
Luca

The screening call is simpler than most people have highlighted; it is really an opportunity for a  consultant to test whether you would fit the company from a social point of view. Additionally, they want to understand whether you are credible, but the consultant is unlikely to ask many behavioral questions; it is really informal.