Hi Mertcan,

Sorry to hear about your experience. There's really no way around it - this sucks.

I would not say this is common, however it does happen. Companies try to estimate what need they will have in the future. However, if their pipeline doesn't pan out as expected (i.e. they're over-optimistic or the market changes), then they need to change course. Ultimately, they have to have work for you and it sounds like they would not have. Given that you were applying to the Istanbul office, I imagine the the recent market shocks in Turkey (central bank head firing, lockdowns, etc.) have affected the pipeline more than Arthur D Little expected.

This is why I always emphasize a plan B and C for candidates. You are "lucky" in the sense that you didn't receive an offer, pin your future on it, only to have the offer later reneged (this does happen).

Again, I'm sorry to hear. It does suck, but, given you did so well, I have full confidence you are going to land on your feet and find another (better) role.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Hello Mertcan,

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. Whilst personally I have never had such an experience, I'd like to share a few thoughts:

1. I would tend to believe that this 'change of heart' is business-driven. I am convinced that a company like Arthur D. Little appreciates the time of their (senior) consultants, e.g., principals. It would simply be too expensive to keep on investing time if they know already that they won't fill such a position
2. It could also be that the open position(s) while you were still in the process were filled in the meanwhile. And whilst your performance might have been good, the performance of other interviewees for the same position could have been a bit better or the timing more convenient (again business-driven)
3. Last but not least, I am sure that you prepared very well to manage to pass round after round. Keep in mind that this experience will follow you onto the next applications. The case cracking and fit questions skills are perfectly transferable to other applications e.g., to MBB or other strategy firms/advisory branches.

Either way, no matter what the exact background of this decision is, I am sure your invested time and effort will be of great value to you looking forward. Wish you the best of luck with your future applications.

Konstantinos

Hello!

Indeed, it´s terrible, I share totally your frustation.

However, now that you are here, the only valid question is, "what do I do next?".

The good news is that you have done a great job, and you are ready to keep interviewing! I would leverage that momentum and open processes with other consulting companies, I am sure all the effort and prep is going to pay off!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hey there,

Sorry to hear about your endeavor. Unfortunately, this type of behavior can happen sometimes in

• tier 2/3/boutique firms
• smaller offices

When I was going through the interviews a few years ago, one German consulting firm rescheduled my interview day twice on the day before the interview so I ended up canceling the process altogether.

See it as a positive. You would not want to work for a company like that anyway. Better opportunities out there!

All the best to you!

Cheers,

Florian

Thanks for sharing the feedback with Preplounge community.