Hello all,
I was wondering how to answer fit questions that are slightly less cliche I guess or untraditional or whatever. Anyways. How should I answer questions like
- Tell me about a time when you had to understand someone else’s perspective.
- Tell me about some feedback you received
- What would you do if a colleague told you they’re stressed.
- what would you do if a client looked anxious.
I am particularly unsure about the last two. Thank you in advance!
Hi Jamil,
With such questions the interviewer is trying to assess how good a fit are you i.e. how well you demonstrate the values that the firm needs. These could be leadership, empathy, integrity, client focus, people development etc etc. So always research and understand their values/principles.
So, your answers must demontrate one or more of the values/principles the firm lives by. Follow the STAR approach. Please have a look at this too-https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-start-an-answer-of-telling-a-story-about-past-projects-8188
Regarding the last two scenarios you raised or any such tricky/sensitive people issues, you need to have the following approach and mind-set:
1. Always put the other person first and come from a place of empathy. Never assume anything drawing from your own pre-conceived ideas, beliefs etc. The situation could range from the trivial to sensitive (e.g. HR issue)
2. Ask their permission first to approach and discuss their situation. You could say..." Please dont mind me saying, but its looks like/sounds like/feels like you maybe worried/anxious. Would you like to grab a coffee or take a walk and have a chat?"
3. Listen to them, understand whats bothering them and then help them create a plan of action. Sometimes it could just be that they want to vent and get emotions out. Be objective but don't fuel their emotions or biases. Share you own story and examples of how you have dealt with similar situations in the past or you may know someone who deals with diificult situations with ease
4. Only if you can , offer help to their problem..maybe working extra hour to help them finish something- you get the point. If you cant genuinly offer any such help, dont make any empty promises
5. Offer to put them in touch with someone (maybe your boss, HR, coach, a good friend) should they want more help beyond what you can offer.
Adi
Hi Jamil,
I understand the urge to get specific answers for the questions you listed - however, the recruiting process is not that simple that giving generic answers will be enough.
So the real question is more how do you need to think about those questions, so that you can give an appropriate answer during your interviews.
This is a process to think about it:
Let's take "Tell me about some feedback you received" as an example.
What the question is about? Probably something around how do you take feedback (especially critical one) and more importantly how do you reflect and act upon it. Experience is nice, but pure experience without reflection will not bring you that far either.
How does that connect to consulting? You will get a lot of feedback, and most of the times it won't be very flattering. But if you pick that up and act upon it quickly, you will be doing fine.
How to form your answer? Present an example in which you got critical feedback, reflected on it and improved yourself, ideally already having been in a similar situation again in which you performed much better already than previously.
Hope this helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!
Robert
Hi Jamil,
All these questions are mainly aimed to determine your fit with the company in particular situations. To answer them constructively and strictly on business, I would recommend the following approach:
Try to determine what story and what experience from your life can be relevant to the question asked. So you can just share it or adjust it to the question.
The story should also be relevant to consulting and show how you manage a particular situation, what you learn from it.
May sound obvious but be honest. Do not overthink every single word you say to impress the interviewer and to persuade him in your fit with the company.
Does it make sense to you?
GB
Hi Jamil,
I've got to say your question is very broad.
I think a couple of things always hold:
Regarding your last two questions: consultancy firms NEED consultants with empathy, it's a crucial skill. You won't convince a client to change if they're anxious. My approach would be to try to find a way to talk about WHY he/she feels anxious/stressed. There are a couple of frameworks how to smartly do this.
I hope this answers your question(s)!
Sincerely,
Marthijn,
Hi Jamil,
Great question!
First, use PrepLounge's stress test material here! https://www.preplounge.com/en/self-study-mode.php
There's really two important things to remember in answering fit questions:
Keep it natural
Keep it structured
Yes, you should use STAR, PARADE, whatever works. However, fundamentally you should not come across as robotic/over-rehearsed.
And, while you should keep it natural, that doesn't mean you don't prepare or "wing it"! You need to have a structure and articulate the story clearly.
To intro, it can honestly be something as simple as "Ah, so a few things come to mind, but there was one time where xxxx"
