Hi!

I agree with the underlying premise of your question, but your facts are not entirely correct. Usually, you can start interviewing after about 2 years tenure (there are rare exceptions when MBB interviewers are more junior, but it's really pretty rare). And then it usually takes several months until an interviewer is fully trained and can even start interviewing. 

So yes - if you want to ensure that your coach was actually an experienced interviewer, check the tenure and search for people who stayed at MBB for several years.

Cheers, Sidi

Hi there,

Perfectly fair question! It's important to clarify consultants also give case interviews. Additionally, there's a lot more that goes into coaching than just having interviewed!

1. Did the coach nail their own interviews (or did they interview at 10 places and get lucky with just one?) - as in, can they walk the walk?
2. Is the coach a teacher - Elon Musk may be a genius and know his rockets, but I'd be shocked if he were a good teacher
3. Does the coach understand struturing - they can survive at MBB but still not be experts in this
4. Does the coach have a wide range of project/case experience as well as industry knowledge? - They could have worked in a very narrow range of projects and have limited exposure

Fundamentally, would you rather be taught by someone who nailed all of their interviews, has the teacher DNA, and thrived at their consulting job, or would you just say "Oh, well, they interviewed, so that's all that's needed"?

If I was a candidate, I would like to get coached by someone who has had plenty of interview experience and has witnessed hiring situations of various shapes & forms- totally my personal choice. So your question is very valid and its a matter of personal choice- whether you go for more junior/less experienced coaches or those with more experience. Perhaps an idea could be to mix and match to get diversity of opinion & practice.

Most big consulting companies start interview training after 2-3 years stint but it really takes 5-7 yrs+ of total consulting work experience and at least 3 yrs of interviewing to become seasoned at this. Obviously, the more the better!

(editiert)

The reality is that there are many coaches who have not been interviewers and have only coached a candidate. To me, that's the same as getting coaching from a current consultant at that firm, which you can get for free. There are many junior consultants who are super keen to get involved with recruiting and coach candidates.

On the other hand, consultants who have been trained as an interviewer can not coach candidates which is why getting access with them through PrepLounge makes a lot of sense.

Short answer to your question - coaching and interviewing are not necessarily interdependent skills. Somebody who has not taken an interview can also be a good coach - and vice versa.