On the recent interview I was asked when I was good at persuading other people. I couldn't remember anything from my work so I made up the story how I persuaded my sister to pursue IT career instead of career of interpreter. I tried to make story well structure, I said that I wasn't familiar with parenting or mentoring but I applied case solving tools to persuade my sister.
Is it an all right story for such question? (given that I have more than 3 years work experience already)
Hello!
For sure it shows that you can think on your feet, which is key for consultants. However, if you have 3 years of working experience, I am sure you must have better stories. Precisely for this is key to understand the different dimensions/questions that may come up in the interview, so you can be ready for them! This one is very very classic and basic.
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Hope it helps!
Hi there, I would tend to agree with Philip. Typically, given you have worked three years they would prefer professional, but more important is the story being relevant. Two extra nuances:
1) Upfront, when they ask the question, most interviewers will be a) happy for you to take a minute to think so don't be afraid to sit in silence; b) ok to listen to options of stories you might want to tell (10 second headlines e.g., I can either tell you about a time when a team was going through a lot of churn and I did a, b & c to turn the project around or a time when I helped deliver a charity project despite adverse circumstances x,y & z)--this gives the interviewer an opportunity to nudge you in the right direction
2) Most interviewers care a lot more about the EQ side of a story. Instead of I did 1,2 & 3--tell them the difficult conversations you had to have and the personal relationships you had to build in order to get these things done.
Happy to jump on a quick call to discuss further :)
Hi there,
This is very similar to what McKinsey evaluates with its Personal Impact PEI Dimension.
As such, you will be asked to tell a story in which you influenced or persuaded an individual or a group of people. This can either be about them adopting a certain idea or plan of yours, helping you with achieving your own goals and driving something together, etc. Focus on stories that showcase how you
Now, these stories can be from a personal context, however, a professional context would be more appropriate most of the time.
Ian is right. As this is a standard fit question for most firms, you would need to prepare those properly beforehand.
Cheers,
Florian
The interviewers are generally interested in how you approach a problem rather than the outcomes. That being said, you want to choose a story which shows how you achieved the outcome that the interviewer is looking for in a particularly challenging situation.
For example, you could tell a story about how you persuaded a member of government to do something that you asked. It sounds impressive, but if you then find out that the member of government was your uncle and you asked him at a family lunch then it's somewhat less impressive.
Given that you have extensive work experience, the next time you're asked this question try to think of a situation which shows how you perform in a particularly personally challenging situation. I'd suggest that your sister is a low stakes situation - your bosses bosses boss is much higher stakes.
Hi Franck,
I honestly don't love this answer. Normally they want professional not personal experiences.
That way, it's possible to get away with it if 1) It was your only personal story and 2) You were really clear about the steps/actions you took.
Make sure to not make this mistake again - persuasion is one of the 8-10 classic questions types you already should have been prepared for!
Hi there,
Yes, of course it is. Don't feel like you should be restricted to ‘professional situations’ only when you provide your stories. Using personal experience, as well as anything else that is reflective of your life and personality (e.g., being parts of a sport club) is relevant.
Best,
Cristian
Hello,
Be sure to prepare for behavioral questions before the interview. It's ok to use this story, but I'm wondering if you could come up with something more work-specific, or where the stakes are something other than a person making a personal choice. You don't always have to use professional experiences, but your actions and impact needs to come through clearly.
You should use a story from your professional experience (unless you have none, in which case you should use a story from your academic experience).
Regarding how to approach it, this is not where you use case solving tools. Case solving is about… solving problems in a logical way. Persuasion is not about logic - it's about values and emotions - which of course must be aligned with logic, but it is much more important to explain what you did to understand other people's motivations, values, interests, etc., how you created a trust relationship with them, and only then how you crafted a compelling logical story.
Hi there - it is important to understand that for PEI and similar interviews that what interviewers are looking mostly for how you explain your thought process, how you showed you understood the motivations and thinking of the people you are interacting with, and how you reacted accordingly. The topic or content of the story is less important.
It is a frequent problem for applicants that they want to tell a “cool story” rather than one that is relevant. A story about a $10m deal can be as relevant as about a lemonade stand.
Having said that, stories about interpersonal dynamics (e.g. family and friends) might not be as relevant for showing off the skills you will need as a consultant as the skills needed for those are very different to a business setting. With friends and family you will know more about them than you do a client, so the skills and empathy you show in navigating that situation will be different. You are showing how you are a good friend/family member, rather than somebody who can interact in a business setting. I would steer away from that if at all possible.
Hey OP,
A personal story can work if it's strong enough. Persuading a family member isn’t ideal if you have 3+ years of work experience. But it’s not an automatic fail if the story is clear, high-stakes for the other person, and shows structured thinking. Framing it like a case was a clever move.
But work-based examples are better. At this level, interviewers expect to see influence in professional settings:
These show how you operate in ambiguity, manage resistance, and drive decisions, all crucial in consulting.
I strongly recommend prepare a work-based persuasion story. Look for moments where:
Use SCAR: Keep the Situation and Challenge tight, focus on what you did, and end with the Result, how you changed minds and what happened after.
Below are some common pitfalls I've seen with candidates I've interviewed:
Hopefully the above helps you answer the question better next time!
Hi Franck,
I recommend structuring another story, not personal. If nothing similar happened at work, try with a University project or volunteering
Best,
Antonello
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