Alle Fragen zum Tag London - Consulting Q&A - PrepLounge.com

Hi,

It's hard to say without knowing your University. But in most of the cases MBA is different in the following:

• Learning method - Mostly case method with little to no lectures
• Electives - they are totally different from BBA
• Diversity - lots of internationals
• Networking - your classmates already have 3-5 years of work experience and can contribute the discussion
• Recruiting activities - totally different

Best

Hi there,

For sure it is possible, also within MBB. It may not be easy though given how competitive London is.

To maximize your chances you should ideally:

• Have one or more partners in London favoring the transfer
• Have one or more partners in Dubai favoring the transfer
• Have a strong performance
• Have or be able to get working rights in the UK

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

Just from the information you shared, I would go for BCG London:

• Target city – important for networking
• Doesn’t preclude the possibility to work in PE
• Bain in ME is not that strong
• Compensation level long term won’t matter much

As an additional point: I would also consider the personal fit with the companies. It doesn’t make much sense to join a firm where the culture is very different from the one where you feel you would thrive.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

I'm afraid it's likely bad news. It is poor form from the company to not inform you, but I know of it happening before (at other firms).

To be sure I would call the recruiting team.

Hi,

Based on my experience the perks of locally staffed are:

• Meal allowance (Local staffing and fly-ins)
• Transport allowance (Local staffing and fly-ins)
• Party with your team (Local staffing and fly-ins)
• No Sunday night / Monday morning airport rush (only for locally staffed)
• Catch up with friends and family during weekdays (only for locally staffed)

The extra things that Fly-ins get are hotel and airline points :)

Note: Fly-ins are consultants assigned outside their home country

Hi there,

Let's cut to the chase with your 3 bullets, all answered by the same sentence :)

Your best option by a mile is to stay with your current MBB firm and work your way towards an office transfer If your timeline is "a few years down the line" you can absolutely make this happen.

I've transfered a few times within companies and have the following advice:

How do you snag an internal transfer?

1) Build a stellar reputation - do good work, work hard, and be known as "the guy/gal" for xx

2) Build your network - network agressively (yes, networking doesn't end once you've gotten the job offer). Make sure you're known by and have allies in people who make decisions such as staffing managers, Partners (specifically those responsible for recruiting/resources and who are heads of industry/function verticals), etc.

2) b). When I say network "aggressively" please don't be needy/annoying :) There's nothing worse than someone who is obviously working the room or trying to please!

3) Look out for opportunities - look for office transfers, short-term projects, ambassadorships, etc.). Transfers can have a range of "labels" :)

4) Practice patience and be flexible - This will take time. Once you "execute", you'll also need to be ready to go at the flip of a coin. But, of course, once you've made this decision I'm sure you will be!

Bide your time, keep pushing, be smart, and you'll get there!

Hi,

It really depends on how fast you want to reach your end goal and how important is location.

In PwC London I think Strategy& and the deals team are combined that is why the project portfolio is what you are mentioned and also the compensation gap.

My personal suggestion would be to take BCG do a good job 1-2 years and ask for a transfer to London after that while also network with the PE Practice Area in London office. Reason being better brand and better money.

Best,
Iman

Hi there,

I recommend the following:

1. Remember that most casing tips apply here (i.e. be very clear+focused on the objective, ruthlessly cut out information that doesn't help you meet this objective/question, make sure to thinking + communicate in a structured way, etc. etc.)
2. Practice/simulate this as much as possible beforehand...getting a coach to help you run through scenarios + how to react in inevitably challenging moments will do a world of good.

I have a number of written case I'd be more than happy to share with you! What I generally do with my candidates is, give them a written case x hours before our scheduled session (adjust # of hours based on the specific interview they're going to have), and then review their work during the session (as well as talk through tips+tricks to get better).

Other helpful Q&As

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/scenario-interview-presentation-prep-9325

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-practice-written-case-interviews-9199

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/case-interview-9228

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-practice-written-case-interviews-9199

Hey,

1. Ideally yes, if they plan well you should be staffed on roles suited to your skills. But this could change due to shift in client requirements, budget changes & other priorities etc. Be prepared to be staffed on other projects. Dont be fussed and show lot of flexibility to learn. Keep visibility high with senior people, network well, do a good job and the cool roles will come your way eventually
2. Best check with your future team members. This will depend on the project, client/industry and most importantly whats happening with COVID. UK is under pretty strict restrictions at the moment. Full on travel to clients is not going to happen any time soon. If situation improves in next few months do expect some travel in line with health and safety within UK, to Europe or where the projects take you
3. I hope you have done your homework on making the decision to quit :). This by no means should be an indicator of your future performance. Consulting will be tough but rewarding, provided you have the right mindset. If you show strong likes & dislikes for projects early on, there is chance you could feel bored again..haha. Sounds like you are in your very early career days, so embrace the challenge, give yourself enough time to settle and grow from there. If you slack , am afraid your days will be numbered

All the best!

Hi there,

Let me first just say you can absolutely move into consulting from PE. You'll likely need to come in as a specialist, likely at the Project Lead role, and you'll need to network to improve your chances.

1) Yes, absolutely.

2) Project lead most likely, but speak to HR about this. This is also a good topic of conversation in your networking calls.

3) It is most certainly not easy. You'll need to network extensively and make sure to highlight the more strategic, project-based, managerial, client-focused aspects of your job on your resume. Once you do join, just be aware that there is a steep learning curve for experienced hires coming in at higher levels of the organization.

Good luck to you!

Some additional Q&As here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/given-my-background-in-finance-what-type-of-management-consulting-role-would-be-the-most-8546

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/finance-background-which-consulting-firms-to-apply-6195

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-position-finance-background-7085

Hi Sabrina,

First, good luck and Happy New Year!

I'd also recommend being clear on the following:

• UK vs England vs Great Britain (both territory delineations and population)
• Breakdown of pop by age, income, urban v rural etc. (% breakdown)
• European population and general breakdown of pop
• Key European country populations (Germany, France, Spain, Italy)
• Key European country GDP totals (incl. UK of course)
• London total population and breakdown

Important to have already thought about a few key major trends/topics in the UK as well (and their implications on business):

• Brexit (particularly in the finance sector)
• Covid (restaurants, retail, tech)
• Globalisation (or the reverse of it)
• Major industries and growth areas

Good luck!

Hey,

Congrats :). Incredible options in these times...

Please search the Q&A forum broadly as London Vs Dubai question has been answered many times.

From my perspective, consider the following to help you make the decision:

• YOU must be 100% comfortable with your choice; great to get advice from various sources but it will be a mistake to get someone else to decide for you. Its the stating the obvious but I have seen many people do this
• Money, brand name etc is important but perhaps the most important attribute is going for that option which is a better fit with your career aspirations, life values & risk apetite. Go for that option where you estimate to be happier and joyful
• Situation in London & UK generally is not great with COVID and lockdown is expected till Spring. So factor this in...its not going to be easy at all working remotely in a new job and building your credibility in a fast pace environment. I believe Dubai and ME generally is handling COVID much much better than UK
• Given this is new event in your life, there will be risk. Nothing is perfect and there will be ups and downs regardless of what you do. So make sure you factor this into your planning and remove the pressure of wanting to make the "best" decision

Wish you the best!

Hi, it usually takes up to a couple of weeks. However, I recommend asking HR without worrying about bothering them. They are there to help

Best,
Antonello

Hi Anney,

Recent candidates I helped at Bain London had questions related to:

• Leadership
• Convincing others
• Teamwork

In general, the standard fit questions you may expect in a consulting interview are:

1. Tell me about yourself
2. Why consulting
3. Why us
4. Give me an example of when you led a team
5. Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone not agreeing with you
6. What has been your major achievement so far when you started something
7. Why should we hire you

Questions about experiences (4, 5 and 6) are standard at McKinsey, but other companies may ask them as well. To prepare those questions, I would recommend the following checklist:

1. Understand the difference between, leadership, impact and drive areas. You can find a link with their differences here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mckinsey-pei-difference-drive-and-personal-impact-918
2. Identify good stories for each area. Ideally you want to have at least two stories for each area.
3. Use a structure for your story. I would suggest to use the STARR model (Situation, Task, Action, Rational for Action, Results)
4. Identify for each story one sentence clarifying what the story is about and start with it. Think of it as the title of a journal article.
5. Practice live, collect feedback from people listening to you, reiterate until when you get fluent and persuasive

Best,
Francesco

All first round cases for McKinsey London BA interviews are interviewer-led. The only exception is final round where historically there have been interviewers who's cases have been candidate-led. However they would be more of an exception than the norm. Good luck!

Having seen the McKinsey London BA/JA candidate CV book for the last 5 years, I would say less than 2-3% of CVs go over a page. If you really want to then it's not a deal breaker but I would make sure that you are managing to highlight your achievements as opposed to a laundry list of everything you've done. For example, if two leadership experiences highlight a similar competency and achievement (e.g., led a student society) then I would only go into depth for one not both.

Hello!

Best of luck with it.

If they said after new year, I think this is a good moment (+2 weeks) to reach out to HR.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi,

It's not that one MBA or another prepares best for consulting. Consulting is all about learning by doing. Moreover, INSEAD is a 1-year program and you don't really have a lot of time to study taking into account networking and all the recruiting activities.

What might be different:

• Availability of the on-campus recruitment
• Higher chances to get a job offer at Insead / LBS because of the targeted hiring

What you can do? Get a referral:

• Either from your classmates ex-consultants who can recommend you to on-campus recruiters
• Or from any consultant working at these companies globally

Best

Hi there!

First, good luck!

The online tests across companies and across time are very similar

Format? Somewhat. Content and what's required from you ability-wise? Not at all.

The best way is to really find online tests / questions and practice. Regardless as to whether is a new or old test, the principles are mostly the same:

• Time management (need to think quick)
• Business knowledge/context (incl key formulas)
• Critical thinking (answers that are very similar to each other...clues "hidden" in the text)
• Ability to interpret data/charts

Think of it as a merge of a case and the GMAT/GRE.

You need to be clear on some key case-related and account formulas (margin, growth, breakeven, etc) as well as be good at critically understanding the question (including nuance to questions) and parsing through complicated text with a fair amount of distraction.

You'll also need to be good at chart/graph reading.

The (old) McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en/practice-tests

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp

Hi there,

Hi there!

This is a 45 minute quant test to ascertain your math and critical thinking skills. It's a screening test which determines whether you will move forward with the interview process.

The best way is to really find online tests / questions and practice. Regardless as to whether is a new or old test, the principles are mostly the same across these quant screening tests:

• Time management (need to think quick)
• Business knowledge/context (incl key formulas)
• Critical thinking (answers that are very similar to each other...clues "hidden" in the text)
• Ability to interpret data/charts

Think of it as a merge of a case and the GMAT/GRE.

You need to be clear on some key case-related and account formulas (margin, growth, breakeven, etc) as well as be good at critically understanding the question (including nuance to questions) and parsing through complicated text with a fair amount of distraction.

You'll also need to be good at chart/graph reading.

The (old) McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en/practice-tests

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp