As a consultant switching firms, when talking about why you like firm X, is it ok to mention that you're interested because they do more strategic work which is in line with your goals whereas your current company's projects aren't in the same domain because of X, y,Z reason (eg. operating model, type of industry niche etc). Would this sound like you're bashing your current employer?
(editiert)
Hi there,
I actually have to disagree with the other coaches here. This is exactly what I said and I aced all 8 of my interviews. That said, this comes with some very important caveats when doing this:
As an example, I basically said:
"Look, I love my role as an IT Consultant. I find I thrive in a team-based, client-focused, problem-solving environment with dynamic projects, problems, and industries. That said, I've found that the "higher" level questions interest me more than just the implementation. I find myself asking "why are we building this IT system" or "How are we going to change the way we do business by leveraging this tool". As such, I'm very interested in leveraging all the things I enjoy and do well in when it comes to solving problems for clients, but I'd love to do it on a bigger scale".
Make sense?
No - this is not bashing your previous employer whatsoever. It is important to give 1) content reasons and 2) cultural reasons as to why you think the new firm is the way to go. Your example referred to 1) but it is equally as important to point out that you will likely enjoy your time at the new firm more because of xyz cultural things you learned from discussions with current employees. Do not underestimate this point - in the end 2) will be more important than 1), depending on your seniority. As a result, make sure to get as many ppl from the new firm on the phone as possible to REALLY understand the culture (who is the office head, what do they do for social events, AC/Con classes, new joiners trained by current associates etc).
Hi there,
It could be a valid reason but I would add additional points as well (ideally, try to have three in total).
You can choose three points out of those below to structure an answer:
Whatever topic you choose, you should apply a simple rule of thumb: if you can change the name of firm X with another and the answer still makes sense, it means your answer is not specific enough and you need to provide more details.
Best,
Francesco
Hey,
Not a good idea to mention this.
Check this one out for a lot of guidance on the exact same question: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/why-firm-x-10139
