Are you ready for the long working hours you will face as a future consultant?

Answering this question it’s important not to show “ready-to-die” dedication, but rather your ability to approach things in 80/20 way.

What is 80/20? It’s a rule which basically states that 80% of the results come just from 20% of your efforts. So, in practice it means that you need to be able to prioritise and make trade-offs to complete more work in a given time vs striving for perfection in one specific task (and killing yourself and your team while doing so)

So, while answering the question, highlight that you are of course ready to work long hours. But you are also a fan of working smart vs. working hard and you are sure that for any situation there are shortcuts one can take to make sure you don’t kill yourself or your team.

Honestly...

You can only say yes to this question at this stage of the hiring process! 

Enrich it with a few examples: 

• Past situations in which you had to work long hours and did it with a positive spirit
• Past situations in which you precisely came up with some measures to boost productivity and make the work shorter

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

if long hours are required to finish the job and meet deliverable deadlines, then a consultant must be ready to take the long ride.

Hi there,

Agree that the answer obviously has to be yes. That said, (1) give solid example that you are ready for it, e.g. your current work requires long hour as well or you have been studying while working at the same time, and your family/significant other is supportive, etc; (2) do make sure you are actually okay with it, don't kid yourself. It is going to be tough and require a lot of perseverance. 

Best,

Emily 

Yes, while still guaranteeing the highest quality. 

I participated in challenging projects before, the team and I were commited through the critical phases of the project to achieve the high-quility deliverable

yes, I have been in this situation before, I understand at critical moments, it is necessary an extra push

Yes I am ready and well prepared for the long working hours. 

Ich habe in meiner Zeit in der Gastronomie oft lange und anstrengende Schichten arbeiten müssen, teils unter Vollbelastung. Auch diese langenh Schichten haben mir Spaß gemacht, daher bin ich überzeugt dass ich mehr als bereit für lange Arbeitstage bin und ich freue mich meine Ausdauer unter Beweis stellen zu dürfen. 

Yes, I am. This is not something new for me - the long working hours. But I need to underline that I respect the balance between work and life.

yes, especially when i am working on a super challenging project or working with brilliant teammates

Definitely! I am used to work hard since my early youth. Especially since i learned to work on a really high level and under extreme pressure during my apprenticeship. As long as the time I spend has a real impact on the results and I can regularly recharge my batteries at weekends due to sport and hobbies, I am very happy to work. 

yes, i am not only ready for that but also to challenge myself

yes, I am already for that and I also did have the experiences on that. Like every later Month I need to help the team member to achieve the monthly target. For that we normally worked quite late together.

Yes, career is my priority and I would like to challenge how far I can go. 

I certainly am, as shown during my various other work experiences

Dear A,

It is pretty normal to have long working hours in consultancy, and if you face this question on the interview you can say with a confidence — YES, I'm ready.

Here it's more important to be reliable person and to have a good health, being highly motivated and committed to the company and to the clients. So therefore long working hours don't mean anything to you because it's not your work, it's your profession.

Best,

André

w

I will focus on completing my work timely, but in case of any urgent requests by clients. I can stay and work longer than usual.

yes

Ja, ich bin es durch meine Engagements in und neben der Uni gewohnt, auch Abends noch hochwertige Arbeit zu liefern.

jo

Yes l am ready. I was a Consultant before working within a high pressure environment where we had to meet very tight deadlines under a high load of stress. So this is something that l am accustomed to

Yes, definitely, I'm fully committed as it is my passion to work as a consultant. Every hour that a project needs to be completed successfully is an hour that needs to be used