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At behavioral interview, to what extent do you talk about "I" vs "We"?

behavioral behavioral interviews
New answer on Aug 31, 2020
4 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Aug 23, 2020

At behavioral interview, to what extent do you talk about "I" vs "We"? In a lot of story (I was at a boutique consultancy without long work experience overall), the decision making, project direction and client facing content are done by the manager, entry level consultants are more of a supportive role. I find it hard to come up with stories that is about "we" instead of "I". What should I do?

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Aug 24, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

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Ian
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Content Creator
replied on Aug 23, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

You very much need to make sure to use "I" while also not appearing boastful or not like a team player.

This is a fine line to walk, but, fundamentally you do need to show your actions and value-add. If most of the work was done by others, it's not really your story any more is it?

So, you can use "we" when providing context (we were a failing project, we had to deliver x, etc.), but you absolutely must use "I" when providing the actions taken.

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Anonymous replied on Aug 23, 2020

Dear A,

I think that first of all, if you speak "we" then you have to clearly communicate what is your role in a team.

But on the other way, behavioral interview is about you, because you are interviewing,not your team. So anyway, you role should be clear and clearly communicated.

Best,

André

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Aug 31, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, it depends on the story. If you are focusing on your personal impact feel free to use "I"

Best,
Antonello

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