Bad Experience at Arthur D. Little Istanbul Office

Question

Hi all,

I would like to share my interview experience with Arthur D. Little Istanbul office. The reason I wanted to share it as I feel frustrated about the process and ask to you whether it is normal or unusual to have in the interview processes.

I applied at the beginning of February 2021 through a referral.

I completed 1 HR Round + 4 interviews during this 4 month span. I had my last Principal round 2-3 weeks ago. It went very well in terms of case and fit. I was also been told that I did very well.

The plan was to have the last partner round and to come to an end.

Then I got a call this week. HR told me that they're currently not seeking a Consultant position (entry level Business Analysy). The needs of projects require a Data Scientist rather than a BA; therefore, they need to conclude my process as unsuccessful. After I asked if it was not certain in my last principal round, HR told me that it was not.

I found this very frustrating, unprofessional and disrespectful. I spent 4 months interviewing with the company for a position which they were not planning to fill. I felt like they just wasted my time for nothing.

Have you had any similar experiences? Do you think this is normal? Or is it something very unpleasant?

After all, I am glad that I did not end up working in there given the level of disrespect/unprofessionalism. Maybe I am exaggerating out of frustruation but happy to hear what the community thinks.

Best

Mertcan

Answer 1

Hi Mertcan,
I'm sorry to hear that, unfortunately the period does not help. However, I join the recommendation of other coaches to leverage this effort you have spent to prepare for interviews applying to other firms

Best,
Antonello

Answer 2

Hi Mertcan,

Sorry to hear about your experience. There's really no way around it - this sucks.

I would not say this is common, however it does happen. Companies try to estimate what need they will have in the future. However, if their pipeline doesn't pan out as expected (i.e. they're over-optimistic or the market changes), then they need to change course. Ultimately, they have to have work for you and it sounds like they would not have. Given that you were applying to the Istanbul office, I imagine the the recent market shocks in Turkey (central bank head firing, lockdowns, etc.) have affected the pipeline more than Arthur D Little expected.

This is why I always emphasize a plan B and C for candidates. You are "lucky" in the sense that you didn't receive an offer, pin your future on it, only to have the offer later reneged (this does happen).

Again, I'm sorry to hear. It does suck, but, given you did so well, I have full confidence you are going to land on your feet and find another (better) role.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Answer 3

Hello Mertcan,

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. Whilst personally I have never had such an experience, I'd like to share a few thoughts:

I would tend to believe that this 'change of heart' is business-driven. I am convinced that a company like Arthur D. Little appreciates the time of their (senior) consultants, e.g., principals. It would simply be too expensive to keep on investing time if they know already that they won't fill such a position
It could also be that the open position(s) while you were still in the process were filled in the meanwhile. And whilst your performance might have been good, the performance of other interviewees for the same position could have been a bit better or the timing more convenient (again business-driven)
Last but not least, I am sure that you prepared very well to manage to pass round after round. Keep in mind that this experience will follow you onto the next applications. The case cracking and fit questions skills are perfectly transferable to other applications e.g., to MBB or other strategy firms/advisory branches.

Either way, no matter what the exact background of this decision is, I am sure your invested time and effort will be of great value to you looking forward. Wish you the best of luck with your future applications.

Konstantinos

Answer 4

Hello!

Indeed, it´s terrible, I share totally your frustation.

However, now that you are here, the only valid question is, "what do I do next?".

The good news is that you have done a great job, and you are ready to keep interviewing! I would leverage that momentum and open processes with other consulting companies, I am sure all the effort and prep is going to pay off!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 5

Hey there,

Sorry to hear about your endeavor. Unfortunately, this type of behavior can happen sometimes in

tier 2/3/boutique firms
smaller offices

When I was going through the interviews a few years ago, one German consulting firm rescheduled my interview day twice on the day before the interview so I ended up canceling the process altogether.

See it as a positive. You would not want to work for a company like that anyway. Better opportunities out there!

All the best to you!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 6

Thanks for sharing the feedback with Preplounge community.