BCG non-case interview?

Congrats on landing the BCG interview, that’s an exciting opportunity.

This type of 30-minute Zoom call is typically an initial fit or exploratory conversation. It’s meant to assess your motivation, background, and overall alignment with the role and practice. No case prep usually means the focus is on your story and communication.

A few tips to prepare:

• Be clear on why you're interested in consulting, why BCG specifically, and why this is the right time for the transition
• Highlight how your past experience connects to the role or practice area you're targeting
• Prepare 2–3 thoughtful questions about the team, role expectations, or the practice’s focus areas
• Keep your answers structured and concise, as they’ll still be evaluating your clarity and professionalism

Wishing you the best for the conversation. If you'd like help refining your story, happy to support.

Hello ! Yes it is quite typical in consulting firms to have an HR interview, before starting the cases. The objective is to see if your profile can be a good fit, especially as you are an experienced hire (I had one myself when I was interviewing for BCG and McKinsey as an experienced hire). 
You can expect classical HR-questions about your motivations, and "tell me about a time when" type questions. 
Do not hesitate to reach out if you would like further information :).

Hi there, 

You can expect standard behavioral questions like "Tell me about yourself?", "Why do you want to do consulting and why BCG?", "Tell me about a time ..." 

You will be asked those type of questions also for ~10 min at the beginning of a case interview. 

Advice for your prep: 

1. Have concise answers on (a) your resume walkthrough, (b) why consulting, (c) why BCG prepared; ideally (b) and (c) are specific to you - the less generic the better 

2. Prepare 5-8 stories you can share to answer questions of type "tell me about a time ...". These should be stories that help highlight your accomplishments and strengths. Ideally they are broad enough that you can use the same story for different questions (e.g., "What are you most proud of" and "When did you overcome an obstacle" could be answered with variation of the same story)

Good luck! 

Please reach out if I can help!   

-Andreas

This is a screening conversation.

They’re interested in your profile, and HR wants to ensure you’re a good fit.

Be ready to answer: Why consulting? Why BCG? Why that office?

Also, prepare questions you might have about the process—this is the best time to ask about the number of rounds, types of cases, and interview structure.

Best,

Alberto

—

Explore my latest case inspired by a real MBB interview: StayPro - Consumer Growth Strategy

Hi there, 

Sounds like a typical fit interview to understand more about your background, experiences, motivations etc. 

Best,

Emily

Hi there,

Q: Has anyone been through a similar interview format? I’d love to hear any tips or insights on what helped you succeed in this stage.

It seems like an HR screening call. You can prepare with the usual fit questions. Some of the most common are the following:

1. Tell me about yourself
2. Why consulting
3. Why BCG
4. Give me an example of when you led a team
5. Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone
6. What has been your major achievement so far
7. Tell me about a time when you failed/ a weakness

Good luck!

Francesco

That's an HR screening interview.

They want to 1) understand your motivation and 2) make sure you know what you are applying to...

So be prepared to answer: "walk me through your resume", "why consulting?", "why BCG?", "why this office".

Most importantly, you should have your 1 minute pitch ready on why you will be a good fit. You don't give the pitch, but you need to know what are the traits and skills you want to highlight and be prepared to back them up with some real life examples.

Finally, make sure you bring some questions (about career, industries, lifestyle, etc.)

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from BCG!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I wonder if this interview will be with a recruiter. Have you been told that?
• Moreover, these initial screening calls are typically used to validate your motivation and overall fit with the consulting firm.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming BCG interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi,

It's a typical HR interview asking about your motiviation for the role and previous working experience. You should not expect a case interview during this call.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Mattijs

Is it with a consultant or HR?

Typically, if they give you an overview of the process and the role, it's HR. Consultants don't do that component. 

Shoot them an email and find out so you can then prepare accordingly.

Best,
Cristian

Hi!

I would just confirm with the HR team that the chat/interview is actually with the HR/Recruitment team member so that you prep. 

For prep, I would prep:

• Get my answers ready for the usuals e.g. why BCG, why this office etc.
• Find out some info about the particular office  - Reach out to someone on linkedin who works there (Some might think this is overkill but I would do this to show real keenness)
• Go over my CV to really understand my journey - you need to know yourself 

This call they're trying to decide on fit, motivation and general personability.

Good luck!