Call with A.T. Kearney Middle East Principal - wondering what to expect?

Question

Hello all,

I contacted a Principal at Kearney pitching my USP (left a dead-end engineering Ph.D. program, transitioning into consulting) and requesting a chat about how I can seamlessly fit in his Analytics Consulting team. He graciously agreed to a call on Sunday, and I am wondering what he would ask.

Since he is not a recruiter, I don't expect behavioral questions like what my strengths and weaknesses are, but rather a CV review along with what I bring to the table.

Could anyone please advise on what to expect and how best to frame my answers? Concise and minimalistic to invite follow-up questions or sufficiently elaborate (2-3 min long answers)? I appreciate any help you can provide.

Answer 1

Hi!

You are completely misunderstanding and misinterpreting the situation! YOU are the person who asked for a call, so YOU should be the one who brings thoughtful questions to the call! YOU have to make up your mind, what you would like to know from the principal. He is just willing to answer your questions and wants to get a personam impression of you, to check whether you could be an intersting candidate.

So please start preparing this call and think through, what relevant topics you would like to discuss.

Cheers, Sidi

Answer 2

Dear A,

It looks loke it's not usual pre-screening call, but as an informal chat.

So here, be ready to show yourself from the good side, prepare your speech about yourself, your motivation to work in consulting, in this company and in this region, and be ready to ask questions about the company, about this person.

I would recommend you also to look at the background of the person you're gonna meet with, may try to find some article he wrote in order to find common topics and connected points to speak about.

If you have any further questions on that, feel free to reach me out.

Best,
André

Answer 3

Hi there,

From what you mentioned it seems this is not a pre-screening call, but rather an informal chat. If that’s the case, your goal should be to find a way to convert the call into a referral.

The principal may ask a couple of questions (Why Kearney, Why consulting), but will be mainly available to answer your questions.

At the following link you can find some tips on how to structure the call and convert it into a referral:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

Please feel free to PM me if you have additional questions.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi there,

Well done securing the chat! However, as already mentioned, this is a coffee chat / networking call not a screening.

As such, I have the following advice.

Ask For Yourself

While a coffee chat is a way for you to make a good impression, please remember that it's also about you making sure this job + path are right for you!

To prepare, think about things you'd like to learn about the company. Ask about your person's experience at the firm, where they've come from, if they have any advice for you etc. Be inquisitive and interested in what they have to say, and feel free to ask thoughtful follow-up questions.

Have Your Pitch Ready

In terms of what they'll ask you, make sure you have your 30 second pitch prepared! Who are you in a nutshell and why are you interested in ATK and strategy consulting?

Ask About Them

People love to talk about themselves. Just ask them what they've worked on recently or what their journey at ATK has been like. Importantly, do your research beforehand - find out what they've done and try and pick something from their past that looks interesting to you. Tailor your questions just like they tailor their FIT questions to your resume.

"So, how did you end up in the Industrial Goods sector?" "I saw you worked on a big digital transformation for a financial services company - I experienced one myself and it seemed so hard to move such a big organisation. What did you see as the major challenges and breakthrough moments?"

Here are some other great related Q&As

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/points-to-highlight-to-a-senior-partner-over-a-coffee-4588

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/curve-ball-questions-to-expect-with-partners-6268

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/networking-with-partners-7005

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/skype-call-with-mbb-hr-manager-after-referral-what-can-i-get-out-of-it-4135

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hr-screening-rejection-6851