Hi there,

You're making the right decision!

My #1 recommendation is do your research. If this includes asking the coach for an intro call to understand how they work, power to you!

1. Find the best coach for you. Good coaches will know how to maximize the session for you. That said, it never hurts to come in with questions and a view as to where you need help.

2. I personally let candidates record our sessions so they can look at them after. Feel free to ask! Additionally, taking live notes helps with memory retention. If they're moving too quick, ask them to pause so you can cacthup with notes.

Finally, if you're getting given a case, ask them for a feedback form (I personally give an 8-category form that grades the candidate out of a score of 5)

3. Just like you screen job opportunities, friends, classes, etc. do your research! If the coach seems well-informed, has good resources, and fits well with your learning style/needs, they're probably good for you. Still, you just have to use your judgement here!

4. Naturally inquisitive and able to think through problems. Here is my sentence for an ideal final candidate: "Someone who can approach a complicated problem and think + communicate in a structured way in the right context+objective of the case, while being personable, adaptable, and coachable, so that, ultimately, the interviewer can see themselves working with this individual and putting them in front of a client."

5. If they inherently don't have what it takes. This is rare (most people, with enough work, can be trained). However, a small % of people just have a ceiling and consulting is not right for them.

6. This is the coach's job! They need to ask the right questions and guide the candidate to have an optimal session. That said, the better you know yourself and can communicate your needs, the better the session will be!

No need to apologize - you've asked great questions! Feel free to message for an intro call if you're curious about my coaching in particular. Regardless, best of luck in your search :)

(edited)

Hello!

I would do exactly the same DD as you are doing :)

Overall, have a call with him or her fist, one you have shortlisted the 2-3 that you can think will help you most.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

Good questions! Here are my thoughts:

1. How can I maximize the first session with my coach?

I would say the #1 thing is to have clear your points of improvement and share them before starting the mock, so that the session can be tailored

2. What is the best method to take notes of my coach feedback?

This is a bit personal. For my sessions, I provide 2-3 page feedback and share all material so you actually don’t need to take notes - you will find already everything needed there. I also let follow-up for free after if you have questions

3. How to know if my coach is the right person for me (to take another session with her/him)?

Before the session, reviews should be helpful. You can also ask clarifying questions via the PrepLounge chat if needed.

After the session I think it will pretty clear - either you got useful feedback or not ;) You can also ask what could be covered next and see if it is relevant to you given what you already learned

4. Based on your extensive experience coaching candidates, what are the traits of candidates who ended up getting an offer? What are their common things?

Very broad question. In general, to get an offer you need to check the required points in both fit and case.

For case, you can mainly decompose it in structuring, business acumen/creativity, math, graph, synthesis and communication. Each area will then have subcategories to check.

Independently on your initial level in any, to improve on the areas above and get an offer you need to:

1. Understand what you are doing wrong (the coach can do that)
2. Understand how to improve (the coach can also show that)
3. Work to improve on those areas (the coach can provide suggestions, but on this point you have also to work by yourself)

Successful candidates always work hard on 3.

There is also a very basic but important differentiator between candidates that get at least an offer and those who don’t. The first category usually lands multiple invitations. Pretty obvious but if you land just one invitation in MBB it is a lot more difficult to land an offer compared to having all the 3 interviews.

That’s why if you still have to apply you should dedicate time to a good referral strategy. You can find more on that here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

5. What are the things you wish to say to your student but to hard to be delivered because of many reasons

I personally share everything needed to improve on all the key areas (fit, case, communication). I agree though that some improvements are "more difficult" to present - usually those related to communication

6. How can a student help coach in order for coach to give the best to student

(i) If you can share in advance what exactly you want to improve, that will help the coach to customize the session and focus on your areas of improvement (ii) Do the homework assigned to improve before the following session ;)

For other questions please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

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(edited)

Hi, in addition to the very structured answers of other coaches I would like to underline the importance of communicating your expectations in terms of topics to cover and weaknesses to address, especially if you are going to take one only session

best,
Antonello