Final round and attire (in person)

Question

Hi - I'm through to final round (of 3) at one of MBB and have a questions on a few things, appreciate some help.

My first round interviewer said everything was great, but I felt my 2 second round interviews (the case not the fit part) were quite weak for my own usual performance (one of them i'm still not sure if I really understood what was going on and the interviewer was very cold, but I did offer a clear recommendation in the end). Do these performances matter or are offers based mostly on the final 2 on the last day?

Secondly, all has been virtual so far, but the final round is in person. I think this is great - wondered if anyone had any tips for switching from virtual to in-person casing?

Finally - and quite a specific one - I am a man and have a small ring ear piercing on one of my upper ears (unnoticeable on zoom I've been told by friends). Removing it means it's quite hard to put it back in: is such a piercing really no-go for a man in consulting? If so I'll obviously take it out. I'll otherwise wear full suit and tie, of course. At the same time, I'm a queer person and am proud of this so reluctant to remove it just to conform to very rigid gender norms (my former women colleagues in banking often had such things). Appreciate any honest thoughts on this.

Answer 1

Hi there,

1. Yes, the performance of all interviews is considering when making an offer. But if you pass that round, then you shouldn't be too worried about it, as it means it was good enough (otherwise you would not make it to the final round).

2. On the in-person interviews, the major difference is that you can show them what you are doing in your piece of paper. So you should be prepared for that kind of interaction. This shouldn't be hard, as ensuring good communication without showing your paper is actually much harder than with the paper.

Nevertheless, you must know how to do that interaction, and write this in your paper (initial approach and market sizing / math) in a way that is friendly to the interviewer. If your paper is a mess, then you won't really impress them.

On another note, no cheat sheets are available for the “brainstorming” or “structuring” questions. (this is never a great approach, to be honest, but… well, you can't use it in person)

3. Regarding the ear ring, I suggest avoiding it. I expect MBB to be open about this, but this also depends on local culture / background culture (e.g. in some countres an upper ear ring would still be considered unprofessional for any gender, although this is changing) and you always risk personal or even unconscious bias from the interviewer. I can tell you I know about many woman who took their upper ear rings off for their interviews (and not necessarily for consulting).

Having said this, things are changing fast, and what was true a few years ago, may not be true anymore - particularly in consulting, where people and young and rotate fast. Someone from that office may be able to give you advice that is more “spot on”.

Answer 2

Hi there,

Congrats on getting to the final round and good luck with it!

1) My first round interviewer said everything was great, but I felt my 2 second round interviews (the case not the fit part) were quite weak. Do these performances matter or are offers based mostly on the final 2 on the last day?

Your offer is dependent on your final round interviews. They will, however, be informed by the prior rounds (in terms of weakness areas they look at)

2) Secondly, all has been virtual so far, but the final round is in person. I think this is great - wondered if anyone had any tips for switching from virtual to in-person casing?

a) Don't write on their exhibit!

b) You cannot “pre” prepare your sheets of paper

c) Practice the in-person style a few times to get comfortable with the interaction

3) Finally - and quite a specific one - I am a man and have a small ring ear piercing on one of my upper ears (unnoticeable on zoom I've been told by friends). Removing it means it's quite hard to put it back in: is such a piercing really no-go for a man in consulting?

I would remove it - why take the risk? Add it back in once you have the offer!

For reference, I shaved my beard of 5 years for interviews. Hated it, but it was the safe option.

Answer 3

Hi there,

Well done on moving to the final!

1) My first round interviewer said everything was great, but I felt my 2 second round interviews (the case not the fit part) were quite weak. Do these performances matter or are offers based mostly on the final 2 on the last day?

They will extend an offer based on your performance in the final round. However, they may use the feedback of the first round to check specific areas of improvement.

2) Secondly, all has been virtual so far, but the final round is in person. I think this is great - wondered if anyone had any tips for switching from virtual to in-person casing?

The main advantage you have is you can interact with the interviewer more. The main things you can do is:

Show them your notes / interact when presenting the structure
Try to connect with small talk when you start (possible also in video interviews but more difficult)

3) Finally - and quite a specific one - I am a man and have a small ring ear piercing on one of my upper ears (unnoticeable on zoom I've been told by friends). Removing it means it's quite hard to put it back in: is such a piercing really no-go for a man in consulting?

Personally I would recommend to remove it. Consulting companies are quite open, however you never know if the specific person you will interact with may have a bias that could lead to a negative impression.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 4

Hello!

Congrats on making it to the final round!

There is truly no difference, but the fact that this time they will be able to see your paper, and that paper should be ordered and a good reflection of you well-structured mind.

Regarding the earring, honestly I would remove it. Even if then it´s hard to put back on, I wouldn´t risk this now you came so far. In the Madrid office, for instance, I know a handfull of partners who for sure wouldn´t look at you with good eyes for it.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 5

If you have made it to the final round it means that you cleared the 1st and second rounds you described earlier. Will they take into account all of the feedback you received? Yes absolutely that is the point of feedback, however, if they did not think you could get an offer they would have rejected you by this point already.

As for dressing up for the interview. My advice would be to dress up as formally as you can (suit and tie like you mentioned). Now you bring up a very important point, should you have to conform to archaic norms in order to get the job? My advice here is follow your heart. At the end of the day if they reject you because of a ring piercing would you really want to work in that firm with the same people? Also what happens once you get the job will you be happy working at a place where you are not yourself?

The world has evolved and so has consulting. Be authentic and be proud of who you are like you have mentioned. Focus on your case and PEI and anything else is just noise or a signal that the job is not a good fit.

From personal experience I can say that we had people with tattoos and piercings at McKinsey but it was not very common and some partners could be conservative. I will also say that the culture changed extremely rapidly and all sorts of changes have been made to make it a more open and welcoming environment for all consultants.

Best,

Udayan