Hi Anonymous,

for the interviewer it will probably be clear why you don’t want to go on with your previous startup (in the end, many startups fail. And if the interviewer asks, you can definitely say it did not work out). However, the interviewer may ask why you don’t want to work on a new startup. You probably have your reasons for that, but in general possible reasons to work for a consulting company related to elements missing in a startup are:

• Presence of experienced teammates from which you can learn
• Opportunity to see multiple sectors
• Opportunity to have impact on important clients from the beginning

In terms of the reasons why the startup failed, I would focus on your personal improvements without relating to the weaknesses of the team – otherwise the interviewer may perceive you are justifying the end result blaming your teammates. Whatever the possible improvements, be sure to mention how you are working/have learned on those points to get better – basically as you would do for the question “Which are your weaknesses” (you can find more on that at the following link - https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-are-your-weaknesses-317)

Best,

Francesco

You can formulate your answer in a positive manner by selling it as going beyond of what you could learn in a start-up environment, i.e. you are striving for more (for example, getting to know how big businesses work, working in complex organisational structures, etc.)

Hi,

You can tell the story in two modes:

• You are running from something
• You are trying to achieve something

As you can guess, only the second mode works! No need to talk about the failure - just talk about what you would like to achieve with consulting

Re reasons why the startup failed if they ask - it's totally fine to say that its failed because of the team mismatch. 75% startups fail each round of financing, and on the first rounds, team is one of the top 3 reasons
Best!

Hi Anonymous,

I like to view the fit interview as a marketing exercise; it is your opportunity to show that you are a great "product" that fits the needs of your potential employer, and, ultimately, to convince them to "purchase" you.

As with marketing any traditional product, a clear and consistent brand story is an effective tool to make you, the "product", both attractive and memorable to the interviewer/s. While marketing certainly isn't about lying, it is about telling a specifically honed version of the truth to make your product that much more appealing. I am quite sure that your past experience could be reshaped into an effective brand story that shows exposure, growth, and self-awareness (which I am sure in reality it does!) - an interesting narrative to consulting firms.

It can be quite challenging to build a personal brand and story on your own, so do feel free to contact me if you need any further advice on this.

Jessica

Hello,

It's completely fine to say something like "I have been always interested into management consulting but during last year I came across the opportunity to start a startup with some colleagues". Bear in mind that:

1. Startup experiences are a big plus for consulting profiles, especially if you were the founder. Entrepreneurial drive is one of the core dimension to evaluate you as candidate.
2. A "failure" like this is not always seen as something negative. It depends on the culture of your country but in some countries is considered a strong and positive experience. More over, 6 months can not be considered a significant failure

I would just suggest to prepare a story telling in order to justify the failure of the startup idea, they will for sure investigate and ask about it. There could be a lot of different casuses, try to choose something that gives you an important "takeaway" to improve.

Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss it further.

Luca

There is nothing wrong in your story, so don´t be afraid to tell it.

Try to to structure the narrative arround what you learned there and the valuable skills you adquired -and, cherry to the cake, how would this make you a good consultant-.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara