Dear forum,
I am having an interview for a Project Manager role at E-Commerce. Currently I have been with MBB for 2 years (position on BA Mckinsey/Associate BCG level). My questions are
1. What kind of questions would I expect?(Beside Why PM, Why this firm, why you leave MBB)
2. What qualities do they expect from me? What should I bring to the interview?
3, Any tips for constructing a great case story?
4. Any other questions should I aware of?
Thank you for your help
I will share my experience when I was applying for a job as a PM.
A good resume is half the battle. You need to find a balance between the truth that distinguishes you from your competitors, while not going too far so that your resume is not perceived as fictitious.
I advise you to use the services of HR or recruiters to check/create your resume. It costs $10, but it will give a significant boost to your chances of getting a job.
The next thing is honesty. A good recruiter will always recognize a lie, especially when it comes to technical terms - the banal difference between Agile and Scrum. Besides, not only technical knowledge is important, but also personality. Normal companies would rather hire a good person who falls a little short in terms of skills than a professional asshole.
As for questions, it's hard to say. It depends on the specific company and the recruiter. There are only technical interviews, but there are also questions like: "What animal do you associate yourself with?"
I also advise you to prepare for the interview with volunteer recruiters. It was a lifesaver for me, because after 3 meetings I was ready for almost anything.
And so, by the way, I found my company, where I have been working for 4 years.
Anyway, I hope you succeed!
(edited)
Hi there,
First of all, consider coaching. These are very very high level questions that a Q&A will not do justice.
We need to hear your answers and actually roleplay the interview to truly help.
1. What kind of questions would I expect?(Beside Why PM, Why this firm, why you leave MBB)
Technically, anything. They might ask you how you run a project. Or how you would solve x issue they're seeing. You might need to talk through your e-commerce related experience. Or what you would do to improve x thing.
One example: When I successfully interviewed at Amazon, one of their questions was how to determine the value of converting a customer to Amazon prime (as in, mathematically how to do it…it's a brainteaser). Their other quesiton was how I would design/improve Amazon prime.
Be ready for anything!
2. What qualities do they expect from me? What should I bring to the interview?
That you can do the job! That you're capable of managing teams. That you can manage projects. That you handle pressure. Can multi-task. Can talk/work on technical problems. Clear communication. Problem solving. Etc.
3, Any tips for constructing a great case story?
Be super clear on the topic. Be structured/organized in your answer. Answer their question!
4. Any other questions should I aware of?
Explain cloud technology to my 7 year olf daughter.
And about 100 more.
Remember…be ready for anything rather than trying to memorize everything!
Wishing you best of luck with the transition!
Let me provide a perspective on your questions.
1. What kind of questions would I expect?(Beside Why PM, Why this firm, why you leave MBB)
I would also expect situational questions or story-based examples (similar to what you had when you interviewed for MBBs). Do reach out to the recruiter and ask about the format of the interview. I'm sure they would want you to prepare as best as you can.
2. What qualities do they expect from me? What should I bring to the interview?
Here, too, I recommend you ask the recruiter what they expect from you. Also, read in depth the job description for that particular role. Then identify stories from within your MBB experience when you exhibited the skills they are looking for.
3, Any tips for constructing a great case story?
Many actually, but as you can imagine it's rather difficult to answer within the scope of a Q&A forum. I would definitely think of real, authentic examples that showed you at your best self and which were relatively recent and exhibited a core skill that you'll need to show in the new role.
Best,
Cristian
4. Any other questions should I aware of?
Hi there,
I don't have any particular insight here and if others don't either than you might have some luck at Fishbowl or Glassdoor.
Cheers,
B.
Hi there,
Great answers already.
I'll provide a typical question that comes up all the time for this transition:
For the interview, have concrete sanitized client examples ready to make your points and tell your story based on the facts that you learned a lot in consulting but were missing e2e responsibility for many topics, hence, want to make a move.
All the best,
Florian
