Roland Berger ME - Partner Interview

Question

Dear community,

I have been invited for a third and final round for the entry-level position at Roland Berger Middle East (Saudi Arabia).

I heard from a colleague of mine that the partner interview did not include regular case. However, the partner started an open discussion and he wants to assess the candidate thinking style and they he/she strcutre the answer. My colleague did the interview one week before me with another partner and he did not make it. They said to him that they liked his motivation however he failedto structure this final round open conversation :( Thus, wanted your help in two things:

1- Has anyone of you know what is usually the style of the final round and RB in MENA for the BA level?

2- How can I prepare for such an open discussion and try to make sure that I am structuring my ideas quickly and effectively.

Would highly appreciate your information and recommendations!

FYI, my first round was a regular market size. The second round was an unusual case (imagination I will call it). Both interviews were started with 10-15 min FIT and followed by 35-40 min case.

Many thanks!

Answer 1

Difficult to predict, partners are quite senior and have been doing this for long so they may not follow a traditional approach but they are still testing you for your structuring skills and problem solving skills. Would be good to prepare relevant questions you can ask the partner about the office and practice

Thanks

Ashwin

Answer 2

Hi there,

You need to stop trying to predict things.

It could be a 45 min case. It could be 0 case and all fit. You might get 100 charts/exhibits. Or you might get 0 data (or all verbal data). It could be an official case or it could be a series of brainstorming questions.

If you learn the interview/consultant skillset, it doesn't matter the exact format of the interview as you'll be ready for anything! You need to learn how to be objective-driven and have structured/concise thinking + communication.

Of course, the best way to get ready is to hire a coach that can both teach you this and pressure test you with a dynamic mock interview!

Here's some reading on casing: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

And some reading on fit: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Answer 3

Hi there,

This level is completely unpredictable and the same for RB, MBB, or other firms. Don't waste your time and energy.

Let's assume there's an underlying scrip for conducting interviews - the more senior your interviewers get, the more they're likely to divert from this script and do their own thing.

Your best bet is to adapt a conversational style for all your interviews i.e. manage a 2 way conversation throughout. Also, make sure you're able to pivot quickly and don't overthink when it happens i.e. Partner quickly shifts from one thing to a completely different thing.

This is something I and most other coaches can help more with in a 1:1 setting if needed, let me know.

Best of luck!

Answer 4

As others mentioned, this could really be anything and your existing prep for case and/or fit type interviews likely has prepared you already.

The only additional thing to be aware of for senior interviews is to just keep up to date about current affairs / news. In these more senior interviews I was asked (as a grad) things like:
- What do I think of the American election and who are the candidates (I am based outside the US)
- What stocks would I currently buy and why

No need to do massive research for these types of things (especially because you can't predict them), but just read the newspaper for 30 mins each day for the week leading up to the interview.

Answer 5

Hello!

I got two of those with one of the partners in the McKinsey Madrid offer, they are quite common in final rounds - more with senior people.

The only way to practice is having done a lot of the traditional ones. It´s like the ballerina who has done so many barre hours, and then is asked to improvise to new music.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara