Hi Alanoud,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from BCG!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, it's important to provide a structured response that gives a snapshot of who you are professionally and personally. You may begin with your academic background, emphasizing any relevant courses or projects that align with consulting.
• Moreover, include work experiences and extracurricular activities that demonstrate skills pertinent to the role you're applying for - teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, etc.
• Lastly, while discussing hobbies can add a personal touch, I would advise you to focus on those that showcase qualities BCG values, if possible, such as analytical thinking, commitment, or creativity.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

(edited)

Hi Alanoud,

Q: Was wondering what is the best way to answer the talk about yourself question.

I would recommend the following:

1. Pick three skills you believe are your points of strength that are useful for consulting.
2. For each skill, think about a story that demonstrates you have that skill, taken from your work, education, and volunteer/extracurricular experiences, representative of what you have done.
3. Use the three stories as an answer for "tell me about yourself." Ensure that the stories are interconnected, naturally leading from one to the next. Emphasize the key learning points at the end of each story related to the skill you want to highlight and end by explaining those experiences naturally led you to the idea of having a career in consulting. 

Hope this helps,

Francesco

I hate the way the question is phrased, because it really assumes relevant knowledge and preparation that a lot of candidates don't have.

The question is actually “tell me why should I hire you!” in a soft way.

So you need to present yourself and a bit of what you did before - but through the lenses of 3-4 traits that will make you a great consultant. 

So this question is actually inviting you to do a “soft pitch” wrapped with storytelling. 

Remember that you don't need to give your full pitch, as you'll have other questions where you can highlight other traits and skills.

Finally, if you are asking this question, and the way you are asking the question, suggests you are still a bit “naive” about your preparation and could really benefit from a “push” to a higher level. You should consider a coaching session focused on this topic - particularly because this tends to be a skill / mindset that will help you significantly for the rest of your professional life. 

Hi Alanoud,

This question is made to prove your consulting toolkit around four main skills:

• Leadership
• Entrepreneurial drive
• Dealing with change and ambiguity
• Influencing

Select 2-3 short personal or professional stories that showcase your proficiency around these skills.

Happy to keep talking about this in private, just send me a message.

Best,

Alberto

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Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

• Keep it short (< less than 1 min) to make it impactful. Too often, candidates take way too much time on this and lost the interviewer. Better to focus on your key point (think at the Exec Summary of yourself) and at the end, ask the interviewer if he wants to deep dive 
• Highlight first your professional / educational experiences that will have the most impact, and that best display skills that people are seeking for consultants (e.g, leadership, analytical, etc.)
• Then do the same thing for personal experiences, as this is where you stand out from the rest, and can show your true nature

Hope this helps

Hi,

In addition to some of the anwers here, you could also use this opportunity to run through your CV, covering the key aspects: Education, Work experience (key highlights), Leadership and also hobbies, if you'd like.

Hi Alanoud!

The main thing you should be optimising for is to ‘connect’ with the interviewer. 

In practice, that means that you should enable the discussion to follow its natural flow. Give a brief description of who you are (name, where you're from, etc.) your recent credentials (education, work) and a brief sense of your personal interests (e.g., hobbies). 

Ask them if they'd like you to go into more detail in any of them. Create space for them to jump in and ask more questions. 

But don't overprepare these answers. Otherwise, they risk sounding very awkward.

Good luck!
Cristian

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Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> CodeWave  

Hi,

I would would start with addressing why you are here today. What made you want to apply to BCG? Then use those reasons and motivations to highlight a few areas from your professional and personal background where you exhibited the kinds of characteristics that BCG is looking for. You thereby answer the question without simply regurgitating your CV (which the interviewer has most likely already read) and make it seem like you are a natural fit.

Best of luck

Hi Alanoud,

Funnily enough, I wrote an article titles “tell me about yourself”.

A bunch of info in there for you :)

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Alexandre gave you the perfect framework. Only thing I'd add, try to synthesize your very personal value proposition in 1 sentence in the who am I section. Everyone has unique perspectives/experiences, what makes you unique? Warm regards, Freddy