Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 451,000 Peers!

Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!

Which animals would consulting firms be?

2ndround BCG InterviewPartner MBB
New answer on Feb 13, 2021
9 Answers
1.9 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Feb 11, 2021

Hello all,

One question I was recently asked during an interview was: what animal would our company be, and what about our competitors?

Which animals would you assign to: McK, BCG, Bain, Kearney, OW, and SK? And what characteristics of each animal made you choose it?

thanks!

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 11, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

The content of your answer to such questions does not matter much. Such questions are used to see how you deal with unusual situations and respond to such challenges.

  • Stay calm
  • Stay focused
  • Come up with a somewhat reasonable logic (e.g., base the type of animal on the size of the firm, etc.)
  • Laugh about it and show that you can take a joke :D

Cheers,

Florian

Was this answer helpful?
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 12, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

I heard this question before and was asked at BCG in Europe, I since added it to my standard fit questions homework for candidates. It is not difficult to structure but can be difficult to answer it on the spot.

The way I would structure it is the following:

  • Identify the positive characteristics for the firm you like most (eg strong team players, humble, etc)
  • Define an animal with those particular skills
  • Create a variation of that animal for the other companies. Don’t take negative characteristics for the competition. You may simply choose a different size if the company is smaller, or consider a specific environment the animal would leave in if the company focuses on a segment (eg Kearny in operations, SK in pricing etc)

Usually you should be ready to answer fit questions immediately. But for this, it would be totally fine to ask for time if you have not prepared in advance.

Best,

Francesco

Was this answer helpful?
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 11, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

What a great interview question! I'm a big fan of anything that throw a candidate off, and this is exactly why I encourage every candidate to be ready for anything when it comes to both the case and fit portion of interviews.

There's not "right" answer here. However, there are plenty of "wrong" answers.

Any animal with a negative connation should be avoided (unless you can defend it). Snails, slugs, skunks, sloths, come to mind! Any mis-interpretation of the true culture/status of the company should also be avoided.

Essentially, this is testing whether you can think on your feet, "have fun", think outside of the box, and be clever/creative.

Was this answer helpful?
Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 11, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, it can happen. There is not a correct answer but try to be at the same time insightful and a little fun

Best

Anto

Was this answer helpful?
Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 11, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)

Hi there,

haha, it's a nice one. I agree with Florian - the most important thing for such types of questions is to not "lose the face". It's a joke, you just have to play along :)

GB

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous replied on Feb 11, 2021

Fun question. It probably doesn't matter what you're saying. Just make sure you're not comparing the firm you're interviewing for to a very negatively connotated animal. But similarly, don't try to praise them sky-high over their competitors.

Was this answer helpful?
4
Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 11, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

LOL!! Really they asked you this...?!

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous B replied on Feb 11, 2021

My answer would have been "I have no clue as the only firm I'm serious about joining is yours..."! :)

Was this answer helpful?
1
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 13, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I love it, what a ramdom question!

There are no wrong answers here as long as you articulate correctly and don´t freeze.

I would try to think about:

  • Company´s positive attributes
  • What makes them different
  • What makes them stand out

And try to link to an animal.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
Florian gave the best answer

Florian

Content Creator
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets
1,129
Meetings
20,052
Q&A Upvotes
128
Awards
5.0
500 Reviews