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!

Why Strategy?

FIT
New answer on Jun 08, 2021
5 Answers
858 Views
Anonymous A asked on Jun 01, 2021

Hi, what are the reasons to seek a career in Strategy? (corporate and consulting)

I am thinking about having high impact, different challenges with a high stakes, and a big picture of the company. What else I can add?

Thanks

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 01, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Ultimately, you need to think through these yourself. It's super important that you answer this question genuinely! Now, in terms of options, the following are the most common:

  • Extensive exposure (across all level of organization, across all types of company problems, across industries)
  • L&D - mentorship, learning from the best, etc.
  • Enjoy solving client problems in diverse teams
  • Enjoy strategic thinking and the types of problems you find in strategy

Remember that, for the why strategy consulting question, you need to do the following:

  • You need to summarize what you did before along the theme of consulting aspects you liked and consulting aspects that were missing
  • You then combine those two - i.e. I know I like + am good at x, y, and z which is required for consulting, and I really am excited to get a, b, and c
  • You finish with a "mini" why x company

To your specific question, you need to highlight what you like about your past roles AND these aspects should be things that are valuable to consulting (i.e. problem solving, critical/structured thinking, etc.).

Then, you have to talk about what aspects consulting has that appeal to you (larger scale, bigger impact, client facing, etc.). You need to emphasize that you enjoy this and are good at it (and flag past experiences, internships, etc.)

Was this answer helpful?
Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 01, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Think about it like this:

  1. In your experience so far (education, internships, work experience) what elements of "Strategy" have you been exposed, worked on and enjoyed? Be specific here. You want to show the interviewer that this isn't unexplored space for you and that you are self-aware with a plan
  2. Based on above experience & skills, you believe you now have the experience to be successful in this space. Timing is perfect now & you dont want to wait any longer
  3. Finally, list out the reasons you mentioned- big picture of the company etc etc
Was this answer helpful?
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 02, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

For "Why strategy consulting?" you can consider the following:

  • Multiple sectors/projects where you may work
  • Client-facing job with interaction to CXO level
  • Impactful job where you can bring visible results at a young age
  • Opportunity to work with very smart people
  • Great learning opportunities in terms of both soft and hard skills

You should connect the topics to your personal experience to make them sound genuine.

Best,

Francesco

Was this answer helpful?
Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 01, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, I think the 3 main pros are the top-management exposure, the ability to change often high-impact projects, and the career acceleration

Best,
Antonello

Was this answer helpful?
Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 08, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)

Hello there!

First of all you need consider the fields of your own experience to make this decision. But there are some points that will help you with it:

Priceless experience of working with the strongest and smartest people 
Fast thinking skills in stressful situations
Solving problems of any level of complexity
Gaining the experience in different business sectors

Was this answer helpful?
Ian gave the best answer

Ian

Content Creator
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
1,096
Meetings
77,508
Q&A Upvotes
232
Awards
5.0
151 Reviews