The Top 5 Questions

Comments

Almost certainly, one of the top 5 questions will be used during the interview. While listening to the answers, keep in mind the two major criteria you have to evaluate:

Can I work with this candidate closely in a team every day?
Can I send the candidate to a client alone?

Make sure, the candidate follows the three basic rules for personal fit questions:

• Provision of a clear roadmap: The candidate has time to think of a structured answer.
• Using distinctive answers: Examples instead of generic answers help to remember a candidate.
• Using the answer to sell him/herself: The statements should still answer the question, but in a way that the candidate conveys useful skills.

Short Solution

Tell me something about your background. Why should we hire you?

DO:

• A sentence or two that sets the stage for further discussion.
• Setting apart from others and giving a unique selling proposition.
• Illustrating the biggest strength and the major benefit that a consulting company will derive from this strength.

DON’T:

• Providing a long story through the CV, repeating all the points.
• Giving a long list of skills and talents.
• Telling irrelevant stories about the past that a not related to consulting requirements, like where the candidate was born and raised.

Describe a difficult situation and how you handled it?

DO:

• Describing the situation you encountered in detail.
• Telling how the candidate used his/her skills to analyze the problem before he/she considered solutions.
• Explaining the solution that was selected and the approach – giving arguments why this particular solution was chosen.
• Providing points that were learned from that situation.

What did your boss or colleagues criticize about you?

DO:

• Providing points that the candidate has improved in and turned into a positive result.
• Giving steps that the candidate has done after the critics and what was learned.

DON’T:

• Bringing up essential skills necessary for consulting.
• Stating a strength covered as weakness.

Do you rather work in a team or independently?

DO:

• Highlighting positive of both work styles.
• Highlighting negative aspects of both types and how to prevent them.
• Providing examples.

DON’T:

• Focussing and preferring only one work style. Consulting needs both.

Detailed Solution

Difficult Questions