Cracking the Consulting Interview! A Preface
Who am I? Why am I writing this series? What should you look forward to in this series? An introduction to my series on how to crack the MBB (McKinsey, BCG and Bain) interview process.
In a nutshell: Got McKinsey & BCG offers. Want to help aspirants put their best foot forward.
First off, a hearty welcome to this series. If you’re here, you’re probably looking to explore the field of consulting or you’re one of those with whom I explicitly shared this article. Regardless of which bucket you belong to, I hope this helps you out with your career endeavours. I’d like to kick things off with a brief introduction about myself (essentially summarising my LinkedIn profile which, in turn, is a summary of my professional experience so far).
Name: Swetha Srinivasan (please, you ought to know this by now)
Education: B.Tech Engineering Physics from IIT Madras
My Connection with Consulting: I received job offers from McKinsey & Company and BCG through the institute placement process. I also was part of Bain’s interviewing process however, due to a paucity of time on placement day, I couldn’t attend their interviews. I’ll be joining McKinsey as a Business Analyst in fall, 2021
So, why did I start this series of articles?
Well, this article is being published in mid-May, a time when pre-final year college students would be gearing up for their internships. It is also a time when people start thinking about what they want to do next. I, for one, began this introspection in mid-June, but regardless, the seed would be planted at around this time. Consulting is a very popular choice for a lot of people. But, there would be a lot of confusion regarding whether it’s the right choice for them, what the process entails, where to begin preparation, how to prepare effectively among other doubts. I hope for this series to alleviate at least a few of these apprehensions.
Further, news articles abound on how consulting firms are seeking to hire their biggest cohort in 2021. During periods of uncertainty and change like the one we’re living in, consulting firms thrive. Companies are seeking to bring about a digital transformation, effect cost optimisation, pivot into new markets and exit weak ones and they would seek out consulting firms to support these shifts. Thus, opportunities can be expected to be aplenty.
And, of course, with remote learning throwing a spanner in the works of the wonderful offline campus life, opportunities to casually contact seniors and chat with them have dwindled. Thus, students must be proactive in networking and information gathering and this focused series may be of benefit.
What can you expect?
Through this series, I’d like to cover the following topics:
a) How to figure out, as a student, if consulting is the right fit for you?
b) What are the various stages leading up to a consulting interview?
c) How to get a stellar resume ready?
d) How to do case prep?
e) An insight into tackling personal interview questions
f) How to carry yourself while interacting with the firm during the process?
g) The interview day
For each of these topics, I’ll discuss my personal experience — both the highs and the lows, share the insights I gleaned and offer tips on how to improve one’s performance.
So, let’s get started and may the odds be ever in your favour! (I’m sorry, I just had to do this XD)
Note: If there’s any aspect which you’d like me to cover, do mention it in the comments below.
