I interviewed with many consulting firms and was made offers at all except one. Most interviews went something like this:
I apply
Two or three days later I get a call asking to set up a phone interview
After the phone interview, I'm asked to set up a phone behavioral interview (only a few firms do two phone interviews)
After the phone behavioral interview, I'm asked to set up an on-campus interview
The day before the on-campus interview, they take me to dinner with other interviewees (this is an unofficial interview)
For the on-campus interview, I'm interviewed either 2 or 3 times, or by a panel of 2 or 3 people (it's different for every firm)
(The interview involves a business case about 50% of the time. Don't fear the business case, it's actually a lot of fun, use your aspie traits to your advantage.)
After the on-campus interview, I'm asked to set up an office interview (they pay for the flight and limo or taxi)
The office interview is a gruelling 4 or 5 hours of panel interview after panel interview and ends with a partner/principal interview or two. There is some variation between the firms, but that's generally how it goes.
Most questions are non-technical, but there are many opportunities to talk about clients, culture, and some technical aspects of the job. Some firms have different teams interview you, and this is a great opportunity to show some interest and ask questions about their team and clients. What I found was that, at least at the entry level, process improvement experience is a magic ticket. You might have a magic ticket too--find it and play up your experience with it. Do you know SQL or Java? Do you manage your parents' investment portfolio? Do you speak 2 or 3 in-demand languages fluently? Find out what makes you stand out and bring it up as often as it is relevant.
In the end, I turned down consulting because an employer which shall not be named was offering a salary which shall not be uttered.
07 Jan 2015, 5:59 am
