The document outlines an agenda for a presentation on how to get a job in consulting, including an overview of the hiring process, tips for CVs and cover letters, preparation for fit and case interviews, and leading up to the January recruiting period. The presentation provides consulting candidates with information and workshops to maximize their chances of securing an interview and job offer from top consulting firms.

1. How To Get A Job In
Consulting?
Presentation to aspiring entry level hires
J-P Martins, Consulting Careers Team
14 October 2009
Page 11
Page

2. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
2

3. ‘1st year’ autumn consulting programme,
leading to January recruiting
Consulting Club Events (selection)
How
What Who 26 Oct Club Case Workshop
…do I get a
…is …are the
job in 26 or 27 Oct Accenture Speaker
consulting? consultants?
consulting?
28 Oct LEK Case Workshop
9 September 11 14 October 9 Nov Roland Berger Case Workshop
September
‘Is consulting ‘How do I best 10 Nov Booz&Co Case Tips and Tricks
for me?’ ‘Which firms prepare?’
should I apply
to?’
28 Oct 30 Oct 4 Nov 6 Nov 20 Nov 4 Dec 18 Dec
Problem Case Solving ‘Which ‘CVs for ‘Cover Case
Solving for workshops Complex Firms and consulting’ letters for workshops
Case Business How?’ workshops consulting’
Interviews Problems workshops workshops
Sessions in red are presentations, others are workshops MiFs welcome to all sessions
One-on-one sessions for MBA 2011s available from 29 January 3

4. Also: comprehensive ‘2nd year’ consulting
programme, focused on Autumn recruiting
18 Sep 26 Sep 28 Sep 16 Oct 4 Nov
Case workshops ‘Super Saturday’ One-on-One Case workshops One-on-one
sessions begin sessions begin
 CV review
(MBA 2010) (MiFs)
 Cover letter review
 Application strategy 5 Oct
Consulting Club
 Pitch
‘Crack a Case’
 Case workshops programme
Recruiting*:
W/C: 21 Sep
Bain Accenture Booz Diamond OC&C CapGemin 2020 Everest
i
BCG AT LEK Roland Marakon
Kearney Berger FINCO
Parthenon ZS
McKinsey
FINCO: Finance and Consulting networking event, 15 October
* Preliminary list – individual firms to be confirmed 4

5. Who’s here today?
Why?
Overview of process of getting a
job in management consulting
First year MBAs? Discussion of approaches to
maximise your chances of:
MIFFTs?  Getting an interview
 Succeeding at the ‘fit’
Second year MBAs?
interview
EMBAs/SLOANs/MIFFPTs?  Succeeding at case
interviews
MiMs? Focus on January recruiting
round – so MBA first years and
MIFFTs
5

6. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
6

7. ‘How to get a consulting job’ on a single
slide? – Easy!
Brilliant
Smart Top of the class
Double degree, first class honours
Obama
Charming The young Cary Grant
??
Lance Armstrong
Driven Michael Schumacher
Bill Gates
If you had this magical mix, I gurantee you wouldn’t need 7
me to review your CV or to practise a single case…

8. A more actionable checklist involves
four areas of competency
Problem Personal Drive/
Leadership
Solving Impact Aspiration
 Intellectual capacity  Presence  Maturity  Driven by results –
action oriented
 Analytics/quants.  Confidence vs. ego  Track record
(sporting, clubs)  Enthusiasm
 Creativity  People skills
 Integrity  Desire to excel
 Business judgement  Team player
 Inspirational  Other interests
 Comfort with ambiguity  Sense of humour
 Willing to take
personal risks
Could I put you in front of a client on Day 1?
Could I spend 24 hours flying from London to Sydney with you?
Note: See Appendix 1 for a page or two on each competency 8

9. Typical hiring criteria are three ‘meets
requirements’ and a spike
Candidate Evaluation
Truly Distinctive
Meets
Requirements
Unacceptable
Problem Personal Drive/
Leadership
Solving Impact Aspiration
9

10. The recruiting process assesses ability,
motivation and fit
Can you  Do you have the appropriate skills and
do the job? experience?
Do you want  Are you really motivated to do the job?
the job?  Are you driven to excel in the job?
 Will you fit in to our teams?
Will you fit into  Will our clients think you’re ‘one of us’?
our company?
 Will we enjoy working with you?
10

11. After application screening, the interview
process usually involves 2 or 3 rounds
Interview Interview Additional
Round 1*: Round 2: Tests
(sometimes):
‘Fit’ interview ‘Fit’ interview
Case Study Case Study Role play JOB
interviews (2) interviews (2 or 3) OFFER!
Group exercise
Fit and Case may Usually with
‘Business acumen’
be combined partners
test
‘Weak spots’ tested
Ding! Ding! Ding!
* McKinsey has the IPS test before the first round 11

12. Key takeaways – process
It’s very clear what most of the recruiters are looking for:
 Problem solving ‘smarts’
 Personal impact ‘interpersonal skills’
 Leadership (potential…) Maximise your chances
 Drive
Pick firms that resonate with
Ask yourself you, your skills and experiences
 Do you really stand out on these dimensions?
 Does you CV/cover letter really reflect that? Pick offices that resonate too
Recruiters have a multi-stage process that focuses on you Don’t just apply to the ‘top tier’ –
underlying competencies, especially problem solving, what are your Plan B and Plan
primarily using tests and case interviews C?
 It’s a big time- and emotion-sink
 It’s highly selective, <10% of applicants succeed
with each top tier firm
12

13. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
13

14. 2 or 3 documents are required to get you
into the interview process
1. An outstanding CV You’ve had training – just some
thoughts covered here
2. A compelling cover letter
3. An application form (usually online) Addressed partially today under ‘fit’
Problem Personal Drive/
Leadership
Solving Impact Aspiration
14

15. The Romans
built
powerful and
compelling
pictures from
simple
mosaics
15
Source: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
Photographer: Alberto Fernandez Fernandez (January 2008)

16. Assemble these ‘colours’ on your CV to
build a compelling picture
Problem Personal Drive/
Leadership
Solving Impact Aspiration
 Intellectual capacity  Presence  Maturity  Driven by results –
action oriented
 Analytics/quants.  Confidence vs. ego  Track record
(sporting, clubs)  Enthusiasm
 Creativity  People skills
 Integrity  Desire to excel
 Business judgement  Team player
 Inspirational  Other interests
 Comfort with  Sense of humour
ambiguity  Willing to take
personal risks
16

17. Assemble these ‘colours’ on your CV to
build a compelling picture
Problem Personal Drive/
Leadership
Solving Impact Aspiration
Modelled…
 Intellectual capacity  Presence  Maturity  Driven by results –
Communicated Managed… action oriented
 Analytics/quants.  Confidence vs. ego  Track record
… (sporting, clubs) Achieved…
 Enthusiasm
 Creativity  People skills
Diagnosed…  Integrity
Led…  Desire to excel
 Business judgement  Team player Delivered…
Overcame…  Inspirational  Other interests
 Comfort with  Sense of humour
ambiguity
Solved…  Willing to take Implemented…
Convinced… Inspired…
personal risks
Analysed… Won…
Changed…
17

18. Other CV points
CV is critically important – not all firms will review cover letter
Recruiters will scan Career Central to make sure they’re getting applications from all the
right people– but the CV that really counts is the one you send with your application
Academic achievement really matters to some firms – if you’re interested in these, include
evidence of academic excellence, whether at school, Uni, GMAT or LBS
Keep to the LBS rules – 1 page, 2 lines per bullet, reverse chronological order, action verb-
led achievements
 THEY WORK!
 DEVIATE IF YOU WISH, BUT DON’T EXPECT ME TO REVIEW IT!
18

19. A great cover letter is short
Structured:
I am writing to apply for…
Personal
I really want to be a consultant because…
Not a repeat of
their website
I really want to work for your firm because…
Short
I have prioritised the Buenos Aires and
Shanghai offices because…
19

20. Key takeaways – CV and cover letter
At the end of the day your CV is not who
Check your balance across the
you are – it’s a piece of paper designed to
consulting competencies (mosaic?)
get you an interview
Get outside input (your peers,
However much we focus on the
Career Services group CV
mechanics of your CV, recruiters will:
sessions, PLP)
 Assess it in under a minute
Get it proofed (especially if English
 Assess you on the basis of what isn’t your first language)
jobs you have done, for how
Read some of your peers’ CVs in a
long, and your academic record
minute – get an idea of what the
Some recruiters love cover letters (eg recruiter sees!
Bain, to understand your motivation),
Cut out jargon, reword technical job
others hate them (eg optional for
titles, make it understandable…
McKinsey)
20
I think that I add value to only 10% of the CVs that I see,
but that to those 10% I add a lot

21. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
21

22. A fit interview can comprise both general
and competency based questions
General Competency/Criterion Based
Open questions designed to test Gathering evidence via direct
ability to sell yourself in a questions about candidate’s
structured & succinct way specific competencies
 Tell me about yourself  Focused on key competencies/
skills consultancy is interested in
 I see you did X. Tell me about it
 May miss aspects of candidate’s
 Strengths and weaknesses biography
 Company related
 Motivation for sector
‘The Overall Impression’
22
Note: Similar questions may also appear in online application forms, although these are more
prevalent for pre-experience roles

23. General interview questions
Open questions designed to test ability to sell yourself in a
structured & succinct way:
 About you - tell me about yourself; strengths/
weaknesses
 About consulting - do you understand what consulting
is; why you want to work in consulting
 About the firm - what you know about their firm; why
you want to work there
23

24. Typical consulting general interview
questions
You have one minute to tell me about yourself
What is consulting?
Why the MBA/MIF/EMBA programme? How do you think it will benefit
your career?
What is your greatest achievement to date?
What are your weaknesses?
What are your long term goals?
Why should we hire you?
24

25. How to answer general questions
Thorough preparation and practice!
Your chance to paint your own portrait
Allows you to dominate the discussion
Enables you to bring out your best examples
But….
Great opportunity to waffle and under sell yourself
25

26. Competency based interviewing
Gathering evidence via direct questions about candidate’s
ability on specific competencies:
 Focused on key competencies consultancy is interested
in (skills, experience, attributes required to succeed in
job)
 May miss aspects of candidate’s biography
 Should probe for specific weaknesses (Round 2)
26

27. Six topics are often used to source
evidence on a competency
General The amount of experience a candidate has had overall in using/
experience: developing the competency
Specific examples: Specific examples when the candidate displayed the competency
Self-evaluation: How the candidate assesses his/her ability on that competency
Comparison with How the candidate compares with others on that competency
others:
Appraisal: What others think of the candidate on that competency
Knowledge/ How well the candidate understands the need for the
attitudes: competency. Whether the candidate has a good perspective on
the attributes necessary for good performance on that
competency
27

28. Examples of competency questions –
‘drive’
Competency: Drive
General How important has working hard and being driven been to your
experience: career to date?
Specific examples: Describe a previous achievement for which you had to strive
Self-evaluation: Could you have done more to make sure you achieved your
potential over the last 3 years?
Comparison with How would you compare your level of drive and aspiration to
others: succeed to the top quartile of your peers at LBS?
Appraisal: How has you manager appraised your drive to succeed?
Knowledge/ In what circumstances do you think it would be appropriate to
attitudes: ‘give up’ on an objective?
28

29. Key takeaways – ‘fit’ interviews
Preparation is the key to success! Structure your answers
First impressions matter – get it right Stay calm even if the going gets
tough
Do the interviewer’s job – tell him
what he needs to know Take your time (don’t leap into
answers) and be comfortable with
Keep your answers relevant and silence
concise
Know when to stop
Listen to the questions
Learn from the experience and share
Read signals from your interviewer with others
Remember – at some firms and for many
interviewers, the ‘fit’ is the bit to rush through to
get to the case 29

30. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
30

31. Why do recruiters use case studies?
A consultant is a problem solver – this is the core skill
A case interview…
1 Gives a recruiter the opportunity to see how a candidate thinks about business problems and
tests their ability to solve them
 Conceptual capacity  Creativity
 Ability to cope in unfamiliar area  Quantitative/analytical skills
 Business judgement  Ability to listen/learn
 Problem structuring & synthesis  Comfort with ambiguity
2 Gives a recruiter valuable data on candidate’s ‘other skills/abilities’, e.g., their integrity, poise,
confidence, etc
3 Provides the candidate with some insight into the type of work that a consultancy conducts
31

32. There are at least 3 types of case
Brainteaser #1 Estimation #1 Business Case
What is the angle How many gallons of You are the CEO of an
between the big and white house paint are insurance company. You
small hands on your sold in the UK each year? want to launch an e-
watch if the time is a * commerce business that
quarter past three? is synergistic with your
current insurance
products, but that is not
an insurance product
Brainteaser #2 Estimation #2
How do you decide what
Why are manhole covers Estimate the weight of a this on-line business
round? Boeing 747 should sell?
* Sample answer included in Appendix 5 32

33. Brainteaser #1
7.5°
33

34. Brainteaser #2
So that the lid doesn’t fall down the hole when removed
Because it’s easier to drill a round hole
Because the lid is easier to carry (you can roll it)
Etc…
34

35. Solving the business case – one step at
a time
Listen and clarify Structure Analyse Conclude
Ensure complete Develop approach to Request information to Synthesise findings into
understanding of solve problem: test hypothesis: recommendations:
business issue:
 Structure problem  Ask questions and  Summarise your
 Listen carefully collect information findings (not just by
 Identify key issues &
recapping your
 Take notes if it helps prioritise  Develop, test and
analysis) – draw out
you refine hypothesis
 Formulate an initial key facts
 Ask clarifying hypothesis/  Iterate
 Make a
questions as needed hypotheses
 Hone in on the recommendation
 Take time to evaluate  Articulate approach & solution
 Add next steps
the information given hypothesis
 Verbalise your thought
process
35

36. Diving further into ‘structure’ the
Listen
and
clarify
Structure Analyse problem
Conclude
Break problem into key Prioritise issues/
Generate hypotheses
issues approach
Key Simplify ‘Strawman’ to prove or Speed
Thoughts: disprove through analysis
Identify logical start 80:20
MECE
 Mutually exclusive,
collectively exhaustive
Tools: Use either or a Generate early You can then prioritise
combination of hypotheses if: your approach using
 Relevant, pre-existing  Solution space allows  Business judgement
framework eg 3 Cs for (‘smell the money’)
 You have the confidence
market entry
 General industry
 Your own issue tree knowledge
 Prioritisation matrix
36

37. Key takeaways – case interviews
Don’t apply until you’re Cases are all about:
ready Further Resources
 Priorities
Prepare and practise Portal
 Structure
 Brainteasers Case book
 Analysis
 Estimation Consulting Club discussion
 Recommendations forum
 Business cases
Google…
McKinsey web site video
Recruiter web sites
It’s not about knowledge but ability!
37

38. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
38

39. Leadup to January – assume you will
have no time!
Consulting recruiters that are
Corporate Partner week starts 4 January Corporate Partners present to
students on campus
This really matters – increased reliance on internships as
source of recruits Networking opportunities follow
Deadlines will follow immediately afterwards Other recruiters follow with
presentations in the following
Sign up weeks
Prepare
Deadlines following CP week this
Practise autumn included 2 firms with
deadlines of 24:00 on the Sunday
Review your expectations of Career Services following CP week
 No email CV reviews First interviews were 2 weeks
 Limited one-on-one access during this very busy after the start of CP week
time
Did I say internships are really important for
consulting? 39

40. Appendices
Competency definitions
Further examples of ‘fit’ questions, and answers
STAR structure of approaching ‘fit’ questions
Tips and tricks for case interviews
Example of an estimation case (not checked by me –
disclaimer!)
40

41. Coming soon
Career Services Consulting Team Consulting Club (selection)
28 Oct Problem solving for case 26 Oct Club Case
interviews Workshop
30 Oct Group case workshops 26/27 Oct Accenture Speaker
4 Nov Solving complex business 28 Oct LEK Case
problems Workshop
6 Nov Series of small group 9 Nov Roland Berger
20 Nov workshops covering Case Workshop
aspects of preparation 10 Nov Booz&Co Case Tips
4 Dec
for January recruiting and Tricks
18 Dec round
41

42. Agenda
Introduction
Getting a job – overview of process
CV and cover letter
Fit interview
Case interview
Lead up to January
Q&A
42

43. Recruiting process
CV and cover
letter
Q&A Fit interviews
Case interviews
January recruiting
43

44. Appendix 1 –
Competency Definitions
44

45. Competency definitions – Problem
Solving Skills (1 of 2)
Competency Definition
Problem Solving • Ability to disaggregate a complex business problem into sensible,
analysable components parts, to analyse these parts, and thereby to find a
solid, implementable solution to the problem
• Ability to solve a tough issue that requires complex reasoning
Intellectual Capacity • Sufficient intellectual ‘horsepower’ to understand and solve complex
business problems – i.e., to do the job
Analytics • Ability to conduct robust analysis of business problems. Analysis ranges
from conducting market research telephone interviews to building complex
financial models
• Ability to gather relevant information from a variety of sources and to
understand the relationships between different pieces of information
Quantitative Ability • Comfort with numbers. Ability to solve numerical problems/conduct
numerical analysis
45

46. Competency definitions – Problem
Solving Skills (2 of 2)
Competency Definition
Creativity • Development of innovative and imaginative ideas, or solutions to problems
that go beyond the obvious
Comfort with • Ability to find a logical ‘start point’ in a loosely defined problem
ambiguity • Ability to cope with a lack of information. If asked to estimate the size of a
market, not – ‘That’s ridiculous’. Consultants often have to estimate things
with no information
Initiative • Is proactive and self-starting, not passively accepting
• Takes action; does not wait to be directed or led
• Make active attempts to influence events to achieve goals
Decision Making • Prepared to make decisions or put forward recommendations, or to show
commitment, even if information is incomplete or of uncertain validity
Business judgement • Ability to focus on identifying where the real problem is, not to get side-
tracked by more minor issues
• Ability to ‘smell the money’
46

47. Competency definitions – Personal
Impact
Competency Definition
People Skills • Gets on with a wide range of different people, whether he/she is the leader,
part of a team, a client or a consultant
• Creates rapport with the interviewer
Influencing • Can gain agreement or acceptance of ideas and plans for activities from
those over whom they have no direct control
Team Player • Ability to work well in a team; to contribute positively to pushing a solution
forward; using new information or feedback on wrong answers to push
forward thinking; doesn’t get defensive
Presence/ • Appears comfortable and in control, but not arrogant
Confidence vs Ego • Maintains confidence when makes mistakes & keeps forging ahead
Sense of Humour • Doesn’t take themselves too seriously
47

48. Competency definitions – Leadership
Competency Definition
Leadership • Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to inspire and guide
individuals or teams towards achieving a common goal
Integrity • Does not try to bend the rules
Inspirational • Can inspire others in themselves and their ideas
• Demonstrates real insights
Willingness to take • Not frightened to challenge the interviewer (within reason!)
personal risks • Will argue their corner if they are convinced of the value of their ideas
• Have taken risks in their professional or personal life, e.g., climbing a
dangerous mountain; leaving a secure job to set up an entrepreneurial
business
Track Record • Solid track record of leadership achievements, e.g, sporting, clubs, military
48

49. Competency definitions – Drive/
Aspiration
Competency Definition
Enthusiasm • Interest in the job and demonstration they are enjoying the interview/case
• Excitement and energy when discussing past achievements
Desire to Excel • Pushes to solve business problems and does not give up (e.g., in a case
interview)
• Has demonstrated superior performance in past difficult situations
• Has ‘climbed the ladder’ faster than peers
Other Interests • Demonstration of interest in and success at activities outside professional
life; has achieved extra-ordinary things outside work
49

50. Appendix 2 –
Examples of general interview
questions
50

51. Example 1: What are they looking for
with this question?
You have one minute
to tell me about
yourself
51

52. Example 1: What are they looking for
with this question?
You have one minute to tell me about yourself
Ability to structure & be succinct
Relevance – understanding of the skills required in consulting
and illustration you have these skills
Something exceptional – a hook
Ability to build rapport with interviewer
52

53. Example 1: How to prepare
You have one minute to tell me about yourself
Write down four/five key skills consultancies are looking for, e.g, problem solving,
leadership & team working, confidence with clients & senior personnel, drive to
excel
Summarise your own pitch against these four/five bullets using concrete
examples of where you have excelled
Write down a couple of other interesting things about yourself that will be relevant
– think hook!
Top and tail your answer
Read it out, while timing yourself
Practice with a friend & get feedback, practice in front of the mirror, practice…
53

54. Example 2: What are they looking for
with this question?
Why do you want
to work for
BCG?
54

55. Example 2: What are they looking for with
this question?
Why do you want to work for BCG?
Ability to structure & be succinct, build rapport, etc
Company knowledge
Motivation beyond the kudos of the brand name
Understanding of the skills BCG requires and illustration you
have these skills
Cultural fit
55

56. Example 2: How to prepare
Why do you want to work for BCG?
Write down three of four key things that are unique to BCG (or at least unique
enough to be convincing!)
Summarise what motivates you about each of these things, linking them to your
past experience & skills & to your future goals
Write down a summary of your understanding of BCG’s culture and summarise
what motivates you about this culture, linking it to your past experience and to
your future goals.
Top and tail your answer
Read it out, while timing yourself
Practice with a friend & get feedback, practice in front of the mirror, practice….
56

57. Appendix 3 –
Backup and examples of
competency based interview
questions
57

58. Why they use competency based
interviews
Past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour
Objective way of comparing you to other candidates
Interviewers looking for tangible proof and results of your
abilities
Allows for very rigorous questioning around a single
competency
Enables interviewer to probe suspected weaknesses
58

59. Examples of competency questions –
creativity
Competency: Creativity
General How important has being creative been to your career to date?
experience:
Specific examples: Describe an instance where you had to demonstrate great
creativity?
Self-evaluation: How creative do you think you are and why?
Comparison with How would you compare your creative ability to the top quartile of
others: your peers at…?
Appraisal: How has you manager appraised your creativity?
Knowledge/ In your opinion how important is creativity in a consultant and
attitudes: why?
59

60. How to approach competency questions
Identify competencies for the job you are seeking (through advert, job
description, talking to people)
List your experiences against each required competency
Find the best example and prepare this answer in advance
Prepare two more examples in advance
Keep the answers concise and avoid jargon
Emphasize what YOU did not just what the team did
Structure answer (can use STAR or Situation Complication Resolution if
appropriate)
60

61. The STAR structure
Situation What was the background?
Task What needed to happen?
Action What action did you and others take?
Result What was the final result?
61

62. Situation - Complication - Resolution
Situation What was the background?
Complication What was the problem/issue? (I.e.,
what made this situation far from
simple)
Resolution What did you do to resolve the issue and
what was the final result?
62

63. Example Answer: Competency =
Leadership
Question: How would you rate yourself as a leader?
Answer: I would rate myself as a very strong leader.
Situation:
When I was at University, I joined the University wing of the Territorial Army. There were 180
other students in my unit, organised into six Platoons, with three Sections of ten people in each
Platoon – traditional military structure. The first two years were spent as an officer cadet (ie a
grunt) and in the third, you were either promoted or had to leave.
Complication:
There were only 18 Section Commander posts, 6 Platoon Sergeant posts and 6 Platoon
Commander posts available. Virtually everybody in the unit was very keen and very ambitions,
so the competition to get promoted was fierce.
63

64. Example answer: Competency =
Leadership
Resolution:
At the end of my second year, I was awarded the prize for ‘Best Woman Officer Cadet’ out of
sixty women, and was then one of only six, and the only woman, to be selected to attend Officer
Training, at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, to be commissioned as an Officer in the
Territorial Army. I was then asked to be a Platoon Commander and led the Platoon for a year,
through numerous military training exercises. At the end of the year, my Platoon was awarded
the annual prize for best performing Platoon.
64

65. Example answer: Competency =
Leadership
Question: How important do you think possessing good leadership skills are for a
consultant?
Answer: I think they’re very important
Consulting is a team based business, where teams - usually made up of consultants and clients
who haven’t worked together in the past - work in pressured environments, operating to
tight deadlines and on problems about which they initially may know little. In these kinds of
situations, strong leadership is critical to ensure that the team works together and stay
motivated, that they stay focused on the problem we’re trying to solve and don’t end up
wandering off in different directions, and that they deliver a great solution in the time allocated.
I found that when I was a Platoon Commander, my soldiers were very motivated when in difficult
situations, by knowing that I was suffering as badly as they were (e.g., lying in a freezing trench
all night). I feel that it’s very important for a leader to do everything that they expect their team
to do and more.
65

66. Some more example questions
Competency: Creativity
General How important has good business judgement been to your
experience: career?
Specific examples: Describe an example where you have shown great analytical
skills
Self-evaluation: Could you have done more to make sure you achieved your
potential over the last 3 years?
Comparison with How would you compare your leadership skills to the top quartile
others: of your peers at London BS?
Appraisal How has your manager appraised your quantitative skills?
Knowledge/ In what circumstances do you think it would be appropriate to
attitudes: bend the truth?
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67. Appendix 4 –
How consultancies generate
evidence on
problem-solving with a case
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68. How consultancies generate evidence on
problem-solving with a case (1 of 2)
Key skills Evidence
Conceptual • Give candidate a tough issue that requires complex reasoning
capacity • Do candidates pick up on hints given to them?
• Teach them a concept, then see if they apply it later on
Ability to cope in • How willing is the candidate to attempt to solve the problem?
an unfamiliar • Not – ‘I don’t know anything about this area’ – that’s the whole
area point
Ability to listen • Does candidate answer each question in isolation, or think about
and learn everything discussed so far & its implications for this question
Business • Does candidate focus on identifying where the real problem is –
judgement e.g., if a company has many businesses & is losing money
overall, the candidate should firstly identify which are profitable
and which are not – can they ‘smell money’?
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69. How consultancies generate evidence on
problem-solving with a case (2 of 2)
Key skills Evidence
Logical, well • Can they identify the key issues & address these in a logical and
structured structured way
approach • Do they use frameworks only if appropriate; not shoehorning the
case into the last framework they learned
Creativity • Alternative ideas or creative suggestions they may not have seen
in other companies
Synthesis • Can they clearly summarise their conclusions so far
Comfort with • Can they find a logical ‘start point’ in a loosely defined problem
ambiguity • Can they cope with a lack of information. If asked to estimate the size
of a market, not – ‘That’s ridiculous’. Consultants often have to
estimate things with no information
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70. Evidence of other criteria (1 of 2)
Personal Impact, Leadership, Drive/Aspiration
Sample qualities Evidence
Confidence, • Appears comfortable and in control
composure & • Maintains confidence when makes mistakes & keeps forging
grace under ahead
pressure
Teamwork • Uses new information or feedback on wrong answers to push forward
thinking; doesn’t get defensive
• Responds to interviewers feedback with – ‘That’s interesting, that
must mean that…’
Empathy • Candidate strives to create rapport with the interviewer
• Candidate is ‘likeable’ (even though the interviewer would not
necessarily choose them as a friend)
Influencing • Candidate is articulate, persuasive, credible and concise
Sense of Humour • Candidate doesn’t take themselves too seriously
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71. Evidence of other criteria (2 of 2)
Personal Impact, Leadership, Drive/Aspiration
Sample qualities Evidence
Integrity • Candidate does not try to ‘bend the rules’
Maturity • Candidate would feel comfortable in front of CEOs
• Candidate is solid and reliable
Inspirational • Candidate demonstrates real insights
• Can inspire others in themselves and their ideas
Willingness to • Not frightened to drive the case in new directions or to challenge the
take personal interviewer (within reason!)
risks • Will argue their corner if they are convinced of the value of their ideas
Takes initiative • Happy to drive the case forward; doesn’t wait to be led
Desire to Excel • Candidate pushes to solve the problem; does not give up
Enthusiasm/ • Are they interested and do they enjoy it?
Energy
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72. Appendix 5 –
Estimation example “How
many gallons of white house
paint are sold in the UK each
year?”
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73. Estimation (1 of 3)
Step 1: Ask clarifying questions if you need to:
Question: What is a gallon? How many litres are there in a gallon? 4.5
approx
Question: Is that internal house paint, external or both? External Only
Step 2: Begin your answer by making a number of sensible, relevant
assumptions:
The population of the UK is about 60 million
• One quarter of the population live alone – 15 million homes
• Three quarters live in families of between two and six – I’ll assume an
average of three people per household – 15 million homes
• Total number of homes in the UK is 30 million
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74. Estimation (2 of 3)
• Some of these are houses, some are flats
• Every single person I know lives in a flat. However, because I live in central
London, I’ll assume that is not entirely typical. I’ll assume 80% of single people
live in flats, 20% in houses. 12 million flats; 3 million houses
• Assuming the opposite for families is probably fair
• 15 million houses; 15 million flats
• Because the UK is a cold country, most houses are not painted white. There are
centres where white houses are popular: Devon and Cornwall, some coastal
towns, ‘chocolate box’ villages. But, the population in these areas is sparse and
mostly houses. I will therefore assume that only 2% of flats are painted white,
and 10% of houses.
• 300,000 flats and 1,500,000 houses
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75. Estimation (3 of 3)
• My house is 1,500 square feet. I’ll assume that’s average. The height of a wall is
about 10 foot, so, in the average house there is (150*10) + (10*10) = 1,600 sq
foot of external wall per house (I’m ignoring windows)
• The average flat, is about a third the size of the average house – 500 sq foot.
(50*10) + (10*10) = 600 sq foot of external wall per flat
• Total external ‘white’ wall space is (1,600*1,500,000) + (600*300,000) = 3,150
million + 180 million = 3,330,000,000 sq foot
• But, an external wall will only be painted once every ten years
• So, the total external white wall space to be painted every year is 3,330 million/10
= 333,000,000 sq foot
• I’ve done a lot of painting in my life and on the side of a gallon, it says that
coverage is about 20 sq foot per gallon. But I’d give a wall two coats, therefore
coverage is 10 sq foot per gallon
33,300,000 gallons of white house paint are sold in the UK every year!
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