Hello, I have a BCG first round interview coming up. I was wondering if anyone had any guidance on the behavioral interview- i.e typical questions, themes to highlight?
BCG First Round Behavioral
Hello, in addition to what's already been said, I would recommend to highlight stories and present yourself as a people person, trying to emphasize your ability to work in a team. Remember to smile when you tell your stories and answer their questions. In the end, what they want to know is if they would like to work with you, so be sure to make an human connection with your interviewer (of course, sometimes is not that easy, but generally at BCG everyone tends to be quite nice). All the best!!
Hi there,
BCG fit interviews are quite freestyle and there is no predefined set of questions to be asked (unlike for instance at McKinsey).
However, you should definitely prepare for a couple of standard questions and themes:
- The 3 Whys (Why you = introduce yourself or guide me through your resume, Why consulting, Why BCG)
- Targeted questions related to specific points on your resume
- Questions related to personality traits and experiences (leadership, successes, losses, and failures), sometimes challenging (e.g., would you consider yourself a typical business student, tell me about a time you failed,…)
Generally, make sure to have a strong framework for every answer since you cannot prepare for every potential question. Rather focus on the right habits:
- Structured communication
- Authenticity
- Examples to prove your points and make the answers richer
Cheers,
Florian
Hi,
To add to Florian's answer - make sure to use real life examples in answering the questions. In your answer, focus on YOUR role within that specific example. Too often candidates focus on general achievements of for instance a team they have been part of, instead of explaining what THEIR role was in the success of the team.
Best,
Oliver
Hi there,
Q: Wondering if anyone had any guidance on the behavioral interview- i.e typical questions
There might be some differences based on the office, but in general, based on recent candidates I helped, the following are some of the most common:
- Tell me about yourself
- Why consulting
- Why BCG
- Give me an example of when you led a team
- Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone
- What has been your major achievement so far
- Tell me about a time when you failed/ a weakness
Good luck!
Francesco
Hi,
The common themes are the ones mentioned on consulting firm websites - there really isnt any ‘secret list’ of questions that only BCG asks.
What is more important is that your stories are structured, compelling and insightful.
Take the time to really craft strong stories and get quality feedback on them!
All the best!
Hi there,
First of all, congratulations on the invitation from BCG!
I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:
- BCG does not seem to use a pre-defined set of personal fit questions. As such, I would highly advise you to prepare both general and behavioral personal fit questions rather broadly.
You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.
If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming BCG interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
Best,
Hagen