Fit Interview Answer Structure

Hi there,

Thanks for your questions! Let's dive into them:

1. Personal Fit Interview Strategy: When approaching personal fit questions, it's crucial to maintain clarity and structure. I recommend using the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for organizing your responses. Personally, I find the STARR method (adding 'Reflection' at the end) particularly effective. This format helps interviewers follow your thought process and understand your contributions clearly. Each of the elements should be MECE by default (as the situation is different from the task, etc), so don't mix/overthink frameworks.
2. Use of pyramid principle: If the answer allows for it, you can. However, often you will find that the question is too complex to be answered in a single concise one sentence summary (although I would be impressed if you manage to do so). In that case, stick to STARR and you'll be fine.
3. Common Mistake to Avoid: One common pitfall is focusing too much on the team's actions rather than your individual contributions. Remember, companies are interested in what you did. When using the STARR framework, emphasize your role and actions in achieving specific outcomes. 

In short, stick to STARR and focus on your contributions.

I hope this helps clarify your questions! Feel free to reach out if you have further inquiries.

Best regards,

Oliver

Good questions! It shows you are really preparing for those case interviews! 

When it comes to fit however, I think you need to be selective what you take from interview prep best practices. 

To specifically answer your questions: 
1) MECE vs. other formats
Having a good structure is essential also for fit questions. But, in my opinion, there is not need to over engineer it. Something as simple as “I have 3 reasons why I want to join consulting” often goes a long way. 

STAR is a good framework for questions such as “tell me about a time when”. I don't think MECE would work as well (you don't want to be too comprehensive when talking about a personal experience - it make take hours to finish the story!)

2) Pyramid principle in fit questions

As a BCG interviewer, I loved when candidates gave me a summary answer even to fit questions. If nothing else, it made my life much easier in taking notes and sharing back my feedback with the rest of the interviewers. I would really recommend you practice in this way for your fit questions. But also take care not to force it when you really feel it would really not make sense (some fit questions are quite informal!). 
 

3) Your story & interviewer

If I get your question right, yes, there will be parts of your story that your interviewer will resonate more with than others. It goes back to having things in common and the human nature to relate to others. For example, if you know you went to the same school with your interviewer, make sure to bring in your story something from your school experience. 

Hope this helps, 

Ariadna 

Hi there, 

1. I think you may be conflating MECE and STAR here. When you give your fit interview your are expected to follow a structured format for your answer. This could be STAR or any other framework that you wish, as long as the answer is clearly structured and easy to follow/ understand. MECE is more applicable to solving a case, where there are multiple aspects of the problem to keep in mind. The one place that I would say MECE is relevant in a fit interview is to make sure you do not repeat the same story in the fit section of multiple interviews with the same firm. You want to have a new story for each interviewer, and you want that story to show a different aspect of your personality, so the firm has a holistic idea of who you are as a person.

2. I totally get this! I felt the same when I was interview. But, I'd say it is a good idea to give the interviewer a 30,000 ft view of what you are going to talk about at the very beginning. This is not to give the details of the story away at all, but rather to help the interviewer contextualize the conversation and be able to follow better. This is definitely an art more than a science tho, and needs practice.

3. They are biased towards authenticity and originality. You want to stand out, and show them what makes you different.

Long story short, the fit portion is a critical part of the interview and it is great that you are putting a strong emphasis on it to get it right. Let me know if I could be helpful as you prepare for the interviews :) 

1. While it is expected to demonstrate clear and structured communication, I wouldn't go as far as suggesting that using a “MECE framework” is expected for the fit interview (to be honest, not even sure that would work well)

2. This really depends on the sentence… but if your summary is not covered by the story details, then you are not using the pyramid principle well (i.e., the details should demonstrate 100% of the summary)

3. This is asked in a very generic way. Interviewers are checking for alignment with the job requirements (good analysis, strong communication, conflict management, problem solving, team spirit, work ethic, ownership and drive, etc.) and alignment with the specific firm's culture.

Hi there!

Let me take them one by one. 

1) As much as MECE goes for case structuring, is there actually a similar expectation for the fit interview part beyond the STAR format. For example, let’s say I am talking about a project in the action section of STAR format, am I expected to use MECE to make sure what I did is clear and precise?

No need to use MECE for the fit part.

The fit component should be structured, but should also feel natural. If anything, the story you prepare should be the foundation from which the conversation starts. 

I use a different framework with my candidates, but STAR is also a functional one. 

I created a video course on the PEI that you might want to look at: 

• Video Course: Master the McKinsey PEI

2) Pyramid principle and fit interview. I don’t know if this is silly, but is it helpful for the interviewer if I give a one sentence summary to my behavioral interview answer. I am a little hesitating on this because although my answer will be more clear, but I don’t want my one sentence summary to not covered entirely by my story details.

You should have a pitch that you use before going deeper into your story, especially if the story is a long McKinsey type one that lasts for 6-8 minutes. 

The pitch is the equivalent of a governing sentence in the pyramid principle. 

3) Is there anything from the story that the interviewer really biased to listen and care about?

Yes. There are lots of things they consider. 

One thing, for instance, is your ability to show that you understood both your own internal process at that time but also the emotions of the other participants. In that sense, it's the equivalent of an emotional intelligence test. 

I go way deeper into the video course I mentioned below. If you have any questions about it, reach out. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, clarity and structure are equally needed in personal fit interviews, yet I would not force them into any framework, including MECE and STAR. Instead, I would advise you to focus on clearly articulating the actions you have taken and the outcomes, which will naturally lead to a clear and concise presentation.
• Moreover, incorporating a summary sentence at the start of your answer can be very effective. It sets the stage for what follows and ensures the interviewer knows what to focus on. This approach can help keep your response structured and impactful, even though your detailed story should still carry the actual weight of evidence.
• Lastly, the interviewer will always focus on the underlying question, i.e. what they are actually trying to find out. For example, if an interviewer asks you to talk about a situation where you faced a difficult challenge, they will focus on how tenaciously you overcame that challenge and how creatively you went about it.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your personal fit, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

For fit part I always suggest to use the situation-complication-resolution framework used at McKinsey to structure stories:

• Situation: provide a brief context of your story and role
• Complication: describe clearly what the problem / challenge is
• Resolution: explain the main steps you did to solve the challenge and what was the result

This is the most natural way I've heard to share fit stories.

Best,

Alberto

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Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Hi there,

lots of useful comments already so I don't want to repeat all of that. 

I would just want to add to keep in mind that this is the personal fit interview after all. It is about your personality and you as a person as you might fit in with other persons - as the name suggests. So you have to be careful to not sound like a robot if you try to perfectly craft all responses to personal questions. First and foremost, it has to be authentic. The interviewer has to believe that you are genuine in your stories and answers. 

Don't trim down the human element too much is what I'm trying to say.

Good luck

Hi there,

1. For shorter answers I prefer the Situation, Complication, Resolution framework. For longer answers (think PEI), use the SCORE Framework I have developed.

Whenever you tell your story, focus on the part that is about your actions (Resolution or Remedial Actions). This is what interviewers want to hear about. Most candidates focus too much on the problem and not their solutions/impact.

2. Yes, that helps the interviewer to decide if they would be interested in your answer. I'd always summarize my story in one sentence, making clear that the interviewer understands your role, the situation, and the outcome.

3. This depends on the question. :-)

All the best,

Florian