How should I explain my motivation to join consulting?

Question

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Hi,

First of all, let me explain, why MBB and other consulting firms are interested in your motivation:


	Consulting is a long term game with long hours, high pressure and to cope with that you really need strong motivation specifically for this role
	Consulting firms also check your understanding of the role via this question


Characteristics of a bad answer:


	Non-specific cliche reasons (e.g. ability to work with multiple industries, great people, etc)
	Unstructured delivery (you tell it like a story to a friend in a very unstructured way)


Characteristics of a good answer:


	Structured (start with naming 3 reasons and only than drilling down in each of them)
	Specific (as many details as possible)
	Genuine (only real personal reasons without BS)
	Remarkable (interviewer should remember your answer after he leaves the room)
	Value originated (you need to demonstrate your strength in your answer and tie them to consulting industry)


Good luck!

Udayan · Answer

There are many reasons you would want to join consulting. Below are examples of what makes a good reason vs ones that are not good

Good


	You want to make an impact and consulting is a career that allows for that given the people you work with and the projects you work on 
	You enjoyed meeting folks from the consutling firms you are interested in and that interaction is what led you here
	You want to broaden your focus from your function/company etc. to the entire industry
	You want to work on the cutting edge of x,yz things (applicable ONLY if you have read about the work done by the firms and it is relevant - need to be specific here)
	Your learning has plateaued and sonsulting is a way for you to grow in your career as it allows you to take on new and exciting challenges
	You have been following the work they have been doing (again has to be super specific) and that is exactly the kind of work you want to do/expertize you want to build


Not so good


	You want to travel a lot
	The firm is 'global'
	The firm is prestigious
	You are looking for something new to do
	It will help you do an MBA
	You want to try new industries
	Other successful people have done it




All the best with your preparation



Udayan

Clara · Answer

Hello!

Here are some hints for it: 


	In most cases, there is more than one reason. Write your ideas, in order of importance, in bullets points
	Start your answer by an introduction to those bullet points (e.g., There are mainly 3 reasons why I would like to work in consulting)
	Comment the bullets in order or importance, clearly separating the ideas. This makes it easier to follow, more structured and dynamic
	Finish with a summary of the points, as long as a “tweet” (e.g., In a nutshell, the 3 reasons why I want to work in consulting are the multidisciplinary approach, global scope and client-facing engagements


For instance, this could be how it looks: 

There are two main reasons why consulting is the way that I want to start my career. I studied Architecture since I loved the multi-multidisciplinary approach: from Math to History, from Construction to Aesthetics. However, I realized that, when it comes to working as an architect, the scope narrows down a lot. Hence, the 1st reason why I want to transition to consulting is to keep the multi-discipline and multi-industry focus. Furthermore, I love being constantly challenged and learning at high speed, and I know that consulting has one of the steepest learning curves. In a nutshell, the 2 reasons why I would like to join consulting are the multi-disciplinary focus and the constant challenge that drives exponential growth

I leave you here one of the slides of the FIT Guide I´ve written for PrepLounge that summarizes it and gives some examplez. Full guide can be found here > https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34

PM me if you are interested in disccount codes for it!



Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Ian · Answer

It depends...who are you? We know nothing about you so how can we advise on this?

To answer this question, one needs to know your background, your journey, what interests you, what motivates/drives you, what you've liked in the past, what you haven't liked in the past.

Furthermore, I think you really need to change your mindset: If you're asking US for an explanation for why YOU want to join consulting, you won't last a day in the office!

Think long and hard about why you're doing this...if you can't think of a reason, then quit now before you waste months preparing for interviews and years working long hours and being pushed hard!

Vlad · Answer

Hi, 

“Why consulting?”, “Why McKinsey” or “Why BCG” questions are used to assess your motivation to be a consultant in general and to work in that particular firm. They will check how you have done your homework and what you’ve learned about them. They also want to make sure that you have a clear intention to work in consulting.


	The answers to these questions are supposed to be short and take no more than 30 seconds each.
	For each question, you should provide three bullets points with different reasons.
	Make sure that you guide the interviewer through your reasoning. Words like “The first reason”, “Moreover”, “Finally” will help you.


When answering “Why consulting” questions, provide three reasons why you want to pursue a career in a consulting firm. A general rule is to find the reasons that are important for you and logically fit everything you have done before (e.g. you want to grow further in financial services and get exposure to these clients). You can always use some personal rationale like your experience of working with consultants on a client side.

"Why this company" is a more specific question and can include the following arguments:


	The general marketing story the company is trying to sell (e.g. Bain is a small "Family" company)
	Brand / positioning / market share in the region
	More clients / projects / expertise in the industry you are interested in
	More well-known stories of success in your city
	Your friends working there
	Your interactions with the other consultants before the interview
	Your prior experience of working with the Firm on a client side
	Office traditions
	Work experience with firm alumni
	etc


Best!

Good luck!

Francesco · Answer

Hi there,

you may have multiple reasons why you want to work in consulting, from the opportunity to work on different projects solving impactful problems to the extremely high learning opportunities.

However, the points should be customized to YOUR story and be specific to that.

If you use any list of points uncorrelated to what you really want (including those suggested on this page), the interviewer will understand the points are fake in few seconds, and your interviewer will basically be over.

If you want to really develop a great answer, I would recommend that you list some possible reasons and ask for feedback on them, rather than only ask the question without any proposed answer – in this way you can learn far more and benefit the most.

Best,

Francesco

Anonymous · Answer

Dear A,

It doesn't matter in fact what you would tell in your motivation. It should be authentic. Everyone has his own motivation to join consulting firms. Just take some time before the day of your interview and this question to yourself, why consulting? And think about your internal and external motivation, also try to think why you choose this specific company. By thinking about this in advance you can pick 2-3-4 points for your future interview. 

Also, to shape your thoughts into structure I would recommend you the following structure to shape your thoughts and ideas properly:

1. Situation (background)

2. Problem (Complication)

3. Your approach (how did you manage this problem)

4. Results (Outcomes of your approach)

5. Your learnings (what you take from this situation)

If you can apply this framework to every of your PEI stories and communicate in a top-down way, you would definitely leave great impression. For more details, feel free to approach me.

Good luck,

André

Robert · Answer

Hi Anonymous,

I basically agree with previous answers given to that question. However, from my perspective there is one major aspect completely missing so far, which I would like to add since it's probably the most fundamental aspect at all.

The missing aspect is actually understanding the root cause of the question, and thus how to answer it 'correctly'. ('correctly' in this respect is meant to think like a consultant, not to learn/say specific magic phrases)

So - as we know consulting is a service business, meaning you will render a highly specific and targeted service to create value for someone else. (yes, you will be out of the limelight while some executives will happily order their new Ferrari with their bonus payments after achieving their goals...) 

The starting point of how to answer the question about your motivation is therefore what you can contribute to your future clients' and the firm's success (and not what you somehow find interesting in a specific firm - yes, that's additional side aspects, but hey - also as an interviewer I am sometimes asking myself what's in it for me when hiring a candidate).

The more experience you already have, the easier it will be to outline parallels between current activities of the firm's practices and what/how you can potentially contribute.

Understandably, that sounds impossible being a hire fresh from university. Obviously your contribution will be not that much at the beginning since you first need to learn a lot. However, you can still tailor your answer based on your educational background and future goals in terms of knowledge gain, and how that will at some point in time help your clients' and the firm succeed!

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Anonymous · Answer

Hi, 

Everyone is motivated for an interview! It is quite rare (it sometimes happens) that I find that a candidate is not motivated.

The biggest challenge in my opinion is rather to prove that all your past experiences (internships, academic path, ...) give you legitimacy for the position for which you are applying.

You have to convince the interviewer that consulting is the next obvious step in your career.

Best