How to best make use of a buddy given to you before final round of interviews?

That's a great opportunity indeed. 

And I see there are a few amazing answers here already.

But what I'd focus on is understanding exactly what this person did to be successful during their own interviews. How did they prepare? What resources did they use? What did they feel was the most impactful thing for their own performance? 

Having a glimpse into this is priceless.

Best,
Cristian

Hi,
as you told it's a great opportunity to have more insight about the firm. Another question could be related to your future interviewers, if you already know the name.

However, I would try to ask her a case simulation: working with a case really assigned by the firm during the interview is very important for your preparation and consultants are often available for it (I enjoyed in helping my mentees with a mock interview when I was BA)

Best,
Antonello

Hi Anonymous,

I agree with Vlad but want to add one more point: rather than focusing solely on a case study, try to get a better feeling for the firm's culture in order to figure out whether you can imagine to fit into it, i.e.

• what does your buddy like most about the firm and his or her colleagues?
• does your buddy talk about his work and the firm in a rather relaxed or very serious way?
• does your buddy seem to enjoy working for the firm?
• does your buddy seem to be a humorous person and how important is humor in the workplace for him / her (and for you of course)?
• do you get along with your buddy?
• ...

It is very likely that you are more relaxed during the phone call with your buddy than during your actual interviews, hence giving you the opportunity to actually get a feeling for the firm and its culture.

And most importantly: If you like what you hear, this will provide you with your answer to the question that will probably be one of the toughest to answer during the actual interview: "Why do you want to work for this firm instead of our competitors?"

Hope this helps!

Best,

Dorothea

Hi,

You can use them for the following points:

• Typical type of projects they do i.e. functional area and industry -> so that you know what to expect
• What he/she likes about the office -> so that you are sure of the culture (as it varies greatly as per the location of each consulting company)
• Any tips on the final rounds i.e. more emphasis on case vs. fit, partners you will be speaking with etc.

You can also ask if he/she can spare some time to do a mock interview with you so that you can get feedback and be better prepared for the interviews.

Best,

Deniz

Hi Anonymous,

I agree with the previous comments, in general you can cover topics related to:

• Company culture
• Type of sectors covered
• Tips based on his/her experience during the interview

You could then use these answers to strengthen your answer for “Why Company XYZ” and discover specific learning points.

You may ask support for the case, however he/she may not have time for that.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

I would use him to prepare for a fit interview:

• Getting more arguments on why consulting
• Getting more arguments on why this company
• Testing your fit stories

I doubt that doing a case with the buddy will give you a significant improvement. The only exception is when you haven't done enough cases and you are not sure about your performance

Best

Hello!

Congrats for moving to final round!

Further advise:

• Cases you can expect are more "free riding" - less organized than the ones your found in the 1st round or most prep pages
• Stronger emphasis in the FIT part, as outlined before by other coaches.

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge and preparation on the FIT part, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

- Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200

- Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

- Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!

Make sure you understand the application process 100%. Ask them if it's only 98%. And: Ask them for a practice case. Many firms allow this and don't use practice case feedback as input to offer evaluations.