Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Interview Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview

Is there any difference in approach between Webex and F2F interview

Hi - I have had 3 Webex interviews with BCG Middle East and have been proceeded for a (hopefully) final f2f interview with a Partner here in the London office on Friday. Wanted to ask if there is a difference in the approach I take for an F2F interview, as compared to the Webex interview. Also, for the webex, I had the comfort of taking the notes and doing the calculations as I pleased. Do I need to take care in case of a F2F interview? Thanks

4
3.5k
14
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Deleted
Coach
on Dec 17, 2018

Hey there,

In general, the main differences, in my view, are:

1) Harder to build a personal rapport with the interviewer over skype, which may disadvantage you. However I have also seen that most people will try take this into consideration when evaluating a candidate (e.g. "was slightly awkward but could be because of skype interview)

2) You are at higher risk of being put off / disturbed by bad tech - e.g. bad internet, microphone not working, etc. While obviously you won't be directly penalised for this, it will be hard to really shine if your interview is interrupted. You may also not be able to complete the interview, or may out of stress perform less well in answering questions.

You do not have to take any additional care in taking notes or doing calculations in the F2F interview. In fact I would advise you against trying to do calculations in your head unless you are super comfortable/it's a super simple calculation.

Good luck!

on Dec 17, 2018
Ex-MBB, Experienced Hire; I will teach you not only the how, but also the why of case interviews

No really a difference. Many of us here have done Webex / Skype / ... interviews. Specifically:

1. You can write down some notes & calculations either way

2. Interviewer shouldn't need to be able to read or even see your notes, so physical distance is not an impediment

3. Slight difference may occur if your Webex interview wasn't planned and interviewer only has a physical support document. This happened to me, so interviewer had to slap the page on the camera long enough for me to copy all of it. Took a couple of minutes, we laughed about it... I lost some time but gained in terms of relationship building ("how do you respond to an adverse development / unknown / bad news"). A wash in the end, probably didn't factor much in the final decision one way or the other.

on Dec 17, 2018
-
Vlad
Coach
edited on Dec 17, 2018
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

I personally had a skype interview - it worked well. Although I recommend you f2f interviews is that's possible. A Personal meeting is definitely better than online experience since you can definitely connect better with the interviewer when it is a live meeting.

If you still want to have an interview online, here are some general recommendations:

  1. First of all, check whether they are providing a conference room in a local office
  2. If not - find a place with good internet speed and test it multiple times before the interview. Also, think of nice room / proper light for the video conference if you do it from home
  3. You should be dressed the same as for the regular interview
  4. Don't hesitate to ask clarifying questions if there are problems with connection or you were not able to hear something
  5. Don't forget to look at the camera and smile - same as you do on a regular interview

Best

on Dec 17, 2018
-
Anonymous A
on Dec 17, 2018

Thanks all, but I am more interested in knowing what I need to do differently in the case of an F2F interview. I have had 3 skype interviews

0
Similar Questions
Consulting
BCG First Round Behavioral
on Mar 24, 2025
Global
6
2.7k
Top answer by
Lorenzo
Coach
IESE MBA | Bain&Co | OC&C | Private Equity | Consumer Goods
70
6 Answers
2.7k Views
+3
Consulting
Got a lower offer from BCG than expected, should I take it?
on Mar 26, 2025
Global
8
1.8k
Top answer by
Mattia
Coach
Bain & Co | 100+ interviews | Free 30-min alignment call | Experienced Hire | SDA Bocconi MBA
101
8 Answers
1.8k Views
+5
Consulting
How to prep 1st round of interviews with BCG in less than 1 week?
on Jul 29, 2024
Global
9
11.3k
Top answer by
Tiago
Coach
ex-BCG Consultant & Interviewer | +150 interviews | Tackle any case w/o memorizing frameworks | Harvard MBA
354
9 Answers
11.3k Views
+6
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
Thanks for your feedback! Your opinion helps us make PrepLounge even better.