Need a guideline for the whole application - interview journey

Hello,

To answer your questions:

1. Those online tests are automatic invites for all the candidates? meaning my resume is not passed or still on review?

This will depend by firm, but usually not all candidates get invited for the online tests, so you would have passed some initial resume screen. Next up your application, CV + cover letter, and test score will be reviewed together to determine whether you get invited to interview or not.

2. If I did poor on those online assessment, that means a rejection consequently, not passing first huddle? or is just a part of the whole interviewing process that is going to be assessed as sum later?

A poor performance on the online assessment doesn't automatically imply that you will get rejected - the online assessment score will be assessed together with your CV, resume, and the rest of your application for the next step.

3. I am actually experienced professional, and wondering if there is preferred window for the years of experience? ( as of less or more would be considered not a good fit?) or is there any disadvantage of being experienced professional or any difference in assessing process?

There's no preferred window per se, your years of experience will just determine the role you will be deemed eligible to apply for. For instance, someone with <2 years of work experience would likely be considered for junior analyst or equivalent, someone with 5+ years would be looking at senior analyst or associate.

4. Apologies for the very basic questions, but most importantly, how can I prepare the rest of the journey from now on?  this site has a lot of information but it would be really helpful for me to have a road map (interview process/ case study tips, websites, videos, etc.), since my clock has been already ticking. if anyone can give me some guideline or any tips for using this community that would be greatly appreciated.

Since you've done the tests already, the next step is interview prep! For someone who is just starting out with this, I usually recommend starting by doing some reading on case interviews to get a sense of how they work, what some standard frameworks are, etc. You could take a look at some of the guides here on PrepLounge, skim through classic books like Case Interview Secrets or Case In Point, or look at consulting firm websites, which usually have some guides or video examples of case interviews.

Once you've gotten a sense of what case interviews look like, I recommend diving straight into live case prep! You might not feel like you're ready, but that's ok - by far the best way to practice for case interviews is to regularly do mock cases yourself (i.e., don't just read cases by yourself - have someone, be it a coach, case partner, or friend run an actual case interview with you). Everyone faces a steep learning curve at first and then quickly gets better. If you are interested in working with a coach at all, having a few coaching sessions early would also speed up your learning and help you get a better sense of where to direct your focus.

Last but not least, don't neglect the behavioral/fit components of the interview! While case interviews feel more idiosyncratic and require a little more getting used to, it's still important to spend time preparing and practicing your answers for the behavioral portions (which most firms will incorporate as part of the interview process). I recommend looking up common behavioral interview questions in consulting, and spending some time writing up and practicing your answers.

Hi there,

1) Those online tests are automatic invites for all the candidates? Meaning my resume is not passed or still on review?

This might vary depending on the country. In some cases, they do CV screening also after the test. When I helped candidates for some business schools, for example, they told me every person in their cohort got the test after the application.

2) If I did poorly on those online assessments, that means a rejection consequently, not passing first huddle?

If you failed the test most likely you won’t move to the next step.

3) I am actually experienced professional, and wondering if there is a preferred window for the years of experience? Or is there any disadvantage of being an experienced professional or any difference in the assessing process?

There is no formal window in terms of years of experience. However if you have a lot of experience it could make sense to apply for an expert position rather than a generalist role in some cases.

4) How can I prepare for the rest of the journey from now on? 

I would recommend the following:

1. Identify the companies interesting to you. I would recommend considering other companies besides MBB as a backup. You can create a DB with all the companies you want to target so that you can look for a referral later for them (see point #7).
2. Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your expected interview and allocate the time slots for preparation in your calendar, working on the points below. Many candidates need 100+ hours to be ready before a consulting interview starting from zero so you can keep that as a benchmark.
3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Casebooks – you can find several for free online (INSEAD is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insights. Try to read a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
4. After the first 5-10 cases in books/casebooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only.
5. Keep track of your mistakes and see which ones you are repeating. This is extremely important, as otherwise you may do a ton of cases without fixing the real issues. If you find common mistakes, try to identify the reason for them (feedback from experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioral part and the case part during the mocks. The case part should also cover market sizing, math and graph analysis.
6. Before your application, be sure to review your CV and Cover, so that they are in the required format for a strategy role.
7. At least 3 weeks before the application deadline, start networking to find referrals. You can find some tips here.
8. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer  – a great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression. Ideally, try to find out who they are and study their profile to have good questions to ask.

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If you want to spend a few hours only instead of 100+ and cover everything mentioned above, I developed a program precisely for that. 

I can also share with you real questions for your target office (I have a DB with 1.500+ questions asked in 60+ offices you won't find anywhere else - you can check on my profile if I cover your particular office).

You can check the program at the following link to learn more:

▶ GYM Program

If you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Some good answers already given on your 4 questions. I will add abit more perspective on your 3rd question, having spent significant time in consulting and seen many experienced hires

3. I am actually experienced professional, and wondering if there is preferred window for the years of experience? (as of less or more would be considered not a good fit?) or is there any disadvantage of being experienced professional or any difference in assessing process?

1. There is no typical ‘preferred window' for years of experience - you are instead mapped/slotted into a role that is appropriate for your experience
2. The traits/qualities firms are looking for are consistent across levels (with some nuances on the more senior roles and expert/industry roles)
3. The only thing that matters (to get the offer) is your performance in the interviews itself
4. After getting the offer - there are several considerations you may want to consider also, if you want to be successful. Fundamentally you'll have to overcome the question if ‘old dogs can learn new tricks’
   • The key point here is that for a given role/position, the expectations are the same no matter your age/experience
   • Your experience can be an advantage, especially in terms of maturity, business sense etc
   • On the other hand, consulting is a gruelling job - you'll be working in the same environment with people potentially younger than you → and your experience will vary depending on your lifestage/health etc

All the best!

Hi there,

#1 thing to remember is it's ok to make mistakes, but learn from them. Next time, get a coach! They're here to prevent you from making silly mistakes - they let you skip/learn from the mistakes of others!

Basically, you don't know what you don't know right? But, you can address this through coaching.

1. Those online tests are automatic invites for all the candidates? meaning my resume is not passed or still on review?

It depends on the role, office, and recruiting channel. Regardless, it doesn't matter except for ego. You got the test, you took it, now you just have to wait (whether it's “passed” or not)

2. If I did poor on those online assessment, that means a rejection consequently, not passing first huddle? or is just a part of the whole interviewing process that is going to be assessed as sum later?

Essentially yes. This is the screening stage. You pass or you don't. If you did poorly (and poorly enough to bring down your overall application), you won't be invited to interview.

3. I am actually experienced professional, and wondering if there is preferred window for the years of experience? ( as of less or more would be considered not a good fit?) or is there any disadvantage of being experienced professional or any difference in assessing process?

I looked at the data. There is a direct correlation between years of experience and chances of being invited to interview. Regardless, why worry about something you can't change?

4. Apologies for the very basic questions, but most importantly, how can I prepare the rest of the journey from now on?  this site has a lot of information but it would be really helpful for me to have a road map (interview process/ case study tips, websites, videos, etc.), since my clock has been already ticking. if anyone can give me some guideline or any tips for using this community that would be greatly appreciated.

COACHING - if you want the best timeline and for it to be optimized, get a coach!

You're going to get a lot of generic answers to this question, just like looking up online gym workouts won't help as much as a trainer who knows your body, physique, goals, etc. Again, learn from your earlier mistakes (applying without networking and without online test best).

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear about the situation. But don't despair. Let me take your questions one by one:

1. Those online tests are automatic invites for all the candidates? meaning my resume is not passed or still on review?

Yes, they're automatic in most offices. They will evaluate your CV, Cover Letter and referral (if you have one) together with the test results to figure out if they should progress you to the next stage.

2. If I did poor on those online assessment, that means a rejection consequently, not passing first huddle? or is just a part of the whole interviewing process that is going to be assessed as sum later?

If you did poorly on the test, most likely the application won't go to the next round, even if the CV is good. You'll then need to apply to other firms and/or apply to the firms where you failed in about a year from now.

3. I am actually experienced professional, and wondering if there is preferred window for the years of experience? ( as of less or more would be considered not a good fit?) or is there any disadvantage of being experienced professional or any difference in assessing process?

No, there is no such window. I've seen candidates make career transitions regardless of how many years of experience they had. I worked with people aged 20 (for interview) to people aged 50 (career transitioning into expert or associate partner roles). Everything is possible. 

4. Apologies for the very basic questions, but most importantly, how can I prepare the rest of the journey from now on?  this site has a lot of information but it would be really helpful for me to have a road map (interview process/ case study tips, websites, videos, etc.), since my clock has been already ticking. if anyone can give me some guideline or any tips for using this community that would be greatly appreciated.

That's a great question. And it's not basic. More people should ask it. I put together a guide that explains exactly this. Hope you'll find it helpful:

• Maximising your chances of getting a consulting job during an economic downturn

Best,
Cristian

#1: Difficult to say with certainty. Now that you have given the tests, you can only wait and watch.

#2: If you did poor, you are likely going to be rejected. In very few cases I have seen the tests not being considered - but that is too far and too few a cases to really make it significant

#3: 3-8 years is a good solid window for not raising any eyebrows. More than that, and you have some explaining to do. Although I have coached successful applicants with 12 to 15 years of experience as well.

#4: Happy to get on an intro call and help you sort it all out with a personalised roadmap and prep plan - considering your prior experience and knowledge background among other things. Meanwhile, you can also start by going through this article - https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/guide-to-consulting-recruiting-process

1 and 2. Not all  candidates get them. But doesn't mean you have passed. That decision is only made after the test result, and the test result is just one additional piece of information. You may pass even with a bad result. 

3. This depends on what you are applying to. The way it works is simple: if your previous experience can bring relevant value to the company, more is not a problem, and can be positive. If it doesn't bring any special expertise, then usually less is preferred.

4. I'll pass this one, as you already have very good answers in the other replies.