Pre-Screening Phone Interview With Oliver Wyman

Question

Hi there,

I've been networking with OW in several countries and recently got good feedbacks from a couple of partners in one of them.

I was expecting to get some informal talks with them on the phone but I just received an email scheduling a "pre-screening interview call" with a principal. On the email, it stated it would be a 30-minute call.

I'm assuming one of the partners actually move my cv forward and I was selected.

Does anyone have experience with pre-screening interview calls? What should I prepare and aim at?

Thank you for helping out.

Answer 1

Hi Anonymous,

pre-screening interview calls are usually fit-only calls, where you are judged on attitude, personality and communication. The usual questions are the same you would get in the fit part in the actual interview; the most common ones include:

Tell me about yourself
Why do you want to work for in our industry/company
Tell me about a time when you failed
What are your three top strengths and weaknesses
Tell me about a time when your idea was criticized
Which role do you play in a team
Why should I hire you

Sometimes, in particular if you perform very well, you may also get a mini case (usually 10 minutes max). Given the limited amount of time and the fact that you are over the phone or on Skype, that usually is based on market sizing.

One thing many candidates neglect to do at this stage is to prepare their own questions. Relevant questions at the end are a great way to show your interest in the company and get additional points. In the first reply at the following post you can find some more information on the ideal type of questions to ask at the end of your call:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hey A,

I’ve helped couple of people to get offers from Oliver Wyman.

The questions will typically include

CV screening
Motivation for consulting
Motivation for this region
Motivation for Oliver Wyman
…

You need to show your integrity with the company’s values!

If you need more insights or help to convert your interview to the offer, just let me know ;)

Best,

André