What to expect on a BCG first referral interview?

Question

Hello! Hope you are all good.

So, I am changing jobs and I have been referred at BCG, and tomorrow I have the first call. I am located in South America, and I have a double bachelor’s degree in business management and design and a postgraduate in service design. My current role is a strategic designer for Ab-InBev’s Central America offices for almost 2y and also have experience on a corporate ventureship consultant firm for a couple of months, but now I am looking for the next step in my career. The person who referred me is a top partner and head for the region at BCG, I got introduced to him and sent him my cv, he is super friendly and he directly talked to HR, HR contacted me to schedule a call and it is tomorrow. So I have a few questions on what I should prepare for this interview/screening, what to expect from this call, and what could be the process. I would highly appreciate do’s and don’ts or any tips. Ofc I’m doing my homework and getting prepared for it however I would like to know from experts what to expect and any kind of help.

I appreciate any help you can provide.

Answer 1

Hey Erick,

First of all, nice networking and good luck!

Your main focus should be being ready with your 3 Whys: Tell Me About Yourself – Interview Questions

In addition, be ready in general to talk about your resume, experiences, fit with the firm, interest in the role/firm, etc. Have questions for them ready as well

Be flexible and adaptable and remember this is a conversation not an interrogation.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hi Erick,

Q: What I should prepare for this interview/screening, what to expect from this call, and what could be the process

The best thing would be to check it with HR. Usually calls with HR include:

Alignment on the next steps of the process
Fit-only interview

With some firms /locations you may have a short case with HR as well but it is not very common.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi Erick!

Congrats! That sounds like you had a very productive chat with that Partner.

It sounds like this is a non-evaluative call with HR to get to know you. But of course, every call is evaluative.

What they want to understand from you is whether the role is relevant for you, what your expectations are from the role in terms of compensation and whether you are genuinely interested in the position.

So do think through the above to be ready for the discussion.

Additionally, make sure that you have a 2-minute pitch / personal presentation where you can articulate who you are and what you stand for (education, professional experience, your 2-3 areas of expertise).

Lastly, think through your motivation for joining consulting and BCG specifically.

If you have these things ready, then you're golden.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 4

Hi there,

These intro calls are usually just to understand your motivation and provide insights into the next steps (interview logistics).

I would prepare a short pitch about your resume (what stations have influenced you to apply at BCG), and your motivation (key reasons for consulting and BCG).
Think about questions you want to ask as well.

All the best,

Florian

Answer 5

Hey,

Consider it a light FIT interview. You should be prepared to tell about yourself and your motivation to join consulting and BCG in particular.

Ideally, if you prepare three types of FIT stories for your upcoming interviews:
1. Mini FIT: a short overview or a sales pitch of your achievements (20-30 seconds per story);
2. Standard PEI - around 2 minutes per story;
3. Expanded FIT - a 4-5 mines per story for a deep dive into your experiences with the exact names, reasoning, thoughts, as described above.

Good luck!
Nick