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Anonymous A
on Jan 22, 2020
Global

Would you consider yourself spontaneous and humorous? (Answer: Yes) Then tell a joke.

How would you answer this question in your Personal Fit interview? Receive feedback on your answer and browse through the Q&As to review the approaches of other applicants and experts.

14 Answers
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Top answer
Clara
Coach
on Jan 23, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello, 

I cannot imagine a scenario in which you are asked something like this in an MBB interview. 

FIT questions are about leadership, impact and entrepreneurial drive, asked as behavioural questions. 

Best, 

Clara

on Jan 23, 2020
Not quite the same question, but I was asked to describe my sense of humor in a BCG interview and therefore wouldn't rule this one out.
Deleted
Coach
on Apr 14, 2020
Ex BCG | 4+ years experience as interviewer

Agree with Clara that this would be SUPER rare in an MBB interview. I wouldn't spend time on preparing this kind of quetions. Spend the time on preparing case and the proper FIT questions instead. 

That said, if you indeed encounter such question, think for 1-2 seconds before you jump into the answer - "can I easily support my answer"? Using this particular question, it is easier to give example of being spontaneous, as you can cite a time when you did a last min travel etc. But harder to show you are humorous as that's a lot more subjective. 

Also be mindful of whether you answer aligns with what is expected out of a consultant. Spontaneous can be lovely for personal life, but you surely don't want to come across as someone who has no plan, or someone who might surprise your client or parnter in unpleasant ways. So if the answer if yes, suggest to distinguish between how you behave in personal life vs profession life. 

Hope it helps,

Emily

Anonymous G
on Apr 25, 2024

Rollt eine Kugel um die Ecke und fällt um, schreit Aua! 

7
on Jan 23, 2020

Hi, 

I haven't been asked if I was spontaneous and humorous - I was asked, however, to tell a joke. Fortunately, I knew one from my childhood. That was an in-house consultancy.

So I would prepare a joke that is not offensive (obviously) and that you simply like :) 

6
on Apr 13, 2020

what is brown and sticky? 

A stick

6
Florian
Coach
on Jan 07, 2021
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

I agree with Clara that this seems like an oddball question. However, I have experienced similar 'funny' questions during my BCG interviews back in the day and also heard similar stories from my coachees.

In McKinsey, I can almost guarantee that you will not hear any such questions. :-)

That being said, this is not a deal-breaker question. If you have a joke, tell it. If not, tell the interviewer that you don't have it and move on.

The question is more about how you handle such situations, not about the actual content. The interviewer wants to see how you handle some curveballs. Stay calm, collected, don't let it through you off.

Cheers,

Florian

on Jan 29, 2022

Why did the recruiter cross the road?
To recruit a chicken.

1
Deleted
Coach
on Apr 28, 2020
Professional full-time coach|50+ happy clients in 12 months|Ex Roland Berger PM & Recruiter|Networking to get interviews

Hi A,

I haven't heard about such situation, but in case this happens you can approach it with the common structure for questions:

1. Situation

2. Problem

3. Solution

4. Results

5. Your learnings.

Using this universal approach/ framework will help you to structure every uncommon, even sometimes difficult questions in a very good manner


Best,

André

Anonymous B
on Jan 06, 2021
on Jan 10, 2021

Yes, a bit too much for my own liking to be honest!

0
Anonymous C
on Sep 14, 2021

Yes. Why did one farmer stop talking to the other? because they had some beef.

0
Anonymous D
on Oct 01, 2021
Anonymous E
on Dec 01, 2021
Anonymous F
on Feb 07, 2022

If i had my jokes memorized then they would not be spontaneous don't you think?

0
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