Our philosophy
A lot of candidates see management consulting interviews as a test that they can “crack” if they follow certain playbooks with steps and recipes that tell them which questions to ask, which buckets to choose and so on. Unfortunately, we see this approach failing a lot of smart and talented candidates, when they find themselves in interview situations that were not part of any playbooks.
Instead, we focus on building underlying skills and competences that are needed to be a good management consultant, which naturally translate into positive outcomes in interviews. It might seem like a tougher path, but one we truly believe in and we want to help those ready to choose this path.
It all begins with Problem Solving
Problem Solving skill is at the core of the case part of management consulting interviews as well as the daily work of management consultants and this is where we start. We are very particular about building candidates’ ability to solve problems through logic and only through logic. Often it comes with a big mindset shift as candidates transition from thinking “by analogy”, where they apply solutions previously seen elsewhere and memorized, to building their own solutions, uniquely tailored to the problem at hand. Among other things, it means shifting from a framework mindset to creating custom, multi-leveled, MECE structures, being hypothesis driven, navigating data effectively and knowing what to look for.
This logic-based approach requires practice and intellectual rigor, but it has advantages over thinking by analogy. Candidates that master it are much better in dealing with non-standard cases and interview questions that don’t fall under standard frameworks and cases they never encountered before. In addition, building tailored solutions allows for working through cases in more efficient and purposeful way. Finally, learning this approach early will help candidates stand out in their early years of working as consultants once they join.
Becoming great requires a lot of practice
We will never tell you that any of our products or services is a magic bullet that will get you into management consulting and neither do we provide any offer guarantee. Because it is never only about the coaches you practice with or courses you take, it is about you and how much work you are willing to put into making it happen and that depends only on you.
Any skill needs to be applied many times to be perfected and skills that are tested in management consulting interviews are not an exception. You should consider budgeting enough time and patience for your practice. We are happy to share some suggestions on how you can think of different types of practice on your preparation journey.
How we support your preparation journey
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Course: "Problem Solving method"
We suggest that you start here. Problem Solving is the most important and foundational skill of a management consultant and this is the first thing to master. In this course, you will get a grasp on the key elements of problem solving and get examples of how to apply them in a case interview context.
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Live coaching: Problem Solving
If you would like additional support once you start practicing the Problem Solving method, we are here to help. A good way of using a coaching session is to work through specific cases or problem types that you encountered when practicing on your own and found most challenging. Alternatively, you can describe an issue to us and we will prepare fitting exercises.
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Live coaching: other skills
When you feel that your Problem Solving muscle is strong, you might need support in building other skills that would make you a good management consultant, such as your leadership skills or top-down communication. We can support you in identifying what you need to work on and what kind of behaviors you need to practice.
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Mock interviews: testing your skills
Perhaps you prepared using our approach, perhaps not. Often candidates want a final confidence boost, advice on finishing touches for their performance or just want to know how a real interview will feel. You can try yourself in an immersive interview simulation with a former partner and get concrete improvement suggestions.
Who we are
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Anna, ex-McKinsey EM
Former McKinsey Engagement manager | Experienced interview trainer | Currently an independent consultant, supporting businesses in developing their data, analytics and AI capabilities
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Anders, ex-McKinsey Partner
Former McKinsey Partner and regional leader of recruiting | Currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer of a group of companies, operating in the grocery retail, health and financial services industries